Talking Crop

In this episode of Talking Crop, Meaghan Anderson, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the current status of Asian copperleaf in Iowa and Illinois, what we know about its spread and weediness characteristics, how to report suspected populations, and more.

Episode links:

• Asian copperleaf fact sheet
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Asian copperleaf encyclopedia article
• eddmaps.org

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357
Guest contact: mjanders@iastate.edu

In this episode of Talking Crop, Laura Gentry, the Director of Water Quality Research with Illinois Corn, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss Precision Conservation Management program, their Business Case for Conservation Resource, and other general considerations for conservation economics.

Episode links:
Precision Conservation Management

PCM Business Case for Conservation

Webinar: Practices That Pay: What 11 Years of Data Reveals About Tillage, Nitrogen Management, and Cover Crops

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357
Guest contact: lgentry@ilcorn.org

In this episode of Talking Crop, Jonathan Coppess and Andrew Hockenberry with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the policy behind carbon markets, what its flaws are, and what could be done differently to promote better carbon market policy.

Episode links:

Aligning Quality Assurance for Agricultural Carbon Credits with Farm Bill Conservation

Farmers' Legal Action Group: Farmers' Guide to Carbon Markets

Farmers' Guide to Carbon Market Contracts in Minnesota

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357
Guest contact: jwcoppes@illinois.edu | ahock25@illinois.edu

In this episode of Talking Crop, Matt Ruark, Professor and Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss what soil health indicators correlate with agronomic performance, on-farm research for nitrogen optimization, and how to manage manure and cover crops.

Episode links:

• Soil Health Series articles
• Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Project (NOPP)
• Cover Crops, Manure, and Nitrogen Management article

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357
Guest contact: mdruark@wisc.edu

In this episode of Talking Crop, Madelyn Celovsky, Michigan State University Extension Conservation Agronomist Educator, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss cover cropping strategies post-corn, -soybean, and wheat; interseeding and overseeding, cover crop mixtures, and more.

Episode links:
Midwest Cover Crops Council website
National Cover Crop Variety Testing Program: 2024-25 Report

Guest contact: celovsk2@msu.edu
Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist with the Illinois State Water Survey, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss severe weather in Illinois both this season and beyond, El Nino, and the big three climate trends in Illinois and their effects on agriculture.

Episode links:

State Climate Office

CoCoRaHS

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357
Guest contact: twford@illinois.edu

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Nathan Schroeder, Associate Professor of Nematode Anatomy and Biology in the Department of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss soybean cyst nematodes, their pest status and control, as well as free SCN testing available to Illinois producers.

Free SCN Testing

SCN Coalition

Guest contact: nes@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Alison Robertson, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology and Extension Field Crops Pathologist with Iowa State University, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss southern rust, tar spot, and the invaluable field crop disease resources from the Crop Protection Network.

Will southern rust be a problem on corn in 2026?

Statewide evaluation of foliar fungicides on corn in Iowa in 2025

Crop Protection Network resources:

• Assessing crop risks
• Fungicide ROI calculator
• Fungicide efficacy tool
• Southern rust of corn map

University of Illinois Field Crop Disease and Insect Management Applied Research Report

Guest contact: alisonr@iastate.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Patrick Tranel, Professor of Weed Molecular Biology and Genomics in the Department of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss Dr. Tranel's research in weed genomics and herbicide resistance as well as the implications of metabolic resistance as it relates to the future of weed control.

ISA Webinar: Understanding Inconsistent Performance of Glufosinate for Waterhemp Control
Weed Science journal article: Confirmation and Transcriptomic Characterization of Glufosinate-Ammonium Resistance in Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) Populations from Illinois

Guest contact: tranel@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Giovani Preza-Fontes, Extension Field Crop Agronomist in the Department of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss this year's planting and early-season growing conditions as well as Giovani's work on soybean performance in conservation cropping systems.

Farmdoc Crop Central article, "Update on corn planting progress and prospects"
Farmdoc Crop Central article, "What to watch as soybean planting begins in 2026"
Farmdoc Crop Central article, "Evaluating soybean performance in conservation systems – project report"

Illinois Agronomy Lab

Guest contact: giovani3@illinois.edu
Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dr. Connor Sible, Research Assistant Professor of Crop Production and Physiology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Sible is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Why do we fertilize? Reviewing corn and soybean nutrient needs and best fertility practices." Dr. Sible will review the nutrient needs and distributions for corn and soybean, identify the traditional focuses, and highlight new research on 4R practices to help optimize fertilizer use efficiency and return on fertilizer investment.

You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dan Smith, Outreach Program Manager for the Nutrient and Pest Management Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

Dan is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Managing waterhemp with cover crops." Dan will discuss how you can use cover crops successfully in your current crop rotation to suppress weeds.

You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, discusses herbicide resistance as a supplement to her presentation at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. Her presentation is titled, "Producer enemy number one: the case against waterhemp," and will profile waterhemp and detail its modus operandi (MO) to identify the best management practices that can and should be utilized to apprehend this troublesome weed species.

You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Mark Kendall, Research Agronomist for the University of Wisconsin Soybean and Small Grains Extension Program.

Mark is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation is titled, "Foliar fertilizers: when do we see the best bang for the buck in soybean?" Mark will discuss how selecting the right nutrients and applying them at the right time are critical to gaining a positive return on investment (ROI) with lower commodity prices. His presentation will look back at the most recent 5+ years of research to see where foliar fertilizers fit best in soybean production.

You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this special bonus episode of Talking Crop, host, Kathryn Seebruck, speaks with Dr. Marshall McDaniel, Associate Professor of Soil-Plant Interactions at Iowa State University.

Dr. McDaniel is a speaker at the 2026 Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit in Freeport, Illinois. His presentation, titled, "SoilBNB: How to make your soils a host for microbes and reap the benefits," will highlight the effects that soil health principles have on microbial quantity and activity in soils and the benefits to crops that this microbial activity provides.

You can register online for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit at go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport or you can call the Stephenson County office at 815-235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Five continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. As of last year, this program has been adopted across the state, and you can find a list of all Agronomy Summits in the series at go.illinois.edu/AgronomySummits.

In this episode of Talking Crop, Dr. Salah Issa, an assistant professor and Extension ag safety specialist with the University of Illinois Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss grain bin safety and the research that Dr. Issa has conducted to assess the efficacy of using compressed air as a strategy to handle out-of-condition grain.

Strategies for handling out-of-condition grain

Talking Crop Survey

Guest contact: salah01@illinois.edu
Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, Jared Fender and Sam Leskanich, researchers with the Crop Physiology Lab at the University of Illinois, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss corn root characterization including that of short corn, as well as fertilizer placement and timing with strip till.

Crop Physiology Lab

Talking Crop survey

Guest contact: Jared - fender2@illinois.edu | Sam - sjl15@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, Travis Meteer, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss methods that producers can use to extend the grazing season. These include stockpiling forage, grazing cover crops, and grazing cornstalks.

Quick Guide to Cover Crops for Forage

Illinois Extension Beef Cattle Facebook Page
Illinois Extension Beef Cattle website
Extended Grazing

Grazing Cornstalks
Spring Forage

Talking Crop survey

Guest contact: wmeteer2@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator, Rachel Curry, Ogle County farmer Norm Deets, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and the importance, challenges, and benefits of implementing on-farm conservation strategies.

Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership Conservation Story Map

Illinois EPA's website: go.illinois.edu/NLRS

Illinois Extension's nutrient loss website: go.illinois.edu/NLR

Illinois NLRS Podcast

Illinois NLRS Blog

Talking Crop survey

Guest contact: rccurry@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357

In this episode of Talking Crop, University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator, Reagen Tibbs, and host, Kathryn Seebruck, discuss the effects of tariffs; changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act such as ARC and PLC, base acres, and the Estate Tax; and the Farm Bill.

Related articles:

• Farmdoc: The New Base Acre Provisions in the 2025 Farm Bill
• Farmdoc: Impacts of the Commodity Title Changes Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for Midwestern Farms in 2025
• US Congress: Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Agriculture and USDA’s Responses: Frequently Asked Questions

Talking Crop Survey

Guest contact: rgtibbs@illinois.edu

Host contact: seebruck@illinois.edu | (815) 986-4357