Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

BROOKINGS, S.D. - Producers with questions on cover, forage, and green manure crop plans can get answers at the annual Dakota Lakes Research Farm tour set for June 26.

This year's tour begins at noon and continues until dark. The research farm is located 17 miles southeast of Pierre, S.D., at the junction of state Highway 34 and Canning Road.

Dakota Lakes Research Farm manager Dwayne Beck said the tour will include information on producer options in various growing conditions.

“Producers may ask what they can do on prevent plant acres, hailed acres, after cool-season harvest,” Beck said. “All of these conditions provide opportunities to grow crops for grazing, or for making and sequestering nitrogen. Producers can mobilize phosphorus, compete with weeds, cycle disease to reduce problems next year. The choices are many.”

Speakers on the cover and forage crop topic include South Dakota State University Extension weeds specialist Mike Moechnig, along with Natural Resources Conservation Service staffers Jim Millar and Jason Miller.

Herbicide carryover impacts on cover and forage crops and other label restriction will be covered in the sessions.

SDSU Extension educators will conduct sample examinations and preliminary diagnosis on producers' samples to check crop health or pest issues. The samples will be forwarded to the SDSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic or the SDSU Soils Testing Laboratory for further analysis if necessary.

Wheat management is another key topic at the tour, said Beck.

“We'll have SDSU personnel present to provide information on variety, diseases, insects, and to give information on variety trials performed in two rotations that differ in disease pressure,” he said.

Beck said the crop production trials at Dakota Lakes are not treated with fungicides. This allows producers to evaluate the performance of the varieties when they have to defend themselves. The trials also are seeded on the early side in the fall. This increases pressure from insect-vectored viral diseases like wheat streak mosaic. There are large differences among varieties this year.

Preliminary work with biofuels at the farm also will be discussed.

“Since the long-term goal at Dakota Lakes is to use no net geologic carbon, we'll show interested attendees a crop named camelina that may be a possible source of bio-oil,” Beck said. “There is also substantial work being done with native grasses such as switchgrass and big and little bluestem. These perennials may serve as a source of bio-gas, or be used for direct combustion energy.”

Since the research farm includes an irrigated component, another topic covered during the tour is machinery modification and agricultural engineering.

“We'll discuss some of the tricks used at the farm to deal with wet soils and large volumes of residue while seeding,” Beck said.

The free event is open to the public, and local 4-H clubs will operate a stand for lunch starting at noon. Call Dwayne Beck, (605) 224-6357, for more information.

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