MonDak Ag Research Summit Returns Jan. 19

Are you worried about grasshoppers or wheat stem sawfly this coming year? Are you interested in intercropping and disease management in dryland pulses and irrigated sugarbeet? How about adding new soybean varieties and cereals to your irrigated rotations? What about weed management in row crops and rangeland, and soil health measures?

All those topics and more will be featured in the 2023 MonDak Ag Research Summit returning this Jan. 19. The summit is coordinated by North Dakota State University’s Williston Research Extension Center (WREC), Montana State University’s Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Northern Plains Agricultural Research Lab, Sidney. The three facilities are partnering once again to showcase agricultural research underway in eastern Montana and western North Dakota of interest to local producers.

The 2023 MonDak Ag Research Summit will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. MT at the Richland County Fairgrounds Event Center, Sidney, 2118 W. Holly St.

The summit is a collaborative effort among the three research stations to encourage interaction between farmers and researchers. It features scientists from all three facilities reporting on current research projects of interest to producers and residents of the MonDak.

In addition to the research talks, the event allows for one-on-one discussions with scientists, providing producers the opportunity to share their questions and research needs and ideas directly with the scientists. A morning poster session will also give attendees time to browse additional research projects underway at the local research facilities and speak with the scientists doing that work.

The summit is free and lunch is provided courtesy of the Northern Pulse Growers Association. Other sponsors for the event include the City of Williston, Sustainable Oils, Sidney Sugars, Inc., Agri-Industries, and the Montana-Dakota Beet Growers Association.

Up to three private applicator credits are available for Montana producers attending this event.

This year’s speakers and topics are listed below. Please note that the morning Irrigated and Dryland sessions are concurrent unless otherwise indicated.

Morning DRYLAND Session, Part 1:

• Chickpea & Flax Intercropping for Disease Management: Chengci Chen, MSU EARC Superintendent

• Managing Root Rot Disease in Peas/Lentils: Audrey Kalil, NDSU Plant Pathologist

• No-Till Yields and Water Use Efficiency: Jim Starika, NDSU Soil Scientist

• A Simple, Rapid, Reliable, and Inexpensive Method of Measuring Soil Health: Upendra Sainju, USDA-ARS Research Soil Scientist

Morning IRRIGATED Session, Part 1:

• Introduction to the NDSU Soybean Breeding Program: Carrie Miranda, Asst. Prof, NDSU-Fargo, Soybean Breeding Program

• Intercropping Study Data: Justin Jacobs, NDSU Irrigation Research Specialist

• Selecting Cereal Varieties for Irrigated Production: Chengci Chen, MSU EARC Superintendent

• Overhead sprinkler-irrigated cropping systems with different levels of rotation diversity and tillage intensity: Bart Stevens, USDA-ARS Research Agronomist

Morning JOINT Session:

• Weed Control in Row Crops: Charlemagne Lim, NDSU Extension Weed Scientist

• Poster Session |: Break

Morning DRYLAND Session, Part 2:

• Influence of Native and Introduced Grasses on the Performance of Wheat Stem Sawfly and its Biocontrol Parasitoids: Tatyana Rand, USDA-ARS Research Ecologist

• High Protein Peas: Bill Franck, MSU EARC Research Scientist

• Durum Yield Following Bioenergy Feedstocks, Fallow, and a Cover Crop Mix: Brett Allen, USDA-ARS Research Agronomist

• Does Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) Depend on Insects for Seed Production? Josh Campbell, USDA-ARS Research Entomologist – Pollination Specialist

Morning IRRIGATED Session, Part 2:

• Safflower Production Under Irrigation: Jerry Bergman, recently retired WREC Director

• Managing Cercospora and Fungicide Resistance: Frankie Crutcher, MSU EARC Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

• Crop Water Use and Water Use Efficiency: Jay Jabro, USDA-ARS Research Soil Scientist

ˆIrrigation Scheduling: Why Is It Important, How Do We Utilize It in Our Operation, and Is Water, Just Water? - Tyler Tjelde, NSDU Research Agronomist

Lunch – Catered by Famous Dave’s | Sponsored by the Northern Pulse Growers Association

Afternoon RANGELAND Session:

• Palmer Amaranth: Weed to be Aware of: Charlemagne Lim, NDSU Extension Weed Specialist

• Leafy Spurge and Russian Olive Research: Natalie West, USDA-ARS Research Ecologist

• Crested Wheatgrass Response to Combined Fire and Grazing: Carissa Wonkka, USDA-ARS Research Ecologist

• GRASSHOPPER WORKSHOP:

1. Rangeland Grasshopper Biology and Management: Dave Branson, USDA-ARS Research Entomologist

2. Best Pest Management of Cropland Grasshoppers: Janet Knodel, NDSU Professor and Extension Entomologist and Travis Prochaska, NDSU Extension Crop Protection Specialist

Everyone interested is encouraged to attend. Again, the summit is free, but preregistration is encouraged for determining a meal count. You can register online at https://tinyurl.com/2023agsummit or by calling or emailing Beth Redlin at 406-433-2020, [email protected], or Violeta Hobbes at 701-774-4315, [email protected].