South Central Agricultural Lab Field Day Kicks Off Aug. 8

By Deloris Pittman

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL) field day is Thursday, Aug. 8. The field day focuses on improving crop production and profitability with research-based, practical information shared by University of Nebraska educators, specialists, staff and students. The event is designed so those attending can select the tours they are most interested in. A special demonstration will provide the opportunity to see real-time, camera-based weed detection technology with the John Deere See and Spray.

Topics and presenters include:

• Irrigation Management Technologies for Irrigation Scheduling: Learn how advanced scheduling applications are optimizing water usage through targeted irrigation application. Presented by Saleh Taghvaeian, irrigation specialist, and Steve Melvin, extension educator.
• Disease Management Corn and Soybean Disease Updates: Take a close-up look at which diseases are affecting fields and what best management strategies can be utilized for disease management. Presented by Tamra Jackson-Ziems and Dylan Mangel, extension plant pathologists.
• Weed Management Cover Crop for Weed Suppression in Corn and Soybean: Planting Green and Intercropping: See the interaction between planting green and pre-emergence herbicides for controlling Palmer amaranth in soybean, as well as interseeding oat or barley in soybean for early-season weed suppression. Presented by Amit Jhala, weed management specialist.
• Nitrogen/Fertigation Management Demo Site: Optimizing Nitrogen Use Efficiency via Sensor-based Fertigation: Learn how the University has increased profitability by over $25/ac by reducing nitrogen applications across more than 30 field sites since 2019. Presented by Katie Bathke, research technician, and Joe Luck, biological systems engineering.
• Insect Management and Conservation Features: Learn about the latest research and strategies for managing these pests. Presented by Matheus Ribeiro, extension educator, and Ron Seymour, extension educator.

The event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by opening remarks by Derek McLean, dean of UNL’s Agricultural Research Division at 8:45 a.m. Tours of research sites will follow. Dr. J. David Aiken, water and agricultural law specialist, UNL Department of Agricultural Economics, will give the keynote address, "Carbon Market Considerations for Farmers" during lunch. Those attending can also see research and equipment used for targeted herbicide application with the See & Spray™ technology, provided by AKRS Equipment.

SCAL is located at 851 Hwy. 6, near Harvard.