Randall County Ag Day and Crops Tour set for Aug. 29 in Canyon

The 46th annual Randall County Ag Day and Crops Tour, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is set for Aug. 29 at the Kuhlman Extension Center, 200 N. Brown Road, Canyon.

The program will run from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and include a free lunch. An RSVP is requested by Aug. 25 at https://tx.ag/RandallFieldDay23 or by calling the AgriLife Extension office at 806-468-5543.

“With the abundant rainfall received earlier in the growing season, weed resistance and control have been a huge battle this year and will be a major topic for this year’s tour,” said J. D. Ragland, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Randall County. “We also are excited to have Dr. Joe Outlaw with us at this year’s tour, as we are all anxious to hear about the components of the newly developed 2024 Farm Bill.”

This event is free, with the registration and lunch covered by Happy State Bank of Canyon. Breaks and refreshments are sponsored by Palo Duro Soil and Water Conservation District and Plains Land Bank.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units—two and a half general units and one-half in drift management—­will be available for private pesticide applicators.

The Randall County Ag Day and Crops Tour is the largest-attended agricultural educational event AgriLife Extension in Randall County hosts each year, Ragland said.

Morning session topics and speakers

This year’s noon guest speaker will be Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and AgriLife Extension economist, Bryan-College Station. His topic will be “Introduction to the New 2024 Farm Bill.”

The morning session will address weeds, markets and water. Topics and speakers will be:

• Weed Resistance and Control; What Works and What Doesn’t, Peter Dotray, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed specialist and Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences professor, Lubbock.

• Cattle Market/Price Trends; Could Fall Prices Reach Year Highs? David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.

• Sorghum Variety Study-Drone Image Viewing; Hicks Farms, Katrina Horn, AgriLife Research crop testing coordinator, and Ronnie Schnell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, both in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.

• Pasture Cropping and Density Grazing Systems at the West Texas A&M University Nance Ranch, Miranda Stotz, WTAMU graduate agriculture student, Canyon.

• Current Water Issues and Law Update, Jason Coleman, High Plains Underground Water District, Lubbock.

• Impact of 2023 May Flood/County Growth and Daily Challenges, Randall County Judge Christy Dyer, Canyon.

Following the keynote address at noon, the AgriLife Extension Top Hand, Outstanding Result Demonstrator and Outstanding Agribusiness awards for Randall County will be presented.

Afternoon session topics and speakers

The afternoon session will feature the annual tour. Stops on the schedule will be:

Stop 1: Sorghum Variety Study; Drip Irrigation and Soil Moisture Monitoring System—Danny Hicks Farms. Directions: Go 2 miles west of Canyon on State Highway 60, then take Farm-to-Market Road 1062 west for 2 miles. Turn north on City Lake Road for 1.5 miles and enter the field at the green gate on the west side.

Stop 2: Pasture Cropping System—West Texas A&M University Nance Ranch. Features wheat planted into native pasture situation, providing more grazing options and increased cattle gains.

For more information, contact Ragland at 806-468-5543 or email him at [email protected].