By Steve Whittington
Field crop producers will learn how to equip and operate sprayers to maximize insect and disease control in soybeans by tuning in to the Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series on Thursday, June 15, at 7 a.m. This week’s Virtual Breakfast will feature Mike Staton, MSU Extension soybean educator, who will provide information to help soybean producers achieve the canopy penetration and leaf and stem coverage required to optimize fungicide and insecticide performance. Specifically, Staton will cover the optimum spray volume, droplet size, ground speed, nozzle pressure, nozzle type and boom height when spraying large, dense soybean canopies. Jeff Andresen, MSU state climatologist, will also join us for his latest weather outlook for the week.
The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast series will run every Thursday from March 30 through Sept. 21, 7 – 8 a.m. EDT live via Zoom. Farmers, agribusiness personnel and others interested in agriculture can interact with MSU Extension specialists and educators to get their questions answered. Michigan pesticide applicators can earn enough restricted use pesticide (RUP) credits during the season to recertify their credential. One RUP credit (1A, 1B, Comm or Private Core) and one continuing education unit (CEU) for Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) are available with each live session.
Each week features a 15-minute presentation on a timely topic from a MSU Extension specialist or educator followed by a 15-minute weather summary and forecast by MSU Extension state climatologist Jeff Andresen. Participants then receive information to apply for credits and can leave or stay for a Q&A session. In addition to the scheduled speakers, other MSU field crops specialists and educators are frequently part of the call and available to answer questions.