By Brian Hefty

Please register today at agphd.com for the Ag PhD Field Day!  You are invited to join us for the Ag PhD Field Day on Thursday, July 27th!  My brother Darren & I, along with our great staff, are hosting this event on our farm near Baltic, SD.  The Field Day site is just 15 minutes from the Sioux Falls airport, and less than 10 miles from both Interstate 90 and Interstate 29.  Our address is 47669 252nd St, Baltic, SD.  Field Day hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but please arrive at least 30 to 60 minutes early, as we start promptly at 8 a.m.

HERE IS OUR TENTATIVE AGENDA:

8 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. – Darren & I will give you a guided tour of our research and new technologies plots.  We will have a host of experts for you to visit with during our morning session, and there will be plenty of breaks so you can look around and ask questions.

10:45 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. – Lunch, including a small lineup of great guest speakers you can only hear during this time

Noon to 3 p.m. – Breakout sessions featuring the following guest speakers and topics:

  • Randy Dowdy (Georgia) – Corn & soybean yield champion
  • David Hula (Virginia) – Current World Record holder for corn yield
  • Farmer/Consultant Panel including Matt Swanson (Illinois), Matt Miles (Arkansas), & Rob Dedman (Arkansas) discussing high yield soybeans, corn, & wheat
  • Farmer Panel including Dan Arkels (Illinois) & Perry Galloway (Arkansas) discussing high yield soybeans, corn, & wheat
  • Farmer Panel including Lee Lubbers (South Dakota), Marty Klinker (Montana), & Van Wiebe (Idaho) discussing high yield wheat, corn, and other crops
  • Farmer Kevin Matthews (North Carolina) discussing high yield corn & soybeans in irrigated and non-irrigated land
  • Michelle Miller, known as the “Farm Babe”
  • John Kolb & Kale Van Bruggen, attorneys specializing in drainage law
  • Estate Planning featuring some of the top estate lawyers in the U.S.
  • Grain Marketing with Chicago Board of Trade experts
  • Brian Hefty discussing soil testing, plant tissue analysis, & more
  • Darren & Brian Hefty with a live Ag PhD Radio Show at 2 p.m.

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. – High Yield corn (dryland & irrigated), soybean, and wheat plots.  See first-hand what yield champions are doing in plots they have been managing all season on our farm!

All Day – Weather permitting, we will have live planting, harvesting, spraying, tillage, and tiling demonstrations.  Case IH will have a Ride & Drive area.  There will be a special Kid’s Area.  Free food & drinks will be available all day.  We will also have researchers and executives from many of the major technology companies there to answer your questions.

During the Field Day this year, we have a few special events, including:

  • Case IH will be unveiling the latest innovation in Steiger tractors.  This will be the first place in the U.S. you can see the new tractors, and you’ll have an opportunity to drive them!
  • Hypro will be introducing their new 3D spray nozzles, which will improve spray coverage, while at the same time reduce spray drift.  You will have a chance to see and win these nozzles!
  • We believe we will have the world’s first floating tractor!  If all goes well, you should be able to see a tractor floating on water as a demonstration of how to reduce compaction by increasing tire flotation.

Our average temperature July 27 is just 85 for a high and 60 for a low.  I am praying we have perfect weather that day, but just in case we don’t, we have plenty of buildings, air conditioning, and great tents.

Our field day is free, but we encourage you to bring any extra jackets you have for our Ag PhD charity drive this year.

Whether it’s an extra seed jacket or an ordinary coat, big or small, we would accept your donation at the front gate when you arrive.  Our goal is to put jackets on 5000 people in need this next winter!

Last year we had over 10,000 farmers from 40 different states and 25 foreign countries, so there is a lot of opportunity to meet new people and hear about new ideas in crop production.

Please go to this page to register and here for more details, including hotel and camping options.  We also have a number of buses throughout the region you can ride for free (the list can be found here).  We really hope you can join us on Thursday, July 27th for the Ag PhD Field Day!