Strengthening connections for on-farm research: Case studies on emerging pests

Our presentation will primarily focus on wheat stem maggot as an unexpected pest of cover crop to corn systems and soybean gall midge, a new and emerging pest of soybean. Field surveys were conducted in both cases to understand the problem and identify research gaps. The field surveys helped to create a strong connection with clientele and extension educators that documented the issues they were facing and created a network for future research. We also did two roundtable discussions with clientele on soybean gall midge, resulting in a long list of on-farm collaborators. Through those discussions, we developed and prioritized research objectives to create a synergistic environment for clientele in future research projects. We’ve been conducting various forms of on-farm research since 2017, so we will have plenty of examples to share. We are also in the first year of a multi-disciplinary on-farm insect (soybean gall midge and Dectes stem borer) and plant disease interaction project that involves several extension educators with group discussions in the fall with participants.