You have the opportunity to get in-depth information about the many pest and technology issues that face you in the coming production year, and you can do it all with out having to even travel far from home. I highly recommend you attend the 58^th annual meeting of the Illinois Crop Protection Technology Conference that will take place on January 4 and 5, 2006 at the Illini Union on the campus of the University of Illinois.

The conference has an updated format this year. The conference will begin with an opening session entitled "The Day After Yesterday" and will focus on "2005, A Year in Review--What Happened? What Did We Learn? How Can We Use What We Learned for the Future?" This session will allow time for a question and answer session with the speakers. You have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers in three ways: either submitted on note cards to be placed on all chairs before the session, or asked over open microphones, or submitted to the conference web site beforehand http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/conferences/cptc/index.html. To submit a question in advance, click on "Submit a Question" after the session title ("The Day After Yesterday") to be directed to a page where you can select topic and speaker and write your question. You also will be able to ask more challenging questions that require responses from more than one specialist. Unless you choose otherwise, you can submit your questions anonymously.

At this year's conference, the opening session is followed, by three issue-based symposia on the first afternoon. Speakers at the various symposia will address numerous topics pertinent to successful production such as: glyphosate resistance, corn pest management, and nitrogen management. Three different issue-based symposia will be held on the second morning: soybean rust, soybean pest management, and environmental toxicology. A compelling closing session a point-counterpoint of integrated pest management (IPM) in the 21st Century will finish up the conference.

The registration fee is $150. Please consult the following web site for registration information http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/conferences/cptc/index.html. New this year, you can register online. You can also view a PDF file of the 2006 conference program by going to the conference website and clicking on "Program." More information is available under "Session Schedule". Most presentation titles are linked to abstracts and photographs of the speakers. In addition, links to maps of the Illini Union will help you locate where the sessions will be held.

If you have any questions about the 2005 conference or registration, please Sandy Osterbur conference coordinator, (saosterb@uiuc.edu), phone 217-244-2124.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.