I encourage farmers in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties to attend the regional 2021 Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo on Thursday, Dec. 16 that will assist them in planning for next year’s growing season. The expo, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 2:15 p.m., will be in the pavilion at the Saunders County Fairgrounds in Wahoo. The event opens with coffee, doughnuts and the opportunity to view equipment and exhibitor booths. Speakers start at 9:10 a.m. Presenters include University researchers and specialists, Nebraska Soybean Checkoff representatives, soybean growers and private industry representatives.
“Costs, Profits, and Pitfalls in the Volatile 2022 Market Environment” will be presented by Elaine Kub, Market Economist & Market Commentator and author of “Mastering the Grain Markets”. Kub believes inflation uncertainty works both ways for commodity producers – growers can sell grain at higher and hopefully profitable prices, but all the inputs going into the calculation are also skyrocketing. In a three-part presentation, Kub will put specific numbers to the challenges Nebraska farmers face going into the 2022 planting season, including a deep dive into the costs of production, global supply-and-demand and transportation influences that may sustain or threaten profitable grain prices, and tips to address common behavior patterns and optimize each marketing plan based on an individual’s risk appetite.
Tamra Jackson-Ziems, Nebraska Extension Plant Pathologist will provide a soybean disease update. She will provide the latest news on the most troubling soybean diseases and what can be done to reduce impacts on the bottom line for growers. The presentation will include frogeye leaf spot, Phytophthora root and stem rot, white mold, and soybean cyst nematode. Justin McMechan, Nebraska Extension Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist, will present “Soybean Gall Midge: Understanding Risk and Management Options”. As a new pest, the information on soybean gall midge develops rapidly with each growing season. Get the latest from the 2021 season on the biology and management of soybean gall midge so you can make informed decisions next year. Aaron Nygren, Nebraska Extension Educator, will discuss what Extension has to offer. Nebraska Extension reaches Nebraskans in all 93 counties. Learn how Nebraska Extension can impact your family, livelihood, and communities and how to access resources.
The expo also will include an update from the Nebraska Soybean Board and Nebraska Soybean Association information. Producers will be able to visit with representatives from seed, herbicide, fertilizer and equipment companies and view new farm equipment during a 30-minute break at 9:45 a.m. The Saunders County Soybean Growers Organization requests that each participant donate bring one or more cans of nonperishable food that will be donated to the local food pantry. Complimentary noon lunch will be served. Registration is available the day of the expo at the door. This program is sponsored by Nebraska Extension in the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Nebraska Soybean Board, Saunders County Soybean Growers Organization and private industry. There is no registration fee.
For more information about the Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo visit the website (https://enre.unl.edu/nebraskasoyexpo) or feel free to contact my colleague, Aaron Nygren at or 402-624-8030. Know your crop, know your tech, know your bottom line at croptechcafe.org.
