Register for Dec. 3-4 MU Crop Management Conference

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Registration is open for the annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 3-4 in Columbia.

Considered Missouri’s premier conference for farmers and agricultural industry professionals, the conference offers timely topics from leading agriculture experts, says MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley. The event is hosted by the MU Integrated Pest Management program.

Ben Brown, MU Extension agricultural business and policy specialist, opens the conference with an outlook on what tight margins and market uncertainty foreshadow for the 2027 growing season. He’ll cover key developments in crop markets, farm finances and input costs to help producers understand the relationship between crop prices and production costs. On the second day, Brown will lead a session on crop insurance as a risk management tool.

MU Extension state plant pathologist Mandy Bish will give updates on corn disease. She’ll discuss emerging threats, mycotoxins and recommendations for fungicide timing. She will also share news on red crown rot, soybean cyst nematode and disease management to help soybean growers.

MU Extension state weed scientist Kevin Bradley and Ph.D. candidate Jesse Yount will share several years of research on spray drones and give recommendations based on their findings.

Bradley follows up with a fun look at herbicide advertising over the past 75 years. He’ll talk about how marketing of herbicides has changed.

In “Bug in a Jug,” state specialist Gurbir Singh will weigh in on whether new biological products are miracle microbes or marketing magic.

Agronomy professor Kelly Nelson will give insight on how flooded fields can recover. He’ll look at whether additional input costs produce improved yields and profits.

MU Extension state climatologist Zachary Leasor will look at 2027 and discuss what El Niño might mean for the 2027 growing season.

State entomologist Ivair Valmorbida will take a close look at pests challenging Missouri corn and soybean production. He’ll give updates on insecticide efficacy and IPM strategies.

Rasel Parvej, director of soil testing facilities, will tell how plant tissue testing can assess nutrient deficiencies and help growers make better fertilizer management decisions.

State soybean agronomy specialist Andre Reis and postdoctoral fellow Catherine Gilbert will tell how growers can use AI tools with crop simulations and image-based disease recognition. Reis will also lead a session how to build soybean yields based on the latest research.

State forage and grazing management specialist Harley Naumann will tell how native warm-season grasses can complement a cool-season perennial forage system.

Bradley wraps up the conference with “What’s New, What’s Next and What Matters in Weed Management” to help in the 2027 growing season and beyond.

The two-day event is at the Stoney Creek Hotel, 2601 S. Providence Road, Columbia. Register by Nov. 27.

For more information, contact Heather Bowden at nicholshn@missouri.edu or 573-882-4303.