Crop Management Extension Group
Video—Tips for Using the Chlorophyll Meter
Dr. Doug Beegle, Professor of Agronomy at Penn State shares “Tips for Using a Chlorophyll Meter” to test for nitrogen requirements in corn.
Crop production dominates the rural landscape in many parts of Pennsylvania. More than 50,000 farms produce crops that support the food and feed production industries in the Commonwealth.
Whether large or small, English or Anabaptist, organic or conventional, our farms face economic and environmental sustainability challenges.
The Crop Management Extension Group (CMEG) at Penn State works closely with all producers and their advisors to address these challenges with timely research based information. Our goal? To enable producers to make informed and effective decisions that benefit the industry and the Commonwealth.
CMEG is composed of faculty, staff and extension educators located in four departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences and six extension regions across the state. Group members and their activities are organized around six key areas: Integrated Pest Management, Forage Crop Production, Grain Crop Production, Sustainable and Organic Crop Production, Nutrient Management and Soil Management. For each of the key areas, CMEG members develop educational programs that strive to meet the needs of our farms and their advisors in this challenging environment.
CMEG has had significant impacts on Pennsylvania crop production.
The IPM Group has developed scouting, web based pest modeling tools and educational programs to address key pest issues that have recently surfaced in the state like the Timothy Mite, the Soybean Aphid, Invasive Weeds, and the Asian Soybean Rust.
The Forage Crops Group has helped to foster the development of low-impact grazing systems, grass based forage systems with livestock producers, pasture management with the equine industry and addresses issues like corn silage and bunker silo management on dairy farms.
The Grain Crops Group works with grain producers and their advisors to manage the risks associated with crop production, such as droughts and floods, evaluates alternative grain crops for feed, food and biofuels, and also helps to identify grain crop varieties and management practices that can improve farm profitability.
The Sustainable and Organic Working Group has been networking with producers and developing research and education programs focused on addressing the growing demand for locally grown and organic crops in the Commonwealth.
In the Nutrient Management area, this team has been working with farmers and their advisors to develop practical solutions for managing the nutrients from animal manures applied to cropland in the state, most recently focusing on the development of strategies to minimize the effects of phosphorous on the states water resources.
The Soil Management Group has engaged both small and large producers, their advisors and government agencies to develop programs that reduce tillage and soil erosion associated with crop production and strives to encourage more cost effective and sustainable no-till crop production.
In each of these areas, Penn State's CMEG members are providing leadership to the agricultural community to develop practical solutions to key issues and while continuing to develop the economic potential of crop production in our state.