2025 MSU Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series to Begin on March 27

By Steve Whittington

Spring is approaching. Michigan farmers are currently busy planning and setting goals for their upcoming production season, fixing and maintaining valuable equipment and focusing on ways to maximize their 2025 production. They may have renewed enthusiasm and excitement for the upcoming growing season – and the return of Virtual Breakfast Series.  

The 2025 Virtual Breakfast Series is a weekly webinar for farmers, agribusiness professionals and anyone interested in agriculture that is now in its 8th year. This series is conducted during the growing season to assist farmers as they prepare for potential issues and navigate any concerns during this timeframe. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension will host the Virtual Breakfast Series beginning March 27 at 7 a.m. Sign up for the Virtual Breakfast Series today. 

MSU Extension educators, specialists, and guest speakers provide a short 15-minute presentation related to field crop agriculture from 7:00 – 7:15 a.m. Topics are carefully chosen to align with the current stage of the season that producers are in, addressing the specific challenges they are facing at that time. Immediately following the topic of the day, the series moves into a detailed weather analysis for the state led by MSU agriculture climatologist Dr. Jeff Andresen from 7:15 – 7:30 a.m. Each virtual breakfast session concludes with a 25-minute Q&A segment that follows the topic and weather report from 7:35 – 8:00 am. During this Q&A, farmers, agribusiness personnel and others interested in agriculture can interact with MSU Extension specialists and educators to get answers to their questions.  

An additional benefit of this webinar series is the Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credits offered to Michigan pesticide applicators. Applicators who hold a license can easily accumulate enough RUP credits over the summer to recertify their credential by attending the proper number of sessions. Licensed applicators will earn one RUP credit (1A, Comm or Priv Core) and Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) can receive one continuing education unit (CEU).  

Weekly schedule   

• 7:00 – 7:20 Scheduled topic by MSU Educators and Specialists 
• 7:20 – 7:35 Weather with Dr. Jeff Andresen 
• 7:35 RUP & CCA credits 
• 7:37 – 8:00 Q & A with MSU Specialists and Educators 

Scheduled topics and dates 

• 27-Mar-25 Early season Weed Control with Dr. Christy Sprague 
• 03-Apr-25 Planter Set-up Considerations with Jason Koning of Precision Planting 
• 10-Apr-25 Corn & Soybean Planting Considerations with Dr. Manni Singh 
• 17-Apr-25 Nitrogen Stabilizers and Extenders with Dr. Kurt Steinke 
• 24-Apr-25 Herbicide Resistance – Waterhemp Focus with Dr. Erin Hill 
• 01-May-25 Maximizing Forage Quality in Hay and Haylage with Dr. Kim Cassida 
• 08-May-25 Disease Management in Wheat with Dr. Marty Childers 
• 15-May-25 Post Weed Control with Dr. Erin Burns 
• 22-May-25 Heat Stress & Wheat with Dennis Pennington  
• 29-May-25 Dry Bean Management: Data Driven Decisions with Scott Bales  
• 05-Jun-25 Wheat Fungicide with Dennis Pennington 
• 12-Jun-25 Cercospora for Sugar Beets with Dr. Jaime Willbur 
• 19-Jun-25 Legacy Phosphorus: The Hidden Driver of Drainage Loss with Dr. Ehsan Ghane 
• 26-Jun-25 Irrigation Management with Dr. Younsuk Dong 
• 03-Jul-25 Insects with Dr. Chris DiFonzo 
• 10-Jul-25 Hot Topics! – All MSU Educators and Specialists 
• 17-Jul-25 White Mold – Tar Spot Spraying with Dr. Marty Chilvers  
• 24-Jul-25 Cover Crops After Wheat with Dr. Brook Wilke 
• 31-Jul-25 Insect Diagnostic Topics with Dr. Sarah Hughson 
• 07-Aug-25 Drones with Dr. Mike Reinke 
• 14-Aug-25 Field Crop Nematode Update with Dr. Marisol Quintanilla 
• 21-Aug-25 Potassium! Why it Matters to Alfalfa Persistence with Dr. Kim Cassida 
• 28-Aug-25 Hot Topics! – All MSU Educators and Specialists 
• 04-Sep-25 Using Yield Data with Rich Price 
• 11-Sep-25 Grain Marketing with MSU Extension Farm Business Team 
• 18-Sep-25 Late Season Weed Control with Dr. Christy Sprague 

Participating is easy and free! You can join the live meeting via Zoom using a computer, tablet, mobile device, or regular phone line. If you are new to Zoom, simply download theZoom appand you will be ready to join online every week to see visuals shared by presenters. A call-in-by-phone option is also available but note that you will only hear the audio portion.  

Participants must sign up to receive an email notification with instructions for joining the Virtual Breakfast. You only need to do this once and you will receive the Zoom link and call-in phone number, as well as weekly reminders every Wednesday and Thursday. Participants receiving emails can opt in or out at any time.  

If you cannot participate in the live session at 7 a.m., you can view the recorded version at any time. However, only the live session will be eligible for RUP and CCA credits. Recordings will be closed-captioned and available at the Field Crops Virtual Breakfastwebpage and the MSU Extension Field Crops Team social media platforms: Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Twitter @MSUExtension.