Crop economics featured at Missouri field day, Aug. 26
Aug 15, 2008 10:16 AM
Grain marketing and price outlook will be featured at the University of Missouri Graves-Chapple Farm field day, Aug. 26, near Corning, Mo.
“We have record commodity prices, but also record input costs,” said Jim Crawford, MU Extension natural resource engineer and farm coordinator. “We’re getting a lot of questions about marketing of commodities. That’s why we’re covering the subject with its own tour.”
The crop economics tour, one of three tours at the field day, will feature Ray Massey, MU Extension agricultural economist, who will talk on how high profits lead to high-risk marketing; and Randa Doty, MU Extension agriculture business specialist in Nodaway County, Mo., who will discuss how much yield it takes to cover increasing crop production costs.
The tour will also include an update on LibertyLink soybeans.
Another tour will focus on fertilizer cost-saving strategies. “With the price of inputs, this tour will highlight ways to maximize your dollar,” Crawford said.
John Lory, MU Commercial Agriculture Extension nutrient management specialist, will discuss how to make manure a reliable fertilizer. Wayne Flanary, MU Extension agronomist, will talk about using fertilizer wisely. Rich Hoorman, MU Extension agronomist in Montgomery County, Mo., will talk on splitting nitrogen applications to minimize losses.
“Split applications of nitrogen will be useful in case we have another year like this one, where nitrogen disappeared early on,” Crawford said.
A pest tour will feature four stops on emerging pest problems and solutions.
Bob Heinz, coordinator of the MU Plant Nematology Lab, will discuss how soybean cyst nematode resistance is weakening in commonly used soybean varieties. Julie Abendroth, MU Extension agronomist in Ray County, Mo., will talk on control of waterhemp and marestail in soybean.
Wayne Crook, MU Extension agronomist in Chariton County, Mo., will explain new technology that gives corn and soybean alternative glyphosate resistance.
Wayne Bailey, MU Extension entomologist, will talk on the increasing threat from secondary pests in corn and soybean.
“Some insects that weren’t a problem in the past, we ignored them, and now they’re becoming problems,” Crawford said. “Japanese beetles and stink bugs are two that come to mind. If you add in the insects we’re used to controlling, we have some pest problems.”
The field day is free and open to the public. Tours start at 8:30 a.m. and last one hour. The day concludes with a free lunch at 12:15 p.m., but attendees are invited to explore the farm’s research plots on their own afterwards.
For more information, contact the Graves-Chapple Farm at (660) 744-6231. The farm is 3 miles north of Corning on the east outer road of Interstate 29 at Exit 99. For detailed driving directions, see http://aes.missouri.edu/graves/contact.php.
