Fremont Corn Expo
– Finding Profit in 2016 –
Thursday, January 7, 2016 at Christensen Field
Why you should attend stated in 30 seconds!
Interview with Nathan Mueller about the upcoming Fremont Corn Expo
Program Schedule
8:00 a.m Breakfast and View Exhibits (50 exhibitors) – “The Waffle Man” serves breakfast compliments of the Fremont Area Chamber Agribusiness Council
8:50 a.m. Welcome – Mayor and Fremont Area Chamber Ag Council
9:00 a.m. Utilizing On-Farm Research to Evaluate Practices for Profitability – Laura Thompson, NE Extension On-Farm Research Coordinator
9:30 a.m. Corn Production Challenges for 2016 – Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extension Corn Specialist
10:30 a.m. Break – View Exhibits – Grab some Mom’s Popcorn for a Snack!
11:00 a.m. Panel Discussion: Things we learned from the Corn Yield Contest – John McNamara, Plattsmouth; Mike Scholting, Louisville; Brent Hopkins, Rogers; Tony Johanson, Oakland
11:30 a.m. Business & Industry Update – Nebraska Farm Bureau (Dodge & surrounding counties), Fremont Area Chamber, NE Corn Growers Association, Colfax-Dodge County Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Corn Board
Noon Lunch – View Exhibits – Dee’s Catering compliments of the Nebraska Farm Bureau in Dodge County
1:00 p.m. Economic Impact of Expanding Livestock Production – Eric Thompson, UNL Economist
1:50 p.m. Tackling Tough Corn Disease in Eastern Nebraska – Tamra Jackson-Ziems, NE Extension Corn Plant Pathologist
2:40 p.m. Door Prize Winners Announced by Colfax-Dodge Corn Growers Association
3:00 p.m. Safe travels
Following the Fremont Corn Expo at 3:00 pm will be the Nitrogen Certification & Water Conservation Training Class for Lower Platte North NRD producers in the small meeting room at Christensen Field Main Arena
2016 Video Coverage from the Event
2016 Speaker Bios and Presentation Descriptions
Laura Thompson
Biography
Laura Thompson is an Extension Educator in Cropping Systems and Agriculture Technologies for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her primary responsibility is to co-coordinate the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network, which works with agricultural producers conduct field-scale research on their own operations. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from UNL both in Agronomy. Laura grew up on a family grain farm near Falls City, Nebraska.
Presentation (0.5 CM CEU): “Utilizing On-Farm Research to Evaluate Practices for Profitability”
Over 130 Nebraska farmers have worked with the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network since it’s beginnings in 1989. Nebraska Extension Educators help growers design experiments and evaluate data to provide reliable results that can be used when making future management decisions. On-farm research serves as a valuable tool to evaluate how products and practices may impact farm productivity and profitability. 2015 research topics include: optimal planting populations including variable rate seeding approaches, nitrogen management using several new technologies, strip-tillage, evaluation of insect and disease control products, row spacing, and more.
Bob Nielsen
Biography
I was raised on a small grain farm in eastern Nebraska and attended the Univ. of Nebraska for a B.S. degree, then the Univ. of Minnesota for graduate degrees. I joined the Agronomy faculty at Purdue in 1982 as the state Extension corn specialist with responsibilities for applied field research, graduate student training, and Extension programming. Current research interests in corn focus on nitrogen fertilizer rates (including VR), starter fertilizer (including popup), and seeding rates (including VR). My field research is primarily field-scale, the majority in collaboration with farmers (on-farm research). My Extension programming focuses on optimizing yield, profitability, and stewardship of corn production for growers in Indiana and throughout the eastern Corn Belt.
Presentation (1 CM CEU): “Corn Production Challenges for 2016″
While one can make the argument that cost-efficient crop production practices should always be important to growers, low grain prices certainly drive home the importance of sound agronomic decision-making. Everyone is aware that net income (profit or loss) is equal to [yield] times [market price] minus [costs]. Improving yield with decisions that cost less per bushel than the market price received for the grain will obviously improve net income. Alternatively, reducing production costs with minimal to no reduction in grain yield will also increase net income. I will share some thoughts and opinions on several key agronomic decisions that impact profitable corn production.
Interview with Bob Nielsen from the Fremont Corn Expo:
Eric C. Thompson
Biography
Dr. Eric C. Thompson is an Associate Professor of Economics and the Director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Thompson’s research on the Midwest and national economy examines competitive factors affecting state and local economic growth, the role of agriculture in the economy, and the economics of infrastructure. Thompson holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is a Past-President of the Association for University Business and Economic Research. His research has appeared in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the Journal of Regional Science, and Regional Science and Urban Economics.
Presentation (1 PD CEU): “Economic Impact of Expanding Livestock Production”
Thompson will discuss the most recent outlook for the for farm income and the farm economy in Nebraska. He also will discuss the impact of the farm economy on the overall Nebraska economy.
Interview with Eric Thompson from the Fremont Corn Expo:
Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems
Biography
Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, joined the faculty of the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in April 2005 after completing her graduate degrees at the University of Arkansas and University of Illinois-Urbana. Her appointment is split between extension, research, and teaching 80/10/10%, respectively, with statewide responsibility for diseases of corn and grain sorghum. Her extension activities encompass educating clientele about disease identification, prevention, and management. And her research projects encompass a broad range of topics, including plant parasitic nematodes of corn, Goss’s bacterial wilt and blight, and use of fungicides for foliar disease control. During her time at UNL, she has delivered more than 100 invited presentations in 16 states and is the 2009 recipient of both the UNL Institute of Agriculture’s Dinsdale Family Faculty Teaching Award and the UNL Extension Distinguished New Employee Award.
Presentation (1 IPM CEU): “Tackling Tough Corn Disease in Eastern Nebraska”
Diseases are a serious threat to corn production reducing both quality and quantity of grain. Favorable weather conditions in 2015 supported development of several diseases in corn at more severe levels than in several years. Unfortunately, low corn prices and narrow profit margins have made management of some diseases less economical in some scenarios. Some of the most effective disease management strategies are with selection of disease resistant hybrids, crop rotation with nonhost crops, and tillage to promote degradation of infected residue. In addition, the availability and increased use of foliar fungicides have made them increasingly popular for application at various times throughout the season for disease management. In this session, we will discuss ways to predict and manage diseases to maintain high yield and reduce overall costs for increased profitability.
Interview with Tamra Jackson-Ziems from the Fremont Corn Expo:
2016 Exhibitors
| AFAN | Midwest Messenger / Midwest Producer |
| AgNition | Monke Bros. Fertilizer Co. |
| AgWest Commodities | Nebraska Corn Board |
| Butler Ag Equipment | Nebraska Corn Growers Association |
| Central Valley Ag | Nebraska Ethanol Board |
| Channel Bio | Nebraska Extension |
| CL Construction, LLC | Nebraska On-Farm Research |
| Climate FV | Nelson Precision Agronomics |
| Crop Metrics | P & R Sales |
| Dodge County Farm Bureau | Petersen Ag Systems |
| Dow AgroSciences | Platte Valley Equipment |
| DuPont Pioneer | Riggins Ag Equipment |
| Farm Credit Services of America | Rinehart Enterprises |
| First National Bank Fremont | Select Sprayers |
| First State Bank & Trust Co. | Servi-Tech Inc. |
| Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce | Stine Seed Company |
| Fremont Biosolids | Storm Flying Service |
| Frontier Cooperative Company | StrongField Resources |
| Gene Steffy Auto Group | Tech Partners |
| Great Plains Home Safety | Tejkl Ag Services, LLC |
| Green Gable Contracting.com | The Maschhoffs, LLC |
| GVA Inc. | Titan Machinery |
| Heartland Farm Partners | Tri County Ag Service, Inc. |
| Hoegemeyer | Union Bank & Trust |
| Hotsy Equipment Company | USDA-NRCS |
| Johnson’s Cycle | Ward Laboratories, Inc. |
| Mid Continent Irrigation |
For more information on becoming an exhibitor for the 2017 Fremont Corn Expo or other questions related to the Expo, please contact Nathan Mueller at