MSU Extension Field Crops Webinar Series begins February 2024

Steve Whittington<whitti34@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - January 10, 2024

The Field Crops Webinar Series will again be offered February through March to help growers and agribusiness professionals prepare for the 2024 growing season.

Field crop producers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in the 2024 Field Crops Webinar Series, a series of eight online programs addressing field crop production and pest management offered by Michigan State University Extension. Participants will be able to access the expertise of agriculture specialists and educators from the comfort of their home or office.

The theme for this year's series is Two for the Price of One: Conversations in Row Crop Agriculture. Each session will feature two speakers giving short presentations and discussing different aspects of the topic in an informal talk-show/podcast format with plenty of opportunity for interaction with the audience. Participants will hear how to enhance their row crop production systems in the coming season and have an opportunity to ask questions of agricultural experts.

The live webinars will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Feb. 5 and ending March 25, 2024. Topics include the following:

Date	Title	Speakers
Feb. 5	Integrated Wildlife Damage in Michigan Field Crops: Repellant and Palatability Trial Results	James DeDecker, director of MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center, and Monica Jean, MSU Extension field crops educator
Feb. 12	Corn Fertility and Management Considerations for 2024 Production	Kurt Steinke, MSU associate professor of soil fertility and nutrient management, and Dan Quinn, Purdue University assistant professor of agronomy and extension corn specialist
Feb. 19	Linking Drainage, Soil Health, Cover Crops, and Water Quality	Ehsan Ghane, MSU associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering and extension drainage specialist, and Monica Jean, MSU Extension field crops educator
Feb. 26	What Can Beneficial Nematodes Tell Us About Soil Health?	Christine Sprunger, MSU assistant professor, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, and Tvisha Martin, MSU doctoral researcher, Soil Health and Ecosystem Ecology Lab
March 4	Turning Weather-related Challenges to Agronomic Management Opportunities	Manni Singh, MSU assistant professor of cropping systems agronomy, and Jeff Andresen, MSU climatologist
March 11	Dry Bean Production Agronomics and Market Considerations	Scott Bales, MSU dry bean specialist, and Ackerman Marketing
March 18	Opportunities and Challenges of Disease Management: White Mold in Soybeans and Tar Spot in Corn	Marty Chilvers, MSU associate professor in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, and Albert Tenuta, plant pathologist for Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs
March 25	Weed Control Challenges and Management in Field Crops and Forages	Erin Burns, MSU assistant professor in integrated weed management, and Kim Cassida, MSU assistant professor and extension specialist in forages and cover crops

Cost of registration is $20 per person for the entire series. Those attending the live webinars will be eligible to earn one Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development pesticide recertification credit per session for application to one of the following categories: Private Core, Commercial Core or Field Crops. One continuing education unit for certified crop advisers will also be available for each session.

Webinars will be recorded and archived, and participants may choose to view the recordings at a later date. Credits are available only for participants in the live sessions.

Prior to each webinar, registrants will receive an email containing a link to connect to the webinar. The webinars may be accessed on a mobile device or a computer with a stable internet connection—no other equipment is necessary. Archived recordings from previous seasons are accessible for free from the MSU Extension Field Crops webpage.

For additional information or assistance, contact the Montcalm County Extension office at 269-467-5511 or msue.montcalm@county.msu.edu. Call by Jan. 15 to request accommodations for persons with disabilities. Requests received after this date will be fulfilled when possible.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).