By Kay Ledbetter
Sorghum Education: Soil, Irrigation and Weed Management will be the focus of two regional sorghum meetings planned for March 26 and April 6 in Dimmitt and Levelland, respectively, by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
“These programs were planned to provide in-depth education towards issues identified as important to producers,” said Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension regional program leader in Amarillo. “Our speakers will provide the best, unbiased and most relevant information that is out there.”
Both programs will begin with registration at 8 a.m., with Dimmitt’s at the Castro County Expo, 405 S.E. 4th St., and Levelland’s at Mallet Event Center and Arena, 2320 U.S. Highway 385. The event is free and lunch will be provided at both locations.
Both meetings will offer two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units, one integrated pest management and one general, for private pesticide applicators.
Sponsors for both programs are the High Plains Groundwater District and the Texas Sorghum Producers Association. Preregistration for both meetings is encouraged for a lunch count. To preregister, attendees can contact their respective AgriLife Extension county office or by calling Danny Nusser at 806-677-5600 prior to the meeting.
Both programs start with presentations concerning sorghum soil and water relationships, including water utilization in cotton/sorghum rotations, crop water requirements, irrigation timing based on crop needs, irrigation decisions based on soil type, soil water holding capacity, plant available soil water, and agronomic relationship to water use.
Speakers during this section will be AgriLife Extension specialists Dr. Dana Porter, agricultural engineer in Lubbock; Dr. Jourdan Bell, agronomist in Amarillo; and Dr. Calvin Trostle, agronomist in Lubbock.
The second segment will feature discussions on the new sorghum pest, sugarcane aphid, and its history, control measures and future considerations. AgriLife Extension entomologists Dr. Ed Bynum, Amarillo, will speak in Dimmitt, and Dr. Pat Porter, Lubbock, will speak at Levelland.
A segment on resistant weed management will cover problem weeds and biology, how to plan for success and rotational considerations. AgriLife Extension personnel Kerry Siders, integrated pest management agent in Lamb, Hockley and Cochran counties, will speak in Dimmitt, and Dr. Peter Dotray, weed scientist in Lubbock, will speak at Levelland.
The Dimmitt program will feature a concurrent session during the second segment with emphasis on sorghum’s nutritional value to the cattle and dairy industries. It will be led by AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist Dr. Ted McCollum, Amarillo, and dairy specialist Dr. Ellen Jordan, Dallas, who will discuss the grain and forage feed value, sorghum’s place in nutrition management programs, and its value for grazing and haying.
Both meetings will wrap up with a panel discussion involving all the speakers prior to the lunch.
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