2008 Pennsylvania Agronomic Education Conference

(Formerly called the Lime, Fertilizer and Pesticide Conference)

Schedule of Events

2008 Conference Schedule - (PDF)

2008 Registration Form (PDF)

DAY ONE — Tuesday, January 15, 2008

8:00 a.m.	Registration
9:30 a.m.	Welcome/Opening Comments. PAES President Dean Collamer and Bruce McPheron, Penn State
9:40 a.m.	2008 Fertilizer Update, and Beyond. Ken Kunz, Honeywell This presentation will cover the supply/demand for the 3 major nutrients based on the immediate production needs of food, feed, fiber and fuel. I will focus mostly on near-term (1 year) dynamics with some mention of changes beyond this timeframe.
10:10 a.m.	Next Generation Biofuels: Putting the ‘Renew’ in Biorenewables . Steve Fales, Iowa State University (a) present a description of next generation processing technology (cellulosic ethanol, thermochemical conversion, etc.); (b) show the magnitude of “stuff” that will be needed to meet expected demand (and likely sources); (c) detail some of the sustainability issues regarding biofuel feedstock production; and finally (d) outline what I believe are the research, education, and policy priorities to make the whole thing work.
10:50 a.m.	The Seed Industry — Now!. Bill Camerer, Doebler’s Hybrids The seed business is a very dynamic industry. How is it possible to meet the demands of customers and still remain a viable entity in this business today? This industry shares all of the uncertainty of production ag plus the added layers of complexity associated with licensing, corporate restructuring, new technology, and the regulatory system. This presentation will discuss the current state of the seed industry.
11:20 a.m.	Optimizing Glyphosate Activity for Greater Performance. Don Penner, Michigan State University Conditions which affect glyphosate performance as well as formulations and adjuvants to optimize glyphosate activity will be discussed.
11:50 a.m.	Lunch (on your own)
1:00 p.m.	Breakout Sessions (Choose One) Winning the Game — A Grain Marketing Overview. Tom Murphy, Penn State Winning the Game is a risk management program that helps participants learn the methods needed to write and implement a grain marketing plan to increase profitability on the farm. The program discusses the components that are key elements to a written plan in an easy to follow format. A grain marketing simulation game is conducted to ‘test’ participants market plans and increase their interest in the subject. Selecting the Right Adjuvant for the Job. Dan Penner, Michigan State University Types of Adjuvants and Their Utility Will be Related to Herbicide Performance Desired. 1. Bio-fuel Byproducts in the Ration: Do They Work, and How Will They Fit in Rations for the East? 2. Volatile Fatty Acids – What Went Wrong with my Fermentation?. John Brouillette, Mycogen AgroSciences 1. As bio-fuel production increases, what possibilities exist to use the by-products from these processes in animal feed rations? We will explore and discuss the products, their advantages, disadvantages, stability, a feeding example and ultimate sustainability as useful commodities in production animal agriculture. 2. I’ve seen the forage analysis on paper, and it looks good. What I don’t understand is why my silage smells bad, and my milk production, rate of gain, and the overall herd performance is down. Where did things go wrong, and how can I manage this and prevent this from happening next year? We’ll take a look at different paths the fermentation process can take, and how the VFA profile of my silage might provide insight to what went wrong.
2:00 p.m.	Breakout Sessions (Choose One - Some are Repeat of Previous Session) Seed Treatments: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Bill Camerer, Doebler’s Hybrids We will discuss the underlying goals behind a successful seed-treatment strategy from the perspective of 1) What was done and why in the past, 2) What is done and why today, and 3) What will be done and why in the future. Industry reps from two major manufacturers of seed treatments will join Bill in this very timely discussion. Opportunities and Challenges with Value-Added Ventures. John Hall, University of Maryland Chesapeake Fields was founded to find new, workable ways to help farmers become more profitable. "Preservation through Profitability will help us all. We will be able to preserve our farmland, our open spaces, our environment and our lifestyle. We can preserve our “Sense of Place”. 1. Bio-fuel Byproducts in the Ration: Do They Work, and How Will They Fit in Rations for the East? 2. Volatile Fatty Acids – What Went Wrong with my Fermentation?. John Brouillette, Mycogen AgroSciences 1. As bio-fuel production increases, what possibilities exist to use the by-products from these processes in animal feed rations? We will explore and discuss the products, their advantages, disadvantages, stability, a feeding example and ultimate sustainability as useful commodities in production animal agriculture. 2. I’ve seen the forage analysis on paper, and it looks good. What I don’t understand is why my silage smells bad, and my milk production, rate of gain, and the overall herd performance is down. Where did things go wrong, and how can I manage this and prevent this from happening next year? We’ll take a look at different paths the fermentation process can take, and how the VFA profile of my silage might provide insight to what went wrong.
3:00 p.m.	Break and Transition to General Session
3:15 p.m.	REAP: A New Opportunity for Strengthening Agriculture and Protecting Pennsylvania's Natural Resources. Lamonte Garber, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Pennsylvania’s Resource Enhancement and Protection Tax Credit Program brings new financial resources to bear on a critical challenge: strengthening Pennsylvania agriculture while improving our land and water resources. Can the REAP Program enable conservation-minded farm managers to do even better? Can it involve new farmers who have avoided traditional conservation programs? Come learn about how producers, service providers and supporting industries can participate in the program.
3:45 p.m.	Adding Value to an Agriculture Enterprise — Panel Discussion. Altemose; Hall; Roth; Murphy Edamame Market Development in the Northeast; Chesapeake Fields Project; Researching Crop Genetics to Add Value in the Market; Winning the Game - A Grain Marketing Overview
4:45 pm	Business Meeting
5:15 pm	Announcements/Adjourn
5:45	Social Hour — Industry Sponsored Reception
6:30 pm	50th Anniversary Celebration Master of Ceremonies — Lynn Hoffman Presentation of Member-of-the-Year Award Keynote speaker — Don Lohr)

DAY TWO — Wednesday, January 16, 2008

7:30 a.m.	Registration
8:00 a.m.	2008 Weather Update. Paul Knight, Penn State We will discuss the weather patterns experienced during 2007, and look forward to possibilities predicted for 2008.
8:30 a.m.	Update on the Conservation Provisions of the 2007 Farm Bill. Craig Derickson, NRCS The 2007 Farm Bill legislation will potentially have a big impact on conservation funding and our focusing on environmental issues. The conservation provisions of the Farm Bill are an important mechanism to help farmers and ranchers meet environmental challenges on their land, and regional efforts like the Chesapeake Bay initiative. As of mid November 2007, the House and the Senate have both passed their own versions of legislation, but it remains to be seen what will ultimately be signed into law by the President.
9:00 a.m.	Breakout Session (Choose One) Insect Pest Considerations for Corn and Soybeans JoAnne Whalen, UD Depending on the season, insect feeding can cause significant losses in both corn and soybeans. In recent years, we have seen losses from bean leaf beetles in soybeans, secondary soil insect pests in corn and stinkbugs in both corn and soybeans. This presentation will focus on factors favoring insect outbreaks, decision making strategies and management options. Cover crops and Nitrogen Utilization/Conservation - Sjoerd Duiker, Penn State Cover crops can play an important role to fix atmospheric nitrogen or conserve manure and fertilizer nitrogen. In addition, they can improve soil quality by adding carbon to the soil to improve soil organic matter content and soil tilth. Research results will be presented showing the fertilizer equivalency of several leguminous cover crops. Crop rotation scenarios will be analyzed to determine the potential to integrate these cover crops in our production systems. How to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency Tom Bruulsema, IPNI Growth in the world’s population and purchasing power is projected to continue increasing demand for food, fiber and fuel from field crops. Fertilizer nitrogen has helped spare millions of acres of land while sustaining crop production increases needed to meet the demand. However, nitrogen impacts the environment in many ways. Improving its use efficiency along with its effectiveness in supporting high yields is a key issue for agronomists and crop advisers. This presentation will explore the technologies available for enhancing nitrogen use efficiency, and provide guidance for their in-field evaluation. Nutrient use efficiency improvements must be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness in supporting cropping systems with increasing yields and diminishing nutrient losses.
10:00 a.m.	Breakout Session (Choose One) Management Considerations For Continuous Corn Production Systems Matt Antos, Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl. The talk will center around the unique management considerations when growing corn in a continuous corn rotation. Foliar Fungicides for Corn and Soybeans - Dave Johnson, Penn State I will summarize foliar disease issues in corn and soybeans and the utility of foliar fungicides for disease management and plant health enhancement. This will include data from projects done at Penn State and by industry, and I will discuss some of the physiological responses that occur in plants in response to strobilurin fungicide application that may lead to yield enhancement. How to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency Tom Bruulsema, IPNI Growth in the world’s population and purchasing power is projected to continue increasing demand for food, fiber and fuel from field crops. Fertilizer nitrogen has helped spare millions of acres of land while sustaining crop production increases needed to meet the demand. However, nitrogen impacts the environment in many ways. Improving its use efficiency along with its effectiveness in supporting high yields is a key issue for agronomists and crop advisers. This presentation will explore the technologies available for enhancing nitrogen use efficiency, and provide guidance for their in-field evaluation. Nutrient use efficiency improvements must be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness in supporting cropping systems with increasing yields and diminishing nutrient losses.
11:00 a.m.	Breakout Session (Choose One) Insect Pest Considerations for Corn and Soybeans JoAnne Whalen, UD Depending on the season, insect feeding can cause significant losses in both corn and soybeans. In recent years, we have seen losses from bean leaf beetles in soybeans, secondary soil insect pests in corn and stinkbugs in both corn and soybeans. This presentation will focus on factors favoring insect outbreaks, decision making strategies and management options. Precision agriculture in PA: Sidedress Nitrogen Recs for Corn Using an On-the-go Sensor - John Schmidt, USDA Since 2005 we have evaluated whether the Crop Circle canopy reflectance sensor can be used for making N recommendations for corn. Economic optimum N rate was strongly related to reflectance obtained with the sensor. We will compare results from the sensor to N recommendations based on Pre-sidedress N test, Chlorophyll meter, and Ag. Analytical Service Lab Completing Nutrient Balance Sheets Doug Beegle and Jerry Martin Penn State Nutrient balance sheets, describing how manure will be applied on importing farms, are required when manure is exported from regulated farms in PA. In this workshop participants will go through the process of developing a nutrient balance sheet. We will do several examples and discuss how these are used in the regulation of exported manure and how they can be useful in other aspects of nutrient management.
12:00 p.m.	Lunch (on your own)
1:00 p.m.	Breakout Session (Choose One) Cover crops and Nitrogen Utilization/Conservation - Sjoerd Duiker, Penn State Cover crops can play an important role to fix atmospheric nitrogen or conserve manure and fertilizer nitrogen. In addition, they can improve soil quality by adding carbon to the soil to improve soil organic matter content and soil tilth. Research results will be presented showing the fertilizer equivalency of several leguminous cover crops. Crop rotation scenarios will be analyzed to determine the potential to integrate these cover crops in our production systems. Considerations for Sub-field Nutrient Management Strategies Using Spatial Data - Brian Macafee, Penn State We will look at possible methods of identifying within-field management zones and how a reallocation of nutrients and other inputs could impact both yield response and bottom line without negatively affecting regulatory compliance. Management Considerations For Continuous Corn Production Systems Matt Antos, Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl. The talk will center around the unique management considerations when growing corn in a continuous corn rotation.
2:00 p.m.	Innovating for the Future Rob Reiter, Monsanto The talk will discuss the future of agriculture in terms of potential new products developed using biotechnology and plant breeding that will enter the market in the next several years.
2:50 p.m.	2008 Economic Outlook Lou Moore, Penn State We will discuss the current economic status of agriculture and what we might expect to see in 2008.
3:40 p.m.	Adjourn - Have a safe trip home and see you next year!