Winter wheat for pest management and optimal yields, staying on top of silage, and more!

Featured this month are several resources related to in-season field crop management - corn silage, wheat, and soybean management; field days for every type of farmer, and more. Read below and visit our website to learn more.

Spacing for Success: Row Width and Seeding Rate in Winter Wheat

Short and S-Wheat:
• 15-inch row spacing did not result in a yield penalty or increased weed pressure in 2025
• Increasing seeding rate can improve yield, but gains level off beyond an optimal rate
• Higher seeding rates were associated with reduced grain protein levels

Adding Wheat to a Corn-Soybean Rotation to Enhance Pest Management

Incorporating wheat into Wisconsin’s dominant corn-soybean grain rotations can be used to manage pests by disrupting their life cycles and promoting beneficial natural enemies (e.g., predators and parasitoids) that carry out biological control and prevent pests from causing significant damage to crops. 

Managing Silage Corn Diseases And Mycotoxins At Chopping Time

We are quickly approaching that time of year where we will see silage choppers working the 2025 corn crop. This means it is time to understand overall crop health and how diseases might be affecting the crop so that you can make the best silage product you can.

Incorporating Off Farm Wastes in Nutrient Management Planning

While the Nutrient Management Performance Standards in WI chapter NR 151 and the USDA NRCS 590 Nutrient Management Practice Standard provide direction for manure and commercial fertilizers, the standards do not provide guidance for application of papermill sludge, industrial wastes, municipal sewage sludge, and septage.

Southern Rust Is On The Move In Wisconsin

While everyone has been on the lookout for tar spot in Wisconsin, southern rust snuck in the back door. We have been receiving samples and images of southern rust from various locations in the southern and central production regions.

Approaches to Estimating Manure Nitrogen Credits

There are multiple methods for estimating nitrogen available to crops from manure, also called N credits. This article provides insight into various approaches to calculate and verify manure-N availability (N credits).

Participate in the Wisconsin Cover Crop Citizen Science Project!

In exchange for providing information about your cover crop practices along with fall and spring cover crop samples, we provide you an honorarium plus FREE lab testing of your cover crop biomass, nutrient analysis, and forage quality.

2025 Winter Wheat Variety Trial Results

Wisconsin’s 2025 winter wheat variety trials showed variety selection remains a key management factor in managing diseases and ensuring profitability. 

Listen: Discussing Climate Adaptation Strategies on Dairy Stream Podcast

Chris Clark, northeast Wisconsin regional outreach specialist for the Nutrient and Pest Management Program, recently appeared on the Dairy Stream podcast to discuss how shifting weather patterns are impacting Midwest agriculture and the adaptive strategies farmers are implementing.

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. beginning April 10

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.

Pat Socha Research Trials

Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Edgar

The objective of Pat’s research pilot project is to determine the effects of interseeding cover crops into corn grain on corn yield, cover crop biomass, and cover crop forage quality. Join this free event to learn more about the cropping system. 

Wisconsin Extension Weed Management Workshop

September 11, 2025
Arlington Ag Research Station

Join Extension and the WiscWeeds Team for a full day of hands-on learning, expert insights, and the latest in weed management science and technology. Get take-home tips in: herbicide application technology, laser weeders and intelligent sprayers, industry and farmer panel insights on targeted spray systems. 

Corn Silage Dry Down Events

Multiple Dates
Statewide

Join us to analyze the moisture of your corn silage samples throughout September at a variety of sites across Wisconsin by keeping an eye on Extension's event calendar or your local Extension office's website. In-person not your thing? Check out the data on our Corn Silage Dry Down Monitoring Tool. 

Manure Field Day

Sept. 10 from 1 – 3 p.m.
Menomonie

Discover innovative manure application practices at this hands-on Field Day. Learn from experts and see a live side-by-side demonstration of low-disturbance toolbars in action.

Organic Multi-Species Grazing Field Day at Alden Hills Organic Farms

Sept. 24 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walworth

Alden Hills Organic Farms invites you to a multi-species grazing field day on September 24, 2025, featuring a farm-to-table lunch, guided pasture walk, and talks focusing on managed grazing, multi-species enterprises, and organic certification.

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.