Cimarron Valley Research Station field day May 22

The field day will take place at OSU’s Cimarron Valley Research Station, located at 10820 S. Jardot St., one mile east and one-half mile north of the intersection of State Highways 33 and 177.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m., with station tours starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at noon. Lunch will be provided free-of-charge to participants, thanks to the generosity of area organizations that have provided financial support to cover the cost of meals and refreshments.

“This will be the first field day at our newly combined Perkins unit, which is bringing together increased manpower and diversity in tackling a number of key issues of interest to agricultural and horticultural producers in northern and central Oklahoma,” said Brent Westerman, director, Field and Research Service Unit of the statewide Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system.

Participants can choose to take part in two of four “theme” tours: horticulture, ryegrass and technology, biofuels and N ramps, and canola. The horticulture and ryegrass tours are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., while the biofuels and canola tours are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The horticulture tour will focus on growing grapes in Oklahoma, managing plum curculio in Oklahoma peaches to minimize spray schedules, productive peach production and managing ground covers during the establishment of pecan orchards.

The ryegrass and technology tour will focus on new insights for controlling Italian ryegrass in wheat, Roundup-ready alfalfa and its effect on hay production, and an overview of cropping systems and equipment.

The biofuels and N ramp tour will focus on switchgrass as a dedicated crop for future “vegetarian” cars, use of N ramps for improved mid-season nitrogen recommendations in winter wheat and an overview on the future of ethanol production.

The canola tour will focus on winter canola as a rotational crop for wheat growers, canola insect management and successful nutrient management in winter canola.

“The name of the field day says it all: agriculture is changing, and state producers are going to have change with the times to be successful,” said Rick Matheson, Cimarron Valley Research Station superintendent. “This field day will be showing ways to do that.”

Anyone seeking additional information about the OSU Changing Faces of Agriculture Field Day on May 22 should contact Matheson at 405-547-2385 or Westerman at 405-744-9607.

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system is part of the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which also includes the statewide Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

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REPORTER/MEDIA CONTACT:
Donald Stotts
Interim ACS Director/News and Media Relations Manager
Agricultural Communications Services
143 Agriculture North
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-4079
Fax: 405-744-5739
E-Mail: donald.stotts@okstate.edu

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