AMES, Iowa – Soybean row-spacing, soybean cyst nematode and a growing season outlook will highlight the annual meeting of the North Central Iowa Research Association.
The meeting also will feature an update of research at the Iowa State University Northern Research and Demonstration Farm at Kanawha.
The annual meeting will take place March 7 at the Duncan Hall meeting room 4.5 miles east of Britt on the south side of Highway 18. The street address is 2337 Nation Ave., Britt, Iowa. The meeting is open to the public.
Registration and refreshments will begin at 9 a.m., with the meeting running from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The association’s board of directors will meet at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
There is no cost to attend. Persons who are planning to attend are encouraged to pre-register by March 2 to help plan for meal numbers and handout materials. Please call the ISU Extension and Outreach Hancock County office at 641-923-2856 or the ISU Extension and Outreach Wright County at 515-532-3453 to register. Certified Crop Advisers can earn CEU credits for attending this meeting.
Dennis Schwab, association president, will begin the morning program. He will update attendees on recent activities of the association. The association is the owner of the research farm at Kanawha and provides guidance to Iowa State on research priorities.
Matt Schnabel, research farm superintendent, will provide a season review. Brandon Zwiefel, farm ag specialist with Iowa State, will discuss results from the On-Farm Cooperator Trials and the involvement of local farmers. Reports of current research at the farm will be available.
Mark Licht, assistant professor and cropping systems agronomist with Iowa State, will discuss recent research on soybean row-spacing. He also will discuss the Soybean Benchmarking Project that identifies common factors in high yield soybean production.
Angie Rieck-Hinz, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will discuss soybean cyst nematode management, including variety selection and seed treatments to manage SCN.
Paul Kassel, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will provide an update on dicamba herbicide management, covering the herbicide’s benefits, application risks and buffer explanations.
Dennis Todey, director of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, will discuss Iowa’s changing growing season and its impact on corn and soybean production.
The morning refreshments are sponsored First Citizens National Bank. Gold- Eagle Cooperative, MaxYield Cooperative and North Central Cooperative will sponsor the lunch.