Proposal Objective and Goal Statements:
1) Work with UMN Extension web developers to stand up a distance diagnostics system. (PI: A. Peltier in cooperation with UMN Extension web developers and crops personnel).
a) Work to develop a system into which Minnesota agricultural professionals (farmers, crop advisors, ag retailers) can upload digital pictures of crop disease symptoms or pests.
b) Establish a network of Minnesota Extension crop professionals to provide preliminary diagnoses and management recommendations to photo submitters.
2) Plot Tours at UMN Soybean Breeding Program and County Soybean Variety Trial Locations. (PI: A. Peltier in cooperation with A. Lorenz, A. Killam and county
S&C Growers Assn. members)
a) Take three round-robin scouting trips throughout the summer to identify potential emerging disease and pest issues and to identify pressing issues to address at summer plot tour events.
b) Conduct five summer plot tour tech transfer programs.
i) Provide a venue for UMN Extension, MSR&PC, county soybean & corn growers association and seed company personnel to interact with soybean farmers in NW MN.
ii) Provide to farmers in NW MN research-based information about management of current pest or disease threats to soybean yield potential.
Proposal:
Importance:
Soybean Farmers in NW Minnesota continue to face new and emerging pest management issues. During this period of national crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the social distancing required to stem the epidemic complicates the ability of Extension and the larger soybean industry throughout Minnesota to identify and respond to new and emerging soybean diseases and pests. Developing a distance diagnostics system is critically important to avoid being caught unawares as a new disease or pest problem emerges. In addition, the ongoing UMN Soybean Breeding program and county Soybean and Corn Growers Association variety trial locations provide an ideal backdrop for summer tech-transfer plot tour-type programs at which to highlight current management challenges and research-based solutions.
Objective 1: Work with UMN Extension web developers to stand up a distance diagnostics system.
The NW Minnesota Soybean IPM Survey was funded and conducted for the first time in 2015. While UMN Extension continues to see considerable value in such a survey, Covid-19 has created hiring and travel restrictions that would significantly impair our ability to tackle such a survey during the 2020 growing season. The challenges associated with new and emerging pest and disease issues, however, do not simply disappear. It is essential that Extension work to develop a way to continue to identify critical management IPM-related challenges and to respond to such challenges by providing research-based management recommendations. We propose to begin work to stand up a distance diagnostics system for Minnesota crop producers. Agricultural professionals would submit digital photos and written or verbal context clues that could aid Extension personnel as they examine the photos. Preliminary diagnoses and known best management practices would then be communicated with the submitter. Opportunities exist to communicate among the larger community of agricultural professionals regarding those pest/disease issues that may be emerging and how best to manage them via regional digital newsletters (NW Cropping Issues), the MN Crop News digital newsletter, etc.
Objective 2: Plot Tours at UMN Soybean Breeding Program and County Soybean Variety Trial Locations.
Plot Tour tech-transfer summer programs will be held at two UMN Soybean Breeding program sites on fields of long-time farmer cooperators in Clay and Norman Counties and at three variety trial locations sponsored by county soybean and corn growers associations. Three round-robin scouting trips throughout the summer will help to identify 2020 soybean production issues caused by pests and diseases. A better understanding of these issues will help Extension personnel to better tailor field day programs to address current educational needs.