Cover crops, farm and ranch stress, and precision agriculture are among the topics that North Dakota State University Extension specialists and agents will discuss, demonstrate and be available to consult about at this year’s Big Iron Farm Show.

Big Iron runs Sept. 11-13 at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds in West Fargo, N.D.

Extension personnel will have exhibits on a variety of topics in the Hartl Ag Building. They include:

• An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayer - Operators can use this type of UAV to spray precise locations with problem weeds. NDSU’s Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department faculty are testing the new spray UAV as part of the university's ""smart farm"" near Casselton, N.D.
• Soybean storage guidelines, alternative storage options and grain handling safety
• Succession planning - NDSU Extension’s Design Your Succession Plan program helps farmers and ranchers make informed decisions about transitioning the business to the next generation and distributing their estate.
• Farm and ranch stress, and the resources NDSU Extension has to address it
• Live cover crop species display and information about cover crop options

In addition, Extension agents and specialists will be available to answer questions about crop and livestock production and general horticulture issues. Esther McGinnis, horticultural specialist, will be available the afternoon of Sept. 12 to answer specific horticulture questions.

“This is an opportunity for people to stop by to view the displays, ask questions, pick up publications and provide input or just visit,” says Extension agricultural engineer Ken Hellevang, who will be one of the Extension specialists at this year’s event.

Cover crop education will be the focus of NDSU Extension’s Big Iron field demonstration, says Extension ag machine systems specialist John Nowatzki, who is coordinating the demonstration.

The demonstration is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. each afternoon south of the Red River Valley Fairgrounds grandstand. Speakers include farmers and personnel from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cass County Soil Conservation District, seed companies and NDSU.

Visit http://bigironfarmshow.com/ for more information about the Big Iron Farm Show.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Aug. 22, 2018