AMES — The 2017 Crop Advantage Series offers a unique opportunity for farmers and crop advisors to hear current research and crop production information from Iowa State University in their own backyard.

Iowa State University Extension specialists will travel to eight locations around the Farm News coverage area from Jan. 4 to Jan. 26, providing updated management options and recommendations on current and future crop production issues.

Locally, that meeting will be from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 18 at Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, at the junction of Iowa Highway 7 and U.S. Highway 169, in Fort Dodge.

In addition, meetings will also offer continuing educations credits for Certified Crop Advisers and pesticide safety recertification.

Early registration for each location is $50; late registration made less than seven days prior to the meeting or on-site is $60.

Registration includes lunch, printed proceedings, private pesticide applicator recertification and CCA credits. Online registration and additional information is available at www.cropadvantage.org or from your county extension office.

For questions, contact ANR program services at (515) 294-6429 or anr@iastate.edu, or contact a regional Iowa State University Extension field agronomist.

“There is no other program in our crop production education year that we are able to bring this many Extension specialists together to individual sites across the state like we are able to do for these crop advantage meetings,” said Joel DeJong, field agronomist in northwest Iowa with Iowa State University Extension.

In 2016, a total of 2,094 individuals attended the meetings across the state, representing 97 of the 99 counties in Iowa.

When asked the impact of information about managing operation margins for 2016 and beyond, 44 percent of attendees estimated a value of $5 to $10 per acre and 24 percent estimated a value of $10 to $20 per acre.

“Our goal is to prepare producers to manage potential issues when they arise, or even before they arise, by sharing the most up-to-date scientific knowledge from Iowa State University,” DeJong said. “Content at the meetings is driven by county needs and production issues.”

Topics on the agenda this year include managing economic challenges, nitrogen dynamics with a rye cover crop, new and emerging corn diseases to look for in 2017, pest resistance management plan for soybean aphids, and drainage design for profits and water quality.

Other topics will include a crop market outlook and preventing Palmer amaranth from moving onto attendees’ farms.

“Palmer amaranth will be a large discussion topic since it’s now been identified in the majority of Iowa counties, along with the risk and return of specific management factors in all inputs of crop production,” said DeJong. “Almost all topics will relate back to the narrow or negative margins many have been seeing in production agriculture.”

The Crop Advantage Series is presented by Iowa State University Extension with support from the Iowa Soybean Association and from the North Central SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Program.