Here's your December issue of the Crop Manager! |
Featured in this monthly winter newsletter are techniques to help you manage weeds, corn hybrid performance trials, soybean yield competition results, registration for quickly approaching winter events, and more. Read below and visit our website to learn more.
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Timely Articles and Resources |
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Cover crops are often incorporated into fields as part of crop rotations, but they can also be planted in the aisles between cash crop beds, providing cover during a time of year when the soil is typically bare. These “living aisles” add additional advantages, such as reducing mud during rainy periods, allowing farmers to access beds when the ground is wet, and keeping harvest bins cleaner.
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Johnsongrass, a highly invasive perennial grass that invades and impacts agricultural and natural areas throughout the United States, has been spotted in southern Wisconsin along roadsides, agricultural fields and recent restoration activities. Learn how you can help monitor the spread of this invasive species.
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Educators and outreach specialists at UW–Madison Extension are looking to assess the needs of Wisconsin farm managers to guide the development of future outreach and educational activities on agricultural biologicals (e.g., biostimulants, biofertilizers, and biopesticides) through a quick, 10-question survey.
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Corn agronomy at the Department Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, UW-Madison marked the 53rd year of successful corn hybrid performance evaluation trials. Hybrid performance evaluation is critical to hybrid selection which is a critical decision as it influences the yield potential the most. It is also crucial for delivering new technologies, pest resistance, resource efficiency, and increased yield benefit and profitability.
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Established to inspire the adoption of new and innovative management practices, the Wisconsin Soybean Association (WSA) Soybean Yield Contest highlights the critical role of sound agronomic and cultural techniques in driving productivity and sustainability across the state’s soybean production systems.
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The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announces the release of the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program Request for Proposals for 2026. In addition to nitrogen rate trials, this year’s RFP includes new opportunities for first-time applicants to explore nitrogen management on their farm using simplified research approaches.
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Multiple-herbicide resistance is spreading rapidly across the U.S. and beyond, making weed management increasingly expensive, complex, and unpredictable for growers. What some call “spray and pray” research is, in reality, systems-level science with enormous grower and public benefit. In 2025 alone, corn and soybean covered nearly 180 million U.S. acres, with herbicides applied on more than 95 percent of that land. The scale and relevance of this work could not be clearer.
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This self-paced training aid includes videos and additional linked resources to walk new potato industry participants through basic production and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) options for potatoes grown in Wisconsin.
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Jan. 14–15 | Stevens Point
Wisconsin Cranberry School is an in-person conference held by the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association focused on educating and supporting cranberry growers throughout the cranberry growing cycle and preparing for the year ahead. The event features academics, agricultural experts, and notable industry professionals addressing current challenges and issues impacting the grower community.
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Jan. 22–23 | Online
Jan. 30–31 | In-Person, Madison
This producer-initiated conference is designed for advanced growers and attracts participants from throughout the Midwest and beyond.
Participants who register by January 6 will receive a conference packet with handouts and swag through the mail BEFORE the online sessions. Those who register after January 6 may receive the packet before or AFTER the online sessions. Online sessions are held over Zoom.
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Feb. 10–11 | Dubuque
The Midwest Cover Crops Council’s Annual Meeting and Conference will be held in Dubuque, IA in 2026! Supported by UW–Madison Extension, you can find several of our staff presenting on topics including cover crops, planter setup, planting alfalfa into green cover crops, and talking to landlords and tenants about conservation.
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Hear from us and our partners more often! |
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| 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.
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Fruit producers, sign up to receive tailored updates from the UW–Madison Fruit Program. Sign up and read more here.
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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.
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UW–Madison Division of Extension Crops and Soils Program
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The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.
Partially supported by National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management-Extension Implementation Program award number 2024-70006-43559.
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