Speakers announced for field day

The annual field day at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney will be held Thursday.

Coffee starts at 8:30 a.m., and the field tour begins at 9 a.m. Lunch, sponsored by local agribusinesses, will be served at noon.

Speakers will include:

• Barry Jacobsen, MSU Extension pathologist, Bozeman, will discuss alternative crop disease management.

• Russ Fullmer, Sidney Sugars agricultural manager, will discuss sugar beet varieties and the 2009 sugarbeet crop and outlook.

• Chet Hill, North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center Extension specialist, Williston, N.D., will discuss alternative crops.

• Charles Flynn, MSU-Eastern Agricultural Research Center research chemist, will discuss oilseeds for biodiesel/biobased products and corn/small grains for ethanol.

• Lorna Bradbury, North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center horticultural research specialist, Williston, will discuss high value horticultural crops for the MonDak region.

• Jerry Bergman, MSU-Eastern Agricultural Research Center superintendent/North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center director, will discuss safflower research and management.

• Joyce Eckhoff, MSU-Eastern Agricultural Research Center Research agronomist, will discuss value-added durum research and development.

• Thomas Blake, MSU Barley breeder, Bozeman, will discuss barley varieties and development.

• Luther Talbert, MSU spring wheat breeder, Bozeman, will discuss spring wheat varieties and development.

• Bart Stevens, USDA-ARS agronomist, will discuss delayed nitrogen fertilizer research.

• Robert Evans, USDA-ARS research leader and agricultural engineer, will discuss irrigated cropping systems.