The latest perspectives on critical crop production issues will be discussed at three University of Illinois regional crop management conferences. These two-day conferences are designed to address a wide array of crop production and pest management topics, and to provide a forum for in-depth discussion and interaction between participants and university crop specialists.

The Southern Illinois Crop Management Conference is set for January 29-30 at the Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center, Whittington; the Central Illinois Crop Management Conference is February 12-13 at the Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center, Springfield; and the Northern Illinois Crop Management Conference is February 19-20 at the Kishwaukee College Convention Center, Malta.

At each conference, participants will be able to attend three general sessions of broad interest that include bioenergy opportunities, new water quality nutrient standards and soybean yield maximization. In addition, attendees can choose up to six of 18 specialized concurrent sessions focusing on crop management issues such as foliar fungicides for corn and soybeans, fertilizer economics, GPS technology, weed resistance, on-farm research design, insect and disease pests, and crop budgets, crop insurance and risk management. Certified crop advisers can earn up to 13 hours of CEU credit.

Advance registration one week prior to each conference is $100 per person. Late and at-door registration is $125. The fee includes lunch, refreshments and handouts for both days. There is no one-day registration option.

For specific information about the southern Illinois conference, contact Dennis Epplin. 618-242-9310, depplin@uiuc.edu; for the central Illinois conference, contact Robert Bellm, 618-692-9434, rcbellm@uiuc.edu; and for the northern conference, contact Greg Clark, 815-772-4075, gmclark@uiuc.edu.