National Hard Spring Wheat Show has taken on a different look this year with the incorporation of the Best of the Best program.
The 2014 National Hard Spring Wheat Show has taken on a different look this year with the incorporation of North Dakota State University’s Best of the Best program.
The programs will be held at the Grand Williston Hotel and Conference Center on Feb. 3-5.
The NDSU Best of the Best program will offer information on some of the leading issues facing wheat growers. Fabian Menalled, Montana State University Extension crop weed specialist, will share the latest information on herbicide-resistant kochia and other weeds, plus the status and strategies for control. Andrew Friskop, NDSU plant pathologist, will discuss fungicide and diseases in wheat. Shana Pederson, NDSU Extension area specialist/cropping systems, and Joel Ranson, NDSU Extension agronomist, will speak on the topics of “Wheat After Corn, What Do I Need to Know?” and “Key to Better Durum Yields: What Did We Learn in 2013?”
Following a noon lunch sponsored by the Williams County Farmers Union, several speakers will give four hands-on demonstrations on a rotational basis. These demonstrations will include in-field sensors, factors impacting emergence and early seedling growth, soil salinity and nitrogen additions.
The demonstrations will be followed by Frayne Olson, NDSU crop marketing economist, who will present his market outlook for 2014. A panel of growers and industry leaders will share its views on trends and preferences in the barley industry. Other topics for the afternoon include successfully adding soybeans with wheat as a rotational crop by Greg Endres, NDSU Extension agronomist, and “Can Cadmium Levels in Durum be Managed” by Joyce Eckhoff, research agronomist at the Eastern Montana Agriculture Research Center in Sidney, Mont.
Also on the afternoon agenda are reports by the U.S. Durum Growers Association and Dustin Johnsrud, North Dakota Wheat Commission area director.
After an evening supper, participants will hear from Michael Baron, who is an estate planning consultant and CEO of Great Plains Diversified Services. Baron’s topic is “The Weight of Wealth: Is It Really Worth It?” He believes many people involved in agriculture who are receiving oil revenues suddenly find the increased valuation of their assets overwhelming. Baron will share ideas for good planning that can provide stability for future generations and remove the weight of wealth from the conscious or subconscious mind.
Baron will start the next day showing how limited liability partnerships and limited liability companies are tools that can be used.
Another keynote speaker is Elizabeth Hagen. She is a certified professional organizer and past National Association of Professional Organizers board director. She has authored several books and was the recipient of the 2010 Los Angeles Organizing Awards Best Organizer as Coach or Mentor Award. Her presentation will deal with helping people become more focused; get more done in less time; and have more momentum, confidence and success.
The guest speaker for those attending the recognition luncheon will be Fargo artist Steve Stark. He will present an illustrated history of North Dakota agriculture.
Completing the day will be John Nowatzki, NDSU agricultural machine specialist. He will talk about the use of remote sensing drones and sensors in agriculture. He will be followed by several industry representatives showing new technologies useful in crop production systems.
Also included in the wheat show is a photo contest that includes divisions for the novice and advanced photographer. The event also features commercial exhibits and a bread fair that has given thousands of fifth-grade students the opportunity to learn how to make bread and learn where their food comes from.