Food and Environmental Sustainability Focus of ASA-CSSA-SSSA Meeting

Newswise — What was the impact of Hurricane Katrina on soil quality and agriculture? How can soil help lessen the impacts of climate change? To what extent can biofuels help make America energy independent? These topics and others of public interest will be discussed at the International Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Nov. 4-8, 2007 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The event marks the 100th anniversary of ASA.

More than 4,000 soil scientists, crop scientists, and agronomists from around the world will meet to discuss food security, biofuels, climate change, sustainable environments, carbon trading, and organic agriculture. A special presentation on soil clean up and agricultural impacts post-Hurricane Katrina marks a Wednesday symposium. Demonstrations and displays of related scientific and agricultural products will also be available in an exposition from Nov. 5-7, 9 am to 6 pm. For more information about the scientific program, go to: http://www.acsmeetings.org/meetings_program.

Highlighted Speakers"¢ Sun. Nov. 4, 7-8pm: Nobel Peace Prize and Congressional Gold Medal recipient Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, is joined by Rob Horsch of the Gates Foundation to discuss agricultural technologies to fight world hunger."¢ Mon., Nov. 5, 8-9am: President of Iceland Olafur Grimsson will comment on climate change and how Iceland can be a laboratory for global solutions. Following the President's lecture, there will be a Q&A for Media at 9 am."¢ Mon., Nov. 5, 5:30-6 pm: President of Bangladesh will present, "Bangladesh: Problems of Global Warming, Land Inundation, and Arsenic Poisoning," as part of the Soil Science Society of America Awards Program and Reception which begins at 4 pm. Following the President's lecture, there will be a Q&A for Media at 6 pm."¢ Tue., Nov. 6, 8-9am: Henry Thompson, Director, Cancer Prevention Lab, Colorado State University, will present ways to improve health attributes of food crops in the fight against chronic diseases."¢ Wed., Nov. 7, 8-9am: Mike Palmer, University of Oklahoma and Ken Cassman, University of Nebraska will present contrasting points of view on biofuels.All of these speakers plus experts on a variety of agricultural and environmental issues will be available for media interviews via Sara Uttech at 608-268-4948 through Nov. 2; or by cell phone at 608-772-0217 from Nov. 3-8.

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) www.agronomy.org, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) www.crops.org and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) www.soils.org are educational organizations helping their 10,000+ members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy, crop and soil sciences by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.