"This is a great opportunity for farmers to share information and ask questions about cover crops, reduced tillage, and weed management using a roller crimper or flamer," said Rich Little, tour organizer and research technologist in UNL's Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.

The tour starts at 1:30 p.m. at Larry Stanislav's farm two miles north of Abie. Stanislav practices reduced tillage and uses a flamer to manage weeds in soybean. He will discuss how he has incorporated cover crops into his crop rotation, saving money on nitrogen and reducing soil erosion. Participants will view crimping research using UNL experimental lines of early-maturing triticale as mulch for weed suppression and evaluate the cash crop of drilled soybean. Stanislav is a cooperator in a Ceres Trust grant that provided partial funding to develop a twin-roller, adjustable-angle roller crimper, which will be on display at the field day.

At 3:30 pm participants will tour Randy Fendrich's farm three miles southeast of the Stanislav farm. Fendrich has demonstration plots of organic corn and soybean varieties that he is evaluating for yield. He will discuss his cultural practices and crop rotation, his use of a 12-row flamer/cultivator, and his program to build soil health. He also will discuss his succession plan for bringing his daughter into the farming operation.

At 5 pm Randy Anderson, research agronomist in the USDA North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, will discuss

• canopy architecture of cover crops for planning mixtures,
• berseem clover establishment, and
• improved crop tolerance to weed interference.

At 6 p.m. a free meal will be served. Call Dee at 402-584-3837 by Aug. 12 to reserve your meal.

The UNL event is sponsored by OCIA, the Organic Crop Improvement Association.

Contact

For more information about the farm tour contact Little at 402-805-7482 or email rlittle2@unl.edu.