Photo from the 5th grade Bread Fair during a previous Wheat Show.
Hello and Welcome to the 64th Hard Spring Wheat Show,
I don't need to tell anyone that farming is a dynamic business. Keeping up with innovations, the markets, and ways to handle production challenges is a fulltime job. The Wheat Show Committee strives to supply answers to many of your challenges all packed into two days of relief from the winter doldrums!
The flour flies as area 5th graders gather in the courtyard on the 7th to get hands on with making bread dough. I've talked to parents who remember their experience and are happy to see their kids get the chance to participate in this activity day that showcases the wheat we raise on our farms. The kids get a real "feel" of where their food comes from.
On the 8th the adults take the stage for some informative presentations. Improving communication skills is the first order of the day. After a quick break Dr. Andrew Friskop helps us understand more about what we all thought was an "Eastern Dakota" problem-Fusarium Head Blight and Don. Dr. Janet Knodel tackles the midge problem with management tips for 2017 and John Nowatzki heats up the love affair we have with our smart phones discussing agriculture apps for 2017. Greg Nessler, Durum and Spring Wheat merchandiser for CHS, will provide some "food for thought" over the lunch hour.
Don't sneak away or take an afternoon nap because noxious weeds and landscape plants are on tap for the afternoon sessions. Speaking of on tap, barley is the subject Dr. Rich Horsley knows best. He and Travis Peterson talk beer and barley in the late afternoon while we move right on into a beer tasting social ahead of a pasta bar supper. The evening ends with a round table discussion of Vomitoxin issues so have your questions ready.
The 9th starts with everyone's perennial favorite as Daryl Ritchison of NDAWN presents the weather forecast for the coming growing season. Then our second day headliner, Dr. Ed Usset from the University of Minnesota, will help us eliminate common marketing errors and improve our bottom line. After a quick break Dr. Gautam Pradhan talks sulfur and nitrogen before we break for lunch.
Get your tickets early as our awards luncheon will welcome Bill Sorensen, the co-host of the Medora Musical, to the stage after we recognize the milestone achievements of some of our sponsors and the winners of the photo con-test. The afternoon sessions cover insects (good and bad), the importance of soil sampling, and winter wheat production in the northern plains before adjourning until we meet again in 2018.
Of course none of this would be possible without a lot of hard work by the committee and the support of our sponsors. Take a little time to look over the list-ing and, as we learned from V.J. Smith last year, use those two most important words in the English language "Thank You." These are the hometown businesses that are here through good and tough times playing their part in your success, so stop by and give them your patronage and your thanks.
Brian Kaae, President
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