Wheat plot tours in Box Butte, Cheyenne counties

By John Thomas
Nebraska Extention

Wheat variety trial plots are located in Cheyenne and Box Butte counties.

In Cheyenne County, 50 dryland varieties are planted at the High Plains Ag Lab.

In Box Butte County, 50 dryland varieties and 28 irrigated varieties are planted at the Chris Cullan farm. Discussion topics will include genetics (new varieties on the horizon) and also production issues.

Photo courtesy: http://www.canstockphoto.com

Specialists and crop breeders from the public sector, as well as representatives of private seed companies, will be on hand at wheat tour stops. Speakers will include UNL Small Grains Breeder Stephen Baenziger, UNL Plant Pathologist Stephen Wegulo, and Robert Graybosch, wheat breeder with the U.S. Department of Agriculture based in Lincoln. Other UNL and company reps also will speak at some of the plots.

The 50 dryland and 28 irrigated varieties come from UNL, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, and commercial seed companies. The varieties include both experimental lines and commercially released varieties. Seed companies represented in the variety trials include Husker Genetics (UNL), PlainsGold (Colorado State University), AGRIMAXX, Limagrain Cereal Seeds, AgriPro Syngenta, Dyna-Gro Seeds, WestBred (Monsanto), CRFW (University of Wyoming), and CROPLAN.

The schedule of wheat tours:

June 20, High Plains Ag Lab, Sidney: During the HPAL field day, Morning field day featuring wheat on dryland crops, grazing systems, and integrated crop-livestock research.
June 20, Box Butte County: 4 p.m., irrigated wheat variety plot tour at Chris Cullan farm, Box Butte County. From Berea, ¾ mile north on Highway 385; plot is on west side of highway.
June 20, Box Butte County: 7 p.m., dryland wheat variety plot tour at Chris Cullan farm. From Berea, north on Highway 2 for 2.7 miles, then west on Hall Rd 0.65 miles. Plot is on the south side of the road.
In the evening following the Box Butte County Dryland Variety tour there will be a hamburger feed sponsored by Husker Genetics at the Cullan Farms shop located at 6733 Franklin Road. All who are attending the tour are welcome to come.