Thumb Ag Review educational meetings are set for Michigan’s Thumb Region
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EmailIn December, TARE (Thumb Ag Research & Education) results will be presented and discussed with crop farmers and agribusinesses.
Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) is based on a tradition of providing unbiased information for farmers and agribusinesses. During December a group of educators from the Thumb Region will conduct multiple workshops to present the results of the 2011 growing season from research and demonstration plots.
TARE (Thumb Ag Research & Education) is a collaboration of agribusinesses, MSUE, and ag industry commodity partners that include the Michigan Corn Growers Association, the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, and Project GREEEN. The TARE Program has on-farm replicated trials for corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and bio-energy crops in a seven county area.
Performance trial results for yield, moisture, and lodging will be presented for 112 corn hybrids and 79 soybean varieties from replicated trials in multiple locations. In addition to the performance trials, management trials for increased income and yield will also be presented.
MSU encourages using research data from several sources to make management decisions such as corn hybrid selection to maximize profitability. With the recent increases in energy costs, selecting corn hybrids with the appropriate relative maturity (RM) rating is one of the most important management decisions Michigan producers have to make. Late maturing hybrids generally have greater grain yield potential than earlier maturing hybrids in Michigan. However, late hybrids often have higher kernel moisture at harvest, especially in a cool and/or wet growing season. Higher grain moisture causes harvest delays and higher drying costs, which could offset economic gains from the higher yield of late maturing hybrids. Therefore, higher yield from late hybrids may not guarantee a higher economic return.
Locations and dates for the meetings are:
- Friday, December 9 Brentwood Inn, Caro, Mich.
9 a.m. – 12 noon followed by lunch - Monday, December 12 Taymouth Township Hall, Birch Run, Mich.
9 a.m. – 12 noon followed by lunch - Monday, December 12 Lapeer Ed-Tech Center, Attica, Mich.
5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m with dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. - Wednesday, December 14 Thumb Ag Day, Ubly Heights Country Club, Ubly, Mich.
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Friday, December 16 Westpark Motor Inn, Sandusky, Mich.
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon followed by lunch
Pre-registration is requested for those planning on attending the meeting of their choice. CCA and RUP credits are pending for all locations. For more information contact Phil Kaatz at 810-667-0341 kaatz@msu.edu; Bob Battel at 989-269-9949 battelro@msu.edu; Martin Nagelkirk at 810-648-2515 nagelkir@msu.edu; or Mark Seamon at 989-758-2500 seamonm@msu.edu.
