Aug. 11 South Central Agricultural Laboratory Field Day features interactive talks, demos and innovation

The University of Nebraska South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL) Field Day is on Tuesday, August 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the SCAL research farm. Through interactive topics, growers will gain insights into practical applications they can consider incorporating into their own operations.  Attendees can tailor their schedule by selecting from various presentations and interactive demonstrations.  

Lunch will be provided, and attendees can earn Continuing Education Units (CCA credits). Preregistration is appreciated by Sunday, Aug. 9, to assist with lunch planning. Visit go.unl.edu/scalfieldday to register and for program details. 

Registration, coffee, rolls and visits with sponsor tables begin at 8:30 a.m. with the welcome and opening remarks by sponsors kicking off at 8:45 a.m. 

Dr. Salvador Ramirez II is the keynote speaker during lunch. Ramirez is an Agroecosystem Management Research Associate with USDA-ARS in Lincoln, NE and a UNL Doctor of Plant Health Graduate – 2019. He will discuss how soil organic carbon (SOC) in irrigated continuous corn is shaped by how tillage, residue management, and cover crops interact. Stacking conservation practices like no-till, full stover retention, and cover crops enhances SOC compared to conventional systems. Ramirez will provide a first-hand account of what the USDA-ARS is learning in biomass studies and how the practices could look in grower fields. 

Timely topics include: 

• Evaluating the Critical Time of Hairy Vetch Termination for Control of Palmer Amaranth in Sorghum and Popcorn 
• Overlapping Residual Herbicide Program for Control of Palmer Amaranth in Soybean 
• Updates on Insect Pests in Eastern Nebraska 
• What’s Below the Surface? Matching Corn Hybrids, Seeding Rates, and Nitrogen for Better Performance 
• Irrigation Management Strategies 
• Soybean Disease Management for South Central Nebraska 
• Corn Disease Update: Why 2026 is So Different from Last Year? 

The SCAL Research Farm is located at 851 Hwy. 6 near Harvard, NE. Directions: 13 miles east of Hastings on Hwy. 6 or 4.5 miles west of the intersection of Hwy. 14 and Hwy. 6 north of Clay Center. Field day GPS coordinates: 40.575256, -98.137824.  For more information, call (402) or email shachtel1@unl.edu. 

-University of Nebraska-Lincoln