Agronomy and Soils Field Day
Agronomy and Soils Field Day
A day of rotating field talks from faculty experts and researchers in crop management, pest management, forage, and soils.
2025 theme:
The UW–Madison Agronomy and Soils Field Day takes place in late August at the Arlington Ag Research Station (N633 Hopkins Rd Arlington, WI 5391) from 8 a.m – 12 p.m.
After 12 p.m., lunch is available for purchase courtesy of the Wisconsin Association of Professional Ag Consultants (WAPAC). Full agenda to be announced.
UW–Madison Agronomy and Soils
Field Day
Arlington Ag Research Station
2026 event information coming soon!
Wisconsin’s Field Crop Summer Research Showcase
Join UW–Madison grain agronomy, field crop pathology, weed management, soils, forage, and farm economics researchers for a half-day field-based tour of the latest ongoing trials and research updates.
Participants should expect to be outside for the majority of the event. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., and field tours leave promptly at 8:30 a.m. After field tours, lunch is available for purchase courtesy of the Wisconsin Association of Professional Ag Consultants (WAPAC).
2025 Agronomy and Soils Field Day Agenda
| 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration and Load for Field Tours | Be sure to use the bathrooms before leaving for field tours! |
| 8:30 a.m. | Tractors Leave for Field Tours | |
| 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Field Tours | Tour stops last 40 minutes with 10 minutes for Q&A at the end. 4.0 total CCA CEUs are available with sign-in sheets at each stop. |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch available for purchase ($10) | Courtesy of WAPAC |
| 12:15 p.m. | Farm Economic Update Policy and Profits: Unpacking the Economic Impacts of 2025 Agricultural Policy Changes with Dr. Jeff Hadachek | |
| 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Drone Demonstration with Dr. Emily Bick, Zack Loken, American Drone, and Dr. Brian Luck 1.0 CCA CEU in Precision Agriculture | UAVs: Where are we now? with Dr. Emily Bick UAVs: Safety, Regulations, and Spray Data with Dr. Brian Luck Early Days to Now: UAVs for Field Scouting with Zack Loken, Savanna Institute UAV Use Planning and Demonstration with Jeramy Williams, American Drone |
Field Tour Stop Descriptions
| Field Tour Stop 1 Actionable Agronomy CCA CEU: 1.0 Crop Management | Wisconsin Corn – Smarter Every Season: Insights, Innovation, and Impact with Dr. Harkirat Kaur |
| “I Am Just Here for the Soy” with Dr. Shawn Conley & the UW BeanTeam | |
| Building Better Cover Crop Varieties with Dr. Lisa Kissing Kucek, research geneticist, USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center | |
| Field Tour Stop 2 Balancing the Value and Losses of Manure Nutrients in Soils CCA CEU: 0.5 Nutrient Management, 0.5 Soil and Water | Raw and Processed Manure: Are there differences in N credits? with Dr. Natasha Rayne |
| What Is Winter Rye Doing to the Nitrogen Cycle? with Dr. Matt Ruark | |
| How Much Benefit Do Cover Crops and Manure Injection Provide for Water Quality? with Dr. Francisco Arriaga | |
| Field Tour Stop 3 Grass, Grit, and Growing Smarts: Innovations in Integrated Forage Systems CCA CEU: 1.0 Crop Management | Perennial Forage Grasses for Animal Production Systems with Dr. Prabin Bajgain, research geneticist, USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center |
| Using Allelopathic Cover Crops in Production Settings with Dr. Marta Kohmann and Arthur Franco, Ph.D. student, forage extension, UW–Madison Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences | |
| Using Short-Corn in Alfalfa Interseeded Systems with Dr. Mark Renz, Romulo Oliva de Araújo (M.S. student, corn agronomy, UW–Madison Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences), and Lewis Haught (M.S. student, plant breeding plant genetics, UW–Madison Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences) | |
| Field Tour Stop 4 Maximizing ROI with Pest Management CCA CEU: 1.0 Pest Management | Suppressing Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: Strengthening the Case for Cover Crop Adoption Through an ROI Lens with Dr. Rodrigo Werle and the WiscWeeds team |
| Timing herbivore interventions in corn and soybeans with Dr. Emily Bick and Digital Entomology Team | |
| Managing Corn and Soybean Diseases to Maximize ROI with Dr. Damon Smith and the Badger Crop Docs |
Prior Agenda (2024)
Farm-Ready Research Field Tours
- Crop Management — Kickin’ It New School
- UW BeanTeam — Bytes Whisper, Agronomists Listen
- Steven Hall — Where Does All The N Come From? Lessons from big and small data
- Harkirat Kaur — Corn Production: Understanding future challenges with present data
- Pest Management — Data-Driven Prest Management: Turning Insights Into Action
- Dan Smith & Rodrigo Werle (WiscWeeds) — Using Data to Support Cover Crop and Weed Management Decisions
- Emily Bick — “Found” Insect Data and Its Management Applications
- Sarah De Souza, Amit Sharma, & BadgerCropDoc Team — Using Data to Inform Disease Management in Soybeans
- Forage — Improvements in Alfalfa Production Systems
- Mark Renz & Arthur Franco — Effects of Residual Corn Herbicides on Alfalfa Establishment and Productivity
- Fletcher Robbins (Bick Lab) — What is the Circadian Activity for Potato Leafhopper in Alfalfa?
- Marta Kohmann & Scott Newell — What is the Interseeding System?
- Marina Costa — Breeding Alfalfa for Interseeding and Intercropping
- Brian Luck & Beatriz Bizzuti — The Effect of Machinery Traffic on Alfalfa
- Soils — Advancements in Manure Management
- Natasha Rayne — Manure Nitrogen Credits: Challenges and opportunities
- Matt Ruark — Sustainable Intensification With Winter Silage Crops
- Francisco Arriaga — Reducing Phosphorus Losses From Manure
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.