Shawn P. Conley, Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist
The Winter Grain Meeting series entitled: Grain Management in Low-Margin Years was a new focused series of outreach events that aimed to help grain farmers in Wisconsin increase their profitability and reduce their debt load. Click here to review a program assessment of our winter Extension meeting series.
Program Highlights:
- 455 total participants (245 returned assessment surveys)
- 66% of the respondents thought the topics were “very relevant”, and 33% “moderately relevant”
- 99.6% thought that “Overall, attending the meeting was a valuable use of my time”
- 94% thought that “as a result of attending today’s meeting it will help increase my profitability”
- 56% thought that “attending the meeting helped alleviate my stress level about my farm operation”
- All of the respondents (100%) answered yes to the statement: “One part of a county agent’s job is to bring research and unbiased, science-based information to the county. Do you feel this meeting helped fulfill that goal?”
This meeting series was a joint effort led by Dr. Damon Smith and Ted Bay among UWEX state specialists and UW Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agents.
Here is a summary publication of the information that was handed out at the meetings. “A4137 – Grain Management Considerations in Low-Margin Years” available online for download.
Below also please find a specific video, or view the full playlist on the UWIPM YouTube channel. There is a table of contents below each video on YouTube with quick links to jump to key parts in longer videos.
- Soybean Inputs that Deliver the Highest ROI in a Low-Margin Year – Shawn Conley, UW Agronomy, Soybean and Small Grains Specialist (40 min)
- Practical Weed Management for Low-Margin Years – Dan Smith, UW NPM, Southwest Regional Specialist (14 min)
- Fundamental Soil Fertility Strategies for Success – Carrie Laboski, UW Soil Science, Soil Fertility/Nutrient Management Specialist (37 min)
- How to Survive and Thrive on Current Corn Price Projections – Joe Lauer, UW Agronomy, Corn Specialist (41 min)
- Low Grain Prices = Smart Disease Management Decisions – Damon Smith, UW Plant Pathology, Field Crops Pathology Specialist (29 min)
- Managing Insects Economically Using Conventional Hybrids and Thresholds – Bryan Jensen, UW Entomology, Field Crops Entomology Specialist (38 min)
- Machinery/Technology Management and Tillage Considerations to Reduce Operational Costs – Francisco Arriaga, UW Soil Science, Soil Science Specialist and Brian Luck, UW Biological System Engineering, Machinery Specialist (16 & 10 min)
- Partial Budget Analysis: A Practical Tool for Low Margin Years – Paul Mitchell, UW Ag & Applied Econ, Cropping Systems Specialist (31 min)