MN Ag EXPO will again be the place to be for an up-close look at some of the most exciting research happening in the state that will shape future farm practices. It is also one of the only opportunities farmers will have to speak with the researchers leading these projects.

Leaders from the University of Minnesota will be on-hand at the Verizon Wireless Center on Jan. 24-25 to chat with farmers and ag professionals about their work. Below are just some examples that you will see:

John Baker: Baker is designing and demonstrating the use of perennial living mulches that allow growers to maintain row crop production on land subject to the Minnesota Buffer Law. The system his group developed has produced yields nearly equivalent to conventional production, while protecting from erosion and infiltration.

Axel Garcia y Garcia: As cover crops become more and more popular with farmers in Minnesota, Garcia Y Garcia is leading research that measures their impact on productivity under different environments and production practices. Specifically, he is looking at how various cover crop strategies affect growth and yield of corn and soybeans.

Michael Sadowsky: To date, researchers have had limited success reducing plant disease due to bacterial infection. Sadowsky is researching unique molecules that have the potential to disrupt bacterial communication, which would protect corn plants and reduce post-harvest damage.

Jeff Vetsch: Also focused on cover crops, Vetsch is leading a study that measures the impact of cover crops on reducing nitrates in tile drainage. His data will benefit farmers by better quantifying nitrate reduction potential of various cover crop systems at different N rates, while simultaneously measuring yield impact.

Bruce Potter: Potter is using ongoing research on corn pests and developing a series of new studies that will allow researchers to better predict and quantify changes in loss due to corn pests. The end result will be the ability to better detect and understand how risks from key corn pests are shifting.

Farmers can register for MN Ag EXPO 2018 at mnagexpo.com/register. The event is free to attend for all corn and soybean growers in Minnesota.