Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contacts: Tanner Wieghat, 325-732-4304, tanner.wieghat@ag.tamu.edu
MILLERSVIEW – It’s wheat tour time and once again the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s long-running Concho/McCulloch County Wheat Tour, set for May 4, has a full slate of speakers.
The day’s activities start with registration at 8 a.m., followed by the educational program at 8:30 a.m. in the Millersview Gymnasium, 12199 County Road 6009 in Millersview. Organizers caution attendees to allow plenty of arrival time as Farm-to-Market Road 765 is under construction between U.S. Highway 83 and Farm-to-Market Road 2134 .
The day will transition from the gymnasium at 3:30 p.m. to the wheat variety test plots at Millersview.
Participants look over wheat plots during the 2016 Concho/McCulloch County Wheat Tour. This year’s tour is set for May 4 at Millersview. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Maria Cervantes-Gonzalez)
The program and noon meal are free with an RSVP by May 1. Those who fail to RSVP will be charged $10 at the door. For more information and to RSVP, call Tanner Wieghat, AgriLife Extension agent in Concho County, at 325-732-4304, or call the AgriLife Extension office in McCulloch County at 325-597-1295.
Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units – one laws and regulations, two integrated pest management and two general – will be offered. Credits will be awarded only for the hours attended.
“As is our custom, the main goal of the program and tour will be to inform producers of the most current recommended practices to maximize production while minimizing input costs,” Wieghat said.
“Warm temperatures and ample rainfall have resulted in a host of wheat disease and insect problems across the Concho Valley. The favorable conditions produced thick stands of volunteer wheat, which if not terminated, perpetuate both problems, something the recent warm temperatures have exacerbated.
“We also are seeing some vernalization issues and the tour will provide an excellent opportunity to observe which varieties can still produce a viable grain crop under such conditions.”
Topics and speakers will include:
— Integrated Pest Management Update, Dr. Charles Allen, AgriLife Extension entomologist and state integrated pest management coordinator, San Angelo, and Joel Webb, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent in Runnels and Tom Green counties.
— Laws and Regulations for Pesticide Applicators, Cory Pence, TDA representative, San Angelo.
— Transporting Pesticides and Farm Vehicle Compliance, Justin Baker, Department of Public Safety officer, San Angelo.
— Harvest Weather Outlook, Hector Guerrero, National Weather Service meteorologist, San Angelo.
— U.S. Department of Agriculture-Farm Service Agency Update, Daniel Lange, Concho/Menard counties executive director, and Ben Rush, McCulloch County executive director.
— Using Precision Farming to Minimize Pesticide Use, Tracey Carrillo, Quality Implement Precision Farming Solutions manager, Munday.
— Disease and Pest Resistance Updates in Wheat Varieties, Dr. Clark Neely, AgriLife Extension state small grains and oilseed specialist, College Station.
— Alternative Crop Agronomics, producer panel and Neely.
— Marketing Alternative Crops, Kelly Kohlmeier, ADM merchandiser, Lubbock.
— Agriculture Policy/Marketing and Economics, Bill Thompson AgriLife Extension economist, San Angelo, and Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension economist, grain marketing and policy specialist, College Station.
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