About the Wilber Crop Clinic
The Wilber Crop Clinic has been organized and hosted by Nebraska Extension since 2004. However, the Wilber Crop Clinic dates back to 2001 when it was started by the local Cooperative. The program is specifically tailored to meet the needs of area producers in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage and surrounding in southeast Nebraska. The Wilber Crop Clinic is held the first Friday of February each year at Sokol Hall in Wilber (30 miles southwest of Lincoln). The Wilber Crop Clinic attracts about 125 producers across southeast Nebraska along with 25 sponsor/exhibitors. The clinic is financially supported by local partners and agribusiness exhibitors.
The Wilber Crop Clinic features speakers that provide local producers with the knowledge they need to effectively manage locally relevant issues year. Specific areas of focus include:
- Improving profitability and sustainability
- Reducing environmental risk and encouraging resource stewardship
- Enhancing resiliency of cropping systems to climate variability
The Wilber Crop Clinic is a free event open to the public. We hope you can join us each year on the first Friday of February and enjoy the clinic!
Take a look back at previous Wilber Crop Clinic programs:
For more information about the Wilber Crop Clinic, pleas contact Nathan Mueller, Cropping Systems Extension Educator for Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties at 402-851-2151 or
Wilber Crop Clinic Location
2021 Wilber Crop Clinic – Friday, February 5 – CANCELLED
Press Releases on Cancellation:
“The Wilber Crop Clinic is cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulty in delivering this kind of event at the quality level it deserves. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension is the host and organizer of the annual Wilber Crop Clinic, which started in 2004. It is normally held the first Friday in February at Sokol Hall in Wilber. Planning for a large event that draws 15 agribusiness exhibitors and over 100 local farmers starts in earnest in December each year. The Wilber Crop Clinic has been free and open to the public throughout the day and it created an environment where social interactions between farmers, exhibitors, and speakers is essential. Creating that type of social environment while prioritizing the safety of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult. While we will not have the Wilber Crop Clinic this winter, all are encouraged to attend other related online programs like the Nebraska Crop Management Conference on January 27 and the Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference on February 11 with information found at croptechcafe.org. If you did not attend last year’s Wilber Crop Clinic, please check out the resources and speaker presentations below. Nebraska Extension and our local sponsors for the Wilber Crop Clinic are dedicated to providing you with a great atmosphere in future years.”
Exhibitor Information
Please contact the Saline County Extension Office at 402-821-2151 for information on becoming an exhibitor for the 2021 Wilber Crop Clinic on Friday, February 5.
Past Clinic Information
2020 Clinic Schedule on Friday, February 7
- 8:00 – 9:00 AM Free Registration at the door, view displays, refreshment
- 9:00 – 9:30 AM – “Will Climate Conditions in 2020 Mirror the Problems Faced in 2019 Across the Corn Belt” – Al Dutcher, Extension Ag Climatologist
- 9:30 – 10:00 AM – “Ear Formation Issues in Corn, an Update” – Osler Ortez, Ph.D. Student in Agronomy
- 10:00 – 10:30 AM – “Soybean Gall Midge: Understanding a New Pest in Soybean” – Justin McMechan, Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist
- 10:30 – 10:45 Break, view displays and networking
- 10:45– 11:15 – “Project SENSE: Effectiveness of Sensor-Based Nitrogen Management” – Laila Puntel, Precision Ag Soil Fertility Extension Specialist
- 11:15 – 11:45 – “Where Does the Corn Market Go From Here” – Jeff Peterson, Co-Owner of Heartland Farm Partners
- 11:45 – 1:00 – Sponsor Updates and Lunch
- 1:00 – 1:30 – “Turkey Creek National Water Quality Initiative Update” – Scott Bohaty, USDA-NRCS Resource Conservationist
- 1:30 – 2:00 – “Sprayer Technologies” – Sam Marx, Research Technologist, UNL Biological Systems Engineering
- 2:00 – 2:30 – “Multi-Hybrid Planters for Corn and Soybean Production… A Summary of Two Years of Field Studies” – Joe Luck, Associate Professor, Precision Ag Engineer
- 2:30 – 2:45 – Final Comments and Door Prizes
Printer Program (Includes list of sponsors)
2020 Speaker Bios and Presentation Descriptions
Al Dutcher, UNL Extension Agricultural Climatologists
Bio: I started my career as an operations climatologist with the High Plains Regional Climate Center in 1989, then promoted to state climatologist in 1991 until stepping down from the position at the end of 2016. Since 2017 I have assumed the title of Agricultural Extension Climatologist and have concentrated on develop short and long term climate trends for Nebraska, along with working on the development of tabular and graphic normals as part of a project to create a virtual climate atlas for Nebraska. Research interests and past projects include weather/climate forecasting, mesonet station siting, soil moisture, develop agricultural climate related products, crop specific ET use for irrigation scheduling, and thermal based indices that track phenological development of plants and insects.
Presentation: Will climate conditions in 2020 mirror the problems faced in 2019 across the corn belt. 2019 was a year that many producer would like to forget. 2019 brought a bomb cyclone and significant flooding to the state, then we transitioned to a wet and cold pattern during the spring planting season. Exceptionally wet conditions led to widespread planting delay issues before a tamer pattern took hold for most of the summer. A return of late summer rains and a very warm September led to hopes that late planted crops would be spared freeze damage, only to see October come in as a top 10 coldest October in history (dating back to 1895) across the entirety of the corn belt. Will 2020 be a repeat of this pattern or will we face a new set of hurdles during the 2020 production season. This talk aims to identify known risks to 2020 production and possible scenarios that may develop throughout the year.
Osler Ortez, UNL Ph.D. Student in Agronomy
Bio: Osler received his Master’s Degree in Agronomy from Kansas State University, 2018. Currently, he is a Doctoral Student in Agronomy with specializing in Crop Production at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is advised by Dr. Roger Elmore and Dr. Justin McMechan. Ortez’s research focuses on studying and isolating factors responsible for ear formation issues and subsequent losses in corn.
Presentation: Ear Formation Issues in Corn, an Update. One would think that more than 70 years after our predecessors had a basic understanding of corn development, it would be understood completely, Not true! The ear issues that affronted the region in 2016 still plague some farmers, reducing productivity and causing us, as researchers, to continue to ponder the possible causes. Such issues can result from unknown genetic, environmental, and management conditions. In an attempt to better understand these issues, seven experimental fields were established in central and eastern Nebraska during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. These experiments evaluate contrasting conditions for: 1) Hybrids, susceptible and checks; 2) Planting dates, from mid-April to late-May; 3) Seeding rates, ranging between 18,000 and 50,000 seeds per acre; and 4) Hourly delayed planting treatments, up to 270 hours after. A summary of the results will be presented.
Justin McMechan, UNL Assistant Professor, Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist
Bio: Anthony “Justin” McMechan is a Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist located at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Ithaca, NE. In 2016, Justin graduated with a Ph.D. in Entomology and Doctor of Plant Health degree from the University of Nebraska. Both of these degrees were centered around multidisciplinary research and he has made this a fundamental part of his program at UNL. His lab currently focuses on pest and beneficial insects in cover crop systems, evaluating hail damage in row crops, and understanding emerging problems such as ear development issues in corn and soybean gall midge. Dr. McMechan utilizes a wide range of technologies in his extension program such as infographics, time-lapse photography and Go-Pro cameras to develop standalone products to reach his clientele and avoid the technical jargon that comes with research.
Presentation: Soybean Gall Midge: Understanding A New Pest in Soybeans. In 2018, soybean gall midge (SGM) (Resseliella maxima Gagne) was identified as a new species causing significant injury to soybean in four Midwestern states (NE, IA, SD, and MN). The rapid development of SGM as a pest of soybean has left large gaps in knowledge that are necessary to develop an integrated pest management program. During the summer of 2019 several research projects in collaborations with growers were conducted to gain a better understanding of SGM biology and ecology. This presentation will provide information on soybean gall midge distribution, adult emergence periods, injury and symptomology, and high risk areas, as well as some alterative hosts that SGM can be found on.
Laila Puntel, UNL Precision Ag Soil Fertility Extension Specialist
Bio: Originally from Buenos Aires province, Argentina, Puntel grew up in a productive corn, soybean, wheat, and barley region. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in agriculture engineering from the National University of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in crop production and physiology from Iowa State University. Her areas of expertise are precision ag and nutrient management with emphasis in new technologies and decision support tools for cropping systems.
Presentation: Project Sense: Effectiveness of Sensor-Based Nitrogen Management. The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network launched a project in 2015 focused on improving the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use. Project SENSE (Sensors for Efficient Nitrogen Use and Stewardship of the Environment) uses crop canopy sensors to direct variable-rate, in-season nitrogen application in corn. Over the first 4 years of the project, 76 sites were conducted with five partnering Natural Resources Districts (NRDs). In this presentation we will give an overview of project SENSE and we will discuss when and where sensor-based nitrogen management has the most impact.
Jeff Peterson, Co-owner of Heartland Farm Partners
Bio: Jeff grew up on a farm at Lyons, NE and attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln majoring in Ag Business. He has spent his professional life in the grain industry and started his career with Cargill as a grain elevator manager and worked with them in MN, ND, SD, and NE. Jeff has over 27 years of experience in the industry including being a large elevator manager in SD and NE, but has spent the last 18 years working directly with farms on their marketing needs. Jeff is Co-Owner of Heartland Farm Partners and is in his 8th year teaching grain marketing and grain merchandising at the University of Nebraska –Lincoln.
Presentation: Where Does The Corn Market Go From Here. I will be discussing possible corn prices over the next 10 months using different amounts of corn acres and demand.
Scott Bohaty, USDA-NRCS Resource Conservationist
Grew up on a farm near Bellwood, NE where my family raised purebred cattle and crops. BS degree from UNL. Worked for NRCS for 17 years now and have been in Wilber since 2015.
Presentation: Turkey Creek NWQI Update. Review what we know about the new National Water Quality Initiative application that was submitted to Washington DC in late 2019
Sam Marx, UNL Research Technologist II
Bio: Sam was engineer in the spray application technology industry before coming to Lincoln to work as a Research Technologist while simultaneously pursuing his PhD in Ag and Biosystems Engineering.
Presentation: Sprayer Technologies. Discussion of what constitutes a quality spray application, some common missteps that prevent a quality spray application and technologies that aid in a higher quality application.
Joe Luck, UNL Associate Professor and Precision Ag Engineer
Bio: Dr. Joe Luck has served in an Extension, Research and Teaching role since joining the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012. His responsibilities include developing extension and research programs regarding the application of precision agriculture technologies in crop production. He works closely with interdisciplinary teams to evaluate technologies including crop canopy sensors for nitrogen application, advanced pesticide application systems, and multi-hybrid planters.
Presentations: Multi-hybrid planters for corn and soybean production… a summary of two years of field studies. This presentation will highlight two years of on-farm research studies where a multi-hybrid planter platform was tested in corn (drought-tolerant seed placement) and soybean (SDS seed treatment placement) production. Additional discussion will focus on how to potentially plan field studies to explore potential adoption of this emerging technology.