July 3, 2002

Crops Research Will Be Highlights of July 16 Field Day in Carrington

Updates on crop variety development, transgenic crops and crop pest management will be highlights of the annual North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center Field Day, Tuesday, July 16.

The event opens at 9 a.m. with refreshments and a welcome from Ken Grafton, new director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at NDSU. Tours begin at 9:30. The center is located 3 1/2 miles north of Carrington on Highway 281. The morning crop variety and production review will feature NDSU crop breeders and specialists. Crops to be covered include spring wheat, barley, durum, oat, soybean, corn and field pea. NDSU specialists will also discuss goals and plans for transgenic research at NDSU.

A second morning tour will feature a livestock production review with updates on beef feedlot and cow/calf production issues and highlights of bison research.

After a sponsored noon meal, NDSU agronomists and crop specialists will conduct a pest management tour. Weed control research and strategies in small grains and broadleaf crops will be featured. Plant pathologists will also review fungicides, disease forecasting systems and management strategies for controlling crop diseases. One highlight will be a discussion of emerging disease problems in soybeans. Flea beetles, soybean aphids and grasshoppers will be discussed. Control of sunflower pests including the lygus bug, seed weevil and the sunflower moth will also be discussed.

A second afternoon tour will feature tips on managing alfalfa and annual forages for peak production. Researchers and specialists will also discuss nutrient management for oilseed crops including canola, flax and sunflower. Particular emphasis will be given to soybean research with information on inoculation, planting dates and densities and other management techniques. Specialists will also demonstrate the manufacture and use of biodiesel.

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Source: Greg Endres, (701) 652-2951, gendres@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu