Agronomy Highlights

Recorded: 7/12/24

Stored grain insect pests like weevils and grain moths can greatly reduce grain quality during storage, and increase the risk of grain rejection at the elevator. In this episode, we chat with Penn State Entomologist and Extension Specialist, Dr. John Tooker, about the biology of these insect pests and how to manage them using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. 

Links:
The Penn State Agronomy Guide
Preparing Grain Storages for Harvest
Management of Stored Grain Pests in Organic Systems

Hosts: Ryan Spelman and Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension
Guest: John Tooker, Ph.D., Penn State

Photo credit: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org 

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: July 16, 2024

We are experiencing drought conditions in many parts of Pennsylvania and the country. Join us for a round table discussion with extension educators across the state to learn about current crop conditions and the effects of mid-season drought on corn, soybean, and forages. 

Links:
Managing Crops During a Severe Drought: Q and A
Managing Drought Stressed Corn
U.S. Drought Monitor

Hosts:  Ryan Spelman and Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension
Guests: Zack Curtis, Del Voight, Penn State Extension

Photo credit: Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 6/20/2024

Can Agriculture and Solar Coexist? As national interest in renewable energy has increased, agricultural land has become a top choice for solar development projects.

In this episode, we are joined by Ohio State Extension field specialist Eric Romich and agronomy educator Christine Gelley, along with Penn State Extension educator Dan Brockett, for a round table discussion. In the first part of this discussion, we discuss the scale and impact of solar development on Ohio and Pennsylvania agriculture. Eric and Christine then discuss their research on producing forage crops alongside solar panels. 

Links:
Agrivoltaics: What Does That Mean?
Landowner Leasing for Utility Scale Solar Farms
Forage as Vegetative Cover for Utility-Scale Solar in Ohio
Agrivoltaics: Integrating forage production in utility-scale solar farms


Hosts: Ryan Spelman, Daniel Brockett, Penn State Extension
Guests: Eric Romich and Christine Gelley, Ohio State Extension


Photo credit: Ohio State Extension

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 6/13/2024

In this week’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Andrew Smith of Rodale Institute to talk about organic field cropping systems. Dr. Smith is the chief scientific officer at Rodale Institute and oversees their vegetable systems trial, along with other organic trials. Join us for an in-depth discussion of Rodale Institute’s history, its long-term research on organic field cropping systems, and the future of organic agriculture in Pennsylvania.

Links:
Transitioning to Organic Crop Production
Penn State Organic Crop Production Guide
Rodale Institute
Rodale Institute: Farming Systems Trial 40 Year Report

Hosts: Ryan Spelman and Anna Hodgson, Penn State Extension
Guest: Dr. Andrew Smith, Rodale Institute


Sign-up to receive our newsletter, Field Crop News!

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 5/21/2024

Interested in increasing forage availability during the summer slump? Summer annual forages might be for you! In this episode, we bring on forage crop and beef systems expert Dr. Daren Redfearn of the University of Nebraska to discuss types of summer annual forages, growing these crops, and how to best incorporate them into your farming operation. Forage species discussed include sorghum, sudangrass, sorghum-sudangrass, and pearl millet. 

Links:
Alternative Forages for Spring and Summer Planting
NebGuide: Summer Annual Forage Grasses
UNL BEEF: Recent BeefWatch Topics

Hosts: Joseph Akins and Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension
Guest: Daren Redfearn, University of Nebraska

Photo credit: Troy Walz, UNL Beef

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 5/1/2024

With warm spring temperatures, the first cutting of hay is just around the corner for forage producers. During this episode, we are joined by Ron Hoover and Andrew Frankenfield of Penn State Extension to discuss the management considerations to be aware of going into this first cutting. Aside from their roles with Penn State, Andrew and Ron are avid hay farmers and share a wealth of knowledge and experience in producing a successful forage crop. 

Links:
Speeding up the Hay Drying Process

Hosts: Ryan Spelman, Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension
Guests: Ron Hoover, Andrew Frankenfield, Penn State Extension

Sign up to receive our newsletter, Field Crop News!

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 3/18/2024

Few researchers anywhere in the world probably know as much about soybean cyst nematode as Dr. Greg Tylka. Originally from Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, Dr. Tylka now works for Iowa State and provided us with a broad-ranging discussion on the history of SCN, as well as how to manage it. If you want to take a deep dive into nematodes, this is the episode for you.

Links:
The Soybean Cyst Nematodes Coalition
Take the Test to Beat the Pest: Soybean Cyst Nematode
Plant Parasitic Nematodes Explained


Hosts: Joseph Akins and Justin Brackenrich, Penn State Extension
Guest: Gregory L Tylka, Iowa State University

Sign up to receive our newsletter, Field Crop News!


Image credit: Penn State Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology Archives, Penn State University, Bugwood.org 

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 3/6/2024

It’s rare that we get a cropping season where the weather is absolutely perfect, but luckily corn is relatively resilient. In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey Coulter from the University of Minnesota joins us to discuss how corn deals with weather-related stressors and how that may impact a grower's nitrogen management strategy. This is an interesting one and a very valuable listen as we come off this very mild winter and approach planting time for 2024.

Links:
Nitrogen Fertilization of Corn
Nitrogen Recommendations for Corn That Credit Cover Crops and Soil Organic Matter
Managing Drought Stressed Corn


Host: Joseph Akins, Penn State Extension
Guest: Jeffrey A Coulter, University of Minnesota


Sign up to receive our newsletter, Field Crop News!

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded: 2/13/2024

Sulfur is a critical secondary crop nutrient, especially for corn production. In this episode, Dr. Charlie White joins us for a hearty discussion on why, when, and how to apply sulfur to crops. We also get into the specifics of why it’s difficult to accurately assess sulfur levels in the field, as well as the chemical nature of sulfur and its level of availability.

Links:
Sulfur Fertility Management for Grain and Forage Crops

Host: Joseph Akins, Penn State Extension
Guest: Charles White, Penn State


Sign-up to receive news, upcoming event information, and our weekly newsletter, Field Crop News.

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!

Recorded 2/12/24

Certain weeds seem to be tough to control no matter what we do, and for many row crop farms in Pennsylvania, pokeweed and burcucumber certainly fit this description. If you’re struggling to manage one, or both, of these weeds, then this episode will give you some valuable management recommendations on how to get these nuisances under control. We are joined again by one of our resident weed control experts, Mr. Dwight Lingenfelter, who helps shed light on how to alter herbicide programs and use good cultural practices for dealing with pokeweed and burcucumber.

Links:
Managing Burcucumber in Agronomic Crops
Pokeweed Control in Corn and Soybean

Host: Joseph Akins, Penn State Extension
Guest: Dwight Lingenfelter, Penn State Extension

Sign up for our newsletter, Field Crop News, and follow us on Facebook!