HARVARD, Neb. – Depending on who you ask and where you went to school, field days were arguably one of the most fun days of the school year growing up.

On Thursday for agriculture specialists was the South Central Agricultural Lab Field Day, where farmers, students, and everyone else with ag experience met to collaborate and discuss ways to improve agriculture all across Nebraska.

"We have a lot of people out here doing research beneficial to people in the area." said Nebraska Extension Plant Pathologist Tamra Jackson-Ziems.

Hundreds of ag specialists from dozens of communities flock to the annual South Central Agricultural Lab each year to learn more about different factors affecting land, water, and ag machinery in Nebraska.

From weed scientists, irrigation managers, farmers, and even plant pathologists like Jackson-Ziems, they’re sharing what the biggest developments and concerns are in their hyper-specific fields right now in the state.

Jackson-Ziems is looking at diseases affecting corn and grain sorghum.

"We talk a lot about diseases that are currently a problem and ones that may be on the horizon moving into the area," said Jackson-Ziems. "Right now, specifically that's tar spots, and this year it's also been southern rust again."

Attendees had the opportunity all day to learn from presentations of disease management in corn and soybeans, cover crop weed suppression, and nitrogen management, among other demonstrations.

Organizers say dozens of attendees have been coming to the annual field day for at least a decade, due to several factors, including seeing new methods and technology being shown off in person.

This year, that included an AI tiller called "See-N-Till," an advanced autonomous field robot developed to detect, differentiate, and mechanically manage weeds while simultaneously performing shallow tillage.

"That's one of the really great things I think about this facility is it's pretty much near-production scale, a lot of the equipment the team uses here is the same equipment that farmers are going to be using." said Nebraska Extension Precision Engineer Joe Luck. "But that conversation, that partnership is essential as we get feedback, what do we plan next?"

Nebraska ranks in the top five of corn producing states each year in the amount of bushels produced.

New technology developed by weed scientists at the South Central Agricultural Lab and the University of Nebraska is helping farmers to bear a more efficient yield with cover crops.

"It's really helpful to see this in person, and hopefully the attendees feel that as well," said Nebraska Extension Educator Jenny Brhel. "When you actually see the timing of when that cover crop was terminated, and also with and without using herbicides looking at the whole economics of the system."

Organizers tout the importance of this yearly event as much the information and ideas developed in south central Nebraska, spread to the entire state for a better agricultural future.