2020 Mid-Atlantic Crop Management School
2020 Mid-Atlantic Crop School On-Demand Access
Click on the title below to reveal the abstract text and the video links. Note: CEUs are no longer available for these sessions.
Crop Management
Agricultural technology has been utilized differently by different generations of farmers. Data from last six years indicate how farm operators across four generations adopted precision agriculture. Discussion includes comparison of how 1) millennials differ from older generations with respect to machinery investment and financing technology and 2) multiple-operator farms performance when millennial operators work with Generation X or Baby Boomer. Based on known generational attributes, a forecast for how manufacturers and service providers will market to majority of farm operators in the future will be offered. These topics will be of interest to farm operator searching for optimal utilization of technology and those considering how to make the most of multiple generations on the farm. Agricultural lenders, service providers, and manufacturers of equipment will also gain insights into dealing with tomorrow’s farm operators.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Crop Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management
Learn about seeding rate and new stand evaluation techniques for winter wheat and winter malting barley and management practices that reduce DON and improve grain quality for maximum profitability. This presentation will also include information on the "hidden benefits" of winter small grains in rotation with corn and soybean.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Crop Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management;
Double cropping is our best option for sustainably meeting future food and feed needs and protecting our environment. Although double cropping small grain and soybean has been profitable in the Mid-Atlantic, late planting (June-July versus April-May) results in lack of leaf area and a shortage of reproductive nodes that can result in lower soybean yields. To advance the double-crop wheat-soybean system, we must: 1) position soybean for a longer season (e.g., harvest wheat using a stripper header at a higher moisture content to allow earlier soybean planting); 2) grow more leaves (e.g., to reduce weed, insect, and disease pressure); and 3) protect valuable leaf area. This presentation will include results from a 3-year, 5-state research project that offers new ideas in improving the system.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Crop Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management
The Cornell Climate Smart Farming (CSF) Program focuses specifically on developing agricultural decision support tools (DSTs) and resources to help NY farmers better manage the risks of climate change. The CSF team developed an interactive web platform that integrates climate and crop information to support decision-making at a farm scale within a specific region. In creating these tools, the CSF program collaborated closely with the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University, part of the RCC Program administered by NOAA in the United States. The tools rely on the NRCC-led data through the Applied Climate Information System (ACIS), which provides access to climate data and products via web interface and is replicated at multiple RCCs throughout the country. The CSF decision tools also utilize daily temperature observations from the National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Network, and daily precipitation derived from NWS radar data. These data are interpolated to a 4 km x 4 km grid resolution, which allows farmers in the region to access accurate information for their farm via the CSF tools, even if there is not a government operated or private weather station near their site. With accurate, high-resolution weather data in hand, reliable, relevant and evidence-based crop models are used to produce useful and usable decision tools. Additionally, the CSF program endeavored to further translate guidance offered in materials generated by USDA Climate Hubs and others to specific recommendations for local and regional farm-types.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Crop Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management
The perennial grass Miscanthus × giganteus is a leading biomass crop with diverse markets. This presentation will explore how M. × giganteus is being used for energy, bedding, erosion control, and ecosystem service products in the rainfed US, with emphasis on Iowa, North Carolina, and Maryland. We will describe how to best manage the crop for both yield and profit in different market segments.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs:; 1.0 CCA-Crop Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management
Nutrient Management
Improvement of nitrogen use efficiency in corn crops is connected to mitigating fertilizer N losses by appropriate fertilizer placement, timing, as well as through the use of nitrification and urease inhibitors. Dr. Woodley will discuss the findings from a series of field studies examining ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide losses from different nitrogen management strategies including injection vs streaming vs broadcasting N fertilizers, side-dress vs pre-plant application and the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers using inhibitors. In addition, Dr. Woodley will discuss how these N loss mitigation strategies ultimately affected corn crop yields and of potential economic cost or benefit of using these products.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Nutrient Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
There is a wide range of conservation practices (CPs) that have been put in place to decrease erosion and phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural fields. These practices are designed on a field-by-field basis to avoid excess amounts of P available for loss, control the transport of P, and trap P on agricultural landscapes. While implementation of CPs have yielded great benefits agricultural production and water quality, unintended consequences or tradeoffs can occur. In many cases, a decrease in edge-of-field losses of total P have been offset by a greater proportion of that P running off as bioreactive dissolved P. For example, no-till decreases erosion but can increase dissolved P runoff, soil test P stratification, and crop residues breakdown can be source of dissolved P. As a result, we need to be aware of tradeoffs that can limit the long-term benefits of CPs to P-loss reduction and mask the water quality benefits of broader implementation of conservation strategies. The presentation will detail these CP tradeoffs and outline strategies that could minimize the tradeoffs.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Nutrient Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Cover crops can provide many benefits to the farm, but to maximize these benefits cover crop species must be intentionally selected and managed. Recent research has changed our view of how cover crops work to improve nitrogen use efficiency and the cycling of other nutrients. Cash crops will stop taking up nutrients several weeks before physiological maturity (e.g., corn stops taking up nutrients in August). Nutrients left in the soil at the end of the cropping season are susceptible to leaching during fall and winter months. We will discuss the importance of timely establishment to allow September growth that will prevent excessive nitrogen leaching over the winter. We will also cover the importance of species selection and termination management early enough to avoid nitrogen tie-up in spring (e.g., later termination of cereal cover crops may result in N tie-up). We will also look at the ability of cover crops to cycle other nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur that may be present in soil layers too deep for summer cash crops to access. Lessons learned should help us meet the region's water quality goals while reducing fertilizer bills for farmers.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Nutrient Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Ensuring proper soil fertility provides the foundation for a successful forage system. This presentation will cover best management practices and soil fertility recommendations for both perennial and annual forages. Discussion will include timing of fertilizer application, fertility management during establishment versus within established systems, maintenance of soil fertility over time, and fertility considerations for grazed versus harvested forages.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Nutrient Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Acidity is one of the most important environmental factors we can manage to promote healthy soils productive crops. In this session we will review how soil acidity is measured and lime requirements are determined. We will also discuss liming programs and aglime materials, including alternative products, used to manage soil acidity.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Nutrient Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Pest Management
Dr. Sally Taylor is the research and extension specialist and assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk, Virginia. She will be presenting information on current insect pest problems in corn and soybean. Performance of Bt traits in corn and insecticide evaluations will be discussed.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Pest Management, 1.0 Delaware Pest Recertification Credits; 8.0 Maryland Pest Recertification Credits (must complete all 5 PM quizzes); Pennsylvania Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Private (PC), 2.0 Agronomic crops (01), 2.0 Demonstration and Research (18); Virginia Commercial Pest Recertification Credits; Virginia Private Pest Recertification Credits – 1.0 Pest Management and Application Technology; West Virginia Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Agriculture Plant Pest Control (1), 2.0 Demonstration & Research (11), 2.0 Pesticide Storage & Distribution (12), 2.0 Private Applicator (PA)
The Xtend and Enlist technologies were highly anticipated in the Midsouth and Midwest United States due to lack of POST herbicide options for resistant Palmer amaranth and waterhemp. The Xtend trait and the new, low volatile dicamba formulations could first be used together in 2017, and in the same year claims of off-target dicamba movement were reported in unprecedented numbers in the United States. High numbers of injury observations have continued in subsequent years. The Enlist technology was not commercially available until January of 2019, after most producers had made their seed choices for the 2019 growing season. Therefore, the technology was not readily adopted prior to 2020. Presently, there are less reports of off-target 2,4-D movement. However, this does not mean 2,4-D is not moving off-target. We are still in the early stages of adoption of Enlist E3 crops in the Midwest and Midsouth, so less 2,4-D is being applied POST compared to dicamba. Additionally, soybean are more tolerant to 2,4-D than to dicamba, so more 2,4-D is required to move off-target in order to cause visual symptoms on sensitive soybean. Yet there are many plant species that are more sensitive to 2,4-D than dicamba and can be injured with low levels of 2,4-D. We have conducted research on off target dicamba movement over the last four years and started research with 2,4-D choline in 2020. We will discuss observations and research results from these studies and best management practices associated with applications of synthetic auxin herbicides.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Pest Management, 1.0 Delaware Pest Recertification Credits; 8.0 Maryland Pest Recertification Credits (must complete all 5 PM quizzes); Pennsylvania Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Private (PC), 2.0 Agronomic crops (01), 2.0 Demonstration and Research (18); Virginia Commercial Pest Recertification Credits; Virginia Private Pest Recertification Credits – 1.0 Pest Management and Application Technology; West Virginia Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Agriculture Plant Pest Control (1), 2.0 Demonstration & Research (11), 2.0 Pesticide Storage & Distribution (12), 2.0 Private Applicator (PA)
Integrating the pieces together for managing Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat and Barley – Fusarium Head Blight, also known as head scab, is a serious disease of small grains, more so in the Mid-Atlantic region. FHB reduces not only the yield, but also the quality of grain due to the associated mycotoxins. The unique weather pattern at flowering combined with no-tillage agriculture create suitable conditions for the fungal pathogen: Fusarium graminearum. Due to the intricacy of underlying factors, no single management practice alone is sufficient to manage FHB. In the talk, I will be presenting the work being done by my group to develop and integrate the various strategies for efficient management of FHB in wheat and barley.
An Overview of 2020 Corn and Soybean Diseases – In this seminar, we will introduce key diseases observed in corn and soybeans throughout the 2020 growing season, summarize results from Fungicide efficacy trials, and highlight ongoing field crops disease research. Corn research will include discussion of Pythium damping off, stalk rots, and emerging diseases. Soybean research highlights will focus on results of DE and MD nematode surveys as well as soybean seed treatment efficacy trials.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Pest Management, 1.0 Delaware Pest Recertification Credits; 8.0 Maryland Pest Recertification Credits (must complete all 5 PM quizzes); Pennsylvania Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Private (PC), 2.0 Agronomic crops (01), 2.0 Demonstration and Research (18); Virginia Commercial Pest Recertification Credits; Virginia Private Pest Recertification Credits – 1.0 Pest Management and Application Technology; West Virginia Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Agriculture Plant Pest Control (1), 2.0 Demonstration & Research (11), 2.0 Pesticide Storage & Distribution (12), 2.0 Private Applicator (PA)
We know that temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall all influence pests in the short term, and the long-term climate models indicate that we can expect changes in all three. This presentation will focus on expected changes in insect, disease, and weed pests in the future.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Pest Management, 1.0 Delaware Pest Recertification Credits; 8.0 Maryland Pest Recertification Credits (must complete all 5 PM quizzes); Pennsylvania Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Private (PC), 2.0 Agronomic crops (01), 2.0 Demonstration and Research (18); Virginia Commercial Pest Recertification Credits; Virginia Private Pest Recertification Credits – 1.0 Pest Management and Application Technology; West Virginia Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Agriculture Plant Pest Control (1), 2.0 Demonstration & Research (11), 2.0 Pesticide Storage & Distribution (12), 2.0 Private Applicator (PA)
The discovery and subsequent development of ‘modern’ agriculture pesticides is an approximately 11-year process, requiring an estimated cost of over $250 million. This often leads to the expected question of why? In 2020, the market for agro-chemicals is global, touching every continent, every crop, and nearly all socio-economical systems in the modern world. All these factors require a significant investment and dedication to upholding high standards for environmental and human safety, inevitably requiring more time and more money. The increasing demand for safe and efficacious pest and disease products due to expanding pest pressure, the ever-changing pest resistance landscape, needs of customers/consumers, and response to reducing the impact to non-target organisms are the simple answers to “why”. However, ‘why’ is the easier question to answer, ‘how’ do we get to this point is the more interesting one. Today, there are far fewer organizations and companies dedicated to pesticide discovery, each with a unique approach, but at their core the processes are all similar. Often described as an art and a science, modern pesticide discovery requires a team of specialized and dedicated scientists to design and examine new chemistry. Each scientist focused on everything including chemistry, biology, environmental fate, toxicology, and more. The basis of our discussion will be on how these scientist work through hundreds of thousands of compounds to reach a final product that will benefit the global producer. This discussion will include an examination of the discovery and development of new pesticides and the means to which we arrive at the final registered product.
View the video link and complete the evaluation by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Pest Management, 1.0 Delaware Pest Recertification Credits; 8.0 Maryland Pest Recertification Credits (must complete all 5 PM quizzes); Pennsylvania Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Core; Virginia Commercial Pest Recertification Credits; West Virginia Pest Recertification Credits – 2.0 Agriculture Plant Pest Control (1); 2.0 Demonstration & Research (11); 2.0 Pesticide Storage & Distribution (12); 2.0 Private Applicator (PA)
Soil and Water Management
Please join us in this train-the-trainer session to explore the newly-released Northeast Cover Crops Council (NECCC) Species Selector Tool. The tool has its roots in the species selector tool created by the Midwest Cover Crops Council, but has been revised, updated, and re-worked to meet the needs and realities of farming in the Northeast US. Unique features include Cover Crop Explorer tab that provides quick, readily-digestible overviews of each cover crop and a My Cover Crop List feature that allows users to select species for direct comparison. During this session, participants will use case studies and the tool to generate recommendations.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Soil and Water Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Soil carbon, the most abundant element in organic matter, provides a number of benefits to the soil and environment, including a food source for soil microbes, improved soil structure and water holding capacity, and sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This presentation will discuss the role that soil carbon plays in the soil and how agricultural management practices such as tillage, crop rotations, cover cropping, and manure use affect soil carbon levels. It will also discuss different methods to measure soil carbon and how to interpret those measurements to gain a better understanding of soil carbon behavior in the crop fields you manage.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Soil and Water Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
We will cover the background of our farms transition from conventional commodity farming to a direct farm to consumer marketing model, while moving from the self-identity of a livestock farmer, into a soil farmer. A broad range of topics including soil health, multi-species livestock rearing, land-stacking enterprises, and innovative crop production practices. Focus being placed on the need to convert the mindset into becoming a soil farmer and using the enterprises at hand to help you manage the soil.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Soil and Water Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Sometimes the best way to understand a complex system is to compare it to other systems that we already understand. Green Cover Seed co-founder, Keith Berns, does just that in his Carbonomics presentation where he compares the economy of a country to the underground economy of the soil. Learn how principles like supply, demand, currency, capital and infrastructure all apply to the soils under our feet and how a properly functioning soil system is a powerful and robust economic system. After this presentation you will have a better understanding of how carbon is the currency that plants use to purchase goods and services from the biological community.
View the video link and complete the Online Survey by December 11, 2020 to receive the following CEUs: 1.0 CCA-Soil and Water Management; 1.0 Delaware Nutrient Management; 1.0 Maryland Nutrient Management; 1.0 Pennsylvania Nutrient Management; 1.0 Virginia Nutrient Management; 1.0 West Virginia Nutrient Management
Chesapeake Bay has a long history of anthropogenic N and P inputs resulting in degraded water quality. The primary sources of N and P inputs are agricultural diffuse sources in rural watersheds and wastewater point sources in urbanized watersheds and has generated questions of whether agricultural BMPs are as efficient as the assumptions used in current models. In 2013, we began an empirical test of the effects of agricultural BMPs at the watershed scale in four, small (8-16 square km) watersheds in the Choptank Basin on the Delmarva Peninsula. Our research showed that additional BMPs can reduce N export in some agricultural watersheds, but current groundwater under agricultural fields does not indicate large changes in the N content of future stream flows. In addition, P and sediment reductions remain elusive, and areas with well-drained and irrigated soils will require additional measures to reduce losses of N and P from grain production fields.
