Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

This summary provides information focusing on the decisions made; key aspects included addressing the financial commitment to support the project website, exploring options for uploading articles in the compendium, strategies to collect website analytics, and standard protocols for multistate field research. The detailed minutes is included as an attachment.

Website Financial Commitment: It was noted that there is a previous financial commitment of $4,830 for the development of the new website and project compendium. The chair will follow up with the committed contributors to this payment, and it was emphasized that this commitment should be fulfilled soon to avoid losing funds.

NCERA103.org Website: The website, which is owned by the group and managed by PAQ, was discussed. It was noted that the site was designed to be user-friendly, providing information on participating states, purpose, non-traditional product definitions, article submission criteria, and an entry form. The submission process was described, including the need to meet specific criteria.

• Articles Upload Process: With John Sawyer's retirement, the process of updating and uploading reports needed to be revised. Some options were discussed, and it was decided that the state representatives would review submissions from their own state in collaboration with the current Chair and Secretary.
• Financials: The group discussed the financial aspects; Luis indicated that a contract doesn't need to be signed yearly but will be billed hourly as needed. There are annual fees for server hosting, domain hosting, and SSL. It was suggested that invoices be divided between individual state contacts.

Individual State Updates: Representatives from different states provided updates on their extension efforts applied research and projects.

• Standard research Protocols: The need for standard protocols for research and on-farm testing was discussed, with an emphasis on proper controls.
• Report Content: The group discussed the content of state reports, focusing on collaboration and impact. The importance of website analytics and success stories was highlighted.

Administrative Update: Carl Rosen stepped down as department head but agreed to stay on as an administrator. The process of submitting reports to NIMS after the meeting was outlined.

Future Meeting Arrangements: There was a suggestion to consider holding the meeting on a Wednesday morning to accommodate travel schedules, but this would depend on the NCERA 13 meeting date and time, and will be considered for next year.

Leadership Roles: Kansas is the current chair, and Kentucky holds the secretary position.

During this period, the NCERA 103 committee accomplished several key goals established in our proposal.

NCERA103.org: Build and publish the website https://ncera103.org/, Compendium of Research Reports on Use of Non-Traditional Materials for Crop Production. This electronic compendium provides a comprehensive resource for non-traditional crop materials in the North Central USA. It includes research abstracts and State Agricultural Experiment Stations reports, all searchable in an electronic database. This public website provides a centralized and easy way to access unbiased research on products relevant to production in our region.

In addition to the website, the compendium was updated with new articles/research based on research done in the region, including work done by active NCERA 103 committee members.

Collaboration Highlights: Collaboration among states resulted in the assembly of relevant regional research data that contributed to the publication of critically needed material on the "Performance of Selected Commercially Available Asymbiotic N-fixing Products in the North Central Region" (SF2080). Dave Franzen led the publication in collaboration with other NCERA-103 committee members.

In approximately 8 months since its publication in 2023, the number of views was nearly 1,500, and multiple extension news articles by several states represented in NCERA-103 were generated, amplifying the distribution and overall reach.

In today's digital age, the dissemination of information through downloads, links, and sharing with colleagues can significantly amplify the reach and influence of such publications; we believe beyond official tracking metrics, due to numerous sites sharing the PDF document, that we are not able to track, and likely resulting in underestimated values reported above.

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/snrs/Files/SF2080_Performance_of_Selected_N-fixing_Products.pdf

Success Stories:

• Members of the NCERA 13 committee shared several anecdotal experiences related to the wide-reaching impact of the recent SF2080 publication in the world of biological products. They mentioned receiving calls from California-based biological start-up companies saying, "there wasn't a person in the biological product world that hadn't read this publication." Indicating that it had become viral and widely read in the industry. For example, Dave Franzen (NDSU) indicated that the publication had gone viral, leading to numerous interactions with start-ups, including Zoom sessions and face-to-face discussions on avoiding product release challenges. He also mentioned engaging with a start-up group from the UK via Zoom. Similar experiences were shared by committee members in other states, such as Dan Kaiser in Minnesota.

•  "I regularly share the NCERA 103 website with agents, producers and other interested parties when I receive questions related to non-traditional or questionable products. I send the link to the website with the UK Extension listserve (120 counties) annually. This website is extremely useful for investigating little or unknown products making unrealistic claims. Just having access to the website is worth participating in the NCERA 103 committee". – Edwin Ritchey, University of Kentucky.

• "The NCERA103 Committee has been heavily involved in developing the program for the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference, and other conferences. This year, presentations were primarily on non-traditional products. The program committee consisted of many members from the NCERA103 committee, contributing to a broader discussion on the role of non-traditional products". – Edwin Lentz,  Ohio State University

Dave Franzen, North Dakota State University and members of the NCERA-103 committee, James Camberato, Emerson Nafziger, Daniel Kaiser, Kelly Nelson/Gurbir Singh, Dorivar Ruiz-Diaz, Ed Lentz, Kurt Steinke, John Grove/Edwin Ritchey, Leandro Bortolon, Carl Rosen, Bijesh Maharjan/Laura Thompson. 2023. Performance of Selected Commercially Available Asymbiotic N-fixing Products in the North Central Region. https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/snrs/Files/SF2080_Performance_of_Selected_N-fixing_Products.pdf

D.W. Franzen, and NCERA-103 Committee. 2022. Nitrogen Extenders and Additives for field crops. North Dakota State University.  SF1581

A joint Indiana (Purdue) and Michigan (Michigan State University) sulfur publication on “Sulfur deficiency in corn, soybean, wheat, and alfalfa was released and can be found at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/soilfertility/Files/Bulletins/Sulfur%20Deficiency%20in%20Corn,%20Soybean,%20Wheat,%20and%20Alfalfa.pdf

A complete production guide for soft winter wheat including nutrient management strategies “Michigan Wheat 101” can be found at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/soilfertility/Files/Bulletins/Wheat-101%20MSU%202021.pdf

Metiva, M., E. Bunting, K. Steinke, and Z. Hayden. Topdress strategies and remote sensing for nitrogen management in processing carrots. Agron. J. (Accepted Oct. 2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21257

Purucker, S., and K. Steinke. Sugarbeet response to plant population, nitrogen rate, row spacing, and starter fertilizer strategies. J. of Sugarbeet Res. (Accepted Aug. 2022). DOI: 10.5274/jsbr.59.1.23

Breunig, M., M. Nagelkirk, A. Byrne, J. Wilbur, K. Steinke, and M. Chilvers. 2022. Meta-analysis of yield response to applications of fungicides made at different crop growth stages in Michigan winter wheat. Plant Health Prog. 23:300-307. doi.org/10.1094/PHP-09-21-0118-RS.

Rutan, J., N. Rosenzweig, and K. Steinke. 2022. Soil bacterical community composition following cover crops and corn nitrogen management. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 86:51-64. doi: 10.1002/saj2.20336.

Spring urea causing sugar beet stand loss: What you need to know (https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2021/02/spring-urea-causing-sugar-beet-stand.html)

University of MN Nutrient Management Podcast: Fall fertilizer outlook: What to know about prices, inhibitors, biologicals & more (https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2022/07/annual-fall-fertilizer-outlook.html)

University of MN Nutrient Management Podcast: What's new on the topic of biostimulants? (https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2022/12/whats-new-on-topic-of-biostimulants.html

Fleuridor, L., Fulford, A., Lindsey, L.E., Lentz  E., Watters, H., Dorrance, A., Minyo, R.,  Richer, E., Chaganti, V., Kumaran, S.,  & Culman, S.W. 2022. Ohio Grain Crop Response to Sulfur Fertilization. Agronomy Journal (In Review)

Ritchey, E.L., C.D. Teutsch, J.H. Grove, and J.M. McGrath. 2022. Calcium or Lime? Which Raises Soil pH?. University of Kentucky Corn and Soybean Newsletter Issue 4 Volume 2:4-6.

Ritchey, E.L. C.D. Teutsch, and J.H. Grove. 2022. Calcium or Lime? Which Raises Soil pH? A Follow Up. University of Kentucky Corn and Soybean Newsletter Issue 4 Volume 10:1-3. 

Nafziger, E, J Sawyer, C Laboski, & D Franzen (2022) The MRTN approach to making nitrogen recommendations: background and implementation. Crops & Soils 55 (2):4-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/crso.20180

Bean, G. M., Ransom, C. J., Kitchen, N. R., Scharf, P. C., Veum, K. S., Camberato, J. J., Ferguson, R. B., Fernandez, F. G., Franzen, D. W., Laboski, C. A. M., Nafziger, E. D., Sawyer, J. E., & Nielsen, R. L. 2021. Soil hydrologic grouping guide which soil and weather properties best estimate corn nitrogen need. Agronomy Journal. 113: 5541– 5555. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20888  

Belknap, R.A., K.A. Nelson, and G. Singh 2022.  Long-term reduced tillage and no-till cropping systems affect claypan soil properties and soybean cyst nematode. Agron. J. 114:2947-2955. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21140.

Dhakal, D., Z.L. Erwin, and K.A. Nelson. 2022. Grazing cover crops in a no-till corn and soybean rotation. Agron. J. 114:1255-1268. doi: 10.1002/agj2.20999.

Li, D., Miao, Y., Ransom, C.J., Bean, G.M., Kitchen, N.R., Fernandez, F.G., Sawyer, J.E., Camberato, J.J., Carter, P., Ferguson, R.B., Franzen, D.W., Laboski, C.A., Nafziger, E.D., Shanahan, J. 2022. Corn nitrogen nutrition index prediction improved by integrating genetic, environmental, and management factors with active canopy sensing using machine learning. Remote Sensing. 14(2):394. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14020394

Kitchen, N.R., Ransom, C.J., Schepers, J.S., Hatfield, J.L., Massey, R., & Drummond, S.T. 2022. A new perspective when examining maize fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency, incrementally. PLoS ONE 17(5): e0267215.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267215  

Nelson, K.A., R.A. Belknap, D. Brake, and G. Singh.  2022.  Broadcast overseed timing of ryegrass and cereal rye in soybean affects rotational crops in upstate Missouri. Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Manage. 8, e20184. https://doi.org10.1002/cft2.20184.

Ransom, C.J., Clark, J., Bean, G.M., Bandura, C., Schafer, M., Kitchen, N.R., Camberato, J.J., Ferguson, R.B., Fernandez, F.G., Franzen, D.W. 2021. Data from a public–industry partnership for enhancing corn nitrogen research. Agronomy Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20812  

Svedin, J., Kitchen, N. R., Ransom, C. J., Veum, K. S., & Myers, R. L. 2022. A tale of two fields: Management legacy, soil health, and productivity. Agricultural & Environmental Letters, 7, e20090. https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.20090

Svedin, J. D., Kitchen, N. R, Ransom, C. J., Veum, K. S., & Anderson, S. H. 2022. Can soil biology tests improve phosphorus and potassium corn fertilizer recommendations? Agronomy Journal, 114, 3457– 3472. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21180