South Dakota State University’s Dakota Lakes Research Farm Hosts Field Day on June 29

South Dakota State University’s Dakota Lakes Research Farm (DLRF) will host its annual field day on June 29, 2023. It will begin at 3:00 PM (CST) and run until dark.

Two field tours will be offered (each lasting roughly 1.5 hours, and each running twice). Visitors will have the opportunity to attend both tours. A description of each tour and the presenters is shown below.

A dry spring has followed a harsh but wet winter. Despite heavy snows, Dakota Lakes remains in a prolonged 4-year drought. Normal precipitation from April 1-June 1 is 5.4”. For 2023, the precipitation from April 1-June 1 was 1.7”.

Tour 1

· Overview of the Cropping Year and Update of On-going Research- Sam Ireland; Manager DLRF (SDSU)

· Winter Wheat and Crop Variety Testing – Sunish Sehgal, SDSU Associate Professor and Winter Wheat Breeder; Jon Kleinjan, SDSU Extension Agronomist

· Pea Variety Testing – Christopher Graham, Associate Professor/Extension Agronomist, Department of Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science, Rapid City

Tour 2

· Importance of Crop Rotation and Impact to Soil Carbon Dynamics- Dwayne Beck, DLRF Manager Emeritus

· Livestock Integration at DLRF- Cody Zilverberg, DLRF Consulting Scientist

· Oats and Forage Oats- Melanie Caffe, Assistant Professor, SDSU Oat Breeder, Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science

· NREC Phosphorus Study- Role of Soil Biology - Clarence Winter, Graduate Student SDSU Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science Department.

The field day is sponsored by the Dakota Lakes Research Farm Corporation and South Dakota State University. A meal will be provided for attendees. There is no cost or required registration.

The farm is located approximately 17 miles east of Pierre on Hwy 34 (21310 308th Avenue; Pierre, SD). For more information on the SDSU Dakota Lakes Research Farm Field Day contact Miranda Wilson at 605-224-6357 or at [email protected].