Badger Crop Connect

About Badger Crop Connect

The Badger Crop Connect series provides agronomists, crop consultants, and farmers with timely crop updates for Wisconsin. CEUs are available by topic for each presentation.

Recordings for on-demand viewing are available on the Divison of Extension’s YouTube channel or by expanding the Recordings tab below. To receive emails about upcoming webinar topics, recorded video availability, and other training opportunities and resources, sign up below.

Webinars are held at 12:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays each month from April to October.

Our Next Webinar

June 26: Focus on Phosphorus

The Zone of Interaction: Exploring phosphorus stratification with Laura Paletta and Kelsey Hyland

This presentation will explore questions about phosphorus movement in soil health systems and how P stratification impacts phosphorus losses and water quality risks. We will present aggregated data from a statewide survey exploring phosphorus stratification.

What you need to know about The WI Phosphorus Index with Hava Blair

The Wisconsin P Index (P Index) is a planning and assessment tool for managing runoff phosphorus losses from cropland. It uses information that is readily available to farmers and agricultural consultants to evaluate the potential for phosphorus in runoff from a specific field entering a nearby stream or lake. Hava Blair, Ph.D. will summarize the main components of the P Index calculation and describe recent updates to the P Index and the research behind it.

2025 Topics and Recordings

June 12: Early-Season Soybean and Small Grain Management

Early In-Season Decision Cues in Soybeans and Small Grains with Shawn Conley

Dr. Shawn Conley will talk about the most recent impacts on the 2025 growth development and health of Wisconsin’s soybean crop and notable events affecting our small grains.

Early Season Disease Update and Management Considerations with Damon Smith

Dr. Damon Smith will talk about what he is seeing in terms of diseases in field crops. He will focus on winter wheat disease and management pertinent to the time of the season.

May 22: Spring Weeds Special

2025 Corn and Soybean Weed Management: Field Observations and Research Updates with Rodrigo Werle

In this timely session, Dr. Rodrigo Werle will share his early-season field observations, practical weed management recommendations, and the latest research findings from the WiscWeeds lab.

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Organic Weed Management: Spring Considerations with Erin Silva

In this talk, Dr. Erin Silva will discuss spring weed management considerations for organic grain systems, as well as what organic grain farmers can do in designing their rotations and cover crop strategies to allow for more effective weed management.

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May 8: Spring Forage Special

Pricing Standing Forage with Kevin Jarek

Every growing season across the state of Wisconsin, farmers purchase standing alfalfa from other farmers to bolster their forage/feed supplies. Ideally, all of this purchased alfalfa would be weighed as it is harvested to ensure both parties are treated fairly in any formal agreement, however, not all farms have access to drive-over scales. Kevin Jarek, regional crops and soils educator will share how both parties can determine a fair value for standing alfalfa whether it is a single cutting or for the entire season.

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Alfalfa Pest Updates with Emily Bick

In this talk, we will explore the latest updates on alfalfa pests, focusing on their identification, impact, and management strategies. Special attention will be given to the alfalfa weevil, whose larvae cause significant damage by defoliating new growth, thereby affecting crop yield and quality.

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Spring Grazing Checklist with Jason Cavadini

A long grazing season with pastures that remain productive deep into fall requires a few critical springtime measures. This session will cover when to begin grazing, how to take a forage inventory, and how to manage pastures for optimal forage intake.

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April 24: Spring Manure Special

Precision Manure Application Using NIR Sensors with Becky Larson

Near-Infrared (NIR) sensors for precision manure application enable real-time nutrient analysis and variable-rate spreading with the goal of optimizing crop production and reducing environmental impacts and operational burdens. Dr. Rebecca Larson’s presentation covers the technology’s sensor performance in comparison to laboratory manure analysis as well as field impacts when integrated into manure application systems when compared to traditional fixed rate application systems. This includes data from recent field trials on the impact to crop productivity in addition to the other system benefits and challenges.

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Manure N Credits with Natasha Rayne

Dr. Natasha Rayne explores how to calculate and apply manure nitrogen credits to meet crop need while reducing the need for commercial fertilizers. Her presentation covers the factors that influence nitrogen availability from manure and explore possible gaps and opportunities to improve nitrogen availability estimates from manure.

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Trends in WI Manure Micronutrients with Chris Clark

Is Wisconsin liquid dairy manure meeting row crop micronutrient needs? Chris Clark shares 29 Years of Manure: Micronutrient Trends and Insights.

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April 10: 2025 Outlooks and Updates

2025 Weather Outlook with Steve Vavrus

Steve Vavrus provides a retrospective description of past weather conditions leading up to the present and a weather outlook for the upcoming growing season.

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2025 Market Outlook and Update with Paul Mitchell

Dr. Paul Mitchell gives a brief update on the farm economy, including an update on expected margins for corn and soybeans and recent data on the financial status of farms, as well as a quick overview of management options farmers can still implement for the 2025 crop.

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Soil Conditions Status and Spring Soil Management with Francisco Arriaga

Dr. Francisco Arriaga provides a status of current soil conditions in the state and management decisions to effectively navigate soil condition challenges.

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More topics to be announced. Sign up for our email list to receive updates directly to your inbox!