The 2026 UW–Madison Agronomy and Soils Field Day on Aug. 27, 2026, in Arlington, Wis., welcomed over 150 farmers, consultants, researchers, and community members for an engaging day of in-field research highlights and a special listening session with USDA’s chief economist and deputy undersecretary for farm production and conservation.
Field day attendees seated on a tractor-pulled wagon, observing corn research plots in a field.
UW–Madison researchers from the departments of plant and agroecosystem sciences and soil and environmental sciences joined forces to create four high-impact field stops focused on grains, forages, pest and weed management, and soils and nutrient management.
Field talks were led by Dr. Marta Kohmann, Dr. Lisa Kissing Kucek, Dr. Prabin Bajgain, Dr. Shawn Conley, Dr. Harkirat Kaur, Dr. Steven Hall, Dr. Natasha Rayne, Dr. Matt Ruark, Dr. Francisco Arriaga, Dr. Emily Bick, Dr. Rodrigo Werle, and Dr. Damon Smith.
Dr. Matt Ruark points to a chart showing pre-sidedress nitrogen test (PSNT) results and critical levels.
After rotating through all four field stops, participants were welcomed back to the Arlington Public Events Building for a warm, catered meal courtesy of the Wisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants.
Britt O’Connell, senior director of grain risk management with Ever.Ag, delivered a lunchtime presentation on farm and grain economic outlooks at the state, national, and international levels.
Britt O’Connell speaks into a microphone and gestures during her lunchtime economic update.
The day concluded with a data modernization listening session, hosted by USDA’s chief economist, Dr. Justin Benavides, and deputy undersecretary for farm production and conservation, Richard Fordyce.
The listening session featured four Wisconsin farmers and focused on finding mutually beneficial updates to USDA data reporting processes. Farmers noted busy schedules and data privacy concerns as major barriers to reporting, along with perceived redundancy in reporting similar data to different institutions.
USDA staff and Wisconsin farmers participate in a panel discussion on data modernization.
Participants engaged in an hour-long discussion with USDA staff, ending a day of high-level research by focusing on applied solutions to ensure farmers and federal agencies can receive and deliver service.
UW–Madison’s Agronomy and Soils Field Day is a free, annual event held on the last Wednesday of August at the Arlington Agronomy Research Station. Mark your calendars, and join us in 2027!