An organic/sustainable agricultural production plot tour will be one of the featured events during the annual field tours July 20 at North Dakota State University's Carrington Research Extension Center (CREC).

The annual field tour will begin at 9 a.m. with registration, coffee and a welcome. The organic/sustainable agriculture plot tour will depart at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at noon with lunch. Other tours include the livestock, agronomy and fruits and berries tours.

The organic tour will address issues and opportunities with raising crops organically. Topics will include pulse breeding, nitrogen-fixing corn, buckwheat, ancient grains, intercropping and weed management.

“This tour provides an overview of the hands-on research that NDSU is conducting at the center,” says Steve Zwinger, organic research specialist at the CREC. “With our certified organic fields, we can do organic research that helps the organic industry. The annual organic/sustainable ag plot tour provides a forum for sharing knowledge and concerns of the organic industry.”

Topics and speakers for this year's tour include:

• NDSU’s pulse breeding program and organic pulse trials - Burton Johnson, professor, Plant Sciences Department, Fargo
• Nitrogen-fixing corn - Northern Plains Sustainable Ag Society, Fargo
• NDSU’s plant breeding program for organic and local food markets - Rich Horsley, department head and professor, Plant Sciences Department, Fargo
• Ancient grains production: emmer, einkorn and spelt - Zwinger
• Evaluation of a determinate buckwheat variety - Owen Trangsrud, organic farmer, Enderlin, and Zwinger
• Organic weed management - Greta Gramig, associate weed science professor, NDSU Plant Sciences Department, Fargo
• Wheat flax intercropping - Zwinger

For more information about the organic/sustainable agriculture program, contact Zwinger or Karl Hoppe, Extension livestock systems specialist at the center and North Dakota Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program co-coordinator, at 701-652-2951, or email Zwinger at steve.zwinger@ndsu.edu or Hoppe at karl.hoppe@ndsu.edu.

The Carrington center is 3.5 miles north of Carrington on U.S. Highway 281.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - June 29, 2021

Source: Karl Hoppe, 701-652-2951, karl.hoppe@ndsu.edu

Source: Steve Zwinger, 701-652-2951, steve.zwinger@ndsu.edu

Editor: Ellen Crawford, 701-231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu