Crop disease info session set for March 26

LACOMBE -- An information session will be taking place next month to educate residents on various crop diseases. 

The session is free for residents and will be hosted in collaboration between Ponoka County, Lacombe County, and four other neighbouring municipalities. At the event, attendees will be able to learn more about crop diseases affecting local agriculture, review data from provincial crop disease surveys, and explore all of the latest research in regards to this topic. 

The information session will also take a deep dive into the most common crop diseases, including aphanomyces, stripe rust, cereal leaf spots, fusarium head blight, and more. Speakers will also discuss new clubroot and blackleg variants, and how these crop diseases continue to evolve over time. Speakers at the event will include Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, AB Agriculture and Irrigation, Western Crop Innovations Lacombe, Lakeland College, the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network, and the University of Alberta's Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutrition Science.

The crop disease information session will be held on March 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lacombe Memorial Centre. Lunch will be provided. If you'd like to attend this event, you're asked to call 403-782-8959 or email jmarkus@lacombecounty.com.