UNL Extension Plant Pathologist Loren Giesler discusses disease management at the 2012 Soybean Management Field Days. Each year demonstration fields are planted at the various sites so growers can examine first hand what presenters are discussing in the field.

July 26, 2013

Soybean Management Field Days return August 13-16 with field demonstrations, research updates, and the latest recommendations to help soybean growers make profitable management decisions.

Lowell Sandell, UNL Extension Educator - Weed Science, discusses the importance of timely weed control in soybean production at the 2012 Soybean Management Field Days.

This year’s program features analysis of research on the state's Golden Triangle and why Nebraska may need to  rebalance its agricultural economic base. UNL Ag Economist Bruce Johnson will examine how Nebraska is not capitalizing on the full economic potential of its agricultural production complex, a base that includes both crop and livestock sectors.

"The soybean industry is highly dependent on the livestock industry and market," said Keith Glewen, UNL Extension Educator and SMFD coordinator.  "The livestock industry is the bread and butter for the soybean growers in Nebraska."

Other topics will include irrigation, nutrient management, adjuvants, research on fungicide and insecticide applications, and the benefits of narrow row production.

"Water is the lifeblood of this state as we well know after experiencing last year's drought," Glewen said, and the irrigation section will offer tools and information for improving irrigation management and scheduling "just-in-time" irrigations.

The field day series, hosted by UNL Extension and sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board and the Soy Checkoff, will be held at four sites: Minden (August 13); York (August 14); Pierce (August 15); and Waterloo (August 16).

Program Topics and Speakers

Adjuvants and Water Quality

• Topics: Making the most of a herbicide application; impact of adjuvants on efficacy and droplet size; importance of carrier volumes
• Speakers: Lowell Sandell, UNL weed science extension educator; Cody Creech, UNL graduate student; Bill Bagley, manager of Application Technology, Wilbur-Ellis Company

Fungicide and Insecticide Inputs — Yield Effects and Risks

• Topics: Elements of a seed treatment product; potential risks and yield returns of foliar fungicide applications; risks of “insurance” insecticide applications; importance of natural enemies in soybean insect pest management
• Speakers: Loren Giesler, UNL extension plant pathologist; Thomas Hunt, UNL extension entomologist; Ron Seymour, entomologist and UNL extension educator; Wayne Ohnesorg, entomologist and UNL extension educator; and Robert Wright, UNL extension entomologist

Soybean Nutrients — High Nitrogen Study and Micronutrients

• Topics: Soybean response to fertilizer nitrogen; timing and use of foliar fertilizers; research on managing micronutrients
• Speaker: Charles Shapiro, UNL Soil Scientist-Crop Nutrition

Row Spacing

• Topic: Interactions between row spacing and other input parameters and impact on yield
• Speaker: Greg Kruger, UNL extension cropping system specialist

Irrigation Management

• Topics: How to use SoyWater; how excessive irrigation during vegetative growth leads to more lodging and less yield; production with limited water; how water stress at V and R stages impacts yield
• Speakers: Chuck Burr, UNL extension educator; Jim Specht, UNL professor of agronomy and horticulture; and Gary Zoubek, UNL extension educator

The Golden Triangle — Nebraska’s Livestock Production

• Topics: The Golden Triangle production cluster relies on the strength of all component industries to survive and thrive; what does the Golden Triangle’s past, present, and future mean for soybean growers; rebalancing the Golden Triangle with livestock expansion and UNL research on economic implications of various livestock expansion scenarios
• Speaker: Bruce Johnson, UNL professor of agricultural economics

For More Information

See the Soybean Management Field Day website.