Soybean and corn research, AI in ag, and winter events!

Featured this month are several resources related to end-of-season management and events to fill your winter calendar, and more. Read below and visit our website to learn more.

This is our last bi-weekly newsletter of 2025, and we'll transition to a monthly newsletter November through March. 

Healthy Soil, Happy Soybeans: Insights from Multi-State Research

Dive into the multi-state study that emphasizes that while seasonal management decisions influence immediate outcomes, long-term monitoring of soil carbon and nitrogen is essential for sustaining soil health and achieving consistent, high yields.

Watch: AI in Agriculture and LLMs for Farm Management

Dr. John Shutske, UW–Madison Biological Systems Engineering professor and Extension agricultural safety and health specialist, explores the evolving role of artificial intelligence in agriculture, with a focus on generative AI and large language models (LLMs).
Then, Dr. Shawn Conley, UW–Madison Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences professor and Extension soybean and small grain specialist, and Jason Lo, UW–Madison data scientist, talk about an upcoming AI-powered tool to improve decision-making and narrow the gap between research and on-farm practices.

Work with us: Buffalo, Trempealeau, and Jackson counties regional crops educator and Barron, Burnett, Washburn, and Sawyer counties diversified vegetable and emerging crops educator

We're looking to hire crop-focused educator roles near Black River Falls and Spooner. Both of these positions, a regional crops educator position and a regional diversified vegetable and emerging crops educator position, support Wisconsin farmers through research-based educational programming, on-farm research projects, and more. 

The annual UW Badger Crops & Soils Update Meetings are three regional, one-day in-person sessions and one virtual session that present the latest information on agronomic, pest, and nutrient management research coming out of the University of Wisconsin with a lens to on-farm application.

Determining High Yielding Corn Relative Maturities and Growing Season Characteristics Across the United States

In a bean pod: the best corn RM for top yields across the U.S. ranges from 78 to 118 days, potential growing season length depends on how much frost risk a farmer is willing to take, a farmer’s tolerance for frost risk can affect which corn maturity they choose. Read more here.

Nutrient Management Regional Meeting Recordings and Materials Available

The Nutrient Management Regional Meetings wrapped up mid-September. Over 200 people attend these 5 meetings across the state. If you weren’t able to attend, or would like access the presentation materials they can be found on the DATCP NM Regional Meeting webpage here: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Regional Trainings. Presentations have been recorded and the slide presentations are available as well, please note that CEUS are not available for these recordings. If you have questions about any of the content, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Andrea Topper at andrea.topper@wisconsin.gov

Field Notes

Will Fulwider, Regional Crops Educator, hosts Field Notes, where specialist guests, farmers, and industry reps collaborate with them to combine their skills, knowledge, and experience to help farmers and agronomists develop research-based solutions to issues facing agriculture in Wisconsin. Subscribe where you listen to podcasts or check out the episodes here!

The Cutting Edge

Join the UW-Madison Division of Extension as they search for new crops for Wisconsin growers, processors, and consumers on The Cutting Edge. The strength of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy is its diversity…something that doesn’t just happen by chance. It is a product of the relentless drive of researchers and farmers to innovate, explore, and experiment. Join us for a glimpse into the exciting new research and development bringing new crops and diversity to Wisconsin. Subscribe where you listen to podcasts or check out the episodes here!

Badger Crop Connect Webinar Series

Second and fourth Thursdays from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. through October

The Badger Crop Connect series provides agronomists, crop consultants, and farmers with timely crop updates for Wisconsin. Webinars take place all season long, from April through October. CCA CEUs are available by topic for each presentation.

Agriculture Policy Webinar Series

Online via Zoom

The Agriculture Policy webinar series will focus on policy changes affecting farm profitability, risk management, agriculture economics and markets for Wisconsin farmers and agricultural professionals.

November 17: Managing Risk with Updated Commodity Support Programs
November 24: What Farmers Need to Know About Tax Changes in OBBBA
December 1: Dairy Risk Management Programs, Trade Policy Impacts, and Market Outlook
December 8: Farm Policy Climate and What to Expect Moving Forward

Badger Crops and Soils Update Meetings

Dec. 2: Eau Claire
Dec. 3: Monroe
Dec. 4: Appleton or Virtual

The annual UW Badger Crops & Soils Update Meetings are three regional, one-day in-person sessions and one virtual session that present the latest information on agronomic, pest, and nutrient management research coming out of the University of Wisconsin with a lens to on-farm application.

Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference

Dec. 16 – 17
Wisconsin Dells

Explore the intersection of on-farm research, soil health, and water quality at UW–Madison Division of Extension’s Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference (WWASH) December 16–17, 2025 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. Engage with other farmers, dynamic keynote speakers, participate in interactive breakout sessions, and contribute to thought-provoking roundtable discussions, all designed to deepen your expertise and provide actionable insights for your farm or the producers you support. Register at go.wisc.edu/WWASH

Wisconsin Vegetable Crop Update Newsletter

Veggie producers, sign up to receive tailored updates from the UW–Madison Departments of Plant Pathology, Entomology, Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, and Soil and Environmental Science. 

Sign up by contacting Dr. Amanda Gevens.

Wisconsin Fruit News

Fruit producers, sign up to receive tailored updates from the UW–Madison Fruit Program. Sign up and read more here.

Field Notes - DATCP's Pest Survey Program Newsletter

Sign up to receive pest monitoring data and maps, current articles on economically important plant pests affecting Wisconsin's field crops, fruits, vegetables, nurseries, and forests. Sign up on DATCP's website or read newsletters on the web here.  

UW–Madison Division of Extension Crops and Soils Program

Find articles, resources, educational events and more at cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu

Partially supported by National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management-Extension Implementation Program award number 2024-70006-43559.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.