The meeting was called to order at 8:15 a.m. on February 16, 2010 by Leticia Sonon and Dave Kissel of the University of Georgia. Phil Howard, Crops Marketing Manager for the Southern States, welcomed the 25 participants from various laboratories and agencies and shared some updates from Southern States.
A series of research papers covering a wide array of topics were presented. Complete program of activities and presentations may be viewed by clicking the link below:
http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/MidAtlantic/2010.htm
Research papers presented included topics on phosphorus index by Doug Beegle of Penn State, ammonia volatilization from urea fertilizer by Dave Kissel of UGA, new pH test with 1 M KCl and Sikora buffer by Frank Sikora of Univ of Kentucky, nutrient management in non-humid regions by Nat Dellavalle of Dellavalle Lab, selenium in soil-plant animal systems by Uttam Saha of UGA, blueberry fertility snd fertilizer formulation by David hardy of NC State, and poultry litter nutrient calculator by Leticia Sonon of UGA. Due to inclement weather and poor travelling conditions, some participants were unable to attend including Frank Sikora. Frank was still able to deliver his paper by projecting his slides on screen accompanied by a phone patch. It worked well. Renuka Rao of Cornell University shared her experience on the transitioning of grower samples from a public land grant university lab to a private commercial lab.
Tim Hoerner of Agri Analysis Lab presented a virtual tour of his laboratory. Tim's presentation included the history of the lab, its beginning and how it is today:
http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/MidAtlantic/2010/Agri%20Analysis%20Tour%20-%20Tim%20Hoerner.htm
In addition to Southern States as the main sponsor of the meeting, vendor co-sponsors included Spectro (Bob Dussich), LabFit (Bob Isaac), Elementar (Sandy Hughes), and Thermo (Mike Black and Mike Plantz). Each vendor presented new developments in their respective instrument companies.
The MASTPAWG website (http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/MidAtlantic/) has been updated and a section on history has been added. Check out the pictures of MASTPAWG members in their early years (http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/MidAtlantic/history.htm).
After a 2-year rotation, UGA's leadership assignment expired in 2010. Josh McGrath of the University of Maryland was selected to chair the MASTPAWG in the next 2 years beginning in 2011. The group also discussed plans for the 2011 meeting including dates and possible topics.
Meeting Date: 2/8-2/9/2011
The group expressed their appreciation to the sponsors especially to Southern States for free use of the meeting venue, snacks, and lunches.
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am, February 17, 2010.