WSU Field Days Go Virtual

One of the highlights for most Extension professionals in agriculture is the opportunity to showcase the latest and greatest in field research at field days and interact with growers face-to-face. Unfortunately, “face-to-face” during these unusual times is something to be avoided, so many of us are finding alternative solutions to accomplish the land grant mission. In this case, it means that Washington State University (WSU) has moved its summer 2020 field days online. WSU and USDA-ARS researchers have been working with the division of Academic, Outreach and Innovation as well as the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) Communications at WSU to visit variety trials and research plots around the state in order to film and produce virtual “field days”.

Each “field day” or location will be posted as a playlist on the WSU CAHNRS YouTube channel and users can click on the topic(s) of interest. Videos will be housed on the WSU CAHNRS YouTube page with links placed on multiple websites including the WSU Wheat & Small Grains website. We will also send out notifications via the Small Grains Twitter and Facebook when the videos are posted. The Lind Field Day is posted and the Reardan/Wilke Farm and Dayton field days should be posted by July 4. The Pullman Field Day will be posted no later than July 10.

Speakers and topics will include Arron Carter, Winter Wheat Breeding; Mike Pumphrey, Spring Wheat Breeding; Kim Garland-Campbell, Club Wheat Breeding; Rebecca McGee, Winter and Spring Pea Breeding; Bob Brueggeman, Barley Breeding; Dave Huggins, Cook Agronomy Farm research; Haiying Tao, Canola Fertility/Cover Crops; Lydia Fields, WEED-IT Technology in Chemical Fallow; Drew Lyon, Italian ryegrass and downy brome control; Tim Murray, Plant Disease; Rachel Bomberger, Plant Pest Diagnostic Clinic; Isaac Madsen, Canola Variety Trials; Aaron Esser, Dryland Cropping Systems; Bill Schillinger, Canola-Wheat Rotations; Clark Neely, Cereal Variety Trials; and Steve Van Vleet, Field Pea Agronomics.

Each topic will include a 10-15 minute video from WSU and USDA researchers and extension specialists. Filming will take place at the Ralston canola plots, the WSU Lind Research Station, the WSU Wilke Research Farm, the wheat variety trials near Reardan and Dayton, as well as the Spillman Research Farm, Cook Agronomy Farm, and Palouse Conservation Field Station, which are located in or near Pullman. Wheat variety trials will be discussed at all four sites (Lind, Reardan, Dayton, Pullman) and give a representation of trials from low, intermediate, and high precipitation zones from around the state.

To finish up our series of virtual field days, WSU Extension will be hosting a live, interactive discussion via Zoom on July 8 at 10:00am. The meeting will begin with an overview of wheat and barley varieties with Dr. Neely, but will then open up for questions and discussion on other topics as well. Speakers from the previously filmed field days will be attending to field questions from participants.

We encourage participants to send in questions ahead of time as well to small.grains@wsu.edu.


[row layout=”side-left” ]For questions or comments, contact Dr. Clark Neely via email at clark.neely@wsu.edu.[row layout=”thirds” ]