2016 Fremont Corn Expo Will Focus on Finding Profit

By John Wilson, Extension Educator

The 2016 Fremont Corn Expo on Thursday, January 7 will assist corn producers in planning for next year’s growing season. The expo will feature presentations from industry experts, 50 local agricultural exhibitors, continuing education units for certified crop advisors, breakfast, lunch and numerous door prizes. The event is free to attend.

This is a great local event for corn growers to interact with local ag businesses and learn from regional corn production experts. With great food, prizes and exhibits, it’s an event you won’t want to miss.

This year, the expo will focus on finding profit. In a presentation titled “Searching for profits when faced with low corn prices,” Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extension corn specialist and host of the Chat ‘n Chew Café, will discuss production costs that growers may want to take a closer look at for 2016, including nutrient applications and rates, corn seeding rates, and hybrid selection.

“Today’s seeds are a costly input,” Nielsen said. Given several years of weather extremes, Nielsen noted the importance of selecting hybrids that have proven resilient to a variety of unpredictable weather stresses as well as being good yield producers. “Then, if we can minimize other stresses on the crop, we can minimize year to year yield swings and the resulting income swings.”

Other presentations include:

• Utilizing On-Farm Research to Evaluate Practices for Profitability with Laura Thompson, Nebraska Extension On-Farm Research coordinator
• Things We Learned from the Corn Yield Contest with a panel of corn producers from southeast Nebraska: John McNamara, Plattsmouth; Mike Scholting, Louisville; Brent Hopkins, Rogers; Tony Johanson, Oakland
• Business and Industry Update with representatives of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce; Nebraska Corn Growers Association; Nebraska Corn Board; and Nebraska Farm Bureau
• Economic Impact of Expanding Livestock Production with Eric Thompson, UNL economist
• Tackling Tough Corn Disease in Eastern Nebraska? with Tamra Jackson-Ziems, Nebraska Extension corn plant pathologist

The expo with be held from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Christensen Field Main Arena. For more information, visit http://croptechcafe.org/fremontcornexpo/ or contact Nathan Mueller at  402.727.2775 or nathan.mueller@unl.edu.