Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

NECC29:  NECIC Business Meeting

12 February 2019

State, provincial, and industry reports

Reports were given by representatives from MI, MN, NY, OH, PA, Ontario, and Growmark FS.

Future meeting formats, locations, and dates

Discussion focused on the challenges to either face-to-face or on-line formats. Each has both positive and negative aspects. The value of meeting regularly, regardless of format, was noted and endorsed by the group. Those of us south of the border very much value the opportunity to connect with our Canadian colleagues at in-person meetings. Some indicated that having a tour at the meeting site was of value, although the typical February time frame for our meetings clearly limits the options. Early August was suggested as an alternate time to meet, although for some that runs into essential field activities. Another option suggested was to piggyback our meeting on another event, however the group failed to identify promising events with which to consider piggy-backing.

The outcome of the discussion was that the group aim for an in-person meeting every other year (or every third year at most) and a virtual meeting in the intervening years. The 2020 meeting is to be held in Columbus OH. Dates yet to be determined.

A primary goal and major accomplishment of the Northeastern Corn Improvement Conference is the exchange of ideas and information among the region's corn workers. This was successfully achieved through our virtual meeting in 2019, with a combination of research talks and reports from state, provincial, and industry representatives from around the region.

It is also our goal to keep the region's corn workers abreast of emerging production issues, not only in the northeastern US and eastern Canada, but also around the corn growing regions of the world.  In the last few years, the group has incorporated new participants from the upper midwest (Michigan and Minnesota), who have added fresh perspectives and breadth to our understanding of corn production issues and concerns.

Coordinated silage testing results were shared at this meeting. The silage testing effort involves variety evaluation programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The Northeastern Corn Improvement Conference annual meeting provides an opportunity to share results of this effort, gather input from seed industry and farmer groups about their silage evaluation data needs, and review procedures and protocols to ensure that the data gathered are readily comparable across locations and states.

As a regional coordinating committee, another very important goals of the Northeastern Corn Improvement Conference is to share region-specific research results that provide the corn seed industry and corn growers with guidance on crop and pest management. The number of research presentations was limited in 2019, due to scheduling challenges and probably also to lack of experience with the virtual format used for the conference this year. Nevertheless, those presentations given were informative and of broad interest to the regional corn research and production communities.

Finally, it is also our goal to foster graduate students' professional development. In 2019 we had one graduate student presentation on our program. We hope to boost graduate student participation in future virtual meetings, such that it is similar to what is regularly achieved in our face-to-face meetings.

Alexander, J., J. Coulter, J. Baker, and R. Venterea. 2018. Kura clover living mulch provides opportunity for high corn yield with reduced nitrogen input. In: Minnesota Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul. http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2018/08/kura-clover-living-mulch-provides.html#more.

Emmett, B.D., D.H. Buckley, M.E. Smith, and L.E. Drinkwater. 2018. Eighty years of maize breeding alters plant nitrogen acquisition but not rhizosphere bacterial community composition. Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3744-0

Everett, L.A., R. Pepin, J.A. Coulter, and M.L. Wilson. 2018. Managing nitrogen from manure with a winter rye cover crop: Results of on-farm trials in Minnesota. Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul https://z.umn.edu/3k2o.

Goplen, J.J., J.A. Coulter, C.C. Sheaffer, R.L. Becker, F.R. Breitenbach, L.M. Behnken, and J.L. Gunsolus. 2018. Economic performance of crop rotations in the presence of herbicide-resistant giant ragweed. Agron. J. 110:260–268. doi:10.2134/agronj2016.09.0536.

Hoverstad, T., W. Ihlenfeld, J. Coulter, C. Reese, S. Quiring, and M. Hanson. 2017. Corn grain field crop trial results. In: Minnesota field crop trials, Univ. of Minnesota Agric. Exp. Stn, St. Paul. https://www.maes.umn.edu/sites/maes.umn.edu/files/2017_corn_grain_final.pdf.

Huffman, R.D., C.A. Abel, L.M. Pollak, W. Goldstein, R.C. Pratt, M.E. Smith, K. Montgomery, L. Grant, J.W. Edwards, M.P. Scott. 2018. Maize Cultivar Performance under Diverse Organic Production Systems. Crop Sci. 58:253-263. doi:10.2135/cropsci2017.06.0364.

Lawrence, J., A. Kerwin, T. Overton, H. Darby, M. Smith, M. Van Amburgh, N. Dineen, S. Norman, K. Payne, D. Fisher, and S. Ziegler.  2018. New York and Vermont Corn Silage Hybrid Evaluation Program - 2018.  Cornell University Pro-Dairy, Animal Science, and Plant Breeding & Genetics; and University of Vermont Plant and Soil Science; Ithaca NY.  38 pp.

Nicolai, D., J. Coulter, and S. Naeve. 2018. Harvest considerations for storm-damaged corn and soybean. In: Minnesota Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul. http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2018/09/harvest-considerations-for-storm.html#more.

Noland, R.L., M.S. Wells, C.C. Sheaffer, J.M. Baker, K.L. Martinson, and J.A. Coulter. 2018. Establishment and function of cover crops interseeded into corn. Crop Sci. 58:863–873. doi:10.2135/cropsci2017.06.0375.

Raskin, D., M.S. Wells, J.M. Grossman, J.A. Coulter, and C.C. Sheaffer. 2017. Yield and economic potential of spring-planted, pea-barley forage in short-season corn double-crop systems. Agron. J. 109:2486–2498. doi:10.2134/agronj2017.01.0029.

Roth, G.W. 2018. Pennsylvania Commercial Grain and SIlage Hybrid Corn Tests Report: 2017 Results. Penn State Extension.

Smith, M.E. and J. Singer.  2018. Corn grain hybrid selection.  pp. 53-55.  In: Thomas-Murphy, J. (ed.) 2019 Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crop Management.  Pesticide Management Education Program, Cornell University, Ithaca NY.  160 pp.

Smith, M.E., S.A. Norman, and J. Singer.  2018. 2017 New York Hybrid Corn Grain Performance Trials.  Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Plant Breeding and Genetics 2018-1. 14 pp.

Walker, Z.T., J.A. Coulter, M.P. Russelle, R.T. Venterea, A.P. Mallarino, J.G. Lauer, and M.A. Yost. 2018. Do soil tests help forecast nitrogen response in first-year corn following alfalfa on fine-textured soils? Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 81:1640–1651. doi:10.2136/sssaj2017.06.0183.