What does growing giant pumpkins and biologicals have in common? It's more than you might think! We have a great time spending happy hour with Joe Ailts, a once corporate agronomist who broke the mold and has gone off into the world of independent crop consulting. Joe gives special focus into the world of soil biology and tries to find ways to utilize what we know about soil biology to use in a practical sense for nutrient recommendations.

Find Joe @AiltsAgronomy on Facebook and @JoeAilts on Twitter

What are my considerations when using water condtioners? NDSU weed guide says AMS is great but my local retailer says Helfire can do the same thing, do I use one or the other, maybe both? 

An awesome question with some great answers given on the AGvisorPRO app, and now you get our take. We tackle this from multiple perspectives because all answers can be right!

Have you attended or thought about attending Agronomy On Ice? If you venture out to Devils Lake, ND on 2/1/2023 you will find the greatest Ag show on ice.

We talk about what you should expect to see at AOI this year and why we have so much fun doing it.

Check out www.agronomyonice.com for details!

What are good soybean post planting, pre-emerge products for kochia and foxtails? This was the question pulled from AGvisorPRO this week. 

Options may seem straight forward at first glance, but we dig into the reason someone in western ND might be asking this and look to the root of the question. 

This week we get the pleasure to talk to Morgan Stutrud, an instructor for the ND Farm Management Education program. We talk about what it is that the Farm Management Education program does and why we think its just as important as agronomy.

If you are interested in what the ND Farm Management Education Program and want to learn more, please check out their website at: https://www.ndfarmmanagement.com/

They also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NDFarmManagementEducation

If using a reverse osmosis system for spray water can one reduce the rate of herbicide being used because of increase efficacy? 

A great question coming from the AGvisorPRO app this past week, we tackle why this is asked from farmers and custom applicators perspective over the years. What does de-ionization do to water and why can that be a benefit, and what could be some other things to consider? 

We get a real happy hour opportunity this week to talk with Lindsay Overmyer. Lindsay is the Ramsey county NDSU Extension agent and we find out what possessed someone from Ohio to move to arguably the coldest place in the lower 48. But also what its like in the life of county extension and why their role is important.  

What is the proper timing to use Avadex herbicide? A great question asked on AGvisorPRO recently that has a lot of variables: tillage, no-till, liquid, dry? We dive into the details and share our thoughts!

Remember, if you ask a question during the month of December you are eligible for a $500 gift card courtesy of AGvisorPRO!

Happy hour this week was spent with Bodie Kitchel. Bodie is an outstanding agronomist that wears many hats, we dive deep into the world of biologicals and have a great discussion. Biologicals are often lumped into a category of products that get coined with the term "snake oil" but in fact many are just misunderstood. To be successful with biologicals, a lot of agronomy is involved to understand what, when, and where a particular product could provide value to a farmer. Bodie does a great job explaining this, you'll want to make sure to listen to this one all the way to the end because it only gets better as the discussion goes!

Some helpful links:

BW-Fusion

Biodyne

Bodie Kitchel on Twitter: @Bkitch1Bodie

Agronomy 365

Next Level Ag - the lab Bodie refers to that does the biological soil testing

Jason Schley - Owner of Next Level Ag

Josh Messer - Ag Intel Consulting: If you are in ND and want to learn more, look up Josh on Twitter and reach out!

How to improve availability of phosphorus in soils that are low in pH, that is the question asked this week from the AGvisorPRO app that we invited Luke Johnson (fellow AVP expert) to answer with us.

Click Here to download the AGvisorPRO app and start asking questions! Ask a question in December and you have a chance to win a $500 gift from the folks at AGvisorPRO!