By Virgil Schmitt, Extension Field Agronomist
Certified crop advisers (CCAs) can earn 4.5 hours of credit (2.5 hours in soil and water management, 0.5 in crop management and 1.5 in pest management) by attending a special CCA morning session, followed by the afternoon spring field day tour at the Southeast Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville on June 26.
The morning session will begin at 9 a.m. with a presentation by Virgil Schmitt, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach field agronomist, on "Identifying and Managing Palmer Amaranth and Herbicide Resistance." Also in the morning will be a presentation on "Helping Clients Retain Soil Nutrients on their Farms" by Matt Helmers, ISU Extension and Outreach agricultural engineer.
The afternoon tour will begin at 1 p.m. and is open to the public. Topics will include Crop Season Review by Myron Rees, farm superintendent; Crop Weather Outlook and How New Weather Stations Will Benefit Iowa Farmers by Elwynn Taylor, ISU Extension and Outreach climatologist; Making Fungicide Application Decisions by Darren Mueller, ISU Extension and Outreach plant pathologist; and Soil Drainage Update by Matt Helmers, ISU Extension and Outreach agricultural engineer.
Registration for CCAs will begin at 8:30 a.m. The registration fee is $50, which includes lunch. Pre-registration is required. Please pre-register at https://isuext.typeform.com/to/ekWgkd (preferred) or by calling the Muscatine County Extension Office at (563) 263-5701 or send an e-mail to Virgil Schmitt at vschmitt@iastate.edu by June 24, 2014. The registration fee (cash or check) can be paid at the door. To reach the research farm, go 1 3/4 miles south of Crawfordsville on Highway 218, then 2 miles east on G-62, then 3/4 mile north.
Virgil Schmitt is a field agronomist for ISU Extension and Outreach in eastern Iowa. He can be reached at (563) 263-5701 or vschmitt@iastate.edu.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on June 12, 2014. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.
Virgil Schmitt Field Agronomist in SE Iowa
Virgil Schmitt has been in his current position since 1992, although counties he's covered have changed over time.
He's worked as an extension 4-H and youth leader in Butler and Grundy Counties and as an extension agriculturist in Linn County, Iowa. He taught high school agricultural ed...