2018 MonDak Field Days Approaching

Williston, Sidney, and Froid have held annual Field Day Tours for many years to showcase their involvement and research with agriculture. The primary purpose of Field Days is to inform and make the public aware of what the research centers around the MonDak area are performing and accomplishing. It is now that time of year where research centers are planting seeds in the ground and getting ready to present new ideas and studies for the public to analyze.

The Williston Research Extension Center (WREC), located 4.5 miles west of Williston, will be hosting their annual Dryland Tour on Wednesday, July 11th. Registration will start at 3:00 p.m. and the tour will begin at 4:00 p.m. The tour will include NDSU Extension specialists and researchers discussing different topics such as the spring wheat breeding program, precision field management, intercropping chickpea and flax, pipeline reclamation project update, weed management update, and lawn/garden care. After the morning tours, there will be a steak dinner starting at 7:00 p.m. CDT.

The WREC will also be having a Nesson Valley Irrigation Tour that will take place Thursday, July 12th at 8:30 a.m. Nesson Valley is located 23 miles East of Williston on Highway 1804. This event will start with rolls and coffee in the morning and conclude with a hamburger lunch sponsored by area agribusinesses in the afternoon. Some topics that they will be discussing are an update on the spring wheat varietal, the importance of soil structure, intercropping comparisons for irrigated and dryland production, tree species that have adapted to the MonDak region, monitoring soil moisture, identifying weeds that are becoming a concern, and an update on their high tunnel research. For additional information, contact the WREC at (701) 774-4315.

The MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center Irrigated Farm Field Day is scheduled for Tuesday, July 17th. It is located one mile North of Sidney. The event will start with coffee and rolls at 8:30 a.m. MDT (during registration) and the field tour will begin at 9:00 a.m. There will be many featured speakers, and there will also be a lunch served after the tour of the research center. If you have any questions, call EARC at (406) 433-2208.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service's Northern Plains Ag Research Lab (NAPL) and Montana State University's Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC) will be combining their expertise for a joint Dryland Field Day. It is scheduled for Thursday, June 19th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. The purpose of combining both Field Days is to share their research with each other and local producers. Researchers will be discussing topics on drought impacts on grasshoppers, a new weed experiment, grazing cover crops, new CRP renovation, native planting study, pollinator strip and demonstration plots, soil acidification and Sidney Sugars lime giveaway program, disease issues in cereals and legumes, weed control strategies in organic chickpea production, and a study on cereal forage. The event will then conclude with a lunch sponsored by the Richland County Extension Service. For more information on both Field Days, call ARS at (406) 433-9427.

The Froid Research Farm Field Day will be held on Thursday, June 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Froid Research Farm can be found eight miles north of Culbertson on Montana Highway 16. There will be special topics that include dryland intercropping research, pocket gopher control, grazing cover crops, an update on wheat stem sawfly biocontrol, fusarium head blight and other fungal diseases in durum, subsurface irrigation project, and a talk on the CRP renovation study. The afternoon will conclude with a free steak supper provided by the Roosevelt and Sheridan County Conservation Districts.

All producers, industry representatives, extension educators, research staff, and anyone interested in learning about agricultural research in the MonDak area are encouraged to attend. Come out and see the impact scientific research conducted at local research labs has on modern agriculture!

 

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