Field Crops Webinar Series addresses crop fertility decisions on March 15

The fifth session of the Field Crops Webinar Series on March 15, 2021, will feature MSU soil fertility specialist Kurt Steinke and farm management educator Jon LaPorte.

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Field crop producers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in the Field Crops Webinar Series 2021, a series of six online programs addressing field crop production and pest management offered by Michigan State University Extension. The theme for this year's series is Management Decisions that Pay. Each session will focus on the economics of various crop, pest and marketing management strategies.

In the fifth session on March 15, Kurt Steinke, MSU Extension field crop soil fertility specialist, and Jon LaPorte, MSU Extension farm management educator, will focus on “Crop Fertility Decisions—When Less is More and When Less is Less.” Fertilizer is a critical part of a farm’s ability to reach yield goals and frequently one of the largest inputs in the cost of production. Balancing the pursuit of high yields and achieving farm profitability raises the question of how much fertilizer should be applied each year. The Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations is one resource often used to help answer that question. Recently updated with newly released research data, the resource now offers new insight into how producers can address their fertilizer needs. These updates also contain the potential to help farm managers reduce one of the larger costs to their production practices.

In this presentation, Steinke will discuss the updates to the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations. This will include the research behind the commendations and their impact to your farm’s agronomic needs. LaPorte will provide a discussion on how these updates will impact the cost of production, including how to calculate the potential cost savings for your farm and insight into the best times to purchase fertilizer products. Our presenters will also talk about the use of nitrogen protectants and their use to protect yield potential and farm profitability.

The live webinars run on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. EST/EDT with the last session offered on March 22. It is not too late to register! Participants may choose to register for the entire series ($20 per person) and have access to all recordings from the series or for individual sessions ($5 per person per session) for one or both of the last two sessions.

Those who register for and attend the live webinars will be eligible to earn one MDARD pesticide recertification (RUP) credit per session for application to one of the following categories: Private Core, Commercial Core or Field Crops. One continuing education unit (CEU) for Certified Crop Advisers will also be available for each session. Each webinar will be recorded and archived, and participants may choose to view the recordings at a later date (credits available only for participants in the live sessions).

To register for one or more webinar programs in the series, visit the Field Crops Webinar Series 2021 registration site. Prior to each webinar, registrants will receive an email containing a link to connect to the webinar. The webinars may be accessed on a mobile device or a computer with a stable internet connection – no other equipment is necessary.

For additional information or assistance, contact Eric Anderson at 269-359-0565 or eander32@msu.edu.

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