Five stops planned on wheat tour

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2024 KSU-Post Rock Extension District Wheat Plot Tours, Wednesday, May 22, to view more than 25 varieties in each of the wheat plots with five stops. The wheat tour day will have an “eastern” and “western” leg of the tours starting at 10 a.m. in Smith County with the Jewell County tour starting at 10:30 a.m. There will be two sites for lunch at 11:30 a.m. in Jewell at the city lake shelter house (blue water tower) sponsored by State Exchange Bank and noon at the Osborne County Wheat Plot sponsored by Midway Co-op, Inc.

The Osborne County wheat plot tour will begin following lunch at 1:30 p.m. with the Lincoln County Plot tour also starting at 1:30 p.m. The last stop will be the Mitchell County plot starting at 4:30 p.m. south of Beloit. Variety trials along with the wheat condition throughout the growing season, will be discussed at each of the plot stops along with additional fertility and seeding rate studies at the Mitchell County location.

The Jewell County Wheat Plot, with Darrell and Josh Bohnert) as cooperators, is located off of Highway 14 at H Road, then 1 1/2 miles west on the north side of the road. The “eastern” leg will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Romulo Lollato, KSU wheat and forage specialist and Kelsey Andersen Onofre, KSU Extension plant pathologist. The Lincoln County wheat plot with Rosebrook Farms as cooperators, starts at 1:30 p.m. and is located 3 miles west of Beverly or 8 miles east of Lincoln on Highway 18 on the south side.

The Smith County Wheat Plot, with cooperator Steve Kuhlman, is located right north of Landmark Implement on the west edge of Smith Center with the tour starting at 10 a.m. The “western” tour will then continue to Osborne County starting with lunch at the Osborne County wheat plot with the tour following, beginning at 1:30 p.m., with cooperator Doane Farms (Craig and Rodney Doane), located off of Highway 24, (east of Junction 281) to 60 Road, then south on the east side. The “western” leg will include Dr. Lucas Haag, KSU NW Agronomist and Bryan Rutter, KSU soil testing lab.

The day will end with a stop in Mitchell County at the KSU replicated wheat plot with cooperator Marty Fletchall. This is located 10 miles south of Beloit on Highway 14, then 8 miles west on S Road with plots on the north side.

The evening plot discussion will begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by supper at approximately 5:45 p.m., featuring K-State Research and Extension agronomists mentioned previously along with Scott Dooley, KSU NC experiment field agronomist, to answer questions. Supper will be at the Fletchall house close to the plot following the tour.

The complimentary meal is provided by local agri-business sponsors. The tours provide the opportunity to visit one-on-one with KSU agronomists. Producers are invited to make their own observations at any of the stops that fit their schedule. Variety signs will be up in the plots soon, so check them out prior to the plot tour. Producers are encouraged to check out the plots nearest their operation then bring a neighbor for the presentations along with lunch or dinner at any of the plots.

For further information go to the Post Rock Extension District Website, http://www.postrock.ksu.edu, under “events” or contact Sandra Wick at any of the Post Rock Extension District offices.