PULLMAN, Wash.– One of the best opportunities for growers to learn about precision agriculture comes to the Tri-Cities, Jan. 29-31.
“The two day Western Precision Agriculture Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday and the workshops that precede it on Monday will provide growers with an opportunity to get the latest information about precision farming in the western United States,” said Fran Pierce, director of Washington State University’s Center for Precision Agricultural Systems.
Precision agriculture — managing small areas of large fields based on intensive information collected by satellites, computers and other technologies — is about 10 years old, although some elements of the technology are much older.
Conference speakers will discuss the latest precision agriculture research, including updates on practices ranging from water management to pest control. Speakers include both scientists who are doing the research and farmers who are putting the new technology to work.
A series of hands-on workshops scheduled Monday (Jan. 29) will provide growers with opportunities to learn how to use information from global positioning satellites and geographic information systems, commonly called GPS and GIS. The workshops will be held at WSU Tri-Cities in Richland. The workshops begin at 9 a.m.
The conference begins with registration at 7 a.m. Tuesday (Jan. 30) at the DoubleTree, in Pasco.
The workshops and conference are priced separately. Workshops start at $40 per course. The conference registration fee is $229 for both days, or $125 for one day. Students can register for both days for $69.
Complete registration details are available from WSU Conferences and Professional Programs. Call 1-800-942-4978.
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