Southwest Iowa: Innovation to Profit

10 a.m. - Registration

10:15 a.m. - Welcome

10:20 a.m. - Morning Sessions

Optimize Your Seeding Rate

Mikaela Connelly, ISA research agronomist

Weighing seed purchases against yield potential is an important business consideration. The Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) tests a range of seeding populations annually to evaluate their impact on soybean yield and return on investment under varying climate and soil conditions. These results provide valuable insights for improving seeding rate targets for maximum profitability.

Blended Cover Crop Approach for Soy and Corn

Alexander Litvin, Ph.D., ISA research agronomy lead

ISA is investigating the effects on nutrient sequestration, soil health, and crop performance through multi-species cover crop implementation and nitrogen inhibitors specific for either soy or corn. Initial results and discussion from the 2024 season.

11:30 a.m. - Selecting Blended Cover Crop Species

12 p.m. - Lunch

1:00 p.m. - Afternoon Sessions

Conservation Practice Economics

Joseph Wuebker, ISA conservation agronomist

Breakdown of economic impacts of implementing conservation practices and potential opportunities to increase ROI with in-field conservation adoption.

Conservation at the Field Edge, Simplifying Technical and Financial Assistance

Rob Davis, ISA watershed program manager

RCFI assists farmers with implementing conservation practices on the edge of fields to provide wildlife habitat and improve water quality. A quick overview of practices and current funding sources to help get conservation on the farm while staying out of the field will be covered.

1:30 p.m. - Farmer Panel

Hear first-hand from local farmers about their experiences and outcomes from various ISA research trials.

2 p.m. - Discussion

2:30 p.m. - Adjourn