May 16, 2008

UNL Extension will sponsor organic farm tours June 17 and 18 on topics ranging from winter wheat varieties to flaming for weed control.

The June 17 workshop — Organic Winter Wheat Varieties and Integrated Pest Management — will be at UNL's Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord. The evening tour will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by a barbecue.

Speakers and topics include:

• Tom Hunt, UNL entomologist, integrated pest management, identifying and attracting beneficial insects, economic threshold development and resistance management;
• Richard Little, UNL organic wheat breeding specialist, organic winter wheat variety research;
• Santiago Ulloa, UNL graduate student, demonstration of flaming research on various crops to control weeds; and
• Liz Sarno, UNL organic project coordinator, update on the organic farming project and questions and answers on organic farming.

The June 18 workshop — Organic Winter Wheat Varieties and Various Methods and Equipment for Weed Control in Organic Crops — will be at the Forestry Research Area at UNL's Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. The evening tour will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a picnic afterward.

Participants also can view displays of various equipment used for weed control in organic crops and will discuss cultural practices.

Speakers and topics include:

• Little, organic winter wheat variety research;
• Ulloa, demonstration of flaming research on various crops to control weeds;
• John Quinn, UNL graduate student, conservation demonstration of native bird populations in working farm systems and discussion of the Healthy Farm Index, an assessment tool to help evaluate a farm's ecological and economic health; and
• Sarno, update on the organic farming project and questions and answers about organic farming.

To make meal reservations for either tour, call Pat at (402) 584-3837.

Directions to UNL's Forestry Research Area (June 18 tour): Travel north on Nebraska Highway 77 from Lincoln, turn east on Nebraska Highway 66 and travel seven miles to the top of the hill, just past the August N. Christenson Research and Education Building. Entrance to the Forestry Research Area is on the left, next to a row of trees. Take the farm road north one-half mile to the buildings on the left. If traveling south from Mead, take Road 10 south to Highway 66, turn west and go one-half mile to the gravel farm road on the right. Enter and go one-half mile north to buildings in the center of the section.