MSU Extension hosts Bean and Beet Field Day to tackle weed, insect and disease challenges
Print
EmailJoin MSU Extension Aug. 19 in Frankenmuth for a Bean and Beet Field Day covering herbicide-resistant weeds, sugarbeet agronomy, pathology and genetics, dry bean production and varieties, plus an insect BT resistance update.
Michigan State University Extension and industry researchers will discuss current issues impacting dry beans and sugarbeets at the Bean and Beet Field Day on Aug. 19, 2025, at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center, 3775 S. Reese Road Frankenmuth, MI 48734. At this free event, growers will learn about weed and insect resistance issues, varietal advances and production practices in dry bean, soil fertility strategies and pathology issues in sugarbeets.
Registration will begin with coffee from 8 to 9 a.m. The field tour presentations will kick off at 9 a.m. Participants will rotate through six different stops and conclude with lunch.
Field presentations (9 a.m. to noon)
The following six sessions/stops will be 30 minutes and in rotation.
- Fertility and nutrient management in sugarbeet – Kurt Steinke, professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
- Insect management in field crops – Chris DiFonzo, professor in the MSU Department of Entomology
- Impact of planting date on dry bean production – Scott Bales, dry bean specialist in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences. Sugarbeet agronomy and research update – Corey Guza, general agronomist, Michigan Sugar Company
- Sugarbeet Advancement research update, “Variety, Leaf Disease and Nutrient Management” – Dave Wishowski, sugarbeet educator, MSU Extension. Sugarbeet pathology issues – Linda Hanson, research plant pathologist at USDA ARS and adjunct full professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, and Jaime Willbur, assistant professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
- Dry bean variety development at MSU – Valerio Hoyos-Villegas, assistant professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences. Dry bean breeding and quality research – Karen Cichy, USDA ARS and adjunct associate professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
- Herbicide-resistant weed concerns in dry bean and sugarbeet – Christy Sprague, professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
Register for the MSU Saginaw Valley Extension Center Bean and Beet Field Day
Recertification credits are pending for private core and category 1A pesticide applicator licenses (two credits) and certified crop adviser (three credits).
