Insects, weeds and diseases were only a few of the topics at the 2024 Nebraska Extension Crop Production Clinic held on Jan. 3 in Gering. The annual meeting is one of eight extension hosts each year.

“We cover quite a few crop management topics and some agribusiness topics as well,” said Chris Proctor, Nebraska Extension educator and coordinator of the event. “There is a fair amount of research being conducted over the year that gets highlighted at these meetings. So, it’s a good place to come for updates and see what happened during the last growing season.”

The clinic also offers pesticide applicator recertification, where applicators can renew their license. It is a legal requirement that commercial and private applicators renew their license every three years.

“This is usually for commercial general standards in ag plant category,” said Frank Bright, Nebraska Extension pesticide safety associate.

Bright added that producers should keep an eye on the news, as chemical changes, including label changes.

“They are current products. It’s just a new iteration of the label, and those change all the time,” Bright said.

The new labels are just a different way of measuring a pick list with different criteria. Instead of just windspeed and temperature, many other factors are measured, such as soil type, crop, and more.

In the Panhandle of Nebraska, more specialty crops are grown than in the east, predominately corn and soybeans.

“We try to tailor the clinics to be more specific to the region,” Proctor said.

The subsequent 2024 Crop Production Clinics were held across central and eastern Nebraska, looking more at pests in corn and soybeans, weed management, and cropping systems.

The final clinic will be held Friday, Jan. 23 at the Nebraska Agri-Business Association Expo in Younes Conference Center, Kearney.

For more information or to register, visit the Crop Production Clinics site.