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2005 Annual Report

Project/Activity Number: SERA-IEG-20
Project/Activity Title: Southern Conservation Tillage Systems Conference
Period Covered: January, 2005 through December, 2005
Annual Meeting Date(s): June 7 to 29, 2005

Program: The Conference Program is available on this year's Conference web site:
http://agroecology.clemson.edu/Conference/05sctsc.htm

Minutes: The minutes of the steering committee meeting held on June 27 are available at:
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/aux/nsdl/sctcsa/Minutes/2005minutes.html

Proceedings: The proceedings of the conference are available at:
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/aux/nsdl/sctcsa/Proceedings/2005/proc2005.html

Summary: The Conference was held at Clemson University’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, SC. Dr. George Askew, Director of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center, welcomed attendees to start our sessions on June 28. John Hassell, executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center in Purdue, Indiana gave the keynote address entitled ‘Where Has All The Passion Gone?’ After the keynote address, 21 volunteered oral presentations were made. General topics covered in these presentations (as related to conservation production systems) included animal production and animal waste management, crop management strategies (including pest management), soil fertility and liming, soil water and irrigation, soil physical and chemical responses, and economics of production. In addition, there was a special topic session on precision agriculture with five volunteered papers. In addition to the oral presentations, 32 volunteered poster presentations were made. These presentations were on the same general topics as the oral presentations, with the additional topic area of educational programs for conservation management. Two 45 minute sessions were scheduled for author interactions with attendees, and additional poster viewing time was scheduled at the end of the oral presentations on June 28. At lunch on June 28, Dr. David Wright, University of Florida, received the 2005 Southern Conservation Tillage Conference Service Award, and Ms. Susan Robinson, Clemson University, received an appreciation plague for her efforts in conference preparation.

On June 29, conservation management and precision agriculture equipment was demonstrated. Following the equipment demonstrations, a field tour was held of the research and education activities related to conservation management or precision agriculture at the Center.

There were 134 registered attendees at the conference. Attendees who were at all sessions could sign up for 10.5 CCA credits and 2 SC restricted use pesticide license credits. Financial sponsors were Clemson University, Farm Credit, Monsanto, Pioneer HiBred International, Inc., South Carolina Cotton Board, South Carolina Farm Bureau, South Carolina Soybean Board, South Carolina Tobacco Board, and USDA-NRCS.