The 2019 Nebraska Dry Edible Bean Day will feature an address by the Nebraska Director of Agriculture, presentations by dry bean processors, and updates from university researchers and the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission.

Dry Edible Bean Day is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the Gering Civic Center and is sponsored by the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association (NDBGA).

Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. After welcome messages from NDBGA President Paul Pieper, Panhandle Research and Extension Center Director Jack Whittier, and Nebraska Dry Bean Commission Chair Courtney Schuler, the growers’ association annual meeting will start at 1 p.m.

The keynote speaker, Steve Wellman, director of the Nebraska Director of Agriculture, is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. Presentations by Cindi Allen, assistant Nebraska secretary of state and former member of the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission, and dry bean processors will follow.

The program will include presentations by extension specialists and educators reporting on their research programs at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

• Update on Dry Bean Breeding Activities ― Carlos Urrea, dry bean breeding specialist
• Managing the Western Bean Cutworm Better ― Jeff Bradshaw, entomologist
• Sensor-Based Dry Bean Irrigation Scheduling ― Xin Qiao, extension water and irrigation management specialist
• Control of Palmer Amaranth and Nightshade ― Nevin Lawrence, extension integrated weed management specialist
• Old Diseases in New Crops ― Bob Harveson, extension plant pathologist
• Results from On-Farm Research ― John Thomas, extension educator

The event will end with a social hour from 5-6 p.m. Vendor booths will be available throughout the event.

Bring a Can

Attendees are asked to bring a bag or can of beans or other food item to registration. Each food item or monetary donation is worth a ticket for several grand prize drawings.

More information about the event, including a brochure with a complete schedule and list of vendors, is available at the NDBGA website.