Farm Computer Conference attracts its usual crowd

Thirteen FFA students at Southern Boone High School in Ashland took part in the Farm Computer Conference thanks to FCS Financial’s support and their teacher Doug Roderick. Here they listen intently to a speaker. Looking on at the rear is Ron Plain, University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist, who was a conference speaker.

Over one hundred varied individuals made up the crowd attending the 2008 Missouri Farm Computer Users Conference and Vendor Show held early in January.

"Many of those attending have been coming for years," said John Travlos, conference coordinator and head of the University of Missouri's Agricultural Electronic Bulletin Board. "This popular program started around 1980."

Several of the speakers were those who are regular attendees. Others included MU faculty members and merchants who provide equipment or software for farmers.

Adjournment was listed as being at 10:30 p.m. for the first day but many continued discussions far beyond that time as they exchanged ideas and different ways of using their computer equipment, Travlos said.

A sample of speaker topics included beginning spreadsheet use, farm management tools, digital pens that convert handwriting to electronic farm records, blogs and podcasts for agriculture and several more.

Nine different rooms were used for presentations giving attendees the opportunity to select topics of special interest to them.

FFA students also participated in the meetings by attending topics of their choice and presenting how they can use computers on a regular basis.

Agriculture instructor Doug Roderick provided his students the opportunity to sign up for the expensefree trip to Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks, site of the meeting place. Juniors Jessica Travlos and Jacob Garrett were presenters from that group.

They presented digital pen technologies and participated in discussions on editing pictures, games on computers, "cow tipping" and other topics both commonplace and exotic.