Northwest Iowa Research Farm Field Day and Corn Rootworm Day Is July 12

By Gentry Sorenson and Leah Ten Napel

The annual Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm Field Day will be held Wednesday, July 12, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the farm, 6320 500th St., Sutherland. For the second year, an optional Corn Rootworm Field Day will follow lunch at 1 p.m.

The field day will focus on timely topics, including updated phosphorus and potassium guidelines, weather forecasts, Mesonet tools, how drought impacts northwest Iowa soils and more.

“Farmers and agronomists can plan for a full day of learning at the research farm,” said Gentry Sorenson, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “We are offering two field days in one day in an effort to maximize education and networking time.”

Registration opens at 9 a.m., with the program beginning at 9:30 a.m. with “Updated Phosphorous and Potassium Guidelines,” led by Antonio Mallarino, soil fertility specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Following Mallarino, in-field learning will address:

• “Weather Forecasts and Mesonet Tools,” led by Daryl Herzmann, Iowa Environmental Mesonet representative.
• “Soil Changes Across the Landscape: How Drought Impacts NW Iowa Soils,” led by Amber Anderson, assistant teaching professor at Iowa State.
• “Timely Agronomic Topics of the 2023 Growing Season,” led by Gentry Sorenson and Leah Ten Napel, field agronomists with ISU Extension and Outreach

One SW, 2 CM and 1 NM CCA credits will be available for the morning field day.

At the completion of the morning field day, a complimentary noon lunch will be served.

Following lunch at 1 p.m., the Corn Rootworm Field Day will begin. ISU Extension and Outreach entomologists Erin Hodgson and Ashley Dean will provide in-field education using a corn-on-corn demonstration plot.

“The demonstration plot will have non-Bt rootworm corn, SmartStax corn and SmartStax Pro corn with the new RNA-i trait, all with and without insecticides,” Sorenson said. “Roots will be rated so everyone can see the differences in person.”

One IPM CCA credit will be available for the afternoon field day.

Attendance at the morning and/or afternoon field day is free and open to the public. Registration is not needed. Complimentary morning refreshments are sponsored by Security State Bank, with lunch sponsored by O’Brien County Ag Supply, J&K Insurance, C-S Agrow and 5th Gen Ag.

For more information, contact Gentry Sorenson at 641-430-6715 or gentrys@iastate.edu; or Leah Ten Napel at 712-541-3493 or lre@iastate.edu