MADISON — The 2017 UW Agronomy/Soils Field Day will highlight University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension research to help understand and cultivate resilient agricultural systems – systems that recover or adjust easily to misfortune or change. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the university’s Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. at the station’s Public Events Building.
UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences researchers and UW-Extension specialists will host four tours scheduled throughout the day. Topic-specific tours will depart the Public Events Building at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Please arrive on time to register.
Tours topics are:
Building soil health examines soils of Wisconsin; the importance of perennialization and diversification; tradeoffs with soil management decisions; and if cover crops improve soil health.
Managing short- and long-term risk in cropping systems explores how to minimize and maximize options for how many corn hybrids can be grown on a farm; harnessing G x E x M interactions in soybean; weed management over 27 years in the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial; and identification, distribution and herbicide resistance of waterhemp and Palmer amaranth.
Using perennial forages to accomplish diverse goals examines what we’ve learned and where we’re headed with alfalfa; when and where it pays to use fungicides in forage crops; intermediate wheatgrass for forage and grain; and the benefits and challenges of silvopasture, trees in grazing systems.
Designing landscapes for profit, clean water, stable climate and biodiversity explores Yahara 2070, which uses scenarios to understand impacts of future watershed land use; SmartScape, developing a decision support tool for farmscape management; and Soil Microbiotron, which explores how soil microbes influence crops.
What is meant by resilient agriculture will be the topic for the lunch program. Presenters include Andy Bensend from AB Farms in Dallas, Wisconsin; Sarah Lloyd, Special Products Coordinator with the Wisconsin Farmer Union; and Heidi Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Extension Dane County crops and soils educator.
Lunch will be available on the site for a $5 donation to the Badger Crops Club. During lunch and between tours, attendees can visit exhibits on Apps for Ag, the UW Nutrient and Pest Management Program, the UW Integrated Pest Management Program and SnapPlus, among others.
The address for Arlington Agricultural Research Station is N695 Hopkins Road, Arlington, Wisconsin. The station is located just off of Highway 51, about five miles south of Arlington and 15 miles north of Madison. Watch for field day signs. GPS coordinates are: 43.300467, -89.345534.
This event is sponsored by the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and UW-Extension. In the event of rain, presentations will be held inside. Certified Crop Advisors CEU credits have been requested.
For more information, visit soils.wisc.edu/agronomysoils-field-day/. Questions can be directed to Randy Jackson at rdjackson@wisc.edu.
— University of Wisconsin-Madison
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