Nebraska Crop Management Conference Topics

Sessions are organized by Certified Crop Advisor category.

PEST MANAGEMENT

Corn Disease Update

Tamra Jackson-Zeims – Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Results from recent research on Bacterial Leaf Streak will be discussed. An overview of other important corn diseases and management trial results will be presented.

  • Wednesday, 9:10-9:35 – Room 1
  • Wednesday, 10:10-10:35 – Room 1

Soybean Disease Update

Jenny Rees – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

An overview of the common soybean diseases that occurred in 2017 and management trial summaries will be discussed.

  • Wednesday, 9:35-10:00 – Room 1
  • Wednesday, 10:35-11:00 – Room 1

The rise of multiple-resistance in Nebraska’s weeds and effects of Dicamba micro-rates on sensitive crops

Stevan Kenezivic – Professor of Weed Science, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Weed resistance to herbicides is a global problem, which usually results from the repeated use of the herbicides with the same mode of action. Dicamba-resistant soybean, known as Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybean, was commercially planted in 2017 growing season and is genetically engineered to resistant dicamba and glyphosate. All three products are specifically designed to reduce off-target movement; however, they are not 100% drift or volatility resistant due to windy conditions and regular temperature inversions occurring in May, June and July in our state.

  • Thursday, 10:20-11:10 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 11:20-12:10 – Room 1

The dicamba dilemma. Where do we go from here?

Kevin Bradley – Professor, University of Missouri

In 2017, certain areas experienced significant problems with off-target movement of dicamba following applications to Xtend soybean. In this presentation, we will discuss some of the reasons for the off-target movement of dicamba that occurred and also provide recommendations for how to move forward in the future.

  • Thursday, 8:10-9:00 am – Room 1
  • Thursday, 9:10-10:00 am – Room 1

CROP MANAGEMENT

Climate Outlook and Crop Scenarios

Tyler Williams – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Al Dutcher – Extension Agricultural Climatologist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Cropping systems in Nebraska are heavily dependent on weather and climate. This presentation will look at the latest climate forecast for the upcoming season and potential crop-impact scenarios.

  • Wednesday, 9:10-10:00 – Room 4
  • Wednesday, 11:10-12:00 – Room 4

Hail Know: New Resource Package from Nebraska Extension

Nathan Mueller – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Ashley Mueller – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Tyler Williams – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Roger Elmore – Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Severe storms that produce damaging hail are all too common in Nebraska. A new resource package developed by Nebraska Extension, with funds from the USDA, will help producers recover from hail events.

  • Wednesday, 10:10-10:35 – Room 4
  • Wednesday, 1:00-1:25 – Room 4

Weather: Root and Soilborne Diseases Update

Tony Adesemoye – Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

This update presents information on soilborne diseases that occurred frequently in many corn, soybean, and/or wheat fields across Nebraska in 2017 and were affected by the weather. The diseases discussed are Rhizoctonia root rot, Fusarium root rot, Phytophthora root and stem rot, and Cephalosporium stripe, including recommendations for the management of the diseases.

  • Wednesday, 10:35-11:00 – Room 4
  • Wednesday, 1:25-1:50 – Room 4

Getting Started with Drones in Agriculture

Yeyin Shi – Assistant Professor and Agricultural Information System Engineer, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

This presentation is about things you need to know to get started with drones in agriculture, including different drone types, sensor selection, workflow for collecting and process imagery. Common pitfalls and how to avoid will also be discussed with numerous case studies demonstrating the benefit of drone use in agriculture.

  • Wednesday, 9:10-10:00 – Room 2
  • Wednesday, 1-1:50 – Room 2

Nebraska On-Farm Research Network: Your Farm, Your Answers

Nathan Mueller – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Laura Thompson – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Keith Glewen – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network provides an opportunity for growers to get questions answered in their field with their equipment and management. Our team develops a custom research plan for you to get reliable results and provides an opportunity to listen and learn from other growers who conducted on-farm research.

  • Thursday, 8:10-9:00 – Room 3
  • Thursday, 9:10-10:00 – Room 3

Online Crop Residue Exchange

Daren Redfearn – Extension Forage Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Crop Residue Exchange is an interactive, online tool designed to help farmers and cattle producers connect and develop mutually beneficial agreements for using crop residue for grazing. It can be found at http://cropresidueexchange.unl.edu.

  • Thursday, 10:20-10:45 – Room 3
  • Thursday, 1:00-1:25 – Room 3

Cover Crop Selection Tool for Nebraska

Gary Lesoing – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln/p>

The Cover Crop Selection Tools are an initiative by the Midwest Cover Crop Council to consolidate cover crop information by state to help farmers make cover crop selections at the county level. Information for each state/province is developed by a team of cover crop experts including university researchers, Extension educators, NRCS personnel, agriculture department personnel, crop advisors, seed suppliers and farmers.

  • Thursday, 10:45-11:10 – Room 3
  • Thursday, 1:25-1:50 – Room 3

Long-term Crop Rotation, Cover Crop, and Grazing On-Farm Research

Mary Drenoski – Beef Systems Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Jenny Rees, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

In non-irrigated settings, tradeoffs between water use of cover crops, cattle gains, impacts on successive crop yields, and potential soil health benefits are often discussed. This is a long-term on-farm research study in a wheat, corn, soybean rotation documenting water use, soil parameters, crop yield, and grazing vs. no-grazing with the incorporation of cover crops.

  • Thursday, 11:20 am - 12:10 pm – Room 3
  • Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50 pm – Room 3

Soybean N Demand and N Credit

Ignacio Ciampitti – Associate Professor, Crop Production and Cropping Systems, Kansas State University

Soybeans require a lot of N, in fact, with a N requirement per unit yield four times higher than for corn. Soybean yield is directly and linearly related to N uptake but all of the plant N demand is not supplied by N fixation, averaging 50-60%, with indigenous soil N supplying covering for the rest of the N demand. Therefore, N balances after soybean should be evaluated based on the contribution of N from fixation and the removal of N from the seeds at harvest time .

  • Wednesday, 10:10-11:00 – Room 2
  • Wednesday, 11:10-12:00 – Room 2

Can "Sustainability" be Measured in Nebraska Cropping Systems?

Rick Koelsch – Livestock Environmental Engineer, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Field to Market has produced a shared definition for commodity crops accepted by 150 organizations representing the food supply chain, crop associations, environmental NGOs, and others. Does this measure of sustainability have value to the Nebraska farmer and their advisors? This workshop will explore the metrics being applied to commodity crops and discuss the potential "value proposition" for farmers.

  • Wednesday, 2:00-2:50 – Room 3
  • Wednesday, 3:10-4:00 – Room 3

Corn Growth and Development. What’s normal, what’s not?

Roger Elmore – Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Understanding and recognizing what ‘normal’ plants should do and look like is essential for good diagnostics in corn fields. Knowing that, will help you spot abnormal plants more quickly and provide a clue on when the initial problem was triggered.

  • Wednesday, 2:00-2:50 – Room 4
  • Wednesday, 4:10-5:00 – Room 2

Integrating Cover Crops into a Corn and Soybean Cropping System

Katja Koehler-Cole – Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Chris Proctor – Weed Management Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The benefits of cover crops are becoming well recognized. Nevertheless, it can be challenging to effectively integrate cover crop into a corn and soybean cropping system due to the short growing season following crop harvest. This talk will discuss some of the research at UNL looking at adapting the cropping system to enhance the potential benefits from cover crops.

  • Thursday, 2:00-2:50 – Room 3
  • Thursday, 3:00-3:50 – Room 4

Hybrid by Year Interactions: Corn Breeders' Views of Nebraska Corn Production

Tom Hoegemeyer – Adjunct Professor of Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Clearly, present corn hybrids are genetically more productive than those used in the past. How have changes in hybrids, production environments, and technologies impacted Nebraska Corn Producers?

  • Thursday, 8:10-9:00 – Room 4
  • Thursday, 9:10-10:00 – Room 4

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Effective Financial Resource Management

Robert Tigner – Agricultural Economics Cropping Systems Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Austin Duerfeldt – Agricultural Economics Cropping Systems Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

With ever tightening profit margins understanding your financial stability is imperative. By creating a cash flow statement and calculating your break even you have the power to identify production issues that may be holding your operation hostage.

  • Thursday, 10:20-11:10 – Room 4
  • Thursday, 1:00-1:50 – Room 4

Grain Market Outlook & Effective Grain Marketing Plan 2018

Jessica Groskopf – Agricultural Economics Cropping Systems Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Cory Walters – Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Do you have a grain marketing plan? This session will provide an outlook for commodity prices and discusses marketing strategies for grain producers in 2018.

  • Thursday, 11:20-12:10 – Room 4
  • Thursday, 2:00-2:50 – Room 4

Precipitation Risk Management for Second Crop Annual Forages

Jay Parsons – Farm and Ranch Management Specialist; Mary Drenoski – Beef Systems Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Daren Redfearn – Extension Forage Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

This talk will describe precipitation risk management tools available for annually planted forages on cropland.

  • Wednesday, 2:00-2:50 – Room 2
  • Wednesday, 3:10-4:00 – Room 2

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

How Does Soil Change When Manure is Applied?

Amy Millmier Schmidt – Livestock Bioenvironmental Engineer, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Assigning a value to the benefits provided by manure beyond crop nutrient inputs requires an understanding of what changes take place in the soil when manure is introduced and how these soil properties can impact agronomic productivity. Soil physical and biological responses following manure application, along with relevant methods for evaluating these soil properties, will be discussed.

  • Wednesday, 9:10-10:00 – Room 3
  • Wednesday, 11:10-12:00 – Room 3

Feasibility of sensor-based Nitrogen fertigation management in corn

Brian Krienke – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The use of fertigation offers the unique capability to minimize N losses by applying N multiple times throughout the season with lower application rates. But, how much N should be applied and when is the challenge. Use of crop canopy sensors can aid in deciding when and how much N to apply to maximize profitability while being a steward of the land. Results from a fertigation study conducted in 2016 and 2017 will be presented.

  • Wednesday, 4:10-5:00 – Room 3
  • Thursday, 10:20-11:10 – Room 2
  • Thursday, 11:20-12:10 – Room 2

SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT

Fix it, Don’t disk it: Controlling Ephemeral Gully Erosion

Corey Brubaker – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Controlling ephemeral gully erosion is required in Nebraska for conservation compliance. Learn about controlling ephemeral gully erosion with assistance from NRCS.

  • Wednesday, 10:10-10:35 – Room 3
  • Wednesday, 1:00-1:25 – Room 3

Soil Conservation Planning with WEPP

Corey Brubaker – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Soil conservation planning in Nebraska is entering a new era, with the adoption of the Water Erosion Prediction Model (WEPP) to predict soil erosion. Learn what this means for your conservation compliance.

  • Wednesday, 10:35-11:00 – Room 3
  • Wednesday, 1:25-1:50 – Room 3

TAPS – Farms Management Competition

Chuck Burr – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The 1st annual TAPS competition results will be discussed as well as agronomic decisions that producers made. We will also discuss numerous data that was collected on each plot (aerial imagery, crop sensors and capacitance probes) and how they can be used for decision making.

  • Thursday, 8:10-8:35 – Room 2
  • Thursday, 9:10-9:35 – Room 2

Soybean Irrigation Strategies

Daran Rudnick – Irrigation Management Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The results of 2 separate soybean irrigation research projects will be discussed. Both projects dealt with applying varying levels of irrigation water and their impact on grain yield.

  • Thursday, 8:35-9:00 – Room 2
  • Thursday, 9:35-10:00 – Room 2

Sprinkler Package Design

Steve Melvin – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The sprinkler package on a pivot or lateral is the most important part of the machine, however often when purchasing a new pivot or a replacement package, very little thought is given to what type of sprinkler device would be the best for a given irrigation system operating in a specific field. The presentation will discuss many of the design considerations.

  • Thursday, 11:20- 11:45 – Room 4
  • Thursday, 2:00-2:25 – Room 4

Variable Rate Irrigation Economics

Bill Kranz – Extension Irrigation Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Variable rate irrigation technologies provide an opportunity to tailor water applications to meet specific field conditions. A lingering question is under what conditions will the equipment be economically viable. Long-term weather data was used to estimate the savings in pumping costs for the expected lifetime of the equipment based on a field site in Antelope County.

  • Wednesday, 3:35-4:00 – Room 4
  • Wednesday, 4:35-5:00 – Room 4

PESTICIDE APPLICATOR TRAINING

Pesticide Laws, Safety, and Environmental Protection Review

Clyde Ogg – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

A review of the important aspects of pesticide laws and regulations, and the safe use of pesticides to protect human health and the environment. Changes to pesticide regulations and best pesticide safety practices will be emphasized.

  • Wednesday, 11:10-12:00 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 1:00-1:50 – Room 1

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly when Spraying the New Phenoxy Herbicides Formulations in Xtend and Enlist Soybeans

Bob Klein – Emeritus Professor and Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Good is that these new phenoxy herbicide formulations will help control tough broadleaf weeds, including resistant and difficult to control weeds in Xtend and Enlist Soybeans. The Bad is that if not used with a weed management plan, we could quickly lose these new formulations to weed resistance. The Ugly is that if the labels and stewardship are not adhered to, we could have major losses to crops and other vegetation.

  • Wednesday, 1:00-1:30 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 2:00-2:30 – Room 1

What’s New in Plant Pathology

Kyle Broderick – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The new diagnostician from the Nebraska Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic will be introduced. New and updated crop disease management products will be summarized. Additional updates will be included related to crop diseases of local importance.

  • Wednesday, 1:30-1:50 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 2:30-3:00 – Room 1

Fungicides are for Fungi

Sarah Schlund – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

A comparison of several common fungal field crop diseases will be made with common bacterial diseases that can be confused. Effects of fungicides after hail and effects on late-season crop health will be presented.

  • Wednesday, 2:00-2:20 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 3:00-3:20 – Room 1

Emerging crop insect issues

Ron Seymour – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

This presentation will be an overview of key pests during the 2017 growing season with a focus on Japanese beetle and thistle caterpillar. Insect pest and beneficial activity in cover crops will be discussed with a focus on wheat stem maggot in corn.

  • Wednesday, 2:20-2:50 – Room 1
  • Thursday, 3:20-3:50 – Room 1

Chemigation Training

Chuck Burr – Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

  • Factors Affecting Chemigation Practice
  • Irrigation systems
  • Chemigation equipment and safety devices
  • Calibration procedures
  • Management
  • Laws and regulations

  • Thursday, 1:00-3:50 – Room 2

WHAT'S NEW IN INDUSTRY

New Products in Nebraska for 2018

Jeff Krumm – Field Scientist, Dow AgroSciences

This presentation will give updates to our recently registered products in the marketplace including Elevore, Enlist Duo and Enlist One.

  • Wednesday, 2:00-2:15 – Room 4