Cotton, Grain Field Day Set For June 24

NEWELLTON, LA.

   The LSU AgCenter and Somerset Plantation will host a Cotton and Grain Field Day on June 24 at Somerset Plantation in Tensas Parish.

   The forum is supported by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and National Resource Conservation Service. The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation awarded a grant to the LSU AgCenter to fund a four-year research and demonstration project on reducing nutrient runoff from crop fields.

   Lisa Fultz, a soil microbiologist with the LSU AgCenter, along with other researchers and extension specialists will participate in the event.

   “We will provide an update on the progress we’ve made on the installation of best management practices in a large-scale, on-farm demonstration,” she said. “Some of these practices have been in place for roughly two years, and because of the timing of this field day, we’ll be able to show how some are impacting crop production, the successes we’ve had and the areas where we need more work.”

   A primary goal of the forum is to highlight and demonstrate best management practices to improve row crop production in the state of Louisiana, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and soil sustainability.

   “Attendees will see the different approaches and the different effects we’ve had to implement over the life of the project,” Fultz said. “Sharing information, whether from researchers or fellow producers, is the goal of the field day. The work we do is most helpful when we are sharing what we’ve learned.”

   The event will include field tours, an open forum and will cover a variety of topics, including cover crop termination and planting seeds into cover crops, water quality monitoring, conventional versus minimum tillage, nutrient-rich strips, moisture sensors, cover crop seeding rates, termination rotations and seeding technology.

   In addition to informational presentations and field tours, the 2020 Louisiana Outstanding Master Farmer will be recognized.

   There is no cost to attend, and a boxed lunch will be provided. All presentations will be held outside at an acceptable distance for COVID-19 requirements. Attendees are encouraged to wear a mask. ∆