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Fisher Delta Research Center Field Day set for Friday, Aug. 31
Soybeans, cotton and rice will all be featured during the annual Fisher Delta Research Center field day. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 31, at the Lee Farm in Portageville. The tours, as well as lunch, is free and open to the public.
The 57th field day is titled “Guiding the Future of Delta Agriculture.”
“Our field day is an exciting time where we can share a small sample of the professional research the team does here every day,” Director Trent Haggard said. “Truthfully, we wish we had more time to share more of what we do.”
Pengyin Chen and Gene Stevens will highlight the soybean tour. Chen, who holds the University of Missouri Plant Sciences Endowed Professorship of Soybean Breeding, will give updates on the new varieties bred and developed at the Research Center. An Extension professor, Stevens will present on his team’s work on soybean irrigation by maturity group.
“The soybean breeding team at the Delta Research Center has an incredible track record,” Haggard said. “They release four to six new varieties into the market every year. Many of the varieties will leave our program as conventional soybeans but be acquired and crossed with traits, and later released as a tech variety. Other lines will remain as conventional varieties that will be sold, grown and marketed for their traits at a premium. The checkoff dollars invested in our program has a tremendous return on investment.”
The cotton tour will feature discussions on growth, development and management. Calvin Meeks, research scientist, will present on managing cotton growth and development with remote sensing technologies. Earl Vories, adjunct professor and USDA-ARS agriculture engineer, will talk site-specific cotton management.
Jim Heiser and David Dunn will lead the rice tour. Heiser, a senior research associate, will talk about herbicide performance in furrow irrigated rice. Dunn, MU Extension associate in the soil testing lab, will discuss the importance of sulfur treatments to maximize rice yields.
“We perform research on an extremely wide number of soils, crops and management practices,” Haggard said. “Therefore, each research team leader offers up numerous possible topics for the field day. Generally, we decide which topics are the most valuable and timely.”
There will also be an opportunity to give back to the Fisher Delta Research Center this year – with a giving match of up to $500 per donor. From Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, CAFNR will match donations directed to any of the CAFNR Research Centers. That means a $500 donation, for example, would result in a $1,000 benefit to the selected center.
“Our Research Centers play a vital role in the CAFNR mission by conducting timely and important research – and taking that research to our farmers and producers,” said Christopher Daubert, CAFNR vice chancellor and dean. “Each Research Center is vitally important in the communities where they are located.
“Your donations provide critical operating funds that enable each of our Research Centers to purchase equipment, improve facilities and invest in new technologies. Your gifts ensure that our Research Centers continue the cutting-edge agriculture research and education necessary for the No. 1 economic driver in our state to continue to thrive.”
Donations can be made online to the Fisher Delta Research Center by visiting the Club of 1000 Endowment and entering a gift amount. Donations can also be made in person during this year’s field day event.
The Fisher Delta Research Center is located at Junction T & TT in Portageville, Mo., and is one of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Centers. For more information about the field day, call 573-379-5431 or email Haggard at HaggardT@missouri.edu. For more information about the Fisher Delta Research Center, visit delta.missouri.edu.
Attached photo cutline: Soybeans, cotton and rice will all be featured during the annual Fisher Delta Research Center field day. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 31, at the Lee Farm in Portageville. The tours, as well as lunch, is free and open to the public. The 57th field day is titled “Guiding the Future of Delta Agriculture.”