2 new crops at 2009 field day

Alan Mauldin

July 04, 2009 10:45 pm

— MOULTRIE — Area farmers who attend the 2009 Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition field day Tuesday can check out two new arrivals for this year, alfalfa and switchgrass.
Field day begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration at the Family Living building at Spence Field. Other crops at the 600-acre Darrell Williams Research Farm will include cotton, corn, peanuts and hay.
Other features this year include “fast track” cotton varieties and information on the herbicide-resistant pigweed that has been invading south Georgia fields.
Switchgrass, thought to be an up and coming crop for ethanol production, was planted at Expo for the first time this year.
“It’s just an opportunity for us to work with University of Georgia researchers,” Executive Director Chip Blalock said. “It’s one of the big benefits we offer researchers, that we’re going to put the fertilizer to it when it needs it, we’re going to apply the water, apply the pesticides in the most environmentally friendly manner.”
Field day will offer farmers the latest research, new seed varieties, irrigation and crop protection techniques, Blalock said. More than 20 companies and universities will be represented.
Field day participants also can see two varieties of alfalfa that can grow in the lower southeastern United States.
Finding alfalfa varieties that grow in a temperate climate had been difficult, Blalock said.
Farm manager Michael Williams said that both varieties promise high yields.
“Field day is a great time for farmers to come in and gather information on the latest products in the lines of seeds, crop protection, irrigation and precision agriculture,” Blalock said. “This is information that participants can use in planning for the rest of this season and probably more importantly for 2010 and beyond.”
Following the tour of the field plots on covered trams a luncheon will be served with door prizes awarded.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.