Ag. Technology Program Part of Conservation Conference

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With agricultural technology changing the way business is conducted, growers and industry professionals are learning to use such materials to improve communication and develop more efficient record keeping. An Ohio AgriculturalTechnology Association (OATA) Program will be offered at the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference to help broaden the knowledge and use of how technology, like hand-held computers, software packages and broad-band Internet, can improve business with clients and co-workers. The conference will be held March 3-4 at the Ohio Northern University MacIntosh Center in Ada, Ohio. The OATA Program will take place March 3 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. “We decided to bring something new and different to the table this year about communication and record keeping technologies for today’s agriculture,” said Nathan Watermeier, an Ohio State University Extension Technology Program Leader. “The program features educational sessions regarding issues that a lot of growers, researchers and industry professionals deal with on a day-to-day basis.” The half-day program will kick off with a presentation by Grant Mangold, an agricultural communications consultant. He was also the senior technology editor of @gInnovator, an online news source about information technologies in agriculture. Other program highlights include 30-minute sessions on hand-held equipment that can be used in the field then applied to software back at home or the office; broad-band and how growers and agri-businesses can use the Internet or wireless services; and bar-coding and location verification technologies for fertilizer, pesticide or manure applications that are used in specialty crop production. “Our program seems to fit in well with other programs at the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference,” said Watermeier. “I think we bring something a little bit different than the general crowd would expect to see.” The Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference is designed to bring together speakers from land-grant universities, the farming sector and agricultural industries and organizations to discuss a wide range of topics including agriculture-related panel discussions, precision agriculture, soil fertility, water quality, insect and disease management, strip-till research, value-added farming, crop management and producer programs. The tillage conference is being sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, Northwest Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency and the Ohio No-Till Council. Early registration is $20 per day or $30 to attend both days. Registration after Feb. 24 is $30 a day or $40 for both days. For a copy of the agenda, registration information, or directions to Ohio Northern University, visit the web site at http://hancock.osu.edu/ag/ctc.htm or contact the Hancock County Ohio State Extension office at (419) 422-3851 or the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District at (419) 223-0040. Other details about the OATA program can be found at http://agnr.osu.edu/oata.