SDSU Southeast Research Farm offers agronomy and horticulture tours, family fun

There will be something for everyone at the South Dakota State University Southeast Research Farm Grain and Horticulture Crops Field Day on Tuesday, July 7, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Attendees will be able to choose from multiple farm tours, hear relevant research presentations and end the day with a family fun evening put on by SDSU Extension. All the educational fun is happening at 29974 University Road, Beresford.

“We have a wide range of topics that are being addressed at the field day,” said Pete Sexton, Southeast Research Farm manager and SDSU professor. “From corn and soybean production to small grains and horticulture to weather and market updates, anyone interested in crop production in southeastern South Dakota will find something that piques their interest and provides the opportunity to visit with experts on the topic.”

The first round of tours will head out around 1:30 p.m. There will be a break at 3 p.m. for SDSU ice cream, followed by a second round of tours at 3:30 p.m. and a third round of tours at 6 p.m. Also beginning at 3:30 p.m. are several indoor presentations on topics important to local producers. Two food trucks sponsored by Ingredion Inc. will be available from 5-7 p.m. along with SDSU ice cream and family activities from 4:30-8 p.m. More information about the specific tour/presentation topics and available experts are below.

Southeast Research Farm Field Day Tours/Presentations and Experts

1:30/3:30 p.m. tours

Small Grains and Forages Tour

• Soft white winter wheat and forage wheat – Sunish Sehgal
• Crop sequence after grazed rye – Pete Sexton
• Wildlife on production fields – Ashley Fazekas
• N in no-till transition – Matheus Costa
• Oat varieties – Melanie Caffee
• Yellow field peas: Potential new market/outlet – Brian Dawson/Mark Macrander

Corn and Soybeans Tour

• Nutrient management in corn – Peter Kovacs
• Rotation and soil health – Sierra Mesman and Matheus Costa
• Weed control with spring cover crops in corn and soybeans – Sachin Dhanda
• Corn and soy diseases – Madalyn Shires
• Corn insect pests – Adam Varenhorst
• Tile drainage/Automated control – Sushant Mehan

Weed Tour

• Corn and soybean herbicides –  Eric Jones

3:30/6 p.m. tours

Horticulture Tour

• Warm season cover crops and grafted cucumbers – Kristine Lang
• Tillage and mulch for watermelon production – Bret Lang
• Perennial elderberry polyculture – Robin Buterbaugh
• Heat tolerant lettuce for high tunnels – Joslyn Fousert
• Soil amendments for horticulture production – Bret Lang
• Bees in your bonnet – Phil Breed

3:30 p.m. Indoor Presentations

• Dectes stem borer – Adam Varenhorst
• 2026 weather outlook – Grace White
• Full-fat soybean in cattle rotations – Zach Smith
• Grain market trends – Sarah Sellers
• Drone vs. satellite imagery – Skye Brugler

4:30 p.m. The SDSU Extension Family Fun Evening will feature food trucks, kid activities, information booths and SDSU ice cream. More details can be found on the SDSU Extension website event page.

Field day attendees can enter to win a cooler backpack and receive an Agricultural Experiment Station giveaway item. Field days are free to attend, but registration is highly recommended to get accurate counts for food and resource materials. Registration is available online.

Mark your calendars for the Southeast Research Farm Forage and Livestock Field Day on Sept. 10 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

The Southeast Research Farm is made possible through a partnership between the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Southeast Research Farm board of directors. This field day is one of seven hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences taking place across the state of South Dakota this summer. More information about future field days is available on the SDSU website.