MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- The 2020 Mississippi State University Extension Service Row Crop Short Course has been cancelled as COVID-19 cases trend back up in Mississippi.

In addition to Extension-mandated guidelines that limit meeting attendance, the Row Crop Short Course planning team also cited travel, funding and hotel accommodation restrictions as roadblocks to holding the educational event.

“We are gravely concerned about spreading COVID-19 if we attempted to gather people at this event,” said Darrin Dodds, member of the short course planning team and head of the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. “We gave thought to conducting the Row Crop Short Course in a virtual format similar to many other events of this nature. But we felt very strongly that one of the things that makes our event unique is the camaraderie and the interaction among attendees both in the presentation room and in the hallways. We did not feel like we could capture the same atmosphere in a virtual format as we do face-to-face and did not want sacrifice quality simply to have a meeting.”

For questions regarding pesticide certification or license expiration, contact the Bureau of Pant Industry at 662-325-3390. Certified crop advisors who need continuing education units can find virtual meeting options on the American Society of Agronomy website at https://agronomy.org/education. For information on CEU extensions, contact Penny Magana at 608-268-4954.

Dodds said the team plans to hold the 2021 Row Crop Short Course.

“We sincerely hope to see everyone in 2021 and all of us learn, laugh and fellowship together as we have for so many years,” he said.

Read the full statement from the Row Crop Short Course planning team at https://bit.ly/3k7nYaj.