Red River Crops Conference Jan. 20-21 in Altus, Oklahoma

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Oklahoma and Texas agricultural producers and others interested in learning the latest information about best crop production practices for the Red River region should register now to attend the Jan. 20-21 Red River Crops Conference in Altus.

“A collaborative effort by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Extension, the conference focuses on providing relevant management information applicable to the Red River area that can help enhance the potential profitability of farm and ranch enterprises,” said Gary Strickland, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension director and agricultural educator for Jackson County.

In the Red River region, obstacles can include water and land resources, and weather extremes such as hot and dry summers and bitterly cold winters. Producers also find themselves managing pastures of both introduced and native grass for cattle operations, and crop mixes such as cotton, wheat, and grain and forage sorghum. In recent years, canola, guar and sesame also has been successfully cultivated within the region.

The two-day conference in Altus, Oklahoma, will take place at the Southwest Technology Center, 711 W. Tamarack, situated north of Highway 62 and west of Main Street. Both days will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

Cost is $25 and includes both days. Registration forms are available online through http://agrisk.tamu.edu/. Make checks payable to the Red River Crops Conference and mail to 2801 N. Main, Suite A, Altus, OK 73521.

“We ask that participants pre-register as it greatly aids our planning for meals, refreshment breaks and conference materials, helping us to ensure everyone has the best conference experience possible,” Strickland said.

In-season and summer crops will be featured on Jan. 20. Discussion topics will include effective crop rotation and the use of cover crops, grain and forage sorghum production, transitioning from row crops systems to forage crop systems, best management practices for peanut production, a wheat breeding update and a market outlook.

Cotton will be featured on Jan. 21, with topics including cotton risk management issues, market outlook, variety discussions, herbicide options, seed treatments and disease management, as well as new innovative cotton production systems.

Texas AgriLife Extension and OSU Cooperative Extension collaborated to conduct the first and very successful conference in January 2014. The conference alternates between Oklahoma and Texas annually.

Anyone seeking additional information about the conference should contact Strickland at 580-482-0823 or 580-482-3176.