Weeds: We have “research level” weed pressure on much of our farm. We also propagate our own weed seed so that we are able to have a wider spectrum of weed control plots with consistent and reliable weed densities. Our primary weeds are foxtail (yellow and green), redroot pigweed, common lambsquarters, kochia, wild oats and waterhemp. Our waterhemp nursery has a population of glyphosate-resistant common waterhemp suitable for research plots.

Diseases: Fusarium head blight, rust and tan spot occur at moderate levels in our wheat. The level of severity varies by the year and weather.

Our soil has Aphanomyces and Rhizoctonia that affect sugarbeets. We also conduct studies on cercospora leaf spot on sugarbeet. We inoculate for this disease with high levels of success.

We are willing to inoculate for a number of diseases and can discuss this with more specifics to help you achieve your research goals.

Insects: We do not have significant foliar or soil borne insect problems at our farm with the exception of canola flea beetle. Soybean aphids populations fluctuate greatly from year to year but are often presnet. We have established a soybean cyst nematode site nearby over the past several years with SCN egg counts ranging from 2,000 – 70,000 eggs/100 cc soil.

Nutrients: The soils around our farm are clay or silty clay loams. We know the importance of uniform fertility conditions and maintain three year of commercial crop production between yielded trials. We are happy to work with fertilizers, plant growth regulators, biostimulants, etc.

Crops: We work with wheat, durum, barley, oats, sugarbeet, flax, canola, corn, soybean, edible bean, camelina, and sunflower. We have done work with alfalfa, chickpea, sorghum, red beets, chicory, and lentils. We are equipped to do variety testing or seed treatment experiments on many different crops. We have done regulated trials with soybean genetics for several years too. We do not do any potato work. We do not have access to irrigation. We do not conduct GLP trials.