Extension will host several field days starting June 18

Nebraska Extension Field Days will be held this June at several locations across Nebraska and are free to attend. The event will provide a diverse learning experience and great networking opportunity for farmers and agribusinesses.

During the field visits, participants will be able to learn more about different varieties of wheat, field peas, chickpeas and forages. Depending on the location, field visits will also include other specialty crops (i.e. lentils, winter canola, forages, cover crops) and demonstrations of different agronomic practices such as planting dates, seeding rates, fertilizer management, etc.

Besides field visits, the events will feature indoor sessions that will include a free lunch, 30-minute networking sessions and brief research updates. Networking sessions will allow participants to meet with seed, processing and marketing businesses critical to pulse crop industry development in Nebraska. Research updates will include pulse crops production and marketing, topics on incorporating cover crops in wheat and field peas cropping systems and wheat production with a focus on management for higher yield and grain protein.

The following are the field day locations with directions to the research plots:

The June 18 field day will start at 9 a.m. CST at Carlson’s farm located near Callaway for a field pea variety plot tour, then to UNL WCREC at North Platte (402 W State Farm Rd) for lunch, indoor session and afternoon tours on wheat varieties and field pea agronomic research. Directions to Carlson’s farm: From Gothenburg, go north about 21 miles until intersection of Hwy 47 and Hwy 40, continue north on Hwy 40 for 1/2 mile and field pea variety plot will be on the east side of the road. GPS location: 41.2737, -100.1996.

The June 19 field day will start at 8:30 a.m. MST near Grant at UNL Stumpf Wheat Center, 76025 Rd 329, and will finish around 3:30 p.m. Field day focuses on several crops under both dryland and irrigated production—wheat, field peas, chickpeas, canola and cover crops.

The June 20 field day will start with visiting wheat plots at 9 a.m. CST at Woollen’s farm near Alma, then to Blue Hill Community Center at Blue Hill, 555 W Gage St, for lunch, indoor session and finishing with field peas and forages plot tours at Engelhardt’s farm near Bladen around 3:30 p.m. Directions to Woollen’s farm: From Holdrege, go south on US-183 S for 15 miles. Turn left on State Hwy 42 and go east for 2 miles . Turn right on P Road, go south 3.7 miles and field will be on the west side of the road. GPS: 40.15211, -99.3301. Directions to Engelhardt’s farm: From Bladen, 5 miles south to intersection of 800 and T road, then ½ mile west, and the plot is on the south side of the road. GPS: 40.2482, -98.6034

Nebraska Field Pea Field Days are free to attend due to sponsorship by the Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education in Nebraska, the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the pulse crops seed and processing industry. Lunch and refreshments will be served.

Pre-registration is requested for meal counts. To register, call Perkins County Extension office at 308-352-4340 or email Strahinja Stepanovic at [email protected]. You can also register online at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2018/winter-crop-field-days.