In-person rice field day Aug. 6

After covid-19 forced a virtual version last year, the in-person Arkansas Rice Field Day will be back Aug. 6 at the Rice Research and Extension Center at Stuttgart.

On-site registration opens at 7 a.m. There is no cost to attend, and the traditional field day lunch of catfish will be served, according to a news release.

“We’re glad to be back to a face-to-face format,” said Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “This is usually one of the most well-attended field days of the year, and producers and others have told me they’re ready to come back.”

This year’s field day will feature two rounds of tours, one beginning at 7:30 a.m. and the other at 9:30 a.m.

“As in 2019, each tour will cover only half of the stops so attendees wishing to see all tour stops will need to go on both the 7:30 and 9:30 tours,” Hardke said.

The details are still being finalized, but attendees can expect to hear about the following topics from research and extension faculty members of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture:

Rice breeding with Xueyan Sha, professor of plant rice and genetics, and Christian de Guzman, assistant professor of rice breeding and genetics.

Pathology update with Yeshi Wamishe, extension plant pathologist.

Agronomy with Hardke, extension rice agronomist.

Soil fertility with Trent Roberts, associate professor — soil fertility and soil testing.

Weed management with Jason Norsworthy, professor and weed scientist.

Insect management with Nick Bateman, Gus Lorenz and Ben Thrash, all extension entomologists.

Irrigation with Chris Henry, associate professor and water management engineer.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www. uaex.uada.edu.