Explore field crops, livestock management and more at Thumb Ag Day 2026
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EmailJoin MSU Extension agricultural educators Dec. 9 in Ubly for educational sessions on field crops, farm management and animal agriculture, plus an agricultural trade show.
Michigan State University Extension and your local agricultural Extension educators will be hosting Thumb Ag Day on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, at Ubly Heights Country Club in Ubly, Michigan (2409 E Atwater Rd, Ubly, MI 48475). There will be a number of agricultural vendors for you to mingle with and discuss your needs. Please stop and talk to them as their sponsorship is what keeps this event going. There will also be sessions for field crops and animal agriculture individuals.
The trade show will open at 8:30 a.m. and run throughout the day until 3:30 p.m. There will be an optional lunch buffet available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $15.
There is no need to register. Just show up and we will get you checked in at the door.
If you are a vendor who is interested in a booth space, go to Thumb Ag Day Exhibitor Registration for more information and to register online.
Beginning at 9 a.m. in the main classroom, join the “Farm Marketing Insights: Inputs and Commodities” presentation with Jon LaPorte, MSU Extension farm business management educator. This will be followed by “Field Crops Disease Update” with Marty Chilvers, PhD, MSU Extension field crops pathology specialist at 9:45 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., Ehsan Ghane, PhD, MSU Extension drainage specialist, will cover “Drainage: Optimizing Your Drainage Decisions.”
The afternoon sessions round out the day, starting at 1:30 p.m. with Nicolle Ritchie, MSU Extension field crops educator, presenting on “Identifying Insects in Your Field.” At 2:30 p.m., local MSU Extension field crops educator Jenna Falor will wrap up with a “Thumb Field Crops Update.”
In the second classroom, doors open at 9:00 a.m. with Jerad Jaborek, MSU Extension feedlot educator, presenting on feedlot management. At 9:45 a.m., newly hired MSU Extension dairy educator Tracy Burnett, PhD, will discuss “Using Wearable Technologies Within Reproductive Management on Dairy Farms.”
Three restricted use pesticide credits have been approved in the following categories: 1A, Commercial Core and Private Core. Four certified crop adviser credits are pending.
For more information, please contact Kari VerEllen at 989-269-9949 or verelle7@msu.edu, or Jenna Falor at 517-449-9055 or falorjen@msu.edu.
