Field Crops Virtual Breakfast series kicks off with early season weed control on March 30

Christy Sprague, Michigan State University, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, and Eric Anderson, Michigan State University Extension -

The Field Crops Virtual Breakfast on March 30 will feature weed control specialist Christy Sprague focusing on strategies for terminating cover crops and controlling weeds early in the growing season.

Weeds in winter wheat.
Weeds in winter wheat. Photo by Christy Sprague, MSU.

One of the first steps to maximizing yields for the 2023 growing season is to start with a good weed management plan. This plan needs to include controlling early-season weeds and having strategies in place to ensure the crop has an advantage over weeds throughout the growing season. Early-season weed control will be particularly important this spring due to the mild winter that has accelerated weed, cover crop and winter wheat growth. The Field Crops Virtual Breakfast on March 30, 2023, will highlight the benefits of early-season weed control and the key strategies and biggest limitations in controlling these weeds. We will also cover precautions and strategies for managing weeds in the winter wheat crop and considerations for cover crop termination.

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.

Sign up to receive Virtual Breakfast Zoom information

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.

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This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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