ELLICOTTVILLE — Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program will be hosting an in-person field crop congress for field crop farmers on Wednesday.

In the past this has been an online event, but with growing interest from farmers it has grown into an in-person event. The congress is set to share information on field crops for farmers on specific topics or crops such as soybeans and corn, but is always set to try and fit to different area producers.

The In-Person Field Crop Congress will take place on Jantoday 31 from 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 28 Parkside Drive in Ellicottville. Cost is $10 to be paid online or at the door on the day of the event. Registration is required either at http://tinyurl.com/2024fieldcropcongress or by calling Administrative Assistant Kelly Bourne at (585)268-7644 ext 10. The last day for registering is Tuesday in order to know how many people there will be at the provided lunch.

DEC and CCA credits will also be available, but CCE must be told they are needed during registration.

Field Crops and Forage Specialist, Katelyn Miller, said the congress is set to include many different topics.

“If you are interested in field crops you should attend,” Miller said. “We have a lot of cool topics including grain storage installation and pest research. You can get DEC credits. We did the switch to in-person to allow for collaboration and faster communication that we don’t get when it is online.”

Specific topics that will be talked about in the congress include; economic and engineering considerations of installing a grain storage system, the soybean cyst nematode and its impact in New York State, ongoing seedcorn maggot research, tar spot updates for SWNY, and on-farm processing of high oleic soybeans.

Miller said the congress should be of interest to anyone with an interest in field crops.

“Field crops are really cool and it is an opportunity to learn more about new things happening in the field crop industry,” Miller said. “You can learn basic management on these topics and ongoing education is crucial to what we do. It’s an opportunity to learn new things.”

For Miller, the congress is even more exciting because it is the biggest program she has been able to hold and be a part of since starting her job with CCE.

“It also shows the impact we have as a regional team and shows the relationships we have built with others and with farmers,” Miller said. “We hope people will attend and get beneficial information. We look forward to continuing to work with farmers in the area.”