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Food Shortages, Grain Use To Be Focus of K-State Field Day

COLBY, Kan. - Kansas State University will host a rather uncommon field day at its Northwest Research and Extension Center in Colby on Thursday, June 5.

"This is not your garden variety field day," said Freddie Lamm, K-State Research Irrigation Engineer and center coordinator. "This field day will focus on both wheat and forage production with a view of how shortages and prices are affecting farming in 2008 and beyond."

The event, titled "Busy Harvests in a New Economic Era," will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the program at 8:45 a.m. The center is located at 105 Experiment Farm Rd. From Range St. (Highway 25) in Colby, turn west on 4th St. (U.S. Highway 24) for one-half mile to Experiment Field Rd. and turn left (south).

"With the approaching wheat harvest and as forage production and handling gets under way," Lamm said, "it may be wise for producers to consider that worldwide food shortages and competing uses for grains and forages present a new economy."

Bob Gillen, head of K-State´s Western Kansas Agriculture Research Centers, will welcome participants at 8:45 a.m. Other speakers and topics will include:

oWheat Variety Trial and TrMV Discussion - Joe Martin and Pat Evans;

oAlfalfa Production with Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) - Freddie Lamm;

oWheat Cropping Intensity Study - Rob Aiken;

oWheat Rust and Fungicides - Eric DeWolf and Brian Olson;

oWhite Wheat - Kansas Wheat Commission Representative;

oSummer Annual Forage Production - Vaughn Sothman and Sandy Johnson;

oWheat Outlook and Marketing - Dan O´Brien; and

oFertility for Wheat in No-Tillage Situations - Alan Schlegel and Brian Olson.

Lunch will be served at noon.

More information is available by contacting the center at 785-462-6281 or email vbrown@ksu.edu.

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