Making new information more accessible for farmers, the University of Minnesota Extension will offer a new webinar series.
Liz Stahl, University of Minnesota Extension Educator in Crops, said the webinars cover a wide range of topics from nutrient management to cover crops, new insect issues found in Minnesota and weed management.
“These are the latest hot topics, and you can hear directly from the people who are doing the research,” Stahl said.
The University of Minnesota Extension had offered Strategic Farming sessions for several years in the traditional meeting format across the state, but Stahl said they embraced online services to reach more farmers. Anyone can attend the sessions live in person, stream the sessions online, or go back and watch the series once the webinars are posted online.
“This has certainly been a challenging year for a lot of people,” Stahl said. “There is still some corn out in the fields. This is a chance to get more information from the University of Minnesota out there without having to worry about traveling in weather or other scheduling concerns.”
The series is free for all to attend or stream. Although content is targeted to farmers, Stahl said industry leaders, agency personnel, educators, students, or anyone with an interest in the information is welcome to attend.
Stahl noted that while many of Minnesota’s operations are family farms, they still remain businesses that force a farmer to wear many hats, emphasizing the importance of continuing education.
“We are offering some topics to address what are some of the best management practices when times are tight. A farmer has to wear so many hats. Things are changing when you look at the agronomics, soil fertility. Getting to the management, economics, and business, there are a lot of things that a farmer needs to be well versed in.”
Information about the webinar series and how to register can be found online. The first webinar will be Dec. 19 from 2:00-3:00 p.m.
-Kaitlyn Riley
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