VIDALIA &8212; Farmers will get a lot more than just their pesticide re-certification at Tuesday&8217;s Soybean Feed Grain Production meeting in Monterey.

Farmers will hear from LSU AgCenter specialists on topics ranging from soybeans to marketing to black bears as part of extension&8217;s effort to help get parish farmers ready for the coming season.

The meeting, at Monterey First Baptist Church, offers one of the last chances for farmers to get re-certified by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry as a private pesticide applicator.

In order to get re-certified, attendance at the entire morning&8217;s program is required.

If a farmer allows his or her three-year certification to lapse, a written test must be passed to get their card.

&8220;They make that pesticide test hard,&8221; LSU AgCenter County Agent Glen Daniels said.

The reason for this isn&8217;t to penalize, but to protect the entire community.

&8220;Some of this stuff can be pretty hot,&8221; he said.

How to handle these chemicals to the best use will be one of the major topics of discussion. Presentations dealing with weed and grass control for corn and grain sorghum &8212; and of course, soybeans &8212; general pest control and an update on Asian soybean rust are on the agenda.

Daniels, who put the program together, enlisted the services of economist Kurt Guidry to present a 2006 soybean outlook and a five-step marketing plan to help farmers maximize the return on their investment.

&8220;It&8217;s important because it can help farmers made better decisions and help them do better and keep them in farming,&8221; he said.

Daniels said Tuesday&8217;s conference would not be possible without the help of the various sponsors who support the agriculture community.

&8220;Without them, we couldn&8217;t do a lot of our programs around the parish.&8221;

The program starts at 8:25 a.m. and concludes with lunch at 12:30.

Re-certification costs $25. Those who have not yet been certified need to arrange to take the test.