Research Tours

Tour A: No-Till Corn Production

Cost Comparisons of Fertilizer by Source and Application
Aaron Smith
Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Using Broiler Litter to Replace Potash and DAP in a Corn/Soy Rotation
Shawn Hawkins
Associate Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Nitrogen Efficiency for Optimal Grain Yields
Nutifafa Adotey
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Drone Technology for Corn Fungicide Application
Kiersten Wise
Extension Professor
Department of Plant Pathology
University of Kentucky, Princeton

Corn Ear Rots and Molds (Virtual Only)
Autumn McLaughlin
PhD Candidate
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

To receive pesticide recertification or CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour B: No-Till Cotton Production

Using Poultry Litter in Tennessee Cotton
Shawn Hawkins
Associate Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

The Use of Machine Vision to Aid in Cotton Management
Hao Gan
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Does No-Till Mean Never-Till?
Lori Duncan
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Cotton Seed Quality and Seeding Rate
Tyson Raper
Assistant Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

To receive pesticide recertification or CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour C: No-Till Soybean Production

Factors Influencing Soybean Fungicide Response
Elias Zuchelli
PhD Candidate
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Taproot Decline and Other Soil Borne Pathogens
Shelly Pate
PhD Candidate
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Heather Kelly
Associate Professor
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Ty Smith
PhD Candidate
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Use of Aerial Imagery to Visualize Fungicide Efficacy on Soybean
Terry Spurlock
Associate Professor
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture

Production under Extreme Environments: Screening for Drought Tolerant Soybeans
Avat Shekoofa
Associate Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

To receive pesticide recertification or CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour D: Herbicide Weed Resistance–Status and Mitigation Strategies

Liberty and Group 15 Resistant Pigweed in Arkansas
Tommy Butts
Assistant Professor and Extension, Weed Scientist
University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture

Current Limits to Spray Penetration in Foliage
Al Womac
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Larry Steckel
Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Weed Herbicide Resistance and Management Update for Tennessee
Larry Steckel
Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Tour E: Insect Biotechnology in Row Crops

ThryvOn Cotton Technology
Sebe Brown
Assistant Professor
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Potential Implications of Bt Corn in a Multi-Crop Landscape
Tyler Towles
Assistant Professor
Entomology
LSU AgCenter

Corn Earworm Vip3A Resistance Mechanisms
Dawson Kerns
PhD Candidate
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Tour F: Cover Crops

Integrating Cover Crops into Tennessee Cotton
Tyson Raper
Associate Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Impacts of Cover Crop Mixtures on Weeds and Soil Health
Rachel Wooliver
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

20 Years of Crop Rotations and Cover Crops: Assessing Long-Term Impacts on Crop Yield and Soil Health
Virginia Sykes
Assistant Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Winter Oilseeds: Potential Dual Use Cover Crops for Tennessee
Brooke Keadle
MS Candidate
Department of Plant Sciences

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour G: Water Management

Results of Recent Irrigation Trials
Avat Shekoofa
Associate Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Applying Irrigation Recommendations On-Farm
Brian G. Leib
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Status & Monitoring of West Tennessee Aquifers
Mary Yaeger
Postdoctoral Fellow
Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research
University of Memphis

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour H: Soil Health

Soil Health
Jason deKoff
Extension Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Tennessee State University

Regenerative Agriculture: Fad or the Future?
Forbes Walker
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Soil Tilth, Soil Quality, Sustainability, Soil Health, Regenerative Agriculture: How Did It All Start and Has Anything Changed but the Descriptors?
Neal Eash
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour I: Climate Smart Agriculture–Section 1

Understanding Climate Smart Agriculture
Forbes Walker
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Optimizing Crop Production with Soil Testing
Robert Florence
Lab Director
Soil, Plant and Pest Center

Cover Crops Mitigated Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Extensive Soil Drying and Rewetting
Debasish Saha
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour J: Climate Smart Agriculture–Section 2

How Rainfall is Changing and Affecting Water Management in Tennessee
Brian Leib
Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Deep C Diving: Exploring How ClimateSmart Management Affects Subsurface Carbon in Tennessee Soils
Patricia Lazicki
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Sindhu Jagadamma
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Impact of Nitrogen Rate, Source and Placement Method on Ammonia Volatilization in Dryland Corn Production Systems

Nutifafa Adotey
Assistant Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour K: Soybean Breeding and Disease

Stacking SCN and Disease Resistance in High Yielding Soybeans
Chris Smallwood
Research Geneticist
USDA-ARS, Crop Genetics Research Unit

Soybean Breeding and Genetics
Vince Pantalone
Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Chris Wyman
PhD Candidate
Department of Plant Sciences

Alex Bruce
Research Associate
Department of Plant Sciences

Using Resistance to Manage Soybean Cyst Nematode
Lesley Schumacher
Research Plant Pathologist–Nematologist
USDA-ARS, Crop Genetics Research Unit

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour L: Hemp Economics, Production, and Disease Management

Hemp Economics Outlook 2022
Aaron Smith
Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Hemp Production Considerations for Fiber, Grain, and Cannabinoids
Mitchell Richmond
Assistant Professor
Department of Plant Sciences

Managing Common Hemp Diseases and Fungicide Update
Zachariah Hansen
Assistant Professor
Department of Entomology an Plant Pathology

To receive pesticide recertification or CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour M: USDA Farm Programs and Available Services

Commodity Programs
Price Support
Conservation Reserve Programs
FSA and RMA Compliance
Livestock Programs
Ad Hoc Disaster Programs
Shawn Wortman
FSA County Executive Director

Brayden Williams
Gibson County FSA, Program Technician

Direct Loans
Guaranteed Loans
Micro-Loans
Emergency Loans
Invasive Pests in Forest Settings
Landon Hogan
FSA Farm Loan Officer

EQIP Cost Assistance Programs
Air and Water Quality
Soil Erosion and Retention
Livestock Programs
Wetland Programs
Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs
Conservation Stewardship Program
Conservation Programs for Wildlife
Ryan Blackwood
NRCS District Conservationist

To receive pesticide recertification or CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour N: Beef Cattle Production–Building Profit Potential, Safety and Efficiency Within Your Beef Cattle Operations; Managing Stress and Anxiety of Both Herd and Producer

Low Stress Handling Tips and Techniques
Kevin Thompson
Director
Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center

Genetic Selection for Improved Herd Disposition
Troy Rowan
Assistant Professor
Department of Animal Science

Tour O: Crop Variety Demo

Low Stress Handling Tips and Techniques

The No-Till Crop Variety Demonstrations will have varieties of corn, cotton, and soybean technology on display. Participants may interact with representatives from the various companies represented. This tour will be located immediately east of the Research Tour Tents.

AgriGold
Pioneer & Phytogen
Unisouth Genetics Inc.

TOUR P: No-Till Basics (Originally Recorded in 2020)

As the title says, this tour is for those wanting to learn the basic principles of no-till crop production. Though intended for those who are not currently practicing no-till production, experienced no-tillers may still pick up a pointer or two. The information provided will attempt to explain the basics of no-till planter components, settings, and adjustments. Information on weed and insect control also will be available. Participants will be able to view plots that show what happens when a field is worked too wet or planted too wet and see what effect crop residue has on planting conditions. Our goal is to answer your questions related to beginning no-till production.

No-Till Basics
Richard Buntin, Retired
UT Extension Crockett County

Greg Allen
UT Extension Lake County

Jake Mallard
UT Extension Madison County

Setting Up the Planter
William Hart
Associate Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Darol Copley, Retired
Senior Farm Crew Leader
AgResearch and Education Center at Milan

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz here. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.

Tour Q: Natural Resources – Virtual Only

Wildlife Health Update 2022
Daniel Grove
Assistant Professor of Wildlife Health
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

How Much Is My Log Worth?
Adam Taylor
Professor of Wood Products
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

Big Bass in Backyard Ponds: A Balancing Act
Justin Hargrove
Extension Agent
Benton County

How Do Acorns Develop?
David Mercker
Extension Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

To receive CCA credit for this tour, you must watch all videos in the tour playlist, and complete the online quiz. The password for accessing the quiz is included in the tour videos.