Nitrogen Conference Tuesday, February 23

The second annual nitrogen conference called Minnesota's Grand Challenge and Compelling Opportunity will be Tuesday, February 23, at the Rochester International Events Center in Rochester. The cost is $20 and you can register at the door or online at www.mawrc.org/events.html. Registration begins at 8:15AM, program at 9:15AM and adjourns at 3:30PM. Nitrate nitrogen in groundwater is getting a lot of attention and these days. Farmers need to understand how nitrogen reacts in the soil and what we can do to make sure it is there when the corn needs it and is not lost to leaching. Nitrogen is a macronutrient and we cannot grow a corn crop without nitrogen.

Speakers from the University of Minnesota include Dr. Fabian Fernandez, Dr. Mark Seeley, Dr. Gyles Randall, Brad Carlson, Jeff Vetsch and Dr. Dan Kaiser. Dr. Ignacio Cimpitti from Kansas State University and Jamie West from the University of Wisconsin will also speak along with Bruce Montgomery from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has had a program going for a while testing rural wells for nitrate nitrogen. Montgomery's talk is called Nitrate in Our Drinking Water, What 10,000 Wells Are Telling Us. This sounds like a great conference with very distinguished speakers. In case you don't know Rochester well, the International Events Center is just off of highway 63 next to the Rochester airport.