April 18 Cattle-Crops Field Day Slated in Vernon

Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-6101, email: t-mcalavy@tamu.edu

VERNON – Farmers and stockmen can update their knowledge of wheat production, grazing and  tillage systems, cool-season forages and stocker cattle management at a April 18 field day hosted by  Texas A&M’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center here.

Field tours will highlight this event, which begins with coffee and registration at 8 a.m. at the nearby Texas Foundation Seed Service facility. Participants can choose to take the morning field tour at three times: 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., or 9:30 a.m.
Each field tour will include four presentations/stops.

Bill Pinchak, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station ruminant nutritionist, will give an overview of current grazing studies at Stop 1. Jackie Rudd, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station wheat breeder at Amarillo, will cover forage and grain wheat breeding at Stop 2.

John Sij, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station agronomist, and Darius Marlinowski, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station forage agonomist, will overview an ongoing tillage study and information on forages at Stop 3. Todd Baughman, Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist, will discuss clearfield wheats at Stop 4.

“Clearfield” wheats are varieties bred for herbicide tolerance, much like Roundup Ready cotton. These varieties may give producers more, and possibly more effective, weed control options in their wheat crop.

The tours return to the foundation seed facility around 11 a.m. Participants can then learn about the latest options-opportunities in wildlife management from Dean Ransom, Texas A&M wildlife ecologist, and stocker cattle management-budgeting from Stan Bevers, Extension economist.

Participants will also get an update on the mission and season-to-season activities of Texas Foundation Seed Service by touring the foundation seed facilities.

A featured luncheon speaker will present the latest information on the farm bill now under consideration in Congress.
After lunch, representatives from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma Wheat Commission, and the Texas Wheat Producers Board will discuss current regulations on Karnal Bunt and the possibility of deregulation of this crop disease.

“This field day will offer farmers and stockmen the latest information on crops, forages, cattle, and management,”
said Galen Chandler, Texas Cooperative Extension district agriculture director. “We also plan to have several agribusiness exhibitors on hand, to showcase their products and equipment.

 “There is no charge to attend, registration is free. Lunch will be served at the foundation seed facility next door to
the Vernon center.”

For more information on the April 18 agriculture field day, call the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Vernon
at (940) 552-9941, or contact your local county Extension office.