Palmer amaranth — one of the most aggressive weeds threatening Nebraska’s dry bean fields — will take center stage at the 2025 Bean Growers Day in Grant.
Nebraska growers are invited to gather Thursday, Sept. 4 at the Stumpf International Wheat Center. for a free, daylong event featuring the latest research on nitrogen, iron, weed and insect management in dry beans, along with an industry update. The event will feature several speakers and an industry update. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. MT and includes lunch. Registration is requested to ensure an accurate count.
This year’s agenda places special emphasis on strategies to control Palmer amaranth, which has cemented its reputation as a persistent threat due to herbicide resistance and aggressive growth.
"Palmer amaranth management is currently the most critical issue facing irrigated crop production within the Panhandle and the major focus of the Panhandle Weed Science Program,” said Dr. Nevin Lawrence, Nebraska Extension weed management specialist, who will lead a session on the Palmer amaranth management.
Alongside weed management, the program will highlight fertility research aimed at improving dry bean productivity. Bijesh Maharjan, Nebraska Extension soil and nutrient management specialist, will share results from ongoing nitrogen and iron management trials in both fully and deficit-irrigated systems. His session will also address the challenge of Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC), a common problem when dry beans are grown on high-pH soils.
Sign-up for CCA credits will be available at this meeting.
Registration is requested to ensure an accurate lunch count. Call 308-352-4340 to register.
The agenda is as follows:
- 9–9:30 a.m. — Sign-in and coffee
- 9:30–9:40 a.m. — Welcome
- 9:40–10:15 a.m. — Nitrogen and Iron Management in Dry Beans, Bijesh Maharjan
- 10:15–11 a.m. — Palmer Amaranth Management in Dry Beans, Nevin Lawrence
- 11–11:15 a.m. — Break
- 11:15–Noon — Palmer Amaranth Management in Dry Beans (continued), Nevin Lawrence
- Noon–1 p.m. — Lunch
- 1–1:30 p.m. — Dry bean industry update, Courtney Schuler
- 1:30–2:10 p.m. — Dry Bean Insect Pest Monitoring and Management, Pin-Chu Lai and Samantha Daniel
- 2:10–2:40 p.m. — Nebraska Extension On-Farm Research Updates in Dry Beans, John Thomas
- 2:40 p.m. — Complete evaluation and head home
The Stumpf International Wheat Center is located at 76025 Rd. 329, Grant, NE 69140.
