The University of Missouri 2022 Crop Management Conference offers farmers insight into costs, markets and soil health.

The conference, Dec. 14-15 at the Stoney Creek Hotel in Columbia, features researchers from the University of Missouri, along with USDA, Iowa State University and the University of Illinois. This year, one session is devoted to the war in Ukraine and its effect on farmers in that country and around the world.

Here are six topics you won’t want to miss:

1. Impacts of the war in Ukraine on the agricultural industry. Roman Grynyshyn form World to Rebuild Rural Ukraine, a charity fundraising project to help farmers in war-torn Ukraine, will share how the Russia-Ukraine war is influencing agriculture worldwide.

2. Input price management strategies. Ray Massey, University of Missouri, will talk about how logistic snares continue to keep input costs at record levels. He warns that farmers may take on more risk. This session will focus on input prices, forecasts for inputs prices, and conditions into the next planting season and how farmers might make decisions to protect their business.

3. Weed management 2023 and beyond. Kevin Bradley, University of Missouri, will look at herbicide label requirements and differences between “new” and “old” herbicide-resistant weeds.

4. Basics of biologicals for row crop production. Connor Sible, University of Illinois, will explain the growth in the biological product market with new technologies and management tools designed to enhance fertilizer use, reduce crop stress, stimulate soil microbial activity, manage crop residues and improve soil health. This presentation will categorize biological products and summarize ongoing research findings on which product types work, where they work, why they work, and what other management practices help to realize the full economic benefits of biologicals.

5. Using commercial soil sensing technology for agronomic decisions. Lance Conway, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, will discuss the performance and repeatability of recent planter-based soil sensing technology, as well as the ability of these sensor systems to estimate corn emergence uniformity.

6. When the easy button fails with insect management. Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University, will discuss how recent changes in insecticide availability and susceptibility have made decision-making even more complicated. This session will highlight these issues and review an integrated plan for the future.

For a more extensive list of topics, visit the 2022 MU Crop Management Conference website. In-person registration begins at 7 a.m. both days. Sessions end at 4:10 p.m.

For details and registration, visit cvent.com, or contact the MU Conference Office at 573-882-9554.