CCA Continuing Education Units Available. Certified Crop Advisors can earn continuing education credits through in-person and online attendance of the Resilient Agriculture Conference, August 5-7, in Ames, Iowa. Most conference sessions will be live-streamed, with the exception of the field activities and farmers and crop advisors throughout the upper Midwest are encouraged to attend in person (8.5 credits) or online (6.5 credits).

The conference is co-sponsored by the USDA's Sustainable Corn Project which is working to identify ways to build greater resiliency into corn-based cropping systems in response to some of the effects of climate change in the Corn Belt, such as a longer growing season and extreme rain events. Scientists with the Sustainable Corn Project have been collecting and analyzing data from 35 field sites in 8 states, studying the results of various practices, such as drainage water management, cover crops, and much more. At the conference, the scientists will share their findings and a panel of farmers from four different states in the Midwest will talk about how they have modified their practices to build resiliency into their operations.

"With weather variability like we have had these past two years, it's difficult to know when it's time to plant corn. This and other changes we're experiencing in climate patterns make it necessary to adopt management practices that provide the best results in all years," said Garry Niemeyer, a farmer in Illinois and past president of the National Corn Growers Association. "A farmer concerned with risk management for his operation should consider attending the Resilient Agriculture conference, where all of these issues and many more will be addressed."

During the conference, farmers will also participate in hands-on activities in the field to increase their understanding of the practices being researched and to learn how to use new decision support tools.

Registration, other conference details and information about the Sustainable Corn Project can be found at www.sustainablecorn.org. Registration is open through July 28. There is a $90 fee to register to participate in-person, which covers the cost of meals, conference materials and field day transportation. There is no cost to live-stream the presentations, however advanced registration is required.

The conference is sponsored by the USDA's Sustainable Corn Project and the 25x'25 Alliance.

For additional information contact: Lori Abendroth, Sustainable Corn Project Manager, labend@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5692 OR

Lynn Laws, Sustainable Corn Project Communications Specialist, (515) 294-7380, Cell: (515) 490-1428, lynnlaws@iastate.edu