NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
February 24, 2000
A group of researchers from North Dakota State University will be providing information about year 2000 production strategies, the Internet, weather data and soil testing to sugarbeet producers attending the 38th International Sugarbeet Institute, which is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, March 8 and 9, at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. Admission is free both days.
"This sugarbeet trade show is the largest event of its kind in North America," says Mohamed Khan, extension sugarbeet specialist for NDSU and the University of Minnesota. Khan chairs the committee organizing this year's event. He says, "We expect sugarbeet-related equipment and products valued at more than $3 million to be on display in an area covering nearly 100,000 square feet."
Copies of the latest Sugarbeet Research and Extension Report and the 2000 Sugarbeet Production Guide will be available at the extension exhibit, says Alan Dexter, NDSU/UM extension sugarbeet weed specialist. In addition, the winning entries in the 1999 Grower Idea Contest will be on display. Joseph Giles, NDSU soil scientist, will be conducting Internet demonstrations. A particular focus will be the Web site for the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota. Now available on this site are video presentations that highlight key research results from 1999 field trials.
Another NDSU display will feature the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN). With 52 automatic weather stations distributed across North Dakota and parts of eastern Montana and northwestern Minnesota, NDAWN is capable of monitoring weather conditions continuously and providing hourly and daily summaries on variables including air pressure and temperature, dew point temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, soil temperature, and wind speed and direction.
Associated with the NDAWN display will be information on soil testing, provided by Larry Cihacek, an NDSU soil scientist, whose current research efforts involve measuring the ability of soils to store carbon.
Each day of the institute also features a nationally prominent speaker. At 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, Richard Keelor, president of The Sugar Association in Washington, D.C., will discuss challenges and opportunities facing the sugar industry. And at 10:25 a.m. on Thursday, March 9, Thomas Hoban will discuss the public's acceptance of biotechnology. A professor of sociology at North Carolina State University, Hoban has conducted extensive research on this subject.
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Source: Mohamed Khan (701) 231-8596
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136