Four Best of the Best in Research and Marketing meetings have been set for February in Williston, Grand Forks and Hettinger, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn.

The first of the series will be held in conjunction with the National Hard Spring Wheat Show in Williston. The Best of the Best program will be part of the first day's activities of the show on Feb. 4 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Grand Williston Hotel and Conference Center.

The Best of the Best educational program augments the traditional topics and activities of the spring wheat show. It will include presentations on disease control and topics specific to durum production, according to Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension Service agronomist and one of the meeting's organizers.

Meetings will held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks on Feb. 5 and the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Moorhead on Feb. 6. At these meetings, a wide range of topics about production practices for wheat and soybeans will be addressed. Both meetings begin at 8:30 a.m.

The last meeting is planned for Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. at the Armory in Hettinger. Topics will focus on wheat production and include herbicide-resistant weeds, remote sensing, soil salinity and crop rotations.

Hands-on demonstrations are planned at all locations.

"These hands-on demonstrations always are popular because participants get a chance to examine plants and equipment up close and interact with the presenters," said Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension agronomist and one of the presenters.

A noon lunch will be provided at each venue. There is no participation fee but advanced registration is requested.

To register for the meeting in Williston, contact the North Dakota Wheat Commission at 701-328-5111 or ndwheat@ndwheat.com.

To register for the meetings in Grand Forks and Moorhead, go to www.smallgrains.org or call 701-328-5111 in North Dakota. Minnesota residents can call 800-242-6118, ext. 113.

To register for the Hettinger meeting, contact Julie Kramlich, NDSU Extension agent in Adams County, at 701-567-2735 or julie.kramlich@ndsu.edu.

The Williston and Hettinger meetings are sponsored by the North Dakota Wheat Commission, and the meetings in Grand Forks and Moorhead are sponsored by the Minnesota and North Dakota wheat and soybean growers and checkoff organizations, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota and NDSU Extension Services.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.