Learn about the latest University of Wisconsin–Madison crop and soils research at the annual UW Agronomy and Soils Field Day set for Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station. This free event runs from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and features field tours with presentations along the way. Pre-registration is appreciated. Please register by August 17 at https://go.wisc.edu/agronomysoilsregister or by calling (608) 262-0485.

Check-in starts at 8:00 a.m. Attendees will begin loading onto wagons for field tours at 8:30 a.m. The wagons will make a total of four stops, spending approximately 40 minutes at each. While at each stop, attendees will listen to short presentations followed by a Q&A session. The topic areas of the stops are as follows:

Stop 1: New technologies in field crops. Presentations will cover short corn, grain and fiber trial updates from Midwestern Hemp Research Collaborative, and work from the UW Bean Team.

Stop 2: Integrating new technologies for pest management. Presentations will cover insect detection with smart traps, weed detection maps with drones and smart sprayers, and fungicide application with drones.

Stop 3: Alfalfa interseeded into corn silage. Presentations will cover alfalfa interseeded into corn systems and expanding the use of intercropping on Wisconsin dairy farms.

Stop 4: Nutrient management tech. Presentations will cover manure-based products’ impact on corn nitrogen and environmental footprint, in-season nutrient management and remote sensing of nutrient-specific deficiencies, reducing phosphorus in run-off, and cover crops.

A lunch meal, available for $10 after the field tours and presentations, will be provided by the Wisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants.

Earlier this summer, UW–Madison launched a year-long celebration of the 175th anniversary of the university’s founding (175.wisc.edu). In honor of this important occasion, CALS is recognizing past achievements in addition to current and future innovations. The college’s agricultural research stations, for instance, have hosted a wide variety of high-impact studies over the years, including the development and study of Vernal alfalfa, a winter-hardy, disease-resistant, high-yielding variety. Vernal alfalfa was released in 1952, and its genetic ancestry can now be found in over 1,000 alfalfa varieties, helping to establish the foundation of Wisconsin’s forage industry.

The Arlington Agricultural Research Station is located off Hwy 51 at N695 Hopkins Road near Arlington, Wisconsin. The 2,000-acre station is composed of 12 crop and livestock units and supports almost all disciplines in the UW–Madison College of Agricultural of Life Sciences.

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will make a reasonable effort to provide accommodations for participants with disabilities when notified in advance. Request a disability accommodation by August 15 when registering. Efforts will be made to meet same day requests to the extent possible.

For more information about the event, contact superintendent Mike Bertram at mbertram@wisc.edu or (608) 846-3761 x102.

INFORMATION FOR MEDIA:
Contact: Shawn Conley, spconley@wisc.edu; Mike Bertram, mbertram@wisc.edu
Photo: https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AJKAZSK5YGZ2K78L