Southwest Michigan Seed Treatment Workshop Offers Essential Education

By Andi Anderson

The Southwest Michigan Seed Treatment Workshop, scheduled for August 18, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., offers a fantastic opportunity for anyone involved in agriculture to enhance their knowledge of seed treatments and pest management.

The event will take place at the Van Buren County MSU Extension office, located at 57418 Co Rd 681 Suite A, Hartford, MI 49057.

This educational event will cover a range of critical topics, including pesticide basics, such as use rate calculations for batch treatment, personal protective equipment (PPE), and the storage and disposal of pesticides and treated seed. Participants will also learn about maintaining and calibrating seed treatment equipment.

Key presentations will be made by experts in the field:

Derrick Bracy of Bracy Ag Services will present on seed treater maintenance, calibration, and common pitfalls.

Manni Singh, a cropping systems agronomist from Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, will discuss the results from a recent study on soybean biological treatments.

Marisol Quintanilla, an MSU Extension nematologist, will cover soybean cyst nematode treatment options and their effectiveness.

The event costs $25 per person, and attendees can earn four restricted-use pesticide (RUP) credits (core and category 4) as well as certified crop adviser (CCA) credits.

Registration is required by August 11, 2025. If pre-registration numbers are not sufficient, the event may be canceled, so early registration is encouraged.

Agenda:

8:00 a.m. – Check-in/Registration

8:30 a.m. – Rate and Application Calculations, Jenna Falor & Nicolle Ritchie

8:45 a.m. – Equipment Maintenance and Calibration, Derrick Bracy

9:45 a.m. – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Jenna Falor & Nicolle Ritchie

10:30 a.m. – Soybean Biological Treatments, Manni Singh

11:15 a.m. – Nematode Management, Marisol Quintanilla

12:15 p.m. – Pesticide and Seed Storage and Disposal, Jenna Falor & Nicolle Ritchie

12:45 p.m. – Wrap-up and Credits

For registration assistance, contact the Van Buren County MSU Extension office at 269-657-8213 or msue.vanburen@county.msu.edu.

Contact the MSU Extension office for registration help.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-studio2013