Soybeans, spring wheat, weeds, cereal grains and crop diseases are the focus of the annual field tour at NDSU's Agronomy Seed Farm near Casselton, North Dakota. 

The tour is scheduled for Monday, July 13, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Participants will view research trials and receive production information from NDSU specialists. Stops include soybean and weed research plots, hard red spring wheat breeding plots and cereal grain fields.

The presenters and their topics include:

• Ted Helms, NDSU soybean breeder - the merits of growing non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soybean varieties that NDSU developed. They include an early maturing variety, ND Henson, and an experimental line of 0.7 relative maturity soybeans. He'll also discuss the progress NDSU is making in breeding glyphosate-resistant soybean varieties.

• Richard Zollinger and Kirk Howatt, NDSU weed scientists - metribuzin rates on soybean, variety tolerance to metribuzin, and this season's weed control challenges and issues. They also will answer grower questions.

• Mohamed Mergoum, NDSU spring wheat breeder - attributes and characteristics of major hard red spring wheat cultivars grown in the state, updates on recent wheat cultivar releases, recent events in the wheat world and major trends of end uses in the U.S. and around the world

• Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension agronomist for cereal crops - potential of using wet distillers grains as a fertilizer source for wheat and corn production for growers near an ethanol plant, and some of the ongoing work in managing nitrogen in wheat

• Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension entomologist - an update on soybean aphids. She also will answer questions relating to other crop pests.

In addition, Andrew Friskop, NDSU Extension plant pathologist, will answer questions relating to crop diseases.

Following the tour, NDSU's Carnivore Catering will serve dinner.

For more information, contact the farm at 701-347-4743.

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