(Apologies for cross postings)



A gentle reminder about the DSSAT 2011 Workshop in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.



The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC),in collaboration with the International Consortium for Agricultural Systems Applications (ICASA) and several other institutions, will host a training program on DSSAT Version 4.5 on May 9-19, 2011, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA. The overall goal of this training program is to familiarize participants with the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and the Cropping System Model (CSM) for the simulation of crop growth and yield, soil and plant water, nutrient and carbon dynamics, and the application of models to real-world problems.  Enrollment is limited to 40 participants.



This training program is designed for agronomists, soil scientists, meteorologists and economists from national and international agricultural research institutes and universities, as well as policy-makers in charge of agricultural productivity and planning.



The program fee for this training course is US $1,500 per participant. This fee is due with enrollment but no later than April 9, 2011. A non-refundable deposit of US $200 is required with each registration. The deposit will be credited toward the program fee, which is due four weeks before the program is scheduled. Thereafter, a Late Fee in the amount of US $200 will apply.



The program fee covers registration, training and reference material (the DSSAT v4.5 software and the book Understanding Options for Agricultural Production), coffee/tea breaks, all lunches and surface transportation related to field trips. The fee does not include costs of participants' air travel expenses from their home country to the United States and return or any air travel within the United States, lodging and meal expenses (beyond lunches as stated above), medical and/or communications expenses.



For more information or to register, please visit



http://www.ifdc.org/Training/DSSAT_2011_International_Training_Program



For more information, please contact



Director

Training and Workshop Coordination Unit

IFDC

P.O. Box 2040

Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35662, U.S.A.

Telephone: +1 (256) 381-6600

Telefax: +1 (256) 381-7408

E-Mail: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>



For technical information on course content, contact Paul Wilkens ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>).



About Muscle Shoals



The training venue is at IFDC in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. On the weekend between weeks of the workshop, there will be an optional trip to the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama - http://www.ussrc.com/ - followed by a visit to Isbell farms - http://southeastfarmpress.com/alabama-farmer-likes-variable-rate-technology.  Muscle Shoals is one of four municipalities known as the Quad Cities, the others being Florence<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence,_Alabama>, Sheffield<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield,_Alabama> and Tuscumbia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscumbia,_Alabama>, all of them in Alabama. Muscle Shoals is known for recording many hit songs from the 1960s through today at FAME Studios<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAME_Studios>, where Aretha Franklin<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin> recorded many of her signature works, and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_Shoals_Sound_Studio> which developed work for Bob Dylan<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>, Paul Simon<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Simon> and countless others. While the music from the area is often referred to as the "Muscle Shoals Sound," all four of the Quad Cities have significantly contributed to the area's impressive musical history. Without question, Muscle Shoals is among the world's most unassuming "music capitals" in that it remains unspoiled by the music industry. It can be said that the same attraction that artists such as Aretha Franklin<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin>, Bob Dylan<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>, Paul Simon<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Simon> and The Rolling Stones<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones> felt to the area remains intact today.