A new summer “doubleheader” ag event is coming your way Weds., June 25, at the Michigan State University research farms as the Michigan Wheat Program’s Summer Field Day teams up with the MSU Weed Day!
This will be the 13th annual Michigan Wheat Program Summer Field Day, and it takes place at the MSU Plant Pathology Research Center, 3735 College Rd. in Lansing, from 12 noon through 4:10 p.m. at the Pathology Research Center and from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Mason Research Farm at 1614 Okemos Road, Mason, MI 48854.
If interested, the MSU Weed day is also on the 25th at the MSU Agronomy Farm at 4450 Beaumont Rd., Lansing, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with check-in and field tours at 9:30 a.m.
For an “extra inning,” attendees are invited to drive to the Mason Research Farm at 4:30 pm for a walking tour of wheat research plots, staffed by the researchers.
“We thought we’d try something different, to make our wheat farmers’ visits to the MSU campus on June 25th even more productive,” said Jeffery Krohn, chairman of the nine-member Michigan Wheat Program board and a wheat farmer from Owendale.
The traditional Wheat Summer Field Day with wagon rides to the fields to learn about the Michigan Wheat Program-funded research work, begins at 1:00 when wagons roll” Krohn said.
Researchers stationed at the plots will describe their specific project, its history, why it was undertaken and a close-to-harvest view of how the project worked out.
Following is the afternoon schedule for the 2025 MI Wheat Program Field Day:
12 noon — Registration, Check-in
12:30 p.m. — Plant Diagnostic Station – Dr. Jan Byrne, MSU Plant Diagnostics Center
1 p.m. — Welcome and Introductions – Jeff Krohn, MI Wheat Program Chairman
1:10 p.m. — Round #1: Plot Presentations via wagon tour (20-minute stops)
- Wheat disease management and update – Dr. Marty Chilvers
- Managing FHB risk with resistant varieties – Dr. Eric Olson
- Wheat agronomy: Optimizing planting decisions – Patrick Copeland, Wallas da Silva, Paulo Arias, Dr. Manni Singh
2:40 p.m. — Round #2: Plot Presentations via wagon tour (20-minute stops)
- Soil fertility: More inputs or the right inputs – Dr. Kurt Steinke, Lane Suplito
- Fall vs. spring herbicide: What’s the best option? – Dr. Christy Sprague, Kaddi Gewirtz
- Key growth stages, management timing – Dennis Pennington
4:10 p.m. — Evaluation, RUP and CCA
- Presentation and closing comments – Jeff Krohn
The “extra inning.” Participants may choose to drive to the Mason Research Farm, 1614 Okemos Rd., Mason. Three research teams will be located in plots there to describe their projects and results to date.
4:30 p.m. — Walking tour of plots at Mason Research Farm:
- Wheat varieties available to Michigan wheat growers – Dennis Pennington, Dr. Eric Olson
- It’s a cover-up! Wheat canopy closure – Dr. Manni Singh, Palo Aries
- Developing new wheat varieties for Michigan – Dr. Eric Olson
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Register for the Michigan Wheat Program 2025 Summer Field Day and the 2025 MSU Weed Tour located on the home page below under the Action Needed/Sign Up section of this website.
MSU Weed Day does have a cost, which cover lunch and a tour booklet. For advance registration (due June 19) Weed Day cost is $30. Cost for same-day registration for Weed Day is $40.
Questions on the Wheat Field Day may be directed to Jody Pollok-Newsom at jody@miwheat.org or call 1-888-WHEAT01. For more information about the Weed Tour, contact Erin Burns at burnser5@msu.edu.