Advances in grain production technology and research take top billing at a conference sponsored, in part, by Purdue and Ohio State universities.

The International Quality Grains Conference takes place July 19-22 at the University Place Conference Center, located on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University in downtown Indianapolis.

The conference theme is "Quality-Assured Cereals and Oilseeds for the 21st Century." Through oral and poster presentations, workshops, commercial tabletop exhibits and tours, attendees will learn about such issues as:

• Measurement technologies to calculate agronomic quality and end-use traits of cereals and oilseeds.

• Management practices to assure the identity and quality of cereals and oilseeds during processing operations.

• Management approaches to meet customer needs for identity preservation, certification, and tracking of cereals and oilseeds.

Participants and presenters will include leading scientists, engineers, economists and professionals from academia, government and the agricultural and food industry involved in the production, handling and utilization of cereals and oilseeds and the manufacturing of grain-based foods.

Conference registration is $435 plus social events, meals and lodging. The fee includes attendance at the scientific program, trade exhibition, refreshment breaks and an e-copy of conference proceedings.

Additional conference and registration information is available on the conference Web site, located at http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~grainlab/grains-conference.htm .

Along with Purdue and Ohio State, the conference is organized by the U.S. Quality Grains Research Consortium, U.S. Department of Agriculture and several other land-grant universities.