Slayton Winter Crops Day & Small Grains Program

The University of Minnesota Extension Slayton Winter Crops Day and Small Grains Program will be held in person on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the 4-H building in Slayton. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the program running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Whether you farm or work with farmers, this program is a great opportunity to hear the latest University-based research and information about corn, soybean and small grain production issues and management strategies. The morning program will focus on corn and soybean management topics pertinent to our area. The Southern Small Grains Program will follow in the afternoon, where topics will address successful small grain management.

This event will be held in the Murray County 4-H Building at 3048 Broadway Ave., Slayton, MN. To ensure adequate program materials and food are available, attendees are encouraged to register by Tuesday, Feb. 20, at z.umn.edu/2024WinterCropsDay, or by calling the Murray County Extension Office at 507-836-6927. Thanks to generous sponsor support from our local businesses, there is no cost to attend this program.

Schedule for the day:

● Check-in: 8:30 – 9 a.m.

● Winter Crops Day presentations: 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

● Lunch: 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

● FSA, SWCD & NRCS program updates: 12:45 – 1 p.m.

● Southern Small Grains Program: 1 – 3 p.m.

At the morning Winter Crops Day Program, Extension Crops Educator Liz Stahl will present, “Keeping your fields out of the weeds.” Integrated Pest Management Specialist Bruce Potter will discuss, “New worries in crop pest management.” Water Resource Educator Brad Carlson will talk about, “Key things to know about nitrogen management in 2024,” followed by Farm Business Management Educator Dave Bau, who will discuss, “Outlook 2024.”

The Small Grains Program will follow lunch and updates from our local agencies. Small Grains Specialist Jochum Wiersma will focus on the latest recommendations for production and pest management. Topics covered by Wiersma will include production agronomics, variety selection, soil fertility and economics. As always, the small grains update will be a discussion-based meeting based on our area producers’ needs, so bring your questions.

A special thank you to the following sponsors for their support of this program: Chandler Co-op, Farmers Agency of Avoca, Murray County Corn & Soybean Growers Association, Murray County Farm Bureau Association, Spronk Seed Farm of Edgerton, Schmitz Grain, Inc. and the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers.