Join us for the 35th annual Swank Variety Plot Tour on Tuesday, July 19th, 2016 held at the Swank farm north of Poplar. Registration will begin at 5:00 pm at the Swank family farm, with the tour starting at 5:15 pm at the test plot. Tatyana Rand, USDA-ARS center in Sidney, will demonstrate techniques for sweeping for insects in wheat and help identify any insects collected. The test plot this year includes 22 varieties of spring wheat and 16 varieties of durum.
Following the variety tour, enjoy a steak supper in the farmyard at 6:00 pm. Dinner is sponsored by Roosevelt County Extension, Culbertson Chamber of Commerce, Pearl & Mark Swank, Lois Weber, and their neighbors, as well as local businesses, including First Community Bank and FES in Culbertson and Dallas Aero of Poplar. Ice cream is once again provided by a gracious donation from Arne Sutton Insurance Agency in Circle.
Tatyana Rand, an entomologist working with the USDA-ARS in Sidney, Montana, will discuss “Enhancing beneficial insects to control crop pests”. During the presentation, she will discuss common crop pests and the beneficial insects that prey on these pests. Additionally she will discuss how to differentiate between crop pests and beneficial insects, and present conservation approaches to enhance natural enemy communities and maximize biological control of dominant crops pests in wheat.
Everyone is invited to attend. The Swank Farm is located north of Poplar. From Highway 2, take Hwy 251 (RY Trail) north 20.5 miles, then go 3 miles west to the Swank farm at 5106 Road 2041. From Hwy 16, turn west on Hwy 344 for 20 miles, then north on Road 1041 for 3 miles, then west on Road 2041 for 8.5 miles. One private applicator credit has been approved. For further information please contact Jeffrey Chilson at 406-787-5312 or by email at [email protected].
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