By Seth Truscott
Scientists will walk dryland grain growers through discoveries that could save fuel, fertilizer, and other input costs at Washington State University’s longest-running field day.
The 108th annual Lind Field Day, Thursday, June 11, at Lind Dryland Station, gives producers in Washington’s low-rainfall grain country a look at new varieties and current research. A special focus for 2026 is on practices that may help farms stay competitive.
“Minimizing input costs and maximizing profitability is the unofficial theme for this year,” said Surendra Singh, Lind Station director.
A warm, wet crop year and the wettest April in over a century of records, compounded with rising farm input costs, have made this a very atypical year for dryland growers. Field day presentations address some of the challenges posed by these conditions.
Agronomist Aaron Esser and grower stakeholder Derek Schafer will present on precision weed control, which can help conserve sprays, as well as no-till drilling to prevent erosion.
“We have a practical perspective from Derek on the conservation tillage journey: what that was like for him and how he modified approaches to meet unique challenges on his farm,” Singh said.
Singh will present an ongoing study of commercial products and soil amendments sold to boost crop performance or as alternatives to fertilizer. Products chosen via a grower survey will be tested against a control over the next three years at Lind and Wilke Research Farm, funded by the Washington Grain Commission.
Source : wsu.edu