Dickinson Research Extension Center Field Set for July 9

Production Agriculture will be featured during North Dakota State University’s annual Dickinson Research Extension Center field day on Wednesday, July 9. The activities will take place on the DREC grounds at the corner of State Avenue and Empire Road, according to Frank Kutka, DREC assistant director.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and donuts. Vans will begin loading for the Agronomy tour at 9 a.m. Pat Carr, DREC agronomist, and Glenn Martin, DREC research specialist, will direct the tour of spring and winter wheat, durum, barley and oats variety trials. NDSU plant breeders will discuss new varieties of seed, disease resistance and yield potential. Roger Ashley, NDSU DREC Extension agronomist, will discuss disease and fertilizer management. Carr will conclude with a discussion on the impact that eliminating tillage and intensifying cropping systems have had on variety trial yields since the early 1990s.

A horticulture tour will be lead by Ron Smith and Tom Kalb, NDSU Extension specialists, and Jerry Larson, DREC horticulturist. The tour will begin in the DREC classroom at 9 a.m.

In addition to this year’s DREC field day, producers and residents of the area can bring water samples for analysis. Roxanne Johnson, NDSU Extension water quality associate, will collect the water samples from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. The water samples will be analyzed during the day and the results available after 4:30 p.m.

The afternoon program will include four major presentations:

1 p.m. – Carr will discuss and showcase a new cover crop roller crimper.

1:30 p.m. -- Toby Stroh, Dickinson State University assistant professor, will explain the Southwest North Dakota Soil Health Demonstration. Jon Stika, NRCS area resource soil scientist, and Ken Miller, Burleigh County SCD district technician, will demonstrate and discuss cover crop soil health implications and forage opportunities.

2:30 p.m. – Cole Gustafson, NDSU Extension biofuels economist, will provide insights into the biofuels opportunities that exist for producers.

2:45 p.m. – Carl Peterson, NDSU Extension energy educator, will discuss farmstead energy efficiency.

Activities conclude with the annual community barbecue sponsored by the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce agriculture committee. The supper begins at 5 p.m. Wagon rides will be available from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, go to http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/dickinso/ or call (701) 483-2348.

NDSU Agriculture Communication