(Atlantic, Iowa) – Specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are once again teaming up with Iowa State Ag and Biosystems Engineering specialists to bring planter equipment expertise to farms across the state. Planter University workshops are set for Feb. 3-7 and 11, 2025. The series begins in Southwest Iowa, with a session in Atlantic set for Monday February 3rd at the Cass County Community Center. The workshops are an opportunity for farmers, agricultural service providers, equipment and precision ag dealers, and others to gain insight into how planters function; how to optimize settings for individual seed, field and equipment needs; and improve understanding of planter wear and calibration.

“Planter University goes far beyond a typical planter clinic and provides attendees direct access to specialists with expertise in planter technology and settings,” said Meaghan Anderson, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are excited to host these workshops across the state again this February.” Specialists from the Iowa State Digital Ag group will lead each workshop and focus on small-group, hands-on learning with row units representing a variety of technologies currently available for planters. The Digital Ag group is renowned for its key industry partnerships and unique expertise in equipment development and precision agriculture. Meetings will also offer continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers.

“Former participants overwhelmingly enjoyed the workshop approach and stated the workshop improved their ability to confidently make adjustments during planting season,” said Levi Powell, Iowa State ag and biosystems engineering program specialist. “We are going to help attendees better understand the physics behind traditional and high-speed planters and how to evaluate planting performance, because every planter, operator and operation is different. This event will focus on how to dial in the right settings for you and your operation,” added Ben Covington, Iowa State ag and biosystems engineering program specialist.

The training will be offered at six locations. Attendance will be limited to maintain small group sizes and allow for hands-on activities. Registration for each location is $100 and closes seven days ahead of each meeting. There is no on-site registration available. Registration is now open online , and closes on Monday January 20th for the Atlantic location. A registration link is available on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or by visiting https://go.iastate.edu/planter.

Registration includes lunch, refreshments, reference materials, seed depth tool, closing wheel hold up bracket and CCA credits. Registration check-in opens at 8:30 a.m. and the program begins at 9 a.m. The program concludes at 3 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

Feb. 3 – Cass County Community Center, Atlantic
Feb. 4 – Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm, Sutherland
Feb. 5 – Northern Research and Demonstration Farm, Kanawha
Feb. 6 – Heartland Acres Agribition Center, Independence
Feb. 7 – Crystal Creek Enterprises, 2457 Highway 30, DeWitt
Feb. 11 – Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab, 3800 University Boulevard, Ames

Additional Winter Agronomy Education Offerings:

Registrations are still open for the 2025 Crop Advantage session on January 21 in Atlantic, with an opportunity for farmers and crop advisers to hear current research and crop production information from Iowa State University. The meeting includes catered lunch and continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers (CCA). Private pesticide applicator continuing education will be available and will require a separate fee payable at the location. The Atlantic Crop Advantage meeting will be held at Cass County Community Center (805 West 10th Street., Atlantic, IA) on January 21, 2025. Registration check-in opens at 8:30 AM and the program runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Program highlights include a 2025 weather outlook, a deep dive into nitrification inhibitors, short corn research, DOT regulations for agricultural use, and managing waterhemp.

This meeting is part of a series being held at multiple locations across the state throughout the month of January. For more program details and registration information, for Atlantic or other Crop Advantage locations, including dates, times, and program details visit: https://go.iastate.edu/cropadvantage. Early registration for each location is $75; late registration completed less than seven days prior to the meeting, or on-site, is $100. Early registration for the Atlantic location closes at midnight on January 14th.

CropsTV online learning is also returning for a fifth season, providing the convenience of crop production education at home, office or anywhere there’s an internet connection. Watch the episodes on-demand, on your schedule. The CropsTV program contains topics selected to best fit an online learning environment with supplemental materials and links to resources. Many topics are unique to CropsTV. Instructors are Iowa State University faculty, staff, extension specialists and guest presenters from around the Midwest. This program is exclusively on-demand and episodes will be available for viewing from Jan. 7 through April 15 for subscribers. CropsTV features 25+ episodes that cover a variety of topics selected from the Integrated Crop Management Conference, Crop Advantage Series, or are exclusive to CropsTV. Registration and viewing for CropsTV Season 5 is now open online for a $100 subscription fee at https://go.iastate.edu/cropstv.

For Planter University or Crop Advantage registration questions, please reach out to Registration Services at registrations@iastate.edu or 515-294-6222. For all other questions, email crops@iastate.edu or contact local extension field agronomist Aaron Saeugling at clonz5@iastate.edu.