Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The event is to be held at Ag Sciences Center.
Residents, visitors, officials and area ranchers and farmers prepare for a tour of the Ag Science Center at Tucumcari during last year's annual field day. This year's field day will be held on Tuesday.
The Agricultural Science Center in Tucumcari will hold its annual field day, which will give residents and visitors an opportunity to see applications and contributions New Mexico State University is making to the agricultural industry regionally and statewide.
"In such difficult times of funding the center must find new ways to push forward with their research and applications for its results," said Leonard Lauriault, center superintendent.
Registration for dinner and the evening program begins at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the ag science center.
The pre-dinner speaker is Chad Smith, chief executive officer of New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.
"While we present information of value to farmers and ranchers, our field day is a family event," said Lauriault.
Lauriault said the NMSU ag center in Tucumcari is the only science center with the infrastructure to conduct both crop and livestock research.
He said the first speaker, Jerry Hawkes, agricultural economist will discuss developing cost and return estimates for the Tucumcari Irrigation Project. Producers are encouraged to bring any production records they are willing to share for use in developing the cost and return estimates, Lauriault added. He said anonymity will be maintained on records.
Lauriault and the staff at the NMSU ag center in Tucumcari have been working on projects with renewed energy after learning their center was not one of centers the college is considering closing.
In June NMSU's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Dean Rolando A. Flores discussed public concern regarding the possibility of closing two agricultural science centers.
"Despite learning the center in Tucumcari is not being considered for closure, it's no time to relax or let our guard down," Lauriault said.
During the field day Lauriault will give a presentation on relay intercropping cover crops into corn or sorghum for fall forage. Murali Darapuneni, assistant professor of semi-arid cropping systems at Tucumcari, will present information on the scope and opportunities of strip tillage.
Sal Lopez and Lee Gallegos of the New Mexico Workers Compensation administration will talk about the changes in the workers' compensation law regarding farms and ranches.
NMSU faculty and students will also give presentations on these topics:
• Grazing research update (Brandon Meyerhoff, NMSU Animal and Range Sciences Department graduate student)
• Blue corn selections for various beneficial traits (Randall Montgomery, NMSU Plant and Environmental Sciences Department graduate student)
• Resisting weed resistance (Leslie Beck, extension weed specialist)
• Tillage management systems for corn and cotton (Sifat Sultana, NMSU Plant and Environmental Sciences Department graduate student)
