By Dave Nicolai, IAP Program Coordinator
The 2017 Field School for Ag Professionals will be held on July 27 – 28 at the University of Minnesota Agriculture Experiment Station, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota. The St. Paul campus, located in Falcon Heights, MN next to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds at Larpenteur and Gortner Ave, is this year’s site for the Field School for Ag Professional which is the summer training opportunity that combines hand-on training and real-world field scenarios that no winter program can offer. The two-day program focuses on core principles in agronomy, entomology, weed and soil sciences on the first day to build a foundation for participants and builds on this foundation with timely, cutting-edge topics on the second day.
The first day’s sessions that “Build a Foundation” are:
- Herbicide Mode of Action and Crop Injury Symptoms
- Identification of Insects and the Injury they cause in Field Crops
- Corn and Soybean Growth and Agronomics
- Measuring soil physical soil properties: What do they tell you about Fertilizer Recommendations
You will attend each of these 1.5 hour hands-on sessions. Certified Crop Advisor CEUs in the areas of Pest Management, Nutrient Management and Crop Management will be available. The second day program that “Builds on a Foundation” consists of multiple concurrent one-hour sessions, allowing you to obtain one Certified Crop Advisor CEU per session in the areas of Crop Management and Pest Management. You can self-select up to six different sessions from a menu of eleven session topics the second day program topics include:
- Understanding Ins and Outs of Key Soybean and Corn Diseases
- Principles of Weed Seedling and Mature Weed Identification
- Stand Establishment, Hail Damage, and Replant Decisions for Corn
- Alfalfa Growth and Development as it relates to Forage Quality and Yield
- European Corn Borer: Refresher on Managing this Long-Suppressed Pest
- Pollinators in the Agricultural Landscape: Understanding their Role and how to Reduce Threats to their Health and Populations
- Cover Crops, Oil Seeds and Pollinators: Making Cover Crops work for You
- Small Grains Growth and Development
- Crop Diagnostics and Management for Soybeans, Corn and Small Grain
- Enlist and Xtend Soybean Response to Various Herbicides
- Diagnosis of Problems associated with Foliar Application of Nutrients in Corn and Soybean
Detailed session descriptions and online registration can be found on the Institute for Ag Professionals website.
At the Field School you’ll find a hands-on, in-field program with a focus on crop and pest management diagnostic skill building in field crops. The program is geared to agronomists, crop production retailers, seed dealers, consultants, Extension educators, agriculture government agency personnel, farm managers and summer field scouts.
The Field School offers an opportunity to enhance troubleshooting and crop management skills in specially-designed plots that display actual cropping situations. A key feature of the Field School is the small learning groups to enhance the learning experience. Each subject is led by experienced instructors offering personalized instruction and small group activities and enrollment is, therefore, limited to 120, so early registration is encouraged. You may choose to attend either day or both days of the field school.
New in 2017 is the option for Field School participants to receive a complimentary ticket to the St. Paul Saints baseball game at CHS Field located in downtown St. Paul for the 7:05 pm game against the Sioux City Explorers on Thursday evening, July 27th.
Questions about the 2017 Field School can be directed to David Nicolai, IAP Program Coordinator, via e-mail: nico0071@umn.edu or by calling 612-625-2778 or Larisa Jenrich, Institute for Ag Professionals program assistant, jenri001@umn.edu or 651-480-7732.
Learn more about the 2017 University of Minnesota IAP Field School For Ag Professionals by clicking on the video below:
Source: University of Minnesota Extension: Minnesota Crop News