SOUTH CHARLESTON, Ohio – Corn, soybean and wheat growers can learn some of the latest techniques in farming including weed management, variable emergence and seedling germination, July 18 during the Ohio State University Extension’s Agronomy Field Day at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Western Agricultural Research Station.
The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes a wagon tour of the Agronomic Crops Trials at the site, during which OSU Extension agronomists will talk about the latest innovations in corn, soybean and wheat production. Topics for discussion include utilization of manure resources, weed management issues, variable emergence and maximizing soybean yield.
Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers will also be available, organizers said.
OARDC’s Western Agricultural Research Station has 428 acres, about 200 acres of which are for crop research, said Harold Watters, an agronomy field specialist with OSU Extension.
There, specialists conduct agronomic research on corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, alfalfa, forage grasses, pumpkins and sweet corn, he said.
This research includes a variety of trials, herbicide efficacy, fungicide applications and timing, seed treatments, fertility studies, crop rotations and management, soil reconditioning, carbon sequestration and more, Watters said.
More information about the farm can be found at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/branches/files/Branchesone%20pager%20western%20.pdf.
The field day will also feature four sessions on disease management, weed management, insect problems, and corn management. Each discussion will be 50 minutes, so attendees will have time to attend two sessions, he said.
“Because the extreme heat and continued dry weather is such a concern for farmers this year, all of the speakers will address drought concerns,” Watters said.
The cost is $20, which includes the tour and a barbeque box lunch. Pre-registration is required and can be made by contacting Watters at watters.35@osu.edu or 937-292-4159 or Joe Davlin, Western ARS Manager, at davlin.1@osu.edu or 937-462-8016.
For a list of speakers and a tentative agenda, visit http://agcrops.osu.edu/calendar/2012-western-ars-agronomy-field-day.
The OARDC Western Agricultural Research Station is located at 7221 S. Charleston Pike, South Charleston, about 5 miles south of I-70 on State Route 41.