NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
June 24, 1999
[EDITORS: NDSU President Joseph Chapman will attend the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center field day and will be available for media interviews. More information at the end of this news release.]
Alternative Crops and Small Grain Research Highlights of NDSU Hettinger Field Day
New management techniques and genetic improvement of alternative crops and small grains will be featured during tours at the North Dakota State University Hettinger Research Extension Center, Tuesday, July 6. The alternative crops tour at 3 p.m. MDT and the small grains tour at 5 p.m. MDT both leave from the research extension center located on the west edge of Hettinger along U.S. Highway 12.
Canola, mustard, crambe, sunflowers and other oilseed crops have seen a surge of interest from farmers looking to boost income and diversify crop rotations. NDSU Extension agronomist Duane Berglund will discuss variety trials and management considerations for those crops. Berglund will also discuss flax production and marketing.
Crops like radish, coriander and fenugreek are also showing up on more North Dakota farms. Ambrose Hoff, a specialty crops farmer and owner of Stone Mill Inc. of Richardton, a specialty crops brokerage firm, will discuss opportunities and challenges facing produers who grow those crops. Hoff will also discuss production and marketing of chickpeas.
Eric Eriksmoen, agronomist at the center, will discuss trials that compare various row spacings and plant populations for corn production. Kent McKay, an NDSU cropping systems specialist, will discuss production and management of grain legumes like lentils, field peas, dry beans and soybeans. Weed control options for alternative crops will be outlined by Brian Knoll, a sales representative with BASF Corp.
NDSU Extension agricultural engineer Vern Hofman will open the small grains tour with a review of applications for various spray nozzles and a discussion of how to reduce the potential for spray drift. Tom Johnson of TJ Micromix will discuss micro nutrient management for small grain production.
NDSU crop breeders will discuss their efforts to improve small grains, including trials at the Hettinger center. The tour will feature barley breeders Jerry Franckowiak and Richard Horsley, oat breeder Mike McMullen, durum breeder Elias Elias, hard red spring wheat breeder Bill Berzonsky and Extension agronomist Mike Peel presenting on hard red winter wheat. Specialists will also discuss work with alternative small grain crops like triticale, white wheat and canaryseed.
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Note to editors: Joseph Chapman took office as NDSU's 13th president on June 2. He also will be attending field days in Carrington, Dickinson, Williston, Minot, Oakes and Sidney, Mont. "I want to get to know the people of this region. I want to learn their aspirations and what their concerns are. It's critically important to meet the people," he says. Prior to becoming president of North Dakota State University, Chapman served as senior vice president and provost at Montana State University, Bozeman. In addition to administrative duties, Chapman served as a professor of biology. Before joining Montana State in 1996, he was dean of the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. From 1969 to 1983, he worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, rising to head the Appalachian Environmental Laboratory. Joseph and Gale Chapman have two daughters, Valerie, 14, and Jennifer, 11.
For more information on Chapman's visit to Hettinger or to make advance arrangements for an interview, contact David Wahlberg at (701) 231-8325.
Source: Eric Eriksmoen (701) 567-4323
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629