In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Digital Agriculture Specialist, Dennis Bowman, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the evolution of technology use in agriculture, its benefits and drawbacks, and the application of drones, robots, and artificial intelligence in ag.

Illinois Center for Digital Agriculture: https://digitalag.illinois.edu/

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Watershed Outreach Associate, Nicole Haverback, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and how farmers can be affected by and contribute to nutrient loss reduction. 

Episode links:
IEPA Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy: go.illinois.edu/nlrs (You access the biennial reports here)

Link to 2023 biennial report PDF: https://epa.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/epa/topics/water-quality/watershed-management/excess-nutrients/documents/2023-biennial-report/FINAL_NLRS2023-Web-08-Mar-2024.pdf

Extension's Nutrient Loss Reduction Website: extension.illinois.edu/nlr

Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast: go.illinois.edu/NLRSPodcast 

Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Blog: go.illinois.edu/NLRS_blog 

Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and Agricultural Conservation Practices Factsheet: go.illinois.edu/NLRS_factsheet 

In this episode of Talking Crop, Resource Conservationist with the Winnebago County Soil and Water Conservation District, Katie Peterson, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the difference between the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, they cover cost-share programs that the Soil and Water Conservation Districts offer in addition to some offered by the NRCS, and they discuss how a farmer or landowner would find more information about these programs and work with their local offices. They also discussed a resource offered by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership that compiles all of the offered cost-share programs into one neat database.

Winnebago Co SWCD website: https://winnebagoswcd.org/swcd/

STAR Web Tool: https://startool.ag/

IL Sustainable Ag Partnership FIND Tool: https://ilsustainableag.org/findtool/

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Field Crop Entomologist, Dr. Nicholas Seiter, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the corn rootworm monitoring program and alfalfa weevil reports. 

Dr. Seiter's The Bulletin article: https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/field-crop-production/rootworm-beetle-emergence-2024-monitoring-program.html

Corn Rootworm Adult Monitoring Network: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/400e7eb5339d459ab5f69591a0ea517f/page/Home/?views=Intro

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension Nutrient and Pest Management Program Manager, Daniel Smith, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss winter rye cover cropping for weed suppression and soil health, general economics of cover crops, and practical advice for implementing cover crops in areas with shorter growing seasons like northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Learn more about the Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference here: https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/wwash/ 

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator, Emily Hansen, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss soil health basics, soil health building practices, and plant-soil feedbacks and how these phenomena can help farmers grow a healthy crop while maintaining the productivity of their soil.

View Emily's blog here: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/field-notes

In the second episode of the Talking Crop podcast, postdoctoral research associate with University of Illinois Crop Physiology Lab, Dr. Connor Sible, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss Dr. Sible's recently published article, "Long-term continuous maize: Impacts on the soil microbiome and implications for residue management". They also speak on current growing season conditions, soil health testing, and the upcoming Crop Physiology Field Day. 

Link to the article discussed in the episode: https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/saj2.20681

Follow Dr. Sible on X (Twitter) @ConnorSible, and visit the Crop Physiology Lab website at https://cropphysiology.cropsci.illinois.edu/

Find more information on the Crop Physiology Field Day and other Agronomy Day events at https://agronomyday.web.illinois.edu/events/

In the first episode of the Talking Crop podcast, University of Illinois Extension Weed Science Specialist, Dr. Aaron Hager, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the importance of preventing weed seed production, how weeds have adapted to our farming practices, the significance of metabolic herbicide resistance, the status of the EPA herbicide strategy, and more.