The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service is organizing a charter bus for people who want to travel to the Great Plains Growers’ Conference set for Jan. 5-8, 2011 in St. Joseph, Mo.

To reserve a spot on the bus, mail a deposit of $40 with contact information to the Minnehaha County Extension office, 220 W. 6th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Make checks payable to the “South District Horticulture Fund.” Or call Extension horticulture educator Chris Zdorovtsov at 605-367-7877 with questions.

The bus will leave the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 and return to Sioux Falls at approximately 11 p.m. on Jan. 8. In addition, attendees can take part in the trip and join the bus at the Vermillion exit on Interstate 29. Call Zdorovtsov to get more information about this option, or for information on lodging near the conference in St. Joseph.

Extension organizers are inviting growers from South Dakota to take part in the conference because this year, the Great Plains Vegetable and Mid-American Fruit conferences are combining into a single event.

Zdorovtsov added that the deposit is refundable up to 30 days prior to the departure, and that options are available to waive the $40 fee for the first 20 attendees who register for the high tunnel training at the conference on Jan. 6. Call her at 605-367-7877 for more information, or e-mail her at this address: [email protected]. A complete agenda for the conference is available online at this link: http://www.greatplainsgrowers.org/.