Biologicals and their use, along with their pros and cons, will take center stage at the 36th annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, December 10 and 11, 2024, in Bryan-College Station.
“The biologicals industry is among the fastest growing sectors in agriculture and is at the center of a sea of change that is transforming crop production, crop protection, and crop nutrition systems,” says Rick Melnick, one of the conference keynote speakers and DunhamTrimmer partner and COO.
“The entire food value chain – from manufacturers, distribution, and farm advisors, all the way to growers – is trying to better understand what is behind this change, where this market is going, and how they can leverage biologicals to improve ROI.”
During the conference general session, Melnick will provide a biologicals market overview, how products are classified, their value proposition, and what is behind the sweeping changes.
“Agriculture is a high-tech, science-based industry, and biologicals are technical products,” says Melnick, a past board chairman of the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA), the trade association serving the biologicals industry in the U.S.
Biologicals' growth has been fueled by a greater understanding of how they work, especially in the last 20 years, he notes. “As they look around and see how quickly this market is expanding, growers and farm advisors want to understand these products. This understanding is a prerequisite to using biologicals to become more efficient and more profitable.”
Use in pest control will also be discussed. Brian Arnall, Oklahoma State University Extension Precision Nutrient Management specialist, will address biologicals and fertility. "This presentation will discuss the more common modes of actions, diving into the theories and mechanisms around these products.
He will also review the results of the Multi-state Microbial Project supported by Cotton Inc., which evaluates such products across the Cotton Belt.
AI in Ag
Artificial intelligence in Texas agriculture will also be highlighted in the general session. Juan Landivar, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Research director, Corpus Christi, will discuss its uses and how AI will benefit a grower’s bottom line.
Also on the agenda and featured during the Consultant General Session, December 10, is drone use and its integration into precision agriculture, followed by the annual Pest ID Contest.
Laws and Regs
Day 2 will kick off with TDA laws and regulations followed by concurrent sessions: Fertility Management; Horticulture/Turf; Grains; Pasture and Rangeland; Rice and Soybeans; and Cotton.
The association will also recognize members at its annual awards luncheon for their contributions to agriculture and TPPA, including presenting the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award, the association's most prestigious award.
CEUs will be available along with presenter abstracts and the poster contest for graduate and doctoral students. For more information and/or to register to attend either in-person or virtually, visit https://bit.ly/3QzFhkI.