The Pathogens Are Back Again

By Nicolle Ritchie

Field crop producers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in the 2025 Field Crops Webinar Series, a series of eight online meetings addressing field crop production and pest management offered by Michigan State University Extension. Participants will be able to access the expertise of agriculture specialists and educators from the comfort of their home or office.

The webinar on March 24 will feature a disease update from Marty Chilvers of MSU, Boris Camiletti of the University of Illinois and Jose Gonzalez-Acuna from Iowa State University. In addition to a general disease update from Chilvers, Camiletti will talk about red crown rot in soybeans, and Gonzalez-Acuna, a PhD student at Iowa State University, will share results on corn fungicide application research.

Though the series has already started, registration is still open. Each session will feature two speakers giving short presentations about the topic in an informal talk-show/podcast format with plenty of opportunity for interaction with the audience and a time for questions. The live webinars will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Feb. 3 and ending March 24, 2025.

The cost of registration is $20 per person for the entire series. This year, we have been approved for seven restricted use pesticide (RUP) applicator credits throughout the course of the program and eight certified crop adviser (CCA) continuing education units (CEU). Those who attend the live webinars will be eligible to receive one CCA CEU per week and one RUP credit per week, apart from March 17. Those requesting RUP credits will receive them in Private Core (if private applicator) or choose between Commercial Core or category 1A (field crops) if they are a commercial applicator.

Webinars will be recorded and archived so participants may choose to view the recordings later. Credits are available only for participants in the live sessions.

Register for the 2025 Field Crops Webinar Series

Each Monday, registrants will receive an email reminding them of the webinar coming up that evening with the link to the webinar and any other pertinent reminders. The webinars may be accessed on a mobile device or a computer with a stable internet connection no other equipment is necessary. Archived recordings from previous seasons are accessible for free at the MSU Extension Field Crops Webinar Series webpage.