By Tracy Turner
Growers can learn about the agronomics of high yield corn and soybeans during two days of presentations by crop experts from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University and four other Midwest universities during the Conservation Tillage Conference, March 3-4.
A Corn University and Soybean School will be offered during the annual conference, with topics designed to help growers manage for high yield crops while keeping an eye on input costs, said Randall Reeder, a retired Ohio State University Extension agricultural engineer and a conference organizer.
“Keeping an eye on input costs is really important for growers this year because the price of corn and soybeans are down and farmers for 2015 have to keep a close eye on margins,” Reeder said.
Topics to be discussed during the Corn University March 3 include:
* “Agronomics of High Yield Corn”
* “Dropping Traited Corn to Save Input Costs? Consider These Field Observations”
* “Growing High Yield Corn in Pennsylvania - Secrets of Success”
* “Understanding and Exploiting Crop Interactions in Corn Production”
Topics to be discussed during the Soybean School March 4 include:
* “Probing Problematic Pigweeds - Words of Warning for Ohio”
* “Agronomics of High Yield Soybeans”
* “Choosing the Right Inputs”
* “Ohio’s Limitations to Great Soybean Growth”
* “Soybeans and Swine Manure”
* “Seed Treatments - Northwest vs. the Rest of Ohio”
* “On-farm Soybean Research Review - Grower Suggested Trials”
The Corn University and Soybean School are two of eight concurrent sessions during the annual conference, sponsored by Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. More than 900 participants are expected to attend the event, which is organized by OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms of the college.
The conference will offer the latest research, insight, tips and techniques on conservation tillage, including cover crops, no-till, soil quality, soil health, seeding technology, water quality and nutrient management, Reeder said. It features some 60 presenters, including 20 CFAES researchers and Extension educators, as well as farmers and industry representatives.
Certified crop adviser continuing education credits are available, with an emphasis on soil and water and nutrient management hours.
Other conference topics include:
* “Soil Health Benefits of Continuous No-till and Cover Crops”
* “Variable Rate Seeding”
* “Comparing Economics of No-till, Strip-till and Conventional Tillage Systems”
* “Policy Issues with Big Data”
The CTC conference will be held at the McIntosh Center of Ohio Northern University in Ada. The full schedule and registration information can be found at ctc.osu.edu. Participants may register online through Feb. 26 for $65 for one day or $85 for both days. Walk-in registration is $80 for one day or $105 for both days.
Information is also available from county offices of OSU Extension.
The conference is sponsored by OSU Extension, OARDC, Gypsoil, the Ohio Corn Marketing Program, Ohio Soybean Council, John Deere, Ag Credit, Pioneer, Seed Consultants, Northwest Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Ohio No-Till Council.