Everything you need for a profitable 2015 season. Be there when the doors open!
If you’re a farmer or ginner, this is the time of year for finding new information that can make a difference during the 2015 cotton production season.
And you’d be hard pressed to find a better event to visit than the annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 27-28 at the Cook Convention Center.
You name it, and you’ll probably find it during this two-day extravaganza that showcases a diverse collection of equipment and ag technology. As if walking the exhibit hall for two days weren’t enough to occupy a visitor’s time, Ag Updates and seminars will offer more detailed information.
Tim Price, show manager, says it’s all about delivering a product that is relevant to attendees.
“What we’re saying this year is that technology adoption is no longer discretionary spending,” he says. “Farmers and ginners need to put this into their budgets. It will help them become more efficient.”
Price says it is obvious that low cotton prices will have an impact on planted acreage in the Mid-South. However, he points out that producers and ginners still have a desire to learn about new technology.
“It’s very encouraging to see this kind of attitude,” he says. “Our attendees know they need these tools to survive in today’s environment.”
Busy Week Of Activities
Although the show will begin on Friday morning (Feb. 27), the festivities actually start on Thursday (Feb. 26) with the Southern Cotton Ginners Association (SCGA) annual meeting at the Peabody Hotel, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Speakers include Pat Westoff (Food Agriculture Policy Research Institute-University of Missouri), Tommy Valco (USDA-ARS) and Gary Adams (National Cotton Council).
Later Thursday night, a big crowd is expected for the SCGA Honors reception and banquet at the Peabody, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Scheduled to be honored are ginner Gregg Sain of Kennett, Mo., Larry Davis (SCGA) and Don Van Doorn (Lummus Corp.). The show, featuring more than 400 exhibitors representing every state and several foreign countries, will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Kicking off each day’s activities is the Ag Update, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Scheduled to speak on Feb. 27 will be Sledge Taylor (NCC chairman), Carl Brothers (Riceland Foods) and Memphis merchant Joe Nicosia (Louis Dreyfus Commodities). On Saturday morning, Richard Brock (Brock Associates) will present his annual update on grain markets.
Seminars Offer More Information
Two special seminars are scheduled for both days of the show. On Friday at 1:30 p.m. on the mezzanine level, the Mid-South Ag Forum will convene for the second consecutive year. The theme of this presentation will center on successful technology being adopted on the farm. Scheduled to speak are Jason Krutz, irrigation specialist at Mississippi State University, and Trey Koger, researcher and farmer of Belzoni, Miss.
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., a special rice marketing seminar will be hosted by Milo Hamilton, co-founder and senior agricultural economist of Firstgrain, Inc.
Price says attendees can pre-register for the show by going to www.farmandginshow.com. They can click on the “attendee registration” button, complete the form and then print it out. They should bring that form to the show to obtain their name badge. Or, they can scan the email document on to their smartphone.
For more information about the show, call the SCGA office at (901) 947-3104