LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Wheat Program’s 7th Annual Winter Grower Meeting will have a variety of topics at its one-day meeting Wednesday, March 20, at the MSU Saginaw Valley Research & Extension Farm, 3775 S. Reese Rd., outside of Frankenmuth. The meeting is set for 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics to be presented include:
- Welcome by David Milligan, chairman of the Michigan Wheat Program and vice president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) board of directors.
- Special keynote speaker Dr. Pierce Paul, professor and extension specialist with The Ohio State University Department of Plant Pathology, will speak on his work on Fusarium head blight epidemiology of wheat, as part of a multi-state cooperative project funded by the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative. Paul was born in Guyana, South America, and educated in Brazil, Iowa and Ohio. He has been with OSU for 13 years.
- Travelling from Washington, DC, presenter Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), will talk about wheat and agricultural issues on the federal scene.
- MSU wheat breeder Dr. Eric Olson will announce new wheat varieties being released.
- Dr. Christy Sprague, MSU professor and specialist in weeds in wheat, will talk about the emerging problem of controlling roughstalk bluegrass in wheat.
- Visiting professor and wheat expert Dr. Paul will join a MSU Production Roundtable on Michigan wheat production topics that includes professors Olson, Sprague, Marty Chilvers, Manni Singh, and Kurt Steinke. The Roundtable will be moderated by MSU wheat educator Martin Nagelkirk and MSU wheat specialist Dennis Pennington.
- Pennington and Nagelkirk will talk about new resources and information available to growers this year and highlight expectations for the 2019 wheat crop.
- A presentation by Michigan Wheat Program executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom will describe the check-off program’s focus for 2019.
In addition, the Annual Winter Grower Meeting will have a small trade show with nearly 20 vendors expected.
Media interested in attending all or part of the Winter Grower Meeting should contact Jody Pollok-Newsom, MWP executive director, at (517) 490-0280.
The Michigan Wheat Program is funded by nearly 6,500 farmers who grow wheat in 50 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The Michigan Wheat Program board seeks to promote the state’s wheat industry by funding and supporting the strategic priorities of wheat farmers working with input suppliers, seed producers, millers, end users and consumers. Research on wheat production practices and grower education has been an early priority for the organization.
— Michigan Wheat Program
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