By Steve Whittington
Field crop producers will learn how to equip and operate sprayers to maximize insect and disease control in soybeans by tuning in to the Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series on Thursday, June 15, at 7 a.m. This week’s Virtual Breakfast will feature Mike Staton, MSU Extension soybean educator, who will provide information to help soybean producers achieve the canopy penetration and leaf and stem coverage required to optimize fungicide and insecticide performance. Specifically, Staton will cover the optimum spray volume, droplet size, ground speed, nozzle pressure, nozzle type and boom height when spraying large, dense soybean canopies. Jeff Andresen, MSU state climatologist, will also join us for his latest weather outlook for the week.
The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast series will run every Thursday from March 30 through Sept. 21, 7 – 8 a.m. EDT live via Zoom. Farmers, agribusiness personnel and others interested in agriculture can interact with MSU Extension specialists and educators to get their questions answered. Michigan pesticide applicators can earn enough restricted use pesticide (RUP) credits during the season to recertify their credential. One RUP credit (1A, 1B, Comm or Private Core) and one continuing education unit (CEU) for Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) are available with each live session.
Each week features a 15-minute presentation on a timely topic from a MSU Extension specialist or educator followed by a 15-minute weather summary and forecast by MSU Extension state climatologist Jeff Andresen. Participants then receive information to apply for credits and can leave or stay for a Q&A session. In addition to the scheduled speakers, other MSU field crops specialists and educators are frequently part of the call and available to answer questions.
Participating is easy and free! You can join the live meeting via Zoom using a computer, tablet, mobile device or regular phone line. If you are new to Zoom, simply download the Zoom app and you will be ready to join online every week to see visuals shared by presenters. A phone-in option is also available for the audio portion only.
Participants must use a one-time signup to receive an email notification with instructions for joining the Virtual Breakfast as well as weekly reminders. Registrants can opt out at any time.
If you cannot join a live session, you can view the recorded version at any time. However, only the live session will be eligible for RUP and CCA credits. Recordings will be closed-captioned and available on the Field Crops Virtual Breakfast website and the MSU Extension Field Crops Team social media platforms: Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Twitter.
If you are unable to sign up online, call the Lapeer County MSU Extension office at 810-667-0341.
Source : msu.edu