SCAL Field Day
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s South Central Agricultural Laboratory field day is held in August. The field day focuses on improving crop production and profitability with research-based, practical information shared by University of Nebraska educators, specialists, staff and students. The event is designed so those attending can select the tours they are most interested in.
Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Location: South Central Agricultural Laboratory Research Farm
851 Highway 6, Harvard, NE 68944
Directions: 13 miles east of Hastings on Hwy 6, or 4.5 miles west of the intersection of Hwy 6 and Hwy 14 north of Clay Center, NE
Preregistrations appreciated by Thursday, July 31
Contact : Joe Luck, (402-472-1488), jluck2@unl.edu
Field day speakers will share information about their research for improved crop production and profitability
Approximately 100+ applied field research trials are conducted at SCAL annually by University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service scientists. Trials are focused on irrigation and water management, soil fertility, entomology, weed science, cropping systems, disease management, and crop variety testing.
Continuing Education Units have been applied for and are pending.
Refreshments provided under the big tent all day and Dairy Store ice cream with lunch!
The University of Nebraska South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL) Field Day is on Thursday, August 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. at the SCAL research farm. Through interactive topics, growers will gain insights into practical applications they can consider incorporating into their own operations. Attendees can tailor their schedule by selecting from various presentations and interactive demonstrations.
Lunch will be provided, and attendees can earn Continuing Education Units (CCA credits). Preregistration is appreciated by Thursday, July 31, to assist with lunch planning. Visit the link on this page to RSVP.
Registration, coffee, rolls and visits with sponsor tables begin at 8:30 a.m. with the welcome and opening remarks by sponsors kicking off at 8:45 a.m.
Dan Snow, Director of Laboratory Services at the University of Nebraska Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, is the keynote speaker during lunch and will discuss nitrate challenges in groundwater. This talk will cover findings from a study with the Upper Big Blue NRD and UNL focusing on nitrate and agrichemical levels in the vadose zone across 12 water quality management zones. Lunch talks also feature a farmer panel discussion, providing an opportunity for attendees to engage and interact at the local level.
Timely topics include:
- Strategies for irrigation scheduling
- Corn and soybean disease management, including tar spot management and white mold
- Cover crops for weed suppression in corn and soybean: planting green and intercropping
- Insect management in crops and tours of conservation features in prairie strips
- Sensor-guided fertigation: Demonstrating real-time Nitrogen management. Fine-tuning Nitrogen: timing and rate strategies for maximum impact.
Growers can also check out AI-Enabled Targeted Weed Management with the "See-N-Till" robot. "See-N-Till" is an advanced autonomous field robot developed to detect, differentiate, and mechanically manage weeds while simultaneously performing shallow tillage. Leveraging cutting-edge AI, computer vision, and precision actuation, it offers a sustainable alternative to chemical weed control and reduces soil disturbance.
Current, up-to-date topics focusing on improved crop production & profitability
Luncheon Keynote speaker: Dan Snow
Trends and Connections in Groundwater Quality for the Platte River Valley
Nitrate is a common groundwater contaminant in agriculturally intensive areas throughout the U.S. Areas along the Platte River are particularly vulnerable to nitrate leaching due to sandy, well drained, irrigated soils with a short distance to the water table. Low water holding capacity coupled with irrigation, elevated fertilizer use, thin vadose (unsaturated) zones provide conditions conducive to leaching. Studies of the vadose zone (where nitrate is temporarily stored) are particularly detailed and informative in Nebraska. Comparison of vadose zone nitrate with groundwater nitrate-N in the Central Platte Natural Resources District have helped evaluate whether changing water and fertilizer use will affect nitrate leaching and future groundwater contamination. An ongoing study of vadose zone nitrate in the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District is going a step further to compare vadose zone nitrate in the groundwater management areas to fertilizer and irrigation water management and will help inform policies for this region.
The Upper Big Blue NRD and UNL are partnering to study nitrate and agrichemical levels in the vadose zone, focusing on historical and spatial changes across 12 water quality management zones. The vadose zone, also known as the unsaturated zone, is located between the root zone and the groundwater table. While there have been decreases in some areas of the district over the past few decades, overall increase of 54% across the district. Dan will talk about the study and what they are learning about increased and decreased nitrate levels, as well as how you can access and use the information.
The interactive map at https://nebraskavadose.unl.edu/ depicts locations where measurements of nitrate and other agrichemicals, such as pesticides and heavy metals, have been recorded in the vadose zone in Nebraska.
Dan Snow, Director of Laboratory Services,
University of Nebraska Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute
Focused topics you can utilize in your operation!
Hear from your neighbors! Farmer panel discussion at lunch.
Irrigation Management (Session 1 & 3) Strategies for Irrigation Scheduling
- Saleh Taghvaeian, Irrigation Specialist and Steve Melvin, Extension Educator
Corn & Soybean Disease Management (Session 2 & 4) Including Tar Spot Management and White Mold
- Tamra Jackson-Ziems, Plant Pathologist and Talon Mues, Extension Instructor
Weed Management (Session 1 & 3) Cover Crop for Weed Suppression in Corn and Soybean: Planting Green and Intercropping
- Amit Jhala, Weed Management Specialist
Insect Management (Session 2 & 4) and Conservation Features (Session 1 & 3)
- David Wangila and Ron Seymour, Extension Educators
Precision Nitrogen Management in Action: Sensor-Based Fertigation and Rate-Timing Strategies for Improved Efficiency (Session 2 & 4)
- Sensor-guided fertigation: Demonstrating real-time Nitrogen management
- Fine-tuning Nitrogen: timing and rate strategies for maximum impact
- Joe Luck, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering/Precision Ag Engineer and Guillermo Balboa Research Assistant Professor in Nutrient Management and Digital Ag
AI-Enabled Targeted Weed Management - "See-N-Till" robot demo
- Santosh K. Pitla, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, Machine Automation and Agricultural Robotics (MAARS) Lab
- The "See-N-Till" robot is an advanced autonomous field robot developed to detect, differentiate, and mechanically manage weeds while simultaneously performing shallow tillage. Leveraging cutting-edge AI, computer vision, and precision actuation, it offers a sustainable alternative to chemical weed control and reduces soil disturbance.
Customize your Schedule
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Registration, Coffee & Rolls. Check out our sponsor tables!
8:45 a.m.– 9:00 a.m. - Welcome and opening remarks by our sponsors
9:15 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. - Choose a tour – Disease, Weed or Insect management
10:20 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. - Choose a tour - Irrigation, Fertility or Conservation management
11:25 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Choose a tour - Disease, Weed or Insect management
12:30 p.m.- 1:45 p.m. - Lunch, Keynote Speaker, Farmer Panel & Dairy Store Ice Cream
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. - Choose a tour - Fertigation, Irrigation or Conservation management
3:10 p.m. - Field day ends. Thank you for coming and have a good trip home!
Map and Directions
The field day is at the South Central Agricultural Laboratory Research Farm located at 851 Hwy. 6 near Harvard, NE.
Directions: 13 miles east of Hastings on Hwy. 6 or 4.5 miles west of the intersection of Hwy. 14 and Hwy. 6 north of Clay Center.
SCAL Farm Address: 851 Highway 6, Harvard, NE
GPS Coordinates: 40.575256, -98.137824
Sponsor Recognition
Thank you to our sponsors for their support of the South Central Agricultural Laboratory Field Day.
A complete list will be available at the field day.
Contact Information
South Central Agricultural Laboratory
Office Phone: (402)762-3536 * Web: https://scal.unl.edu * E-mail: shachtel1@unl.edu * Facebook: UNL.SCAL