2021
Center for Excellence Re-Loaded Year 3
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Michigan Soybean Committee
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
DiseaseField management Pest
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Tom Van Wagner, Lenawee Soil Conservation District
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Michigan Soybean Committee
$15,500
Institution Funded:
Lenawee Soil Conservation District
$15,500
Brief Project Summary:
The Center for Excellence is an educational platform for farmers and agri-businesses demonstrating on-farm production with a focus on high-production corn, soybean, and wheat systems. Project goals include: on-farm strip trials on two farms with residue management, cover crops, and OptRx nitrogen management. Researchers will review water quality data from 2018–2021 on a saturated buffer with field-edge delivery. Also, the project includes the Center for Excellence Road Show on strip-till plots; Center for Excellence on the Road with smart plots studying planting dates, row spacing and tillage systems; and events including a field day, a winter crops day, and informal meetings throughout the year.
Key Beneficiaries:
#agribusiness, #agronomists, #extension specialists, #farmers
Unique Keywords:
#agronomy, #cover crops, #education, #farm management systems, #nutrient management
Information And Results
Project Summary

Center for Excellence is an educational platform for farmers and agri-businesses demonstrating on farm production with focus on high production corn, soybean, and wheat systems.
• On-farm strip trials on two farms (Bakerlads Farm and Raymond & Stutzman Farms), residue management, cover crops, nutrient management: OptRx nitrogen management including timing and soil health evaluation and featured conservation practice for the year will be Saturated Buffer with field edge delivery water quality data from 2018 through 2021. Proposed Phosphorus filter on Clayton tile.
• Center for Excellence Road Show: Strip-till plots verses conventional tillage in 30 inch rows
• Center for Excellence on the Road: Smart plots dealing with planting dates, row spacing and tillage systems.
• Field Day in August, Crops Day in January, and informal ‘Garage of Knowledge’ meetings throughout the year. Meetings are designed to review data from the strip trials while bringing in technical speakers to discuss viable economic and environmental alternatives for production agriculture.


Project Objectives


Project Deliverables

1. Continue the agronomic and economic analysis through review of corn-soybean crop rotation systems by tillage method: Disk ripping, strip-till and strip tillage, turbo till and no-till – Bakerlads Farms.
2. Conduct an annual Field Day and winter Crops Day targeted at demonstrating the agronomic, economic, and environmental practices of the project.
3. Produce Annual report.
4. Start first year of the new partnership with the Soil Health Partnership at Raymond and Stutzman Farms.
5. Further evaluate the use of EQ Biosolids on P and N sources for corn and soybean production.
6. Initiate county wide survey on tillage systems and why slow adoption of tillage system change.

• An interim report will be provided after the August 2021 Field Day
• A final report will be completed for the January 2022 Crops Day

Progress Of Work

Final Project Results

Benefit To Soybean Farmers

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.