John Nowatzki and Dr. Dave Franzen to Speak at 65th Annual Hard Spring Wheat Show

At the 65th Annual Hard Spring Wheat Show on Wednesday, February 7th, Dr. Dave Franzen and John Nowatzki will be speaking. Nowatzi will be speaking at 11:00 am CST and Franzen will be speaking at 2:45 pm CST.

Nowatzki is the Agricultural Machine Systems Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. His responsibilities as an Agricultural Machine Specialist are to develop and teach educational programs related to agriculture machinery operation and selection, geospatial technology for precision resource management, conservation tillage technologies, agricultural chemical application technology, energy conservation, and alternative energy use.

Nowatzki will be discussing, "Transitioning to Precision Agriculture Using Yield Maps." He has been using historical yield data and remotely sensed imagery to make zone management maps. Variable rate fertilization in crop production is a new management practice that allows growers to use GPS technology to apply fertilizer at different rates across fields. The fertilizer rates for each zone are based on soil tests for each zone and farmer yield goals. This can, in turn, reduce fertilizer inputs, protect water quality, and increase yields of the crop.

Dr. Franzen has been an Extension Soil Specialist at NDSU in Fargo ND for almost 25 years. Over the years he has and continues to, provide educational programs on soil and soil fertility topics to extension agents and specialists, farm producers, industry professionals, and the public. He also performs applied soils research projects relevant to North Dakota producers.

Dr. Franzen will be speaking on the topic, "Nitrogen Fertilization Following a Drought and What Does The Clay Chemistry Map Mean For Me?" He and his grad students discovered yield and nutrient are not related, fertilizers normally in droughts decrease yields, and clay chemistry plays a big role in nitrogen fertilization. "I have been blessed with some wonderful grad students to work with. A lot of them have gone off and are doing successful research on their own. One of my past grad students is an Extension Specialist on the East Coat in Maine," said Franzen.

Franzen has been conducting research on wheat since 2005 to 2010. He has also been working with corn and sunflowers. Through conducting this research, he has come across some challenges such as travel and collecting data from all over the state about 12 to 10 times a year. This research that Franzen will be discussing at the event will help inform farmers that they can increase their profitability, minimize the cost of materials, and decrease the amount of fertilizer used on fields.

If you are looking to try some of these techniques on your field to save money and earn a more significant profit, then come attend the 65th Annual Hard Spring Wheat Show February 6th through the 8th. Franzen and Nowatzki will be speaking about their topics along with many other scientists and researchers at the Grand Williston Hotel and Conference Center located at 3601 2nd Ave W in Williston, ND.