Media Contact: Steve Lyle, Office of Public Affairs, (916) 654-0462, steve.lyle@cdfa.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will present its tenth annual Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) conference on November 19, 2002 at the Edison AGTAC facility in Tulare, California.
The all-day conference will focus on updates of current and recently completed FREP-sponsored research projects for many California cropping systems. The morning session will include presentations on optimizing phosphorus management in coastal vegetable production, fertilizer use efficiency in conservation tillage production systems, development of fertigation guidelines for grape growers, and nitrogen management to increase yield and fruit size in avocadoes.
The afternoon sessions will feature nitrogen management in drip irrigated vegetables, nutrient management for horticultural crops, and variable rate fertilizer application methodologies in rice and cotton. A special lunchtime presentation by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency will share results from a voluntary survey of nutrient management practices utilized by growers in the Salinas Valley to improve fertilizer use efficiency and reduce nutrient losses to the environment.
Representatives from agricultural supply and service organizations, pest control advisers, certified crop advisers, growers, farm advisers, researchers, and public officials are encouraged to attend the conference. Certified crop advisers will receive 8 hours of education credits, and pest control advisers will receive 3 hours of credits for attending.
The conference is sponsored by CDFA, the California Plant Health Association, and the California Certified Crop Adviser Program.
The conference fee is $55. For registration information or to request a copy of the program, call Suzanne Turcotte of FREP at (916) 654-0574. For more information about the event, you may also contact FREP conference coordinator Dr. Stephen Beam at (916) 654-0574 or email him at sbeam@cdfa.ca.gov.
The conference program is also available on FREP’s website at www.cdfa.ca.gov
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