By Stephanie Porter, CCA, ISA Outreach Agronomist

December is a unique time to reflect on the past growing season and begin planning for the next. With winter meeting season in full swing, you’re likely seeing a flood of event invitations. But how do you choose which ones are worth your time? I recommend adding the Field Advisor Forum to your calendar—a day dedicated to learning how your Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff dollars are funding impactful agronomic research in Illinois and providing data-driven solutions for your farm.

The Field Advisor Forum will be held on Jan. 16, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. The day will focus on demonstrating the value of your checkoff investment. Researchers will present and provide practical, research-driven takeaways that you can implement on your farm. Registration is now open on FieldAdvisor.org. Simply visit the “Attend” tab and click on “Field Advisor Forum” to sign up. This event is funded by the Illinois Soybean checkoff program and open to anyone to attend.

We have a great lineup in the morning. Dr. Fred Below from the University of Illinois Crop Physiology program will kick off the event celebrating 60 years of soybean production, coinciding with ISA’s 60th anniversary. Following his presentation titled, “Soybean Success, No Longer a Secret,” Dr. Connor Sible will join him to share data from the first year of their ISA checkoff-funded project. This presentation is titled “Taking Tissue Testing to the Whole Plant Level.” Together, they will share how the project is exploring the optimal timing for conducting tissue tests during soybean growth stages to better understand nutrient needs for maximizing yield.

Next, Dr. Scott H. Irwin, the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Illinois, will deliver an in-depth agricultural marketing outlook. As a leading expert in agricultural economics, Dr. Irwin will share his perspective on what to anticipate in the coming months and offer practical guidance on how farmers can navigate a volatile market.

Following Irwin’s presentation, a panel of independent crop consultants will take the stage to share their firsthand observations from the 2024 growing season. The discussion will cover challenges and successes and also focus on what farmers can and can’t control. Panelists will also highlight agronomic and management strategies that are unbiased, unfiltered and based on proven agronomy research, not marketing. This session promises to challenge the status quo with an open and frank discussion about agronomy and crop production that is free from sales pitches to guide your decisions for the upcoming season.

And it doesn’t stop there. Join us for an afternoon of breakout sessions focused on ISA checkoff-funded and partner research. After lunch, presentations will explore critical topics affecting soybean production. Key sessions will cover insect management. You will learn how to identify pests and determine thresholds for insecticide use. Other sessions will spotlight weed management and herbicide resistance. You’ll also learn more about practices that improve soil health and water quality. And you’ll discover ways to benefit from ecosystem markets such as carbon-credit programs.

Additionally, panels will feature the results of the University of Illinois’ breeding and variety-testing programs, updates on soybean cyst nematode management and effective cover crop management. A dedicated room will offer resources on data-driven solutions from Science for Success, the Crop Protection Network and GROW (Getting Rid of Weeds).

Get ready for an information-packed day at Memorial Stadium! Although we know this venue might not be the most convenient for everyone, we’re excited to bring this event to such an iconic location. To make sure you don’t miss any of the valuable presentations, we’ll be recording each session, and the videos will be available post-event on Field Advisor’s YouTube channel. We look forward to seeing you there!

January 16, 2025 | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, Illinois

Agenda

8:30 AM: Registration/Continental Breakfast

9:00 AM: Welcome

9:15 AM: Dr. Fred Below, Professor of Crop Physiology in the Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

10:00 AM: Dr. Connor Sible, Research Assistant Professor, in the Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

10:30 AM: Break 1

10:45 AM: Dr. Scott H. Irwin, Professor and Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing in the Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

11:15 AM: Independent Crop Consultants Panel – Kyle Stull, CCA, Stull Agronomy; Karen Corrigan, CCA, McGillicuddy Corrigan Agronomics; and Kelly Robertson, CCA, Precision Crop Services, LLC

12:00 PM: Lunch and Field Advisor Award Ceremony – Honoring Jeremy Wilson, Master Adviser Award Recipient, and Brandon Hall, Dave Rahe Excellence in Soils Consulting Recipient.

1:00 PM: Breakout Sessions:

• Assessing Insect Pests Effects on Yield and ROI  of Pest Control Inputs: Dr. Nick Seiter, Assistant Professor and Illinois Extension Field Crops Entomologist, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign
• University of Illinois Breeding and Variety Trial Panel: Dr. Jessica Rutkoski, Small Grains Breeder, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Dr. Eliana Monteverde, Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Moderator: Jennifer Jones, CCA, ISA Research Specialist
• Better Together Resource: GROW (Getting Rid of Weeds) and Take Action: Herbicide-Resistance Management, Dr. Michael Flessner, Associate Professor and Extension Weed Science Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2:00 PM: Breakout Sessions:

• Soil-Residual Herbicide Injury Potential to Very Early Planting Soybeans and Documenting Group 15 Herbicide Resistance of Waterhemp: Dr. Aaron Hager, Professor and Faculty Extension Specialist of Weed Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Cover Crop Management Panel: Dan Schaefer, Director of Nutrient Stewardship at Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association and Jim Isermann, Independent Agronomist, Moderator: Abigail Peterson, CCA, ISA Director of Agronomy
• Better Together Resource: “Crop Protection Network: 10 Years of Extension”: Dr. Daren Mueller, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, Iowa State University

3:00 PM: Breakout Sessions:

• Soil Health and Water Quality: Dr. Andrew Margenot, Associate Professor of Soil Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Soybean Cyst Nematode Management Panel: Dr. Jason Bond, Professor of Crops, Soil and Environmental Management, Southern Illinois University; Dr. Nathan Schroeder, Associate Professor of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and Dr. Matthew Hudson, Professor of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Moderator: Stephanie Porter, CCA, ISA Outreach Agronomist
• Better Together Resource: Science for Success: “Bringing Soybean Research to Light:” Dr. Giovani Preza Fontes, Assistant Professor and Field Crops Extension Agronomist, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign