NDSU agronomy seed farm field tour set

Soybeans, cereal grains, weeds, crop fertility, crop diseases, crop pests and spray drift reduction practices are the focus of this year’s field tour at North Dakota State University’s Agronomy Seed Farm near Casselton.

The tour will be held Monday, July 18, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Participants will be able to view research trials and receive production information from NDSU specialists. This year’s tour will include stops at the cereal grain plots, soybean breeding plots and weed research plots along with a spray drift demonstration.

Guests will also be able to meet Andrew Green, the new hard spring wheat breeder for NDSU.

The presenters for this year’s tour and the topics they will cover are:

• John Nowatzki, NDSU agricultural machine systems specialist – will use a spray nozzle demonstration table to show potential drift reduction practices including drift-reducing nozzles, impact of wind velocities and the potential effect of temperature inversions on drift

• Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension agronomist for cereal crops – will discuss using growth regulators on wheat, post-anthesis nitrogen applications to wheat for protein enhancement, use of distillers grain, ESN and nitrification inhibitors on wheat and corn, predicting grain yield using optical sensors and the corn hybrid fee testing program

• Ted Helms, NDSU soybean breeder – will give an update on soybean breeding efforts including several new potential releases

• Richard Zollinger and Kirk Howatt, NDSU weed scientists – will discuss herbicide updates and answer grower questions

• Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension entomologist – will give an update on soybean aphids and other crop pests

• Andrew Friskop and Sam Markell, NDSU Extension plant pathologists – will be speaking on crops diseases and will be available to answer any questions producers may have

Following the tour, NDSU’s Carnivore Catering will serve participants a dinner.

The Agronomy Seed Farm is one mile south and one mile west of Casselton. For more information, contact the farm at 701-347-4743.