Division of Extension
As more farmers have now grown up in the age of computers and software development, we are starting to see an increase in open-source projects related to agriculture. Open-source software (OSS) is a software product for which the code is freely available to the public to use or modify.
Dr. Tommy Butts, assistant professor of weed management at Purdue University, presents on the chemistry of herbicide applications.
Dr. Tommy Butts, assistant professor of weed management at Purdue University, covered conventional technology related to drift and weed control. Butts dug into the effects of spray volume, spray pressure, droplet size, and tip selection related to herbicide type.
If you noticed scarred areas while harvesting, or suspect individual gullies in vulnerable areas have re-appeared, now is the perfect time to inventory those and decide on how you want to proceed on making your fields more resilient to years like this in the future.
In the October 23, 2024 Badger Crop Connect webinar, Dr. Paul Mitchell — a professor in the UW–Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, extension state specialist in cropping and environmental management economics, and director of the Renk Agribusiness Institute — discussed expectations for 2024 crop input costs. Dr. Mitchell explains projected input costs through current fuel, technology, and overhead expense data.
In the October 23, 2024 Badger Crop Connect webinar, Dr. Brenda Boetel — professor and department chair in the UW–River Falls department of agricultural economics and extension state specialist in agriculture economics and marketing — discussed current market trends and data related to corn and soybean pricing in the 2024/25 marketing year. Dr. Boetel gives recommendations for the beginning of the 2024/25 marketing year for corn and soybeans as well
In the October 23, 2024 Badger Crop Connect webinar, Dr. Jeff Hadachek — assistant professor in the UW–Madison department of agricultural and applied economics — discussed his ongoing economic research related to cover cropping and water quality issues. Dr. Hadachek revealed a Soil Health Decision Tool, which allows farmers to simulate and experiment with several variables to determine if agronomic practices, like cover cropping, produce an economic return on investment by improving soil health.
The October 23, 2024 Badger Crop Connect webinar featured Bridgette Mason, Assistant State Climatologist, who discussed the latest Wisconsin ag climate outlook. Bridgette talked about the ongoing lack of rain and its impact on agriculture, particularly corn and soybean harvests. Bridgette ends with an outlook for future weather through November.
Using SnapPlus to create a nutrient management plan for your farm? Look no further for a helpful guide from the Nutrient and Pest Management Program that walks through developing a nutrient management plan. Full of resources, this guide includes how-to videos, explanations, tips and more to make your nutrient management planning smooth.
The Nutrient and Pest Management (NPM) Program has produced many standalone publications to help learn the basics of what is involved in writing and implementing a nutrient management plan. This new format combines many existing publications with new materials to provide a comprehensive reference guide!
Similar to corn stover removal, impacts on soil health include nutrient removal and residue removal, grazing corn stalks should also consider soil compaction. Nutrients removed from a field when corn stalks are grazed are much lower than most farmers think
Stover is the stalks, leaves, husks, and cobs left after corn grain harvest. Removing corn stover removes valuable nutrients from the field and increases the potential for soil crusting, erosion, and—long term—reduced water infiltration rates due to reduced soil organic matter levels.
