Crop scientists will look at the past, present and future at the 2008 Agronomy/Soils Field Day at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station.
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers will look back at 50 years of continuous corn research, look ahead at prospects for improving production of cellulosic biomass, and talk about results from current research that can be put into practice this fall and next spring.
If you want to see and hear everything, you'll need to spend the whole day. There will be three themed tours - one on forages, another on soils, the third on corn and soybeans - each offered at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Topics on the forage tour will include alfalfa yield and quality; responses to early harvest; switchgrass improvements for biomass production; and farming for nitrogen by intercropping clover and corn.
The soils tour will cover fertilizer management for fall 2008; managing soil quality; and results from 50 years of continuous corn research.
The corn and soybeans tour will look at troubles with doubles, gaps and peepers in corn; emergence patterns in soybeans; and technological advances in weed management.
Over the lunch hour, Natalia de Leon Gatti, agronomist with the UW-Madison's Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, will speak about improving cellulosic biomass production.
Certified crop advisors are able to obtain up to 5 CEUs for attending and lunch and refreshments will be available at nominal cost. In the event of rain, all presentations will be held indoors. The Arlington station is located on Hwy. 51, about 5 miles south of Arlington and 15 miles north of Madison. Watch for Field Day signs. For more information contact the UW-Madison agronomy department at (608) 262-1390 or the soil science department at (608) 262-0485.