CENTREVILLE, Mich. — The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Team in Southwest Michigan is hosting a free Breakfast Meeting Series developed to address common farm management issues as well as those that may be emerging or are longer term in nature. The series continues on May 1st and will run through May 15 on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 AM at the Extension office in Centreville. Attendees to the breakfasts are asked to call the St. Joseph County Extension office (269-467-5511) or email Eric Anderson (eander32@msu.edu) so enough food can be prepared.
On May 1st, MSU Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Dr. Ehsan Ghane, will discuss issues related to tile drainage, water quality, and controlled drainage structures. In particular, he will focus on phosphorus loss from farm fields, why it is important, and how to manage that loss. Dr. Ghane will also discuss considerations for tiling fields including the economics of whole- and partial-field tiling. Also presenting will be MSU and Purdue Extension Irrigation Educator, Lyndon Kelley. He will address common uses of early-season irrigation, including “watering up” a new seeding, working fertilizer or herbicide into the soil to prevent loss, or to loosen soil under crusting conditions. Mr. Kelley will also talk about preparing equipment for the new season. The breakfast will be sponsored by Walther Farms in Three Rivers, MI.
For those who are not able to attend the meeting in person, a Zoom session (similar to Skype) will be open to the public and accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone with a stable internet connection. Remote attendees can enter bit.ly/msue2018breakfast into a web browser—video and microphones will be turned off for participants, but questions and comments can be sent in via a chat feature. Sessions will also be recorded for viewing later by visiting the Agriculture page of the St. Joseph County Extension website.
Future breakfast meetings will follow the same format, and the public is welcome to participate in person or online for each.
Date | Topic | Speakers |
May 1 | Spring Irrigation and Drainage Issues | Dr. Ehsan Ghane, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, MSU and Lyndon Kelley, Irrigation Educator for Purdue and MSU Extension |
May 8 | Doubling Up: Forages as Cover Crops | Dr. Kim Cassida, Forage & Cover Crop Specialist, MSU |
May 15 | Reintroduction of Industrial Hemp into U.S. Agriculture | Marguerite Bolt, Master’s student in the Department of Entomology, Purdue University |
— Eric Anderson, MSU Extension
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