Sugar representatives help forumulate 2009 Montana/Wyoming Sugarbeet Symposium

The 2009 Montana/Wyoming Sugarbeet Symposium will be held in Billings at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 12-13, 2009.

On Jan. 12, the program will focus on managing weed, disease and insect pests of crops grown in rotation with sugarbeets such as corn, barley, dry beans, corn and wheat. There will also be presentations by Montana State University faculty and others on commodity price outlook, irrigation, fertilizer prices, how to optimize fertilizer investments for these crops, strip tillage and biofuels.

A featured speaker will be Tom Jensen of the International Plant Nutrition Institute, who will discuss fertilizer prices and the global demand and outlook for Montana.

On Jan. 13, presentations focus on sugarbeet production, including fertility, irrigation, and management of insects, weeds and diseases.



Gary Brester, MSU economist, will be a featured speaker Jan. 13, describing current technology, research, and the future of Montana sugarbeet production. Also featured on Tuesday will be Molly Cline, Monsanto's executive director for industry affairs. She will discuss what is next on the sugarbeet horizon.

Finally, Luther Markwart, executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, will talk at noon about what is going on in Washington, DC that applies to the future of the sugarbeet industry.



The symposium will feature top experts from MSU, MSU Extension, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and private industry. In addition, there will be an extensive trade show with many agricultural input suppliers.

The Monday program will start with a sponsored soup and sandwich lunch at noon, and Tuesday the Billings Chamber of Commerce will provide breakfast for attendees starting at 6:30 a.m.

The full agenda, registration information and fees can be found at http://ipm.montana.edu.

The 2009 Sugarbeet Symposium was developed by representatives from Sidney Sugars, Western Sugar, Wyoming Sugar, MSU and private industry.