Talking Crop

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dr. Connor Sible, Research Assistant Professor of Crop Production and Physiology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.Dr. Sible is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Why do we fertilize? Reviewing corn and soybean nutrient needs and best fertility practices." Dr. Sible will review the nutrient needs and distributions for corn and soybean, identify the traditional focuses, and highlight new research on 4R practices to help optimize fertilizer use efficiency and return on fertilizer investment. You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dan Smith, Outreach Program Manager for the Nutrient and Pest Management Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.Dan is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Managing waterhemp with cover crops." Dan will discuss how you can use cover crops successfully in your current crop rotation to suppress weeds. You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, discusses herbicide resistance as a supplement to her presentation at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. Her presentation is titled, "Producer enemy number one: the case against waterhemp," and will profile waterhemp and detail its modus operandi (MO) to identify the best management practices that can and should be utilized to apprehend this troublesome weed species.You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Mark Kendall, Research Agronomist for the University of Wisconsin Soybean and Small Grains Extension Program.Mark is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Foliar fertilizers: when do we see the best bang for the buck in soybean?" Mark will discuss how selecting the right nutrients and applying them at the right time are critical to gaining a positive return on investment (ROI) with lower commodity prices. His presentation will look back at the most recent 5+ years of research to see where foliar fertilizers fit best in soybean production.You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dr. Marshall McDaniel, Associate Professor of Soil-Plant Interactions at Iowa State University.Dr. McDaniel is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation, titled, "SoilBNB: How to make your soils a host for microbes and reap the benefits," will highlight the effects that soil health principles have on microbial quantity and activity in soils and the benefits to crops that this microbial activity provides. You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Salah Issa, an assistant professor and Extension ag safety specialist with the University of Illinois Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss grain bin safety and the research that Dr. Issa has conducted to assess the efficacy of using compressed air as a strategy to handle out-of-condition grain. Strategies for handling out-of-condition grainTalking Crop SurveyGuest contact: [email protected] Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Jared Fender and Sam Leskanich, researchers with the Crop Physiology Lab at the University of Illinois, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss corn root characterization including that of short corn, as well as fertilizer placement and timing with strip till. Crop Physiology Lab Talking Crop survey Guest contact: Jared - [email protected] | Sam - [email protected] contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, Travis Meteer, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss methods that producers can use to extend the grazing season. These include stockpiling forage, grazing cover crops, and grazing cornstalks. Quick Guide to Cover Crops for ForageIllinois Extension Beef Cattle Facebook PageIllinois Extension Beef Cattle websiteExtended Grazing Grazing CornstalksSpring Forage Talking Crop surveyGuest contact: [email protected] contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator, Rachel Curry, Ogle County farmer Norm Deets, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and the importance, challenges, and benefits of implementing on-farm conservation strategies. Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership Conservation Story Map Illinois EPA's website: go.illinois.edu/NLRS Illinois Extension's nutrient loss website: go.illinois.edu/NLR Illinois NLRS PodcastIllinois NLRS Blog Talking Crop survey Guest contact: [email protected] Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator, Reagen Tibbs, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the effects of tariffs; changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act such as ARC and PLC, base acres, and the Estate Tax; and the Farm Bill. Related articles:Farmdoc: The New Base Acre Provisions in the 2025 Farm BillFarmdoc: Impacts of the Commodity Title Changes Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for Midwestern Farms in 2025US Congress: Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Agriculture and USDA’s Responses: Frequently Asked QuestionsTalking Crop SurveyGuest contact: [email protected] contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois affiliate professor, Dr. Marty Williams, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss Dr. Williams's recent research on how weather conditions before, during, and after herbicide application can affect herbicide efficacy. Articles discussed in the episode:Searching for consistent postemergence weed control in progressively inconsistent weather Weather and glufosinate efficacy: a retrospective analysis looking forward to the changing climate Future efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides in corn is threatened by more variable weather Dr. Marty Williams Lab website Herbicide resistance database Talking Crop survey Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Wisconsin-Madison corn agronomy Extension specialist, Dr. Harkirat Kaur, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss wildfire smoke effects on corn, drought, the implications of slow GDD accumulation, and silage corn as it relates to mycotoxins, short corn, and tar spot. Dr. Kaur's "CORNversations with Kaur" blog: https://badgercropnetwork.com/tag/cornversations-with-kaur/Firesmoke Forecast: https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/Growing Degree Day (GDD) Calculator: https://mrcc.purdue.edu/tools/corngddArticle - Tar spot impacts silage corn yield and forage nutritive value: https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cft2.70031 Talking Crop survey: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rTSHVPlaNwUq7I Guest contact: [email protected] | (510) 356-7133 Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension soil fertility specialist, Dr. John Jones, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss updates to corn nitrogen rate recommendations, the soil supplying power of nitrogen, and work being done to update phosphorus and potassium recommendations. Corn nitrogen rate calculator: https://www.cornnratecalc.org/ Dr. Jones IFCA Spring Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA_seP3jA_Q Talking Crop survey: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rTSHVPlaNwUq7I Guest contact: [email protected] Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Agricultural and Consumer Economics professor, Dr. David Bullock, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Data Intensive Farm Management Program (DIFM). With the use of precision technology and the DIFM.farm cyberinfrastructure, this program enables farmers to conduct precision experimentation on their farms with multiple variable levels and replications - along with statistical analysis of the data - all at no cost to the farmer. DIFM program webpage: https://publish.illinois.edu/data-intensive-farm-managment/DIFM platform: https://difm.farm/ Talking Crop survey: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rTSHVPlaNwUq7I Guest contact: [email protected] Host contact: [email protected] | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Specialist, Steven Brand, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss tar spot identification, conditions that are favorable to disease development, and best practices for tar spot prevention and control. More information on tar spot conditions: Conditions favorable to tar spot development are milder, wet weather. Temperatures between 63-75F are ideal, and the fungus needs moisture to propagate. Morning dews and rain showers will aid in the spores spreading between leaves and plants. High temperatures, drought conditions, and humidity over 90% will inhibit disease propagation. Tarspotter app: https://ipcm.wisc.edu/apps/tarspotter/ Talking Crop survey: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rTSHVPlaNwUq7I Guest contact:Steven [email protected](217) 300-8057 Host contact:[email protected](815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Associate Professor of Soil Science in the Department of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Andrew Margenot, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Illinois Centennial Soil Archive Project as well as Dr. Margenot's work to update the phosphorus and potassium recommendations in the Illinois Agronomy Handbook. Illinois Centennial Soil Archive Project: https://margenot.cropsciences.illinois.edu/illinois-soil-archive-100-years-of-soil-knowledge/Google Map of sampling locations: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1wHMhpCiBRqYYlIRdnU6ssWlLnOVBqU0&ll=39.79570570622571%2C-89.5045&z=7

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator and Illinois Representative for the Midwest Cover Crop Council, Nathan Johanning, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss cover cropping goals, planting methods, planting date, termination, and more.Midwest Cover Crop Council: https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/MCCC selector tool: https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/selector-tools/

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Digital Agriculture Specialist, Dennis Bowman, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the evolution of technology use in agriculture, its benefits and drawbacks, and the application of drones, robots, and artificial intelligence in ag.Illinois Center for Digital Agriculture: https://digitalag.illinois.edu/

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Watershed Outreach Associate, Nicole Haverback, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and how farmers can be affected by and contribute to nutrient loss reduction. Episode links:IEPA Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy: go.illinois.edu/nlrs (You access the biennial reports here)Link to 2023 biennial report PDF: https://epa.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/epa/topics/water-quality/watershed-management/excess-nutrients/documents/2023-biennial-report/FINAL_NLRS2023-Web-08-Mar-2024.pdfExtension's Nutrient Loss Reduction Website: extension.illinois.edu/nlrIllinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast: go.illinois.edu/NLRSPodcast Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Blog: go.illinois.edu/NLRS_blog Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and Agricultural Conservation Practices Factsheet: go.illinois.edu/NLRS_factsheet

In this episode of Talking Crop, Resource Conservationist with the Winnebago County Soil and Water Conservation District, Katie Peterson, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the difference between the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, they cover cost-share programs that the Soil and Water Conservation Districts offer in addition to some offered by the NRCS, and they discuss how a farmer or landowner would find more information about these programs and work with their local offices. They also discussed a resource offered by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership that compiles all of the offered cost-share programs into one neat database.Winnebago Co SWCD website: https://winnebagoswcd.org/swcd/STAR Web Tool: https://startool.ag/IL Sustainable Ag Partnership FIND Tool: https://ilsustainableag.org/findtool/