Larry A. Watts 
ATHENS – Registration is open until March 18 for the next workshop on Using Precision Agriculture Technology presented by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension on March 29 and March, 31st.
The workshops, which are free, will cover topics in the growing field of precision agriculture. Professors from UGA, Clemson University, University of Kentucky, and University of Tennessee host growers for presentations on precision planting, precision soil mapping, and soil sampling , sustainability, economics and decision-making. Workshop details, speaker information and registration for both workshops are available at precisionag.caes.uga.edu/resources/workshops.
The March 29 session will be held in Statesboro at the Kennedy Conference Center at Ogeechee Technical College, and the March 31 session will be held in Albany at the Merry Acres Inn and Event Center.
Each program will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 1:30 p.m., with lunch provided for registered participants.
Three 45-minute breakout sessions will run concurrently throughout the day so producers can attend all sessions offered. Sessions include:
Precision Planting, taught by UGA Assistant Professor and Extension Precision Agriculture Specialist Simer Virk, and Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Extension Specialist Michael Plumblee at Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Science
Precision Soil Mapping and Soil Sampling, taught by Wes Porter, Associate Professor of Crop and Soil Sciences at UGA, and Daniel Jackson, Laboratory Manager at CAES Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories
Sustainability and Precision Agriculture, delivered by Lori Duncan, Assistant Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, and Chaz Holt, Precision Agriculture and conservation for the Southeast at Quail Forever and Cotton Incorporated.
Over lunch, the keynote presentation, “Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of Precision Technologies,” will feature insights from Yangxuan Liu, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UGA, and Jordan Shockley, Associate Professor of Extension in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
“These workshops were developed and designed based on feedback and interest from the grower survey,” Porter said. “Topics were selected based on interest in training our state’s growers, so they should be timely and relevant. The Economics of Precision Agriculture Technology keynote address is the one of the most important topics and will provide growers with information to build confidence in adopting precision technologies.
Continuing Education Units and Certified Crop Advisor Credits for Private and Commercial Pesticide Applicators will be available to workshop attendees. Details on the total number of hours will be provided closer to the event dates.
The workshops are made possible by a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture.
To register, visit precisionag.caes.uga.edu/resources/workshops.
Maria M. Lameiras is an editor at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia.
