Authored by:  Ethan Carter, Regional Row Crop Agent

The UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, Florida hosted its annual Row Crop Field Day on July 30th. The third edition of this event has slowly grown in size and scale. The half-day educational program focused on corn and cotton related research updates pertaining to insects, weed, disease, nematode, and fertility management in both crops, as well as variety performance.

Fifty people attended the event, with seventeen earning continued education units (CEUs) for their Florida or Georgia pesticide licenses, and two others earning Certified Crop Advisor credits. The event began at 9:45 AM when tractor pulled trolleys took attendees through various field stops through 12:30 when the program transitioned to an in-door sponsored lunch. After lunch, two in-door talks rounded out the program. One focused on weed control and the other on personal protective equipment, specifically gloves and eyewear.

Speaker handouts and available presentations from the Row Crop Field Day are linked below as PDF (printer friendly) files.

1. Isaac Esquivel – Cotton Jassids

Isaac discussed several of his trials focused on the cotton jassid that attendees were able to view at the program. There were two different studies with opposite treatments which looked at planting date effect and spraying for jassid based on cotton growth stage. A third study being conducted is further evaluating threshold levels with plots getting sprayed at different jassid population levels.

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2. Keith Wynn & Emily Beach – Corn Variety Data

Keith and Emily discussed the 19 corn varieties being evaluated in 2026 at NFREC Quincy, as well as what was replicated at NFREC Suwanee Valley in Live Oak. The 2025 data was shown graphically with a green bar in the middle representing the trial’s average yield. Those to the right of the green bar yielded above average at that location, while those to its left performed below average. Some varieties were replicated across 2024 and 2025, which resulted in two years of yield data that was presented using another graph. Available seed reps from participating companies also spoke on their specific lines and the scenario where they see them best fitting on the farm (dryland, irrigated, both, sandy vs heavy ground, etc.).

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3. Zane Grabau – Nematode Management

Zane discussed the impact of nematodes and their management. Attendees got to see firsthand the impacts of nematodes to corn, plants with short ‘bearded’ root systems. Nematicides labeled for corn and cotton were discussed, as well as product rates and efficacy data.

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4. Cheryl Mackowiak – Corn Nutrient Management

Cheryl discussed an FDACS sponsored fertility project comparing broadcast vs banding nitrogen application impact on nitrogen leaching/loss potential using DeKalb variety 70-45. The study is being conducted in Quincy, which was highlighted during her talk, as well as replicated in Live Oak. In recent years, UF has been working to evaluate and update its fertilizer recommendations for agronomic crops. Currently, the upper limit of the UF/IFAS corn nitrogen recommendation has been revised to 280 lbs. N/acre.

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5. Cheryl Mackowiak – Cotton Nutrient Management

Cheryl discussed an FDACS sponsored fertility project addressing winter cropping systems that might be compatible with cotton production and result in reduced nitrogen fertilizer inputs. There were eight winter crop treatments: 4-way brassica mix (canola, mustard, tillage radish, and purple top turnip) treated as a cover crop, cereal rye (FL405) as a cover crop or hay, crimson clover as a cover crop or hay, and rye-clover mix as a cover crop or hay.  In recent years, UF has been working to evaluate and update its fertilizer recommendations for agronomic crops. For cotton, UF has now adapted a yield-based goal recommendation. Combined analysis of five site years from current research indicates that 0.09 lb. of N is required to produce 1 lb. of cotton lint. Based on this, a yield goal-based N recommendation can be calculated by multiplying the expected lint yield by 0.09.

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6. Ian Small – Cotton Disease Management

Ian discussed cotton disease trials where he has been evaluating natural disease resistance in varieties (no fungicides applied) and fungicide efficacy (fungicides applied). He also talked about his work using the National Predictive Modeling Tool (NPMTI) and a trial associated with its use.

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7. Ethan Carter – Cotton Variety Data

Ethan discussed the 14 cotton varieties being evaluated in 2026 at NFREC Quincy. In past years there were both dryland and irrigated plots, but in 2026 everything was irrigated. The 2025 data was show graphically for both dryland and irrigated data, a green bar in the middle represented the trial’s average yield. Those to the right of the green bar yielded above average, while those to its left performed below average. Some varieties were replicated across 2024 and 2025, which resulted in two years of yield data and was shown using separate graph. Available seed reps from participating companies also spoke on their specific lines and the scenario where they see them best fitting on the farm (dryland, irrigated, both, sandy vs heavy ground, etc.).

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8. Ednaldo Borgato – Cotton & Corn Weed Management

Ed discussed the importance of starting clean (weed free) at planting. He talked about different weed species, their growth habit and seed size, as well as chemical programs and products labeled for use in both crops.

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9. Mark Mauldin – Gloves for Pesticide Applicators and Protective Eyewear for Pesticide Applicators

Mark stressed the importance of pesticide personal protective equipment and what compliance looks like in terms of something as simple as eyewear and gloves. In relation to pesticide labeling, something is not considered protective eyewear UNLESS it has a Z87 rating. The vast majority of agricultural products requires gloves 14 mils thick or greater, so purchasing anything less is a waste of time and money. Know which products you are using and their requirements so that you can acquire the necessary safety equipment well in advance.

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We are extremely grateful to our sponsors, without their continued support, this meeting and others like it would not be feasible. Our 2026 Row Crop Field Day sponsors are listed below:

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