– By Brian Hefty
It’s easy to stay busy on your farm over the winter hauling grain, getting ready for next spring, or a host of other jobs that always seem pressing. However, if you want to make 2012 your best year ever, I believe it’s important to invest some of your time learning, visiting with other farmers, and just thinking about your plan for the upcoming year. I want you to take at least 1 day this winter to spend with Darren and me. I’m sure there are a lot smarter guys you could learn from than us, but hopefully we put things in a format that is easy to understand, and along with our 100+ page agronomy booklet and the large group of other great farmers who attend that you can talk to during the day, you’ll find the day extremely worthwhile.
The 2012 Ag PhD Winter Workshops will feature a host of new topics. We’ll tailor each workshop to what you want to talk about, including having a set question and answer time, and we will adjust our schedule each day based on your expectations for the day. Some of the many topics we’ll be prepared to discuss include:
- Increasing protein levels in wheat
- Why are some farmers raising 60 to 80 bushel soybeans, and I’m only getting 35 to 50 bushels per acre?
- New pesticides and seed technologies for 2012 and beyond
- Corn rootworm resistance to Bt traits
- The Goss’s Wilt explosion we saw in 2011 and what you can do to prevent it next year
- Do nitrogen stabilizers really work (we’ll show you the data from our controlled tests where we measured N levels in the soil throughout the tests) and why shouldn’t I just apply more nitrogen?
- How quickly do roots grow down in soil and why is that important?
- How do I read a soil test or a plant tissue analysis test and how will that make me money?
- What weed control programs are out there for corn, soybeans, wheat, peas, lentils, sunflowers, and alfalfa?
- What steps should I take when I’m setting up my estate plan (this will be a big topic at our Mesa, AZ workshop)?
- Does V5 fungicide in corn pay or not?
- How can I control Roundup-resistant weeds in Roundup Ready corn or soybeans?
- Do biological products work or are some companies just trying to sell me something?
- In what order do I need to mix herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides so I don’t get build-up in my spray tank or booms?
- Which spray nozzles are the best?
- How do I know when to use non-ionic surfactant vs. methylated seed oil vs. crop oil concentrate vs. nothing?
- How can we prevent more government regulations in farming?
Click Here to Register for an Ag PhD Winter Workshop!
2012 WINTER WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Click each location below for more information and directions.
*Chamberlain, SD – Friday, January 6 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Spencer, IA – Monday, January 9 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Lewiston, ID – Wednesday, January 11 – 11:30 am – 4:00 pm (Darren)
Twin Falls, ID – Wednesday, January 11 – 11:30 am – 4:00 pm (Brian)
Richland, WA – Thursday, January 12 – 9:00 am – 1:30 pm (Darren)
Nampa, ID – Thursday, January 12 – 9:00 am – 1:30 pm (Brian)
*Fergus Falls, MN – Monday, January 16 – 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Cape Girardeau, MO – Wednesday, January 18 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Aberdeen, SD – Friday, January 20 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Watertown, SD – Monday, January 23 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Austin, MN – Thursday, January 26 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Morton, MN – Monday, January 30 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Baltic, SD – Wednesday, February 1 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Des Moines, IA Agronomy & Tiling Clinic – Tuesday, February 14 – 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Mesa, AZ – Friday, February 17 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Bismarck, ND – Tuesday, February 21 – Noon – 4:00 pm
*Minot, ND – Wednesday, February 22 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Devils Lake, ND – Thursday, February 23 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
*Fargo, ND – Friday, February 24 – 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Sidney, MT – Wednesday, March 7 – Noon – 4:00 pm
Great Falls, MT – Thursday, March 8 – 9:00 am – 1:30 pm
*Immediately following these workshops, Swenson Investments & Commodities will be presenting a short question & answer session on Estate Planning & Commodity Trading. We invite you to attend that if you’re interested in learning more about those topics.