Soybeans, cereal grains, weeds, crop fertility, crop diseases, crop pests and spray drift reduction practices are the focus of this year's field tour at NDSU’s Agronomy Seed Farm near Casselton.

The tour is scheduled for Monday, July 18, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Participants will view research trials and receive production information from NDSU specialists. This year's tour will include stops at the cereal grain plots, soybean breeding plots and weed research plots along with a spray drift demonstration.

Guests also will meet Andrew Green, NDSU’s new hard spring wheat breeder.

The presenters and their topics include:

• John Nowatzki, NDSU agricultural machine systems specialist -- will use a spray nozzle demonstration table to show potential drift reduction practices including drift-reducing nozzles, impact of wind velocities and the potential effect of temperature inversions on drift

• Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension agronomist for cereal crops -- will discuss using growth regulators on wheat, post-anthesis nitrogen applications to wheat for protein enhancement, use of distillers grain, ESN and nitrification inhibitors on wheat and corn, predicting grain yield using optical sensors and the corn hybrid fee testing program

• Ted Helms, NDSU soybean breeder -- will give an update on soybean breeding efforts, including several new potential releases

• Richard Zollinger and Kirk Howatt, NDSU weed scientists -- will discuss herbicide updates and answer grower questions

• Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension entomologist -- will give an update on soybean aphids and other crop pests

• Andrew Friskop and Sam Markell, NDSU Extension plant pathologists - will

discuss crop diseases and answer producer questions

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

The Agronomy Seed Farm is located one mile south and one mile west of Casselton, North Dakota. For more information, contact the farm at 701-347-4743.

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