Pull up a chair and join in or bring the conversation with you as you go about your day. Whatever works best for you, join us this winter to discuss some of the key issues and questions around commodity crop production facing Minnesota farmers today through the “Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops” webinar series. This live, online program will provide up-to-date, research-based information to help optimize your crop management strategies for 2023. Sessions will be held over Zoom, which can be accessed via your computer, phone or other mobile device, and run from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 11 through March 29, 2023.

Sessions will be very informal and open to all interested. Each session will start with a brief presentation by the discussion leaders for the day, followed by discussion framed around farmer/participant questions on the topic.

Topics and speakers:

• Jan. 11: Forecast for the season – Weather, economics & supply chains. Ed Usset, Extension grain marketing economist and Pete Boulay, Assistant State Climatologist, DNR

• Jan. 18: What’s bugging my corn? An outlook on corn rootworm and more. Anthony Hanson, Extension educator –IPM, and other IPM specialists

• Jan. 25: Climate factors and nitrogen management. Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist, and Brad Carlson, Extension educator – water resources

• Feb. 1: Semi-Dwarf corn & SCN breeding efforts. Rex Bernardo, Professor and Endowed Chair, Corn Breeding and Genetics, and Aaron Lorentz, Associate Professor, Soybean Breeding and Genetics

• Feb. 8: Are biologicals in corn & soybean logical? Seth Naeve, Extension soybean agronomist, and Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist

• Feb. 15: Weed management in the era of increasing herbicide resistance. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed management specialist

• Feb. 22: “Can I take an N credit?” and other cover crop FAQs. Anna Cates, State soil health specialist, and Matt Ruark, Extension soil scientist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• March 1: Expanding your rotation with small grains. Jochum Wiersma, Extension small grains specialist

• March 8: Corn Tar Spot: Distribution, development and management. Dean Malvick, Extension plant pathologist, and Darcy Telenko, Extension field crop pathologist, Purdue University

• March 15: Alfalfa weevil and other alfalfa management challenges. Craig Shaeffer, Extension forage agronomist and Anthony Hanson, Extension educator – IPM

• March 22: Soybean Pests – What’s up with the new and old…are they a big deal? Bob Koch, Extension entomologist

• March 29: Get your planters ready. Extension researchers, educators and agronomists

For more details and to register, go to https://z.umn.edu/strategic-farming.  There is no charge to participate, thanks to generous sponsorship from the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Not able to attend a day? No problem. Sessions will be recorded and posted for viewing later at your convenience.