PULLMAN, Wash. — Scientists will present research results on no-till farming in low rainfall areas, at the Ralston Project Field Day, Thursday, June 4 near Ralston.
Roger Veseth, Washington State University and University of Idaho extension conservation tillage specialist, said the program will feature results from the first three years of a large-scale five-year study on no-till annual spring cropping.
Topics will include management of weeds, diseases, and insects; crop performance; fertility and residue management; straw decomposition; soil quality; soil moisture; no-till seeding rates; alternate crops; flex- cropping, intercropping and economics.
The cropping systems research trial is on 20 acres in an 11-inch annual rainfall zone. Fourteen scientists from nine disciplines at WSU, the UI, Oregon State University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service have been involved.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. Tours will be from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., with a barbecue lunch at noon. To reach the site, take Highway 261 south of Ritzville for 13 miles and then go 3 miles west on Providence Road.
To register for the Field Day and the lunch or seek more information, contact Cindy at the WSU Cooperative Extension office in Ritzville, (509) 659-3214 or FAX 659-3206. The field day is free. The barbecue costs $6.50.
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