
Events
SDSU Extension Tar Spot Webinar
March 7, 2025 at 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
South Dakota State University Extension will host a webinar about tar spot for corn producers and industry professionals on March 7, 2025, from 9 a.m. to noon CST.
This online event, titled Tar Spot in the Northern Great Plains: History, Management, and Experiences, is free to attend, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Visit extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “tar spot” to register.
The webinar will focus on economic return on investment when using a fungicide and fungicide management recommendations. It will begin with educational presentations from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a panel discussion where participants can ask questions and share their thoughts.
Speakers are Connie Strunk, SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Field Specialist; Madalyn Shires, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist; Darcy Telenko, associate professor of botany and plant pathology at Purdue University; Damon Smith, assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Tamra Jackson-Ziems, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension specialist and professor of plant pathology; and Dean Malvick, professor of plant pathology, and PhD student Jose Solorzano of the University of Minnesota.
Tar spot is a potentially yield-impacting corn disease that was confirmed in 46 of South Dakota’s 66 counties in 2024. The fungus can cling to crop residue over the winter and re-emerge once temperatures rise. It’s most commonly spread in South Dakota by wind-blown spores.
“We had the highest rate of new confirmed counties for tar spot in the country last year. As the disease is highly dependent on weather, it is hard to predict trends each year,” said Shires. “We are unsure if it is overwintering in South Dakota due to cold but have research ongoing right now to explore that. Come learn about management of the emerging tar spot and ask questions of experts.”
For more information, contact Strunk at 605-782-3290 or [email protected]; or Shires at 605-651-5631 or [email protected].
Register