ASU to host 2010 Soil and Water Education Conference Jan. 21

Dec. 17, 2009 -- Arkansas State University-Jonesboro’s College of Agriculture and Technology will host the 2010 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference, an all-day event that will take place on Thursday, Jan. 21, at the ASU Convocation Center Auditorium, 217 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Registration begins at 8 a.m. in Convocation Center Meeting Room A, and is followed by a welcome in the Convocation Center auditorium at 8:15 a.m. The opening session begins at 8:30 a.m.

The registration fee for the day-long conference is $20 and includes a luncheon. Certified Crop Advisor Soil and Water Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be awarded at this meeting. Pre-registration ends Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Register online at: http://www2.astate.edu/agri/, or contact Loretta Thornton (lthorn@astate.edu) for more information at (870) 972-3364.

The conference is divided into three sessions. Session I, Organic Soil Amendments, begins at 8:30 a.m. and will feature Lisa Ellington, director of Paragould’s waste water treatment plant, presenting “Biosolids: what they are, and where they come from.” At
9 a.m., Patrick Fisk of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission in Little Rock will present “Challenges and Opportunities for Poultry Litter Use in Arkansas.” At 9:30 a.m., there will be a discussion of production experience using organic soil amendments.  Dr. Steven Green, associate professor of soil and water conservation at ASU, will serve as moderator. A poster session and a break for refreshments is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Session II, Groundwater 2010, will begin at 10:20 a.m. with Dr. John Czarnecki, U.S. Geological Survey, Little Rock, presenting “Groundwater Science and Status.” At 10:50 a.m., Todd Fugitt of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Little Rock, will present “Critical Groundwater Designation.”  At 11:20 a.m., Dennis Carmen, Chief Engineer of the White River Irrigation District, Stuttgart, will present an update on the Grand Prairie project, and at 11:50 a.m., there will be a discussion on “Practical Solutions for Water Conservation.” Dr. Jennifer Bouldin, director of ASU’s Ecotoxicology Research Facility and assistant professor of environmental biology, will serve as moderator.

At 12:20 p.m., luncheon will be served in Meeting Room B. Session III will begin at 1:20 p.m., and Dr. Tina Teague, professor of entomology and plant science, will serve as moderator for a brief overview and panel discussion on commercial products and their uses. The conference will adjourn at 3 p.m.

Dr. Steven Green said, “The goal of this annual conference is to educate farmers, producers, consultants, policy makers, students, and others with a vested interest in soil and water management. The educational focus of the conference is current issues and management practices in soil and water conservation and management.”

For more information, visit ASU’s College of Agriculture and Technology online at http://www2.astate.edu/agri/, or call Loretta Thornton, physical support specialist, agriculture research, at (870) 972-2043 or (870) 972-3364.
              

 # # #