By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Corn and soybean growers have teamed up with Michigan State University again this year to hold their annual winter research meetings.

The idea behind the meetings is to present the most up-to-date research to farmers across the state. The meetings will include the following topics: pest, weed and nitrogen and sulfur management, ecological impacts of corn production, carbon sequestration opportunities for corn, market prospects for 2010 and checkoff program updates.

The Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) is sponsoring the events, along with MSU and the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee (MSPC). CMPM board nominations will also be discussed. The research is paid for primarily by corn farmers’ checkoff dollars, which amount to 1 cent per bushel of corn sold in Michigan. These meetings have been taking place for the past 10 years.

“The main theme is giving growers information to make management decisions for the 2010 cropping year,” said Keith Reinholt, director of research for the Michigan Soybean Committee (MSC). “We’ve got two or three things that we want to highlight.”
These include information on controlling the soybean aphid, dandelion control in reduced tillage situations and the foliar application of manganese on muck soils.

“Dandelion control is one of the real challenges in reduced tillage situations,” Reinholt said.

Control of other weeds will also be discussed. Reinholt said manganese is typically deficient in muck, or organic soils. Very recent research will be presented on how best to apply manganese to the plants, including timing and amount.

“Growers don’t want to have to put on more than they have to,” he said.

The corn portion of the presentations will include a number of different topics, including the western bean cutworm (WBC), genetically modified (GMO) corn and issues related to cellulosic ethanol.

“We’re looking at how GMOs can be beneficial, as compared to conventional corn,” said Betsy Braid, a spokeswoman for the CMPM. “We’re also doing a study looking at how much feedstock growers should leave in the field, versus how much they can take out to use for biomass.”

She said this latter topic is coming up because farmers may soon want to use some of their corn stover as feedstock for ethanol production. She also said the WBC has become a problem in Michigan over the past two or three years.

Christine DiFonzo from MSU will give a presentation on the topic. “I’m sure she’ll have some recommendations on what to do to help cut down on that problem,” Braid said.

The meetings will begin at 9 a.m. and finish at 3:30 p.m., and will take place at the following locations:

•Jan. 15: Sanilac County Career Center, 175 E. Aitken Road in Peck. For more information, call Martin Nagelkirk at 989-648-2525.

•Feb. 1: Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center, One Cover Bridge Lane, Frankenmuth. Emily Sneller, 989-758-2500.

•Feb. 5; Kelly’s Venture Inn, Rogers City. John Pullis, 989-734-2168.

•Feb. 15: Haynes Farm, 474 S. Onodaga Road, Mason. Dan Hudson, 517-676-7207.

•Feb 18: Cabela’s, 100 Cabela’s Boulevard East, Dundee. Ned Birkey, 734-240-3170.

Anyone may register for a meeting by calling the extension agent listed next to the desired location.

The MSPC is also advertising its 2010 soybean program, “Overcoming the Barriers to Higher Soybean Yields.” This is the second year the group has been putting on this program, according to a spokeswoman for the MSPC. It will take place Feb. 3 at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville, and Feb. 4 at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence. There’s no charge to attend.
For more information on the program, call 989-652-3294 or visit www.michigansoybean.org and click on “Meeting Information.”