December 10, 2002

Fertilizer Expert Will be Highlight of Western Dakota Crops Day in Hettinger

An expert on fertilizers and plant nutrition will be one of the featured speakers at the 19th annual Western Dakota Crops Day show being held at the Hettinger Armory on Thursday, Dec. 19, beginning at 9 a.m. MST.

Jay Goos is a professor of soil sciences at North Dakota State University. During his 22 years at NDSU, he has been actively involved in research that applies to solving everyday problems. His research has included nitrogen management for wheat, chloride fertilization for the reduction of plant diseases, and the effects of water stress on wheat in western North Dakota. He is best known outside of North Dakota for his work with sulfur by-products of petroleum refining as slow-release agents for nitrogen fertilizers. Goos will provide the Crops Day audience extensive background on urea and fertilizing under drought conditions.

Those at the event will also receive an introduction to the Crop Sequence Calculator, a computer software program developed by the USDA Research Lab at Mandan. The Crop Sequence Calculator is an interactive computer software program for viewing crop sequencing information and calculating returns for most of the crops grown in the western Dakotas. Some of the features include production practices, economics and soil properties, and a section of photos and descriptions of diseases, weeds and insects. The Crop Sequence Calculator will be distributed free of charge to all Western Dakota Crops Day participants.

In addition, Joel Ranson, new NDSU Extension Service Agronomist will present information on management practices for successful corn production. Ransom has extensive experience in developing management practices for corn production throughout the world. Acreage of grain corn production in the western Dakotas has been steadily increasing over the past several years and this trend is likely to continue with several new commercial livestock feedlots and talk of an ethanol plant being built in the area. Commercial seed companies have developed hybrids that are very well adapted to the western Dakotas. These new hybrids have resistance to insects and are Roundup Ready which makes weed control much easier. Drought tolerance has also seen big advances.. According to Eric Eriksmoen, research agronomist at the NDSU Hettinger Research Extension Center, corn yields averaged 55 bushels per acre this past year in test plots. In 1988, during the region’s last major drought, corn yields only averaged 15 bushels per acre.

Other NDSU specialists will provide updates on new crop production innovations for the western Dakotas. Eriksmoen will discuss new fertilizer recommendations for canola. He says current fertilizer recommendations were developed 25 years ago. Today’s top varieties have yields 2 to 3 times higher than yields then and these varieties are much more efficient at utilizing fertilizer. Pat Carr, research agronomist at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center, specializes in forage crops and crop rotations. He is also conducting research in organic crop production, which is currently a 9 billion dollar industry and is expected to grow to over 20 billion dollars in the next 5 years. North Dakota currently has over 90,000 acres of certified organic production and ranks first in the nation for organic rye, millet, oats and oil seeds.

Western Dakota Crops Day participants will also have an opportunity to view exhibits and talk with more than 20 seed, chemical and ag. service industry representatives. The Western Dakota Crops Day, presented by the NDSU Hettinger and Dickinson Research Extension Centers, is free of charge and is open to the public.

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Source: Eric Eriksmoen, (701) 567.4325, eeriksmo@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu