NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

August 27, 1998

NDSU Ag Engineers to Provide Displays at Big Iron

North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineers will present educational demonstrations at this year's Big Iron agribusiness equipment and service exposition. Topics include sprayer-nozzle configuration for applying fungicides to small grain, farm safety, groundwater risk assessment, and temporary and emergency grain storage.

Big Iron XVIII will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 15 through 17, at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds in West Fargo. The NDSU ag engineering demonstrations will take place in the east lobby of the Agriculture Building.

Vern Hofman will demonstrate two nozzle arrangements for spraying protective fungicide on grain heads that provide better coverage than nozzles spraying down. Obtaining good coverage on an erect head is important to protect against Fusarium head blight (scab). An image of a sprayed grain head will be available to show the amount of coverage.

George Maher will showcase "Wheelin' with Farm Safety," a spin-the-wheel game that tests farm-safety knowledge.

John Nowatzki and Bruce Seelig will feature a risk-assessment system using a Geographic Information System (GIS) computer program to prepare sensitivity maps that can help North Dakota farmers and land managers protect their groundwater. The system combines information from county soil surveys and groundwater aquifer maps and determines the potential for groundwater contamination from pesticides.

"With this system, producers can call up maps, look at a field and learn the potential groundwater risk," Nowatzki explains.

Likewise, township and county officials responsible for noxious weed control can use the GIS maps to select safer pesticides for use over aquifers. Currently the computerized pesticide-assessment system has been completed for McIntosh, Williams, Golden Valley and Griggs counties. Maps can be viewed via the Web at http://www.ageng.ndsu.nodak.edu:83/.

Ken Hellevang will present information on temporary or emergency grain storage, including safe grain depths for building walls, building storage structures, calculating grain volume, and storage management. Like permanent structures, temporary storage facilities should protect grain from moisture, wind, birds, rodents, and insects. A new NDSU Extension Service publication on the topic will be available. Hellevang will also present information on drying and storing soybeans.

Displays will also be shown by Minnesota Extension Service educators. Extension agents from North Dakota and Minnesota will be on hand to answer crop-production questions.

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Source: Ken Hellevang (701) 231-723

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136