Darren and Brian Hefty are experts among today’s farmers. Each year, the pair draw several thousands of people to South Dakota to check out field plots, hear from high-yield champs, and get a peek at emerging technologies.
Here are 15 great reasons you need to attend this year’s Ag PhD Field Day on Thursday, July 27.
1) There is nowhere else in the country you will be able to hear from the collection of high-yield farmers we have lined up as speakers at this year’s Field Day. Not only that, but these farmers all have plots on our farm that they have been managing all season. It’s great to hear how guys are making more money farming, but it’s even better to see it. We’ll share details of what has been applied to each plot, along with the costs.
2) We have many different crops. As always, we have corn, soybeans, and wheat, but we have a number of other crops at the field day site including peanuts, cotton, sugarbeets, tobacco, canola, sunflowers, dry beans, and sorghum.
3) We have some irrigation demonstrations in corn. There is sub-surface and overhead irrigated corn, and we have irrigation experts and high yield farmers to talk about irrigation.
4) Darren and I will give you a special, guided tour of our research plots, new technologies plots, First Steps plots, and more! Plus, we’ll talk to you about the farming practices that are working for us and those that aren’t.
5) The Field Day site is conveniently located just 15 minutes from the Sioux Falls airport, and less than 10 miles from both Interstate 90 and Interstate 29. Our address is 47669 252nd St., Baltic, SD.
6) This will be our largest event ever, with more to see and do than any Field Day we’ve had in the past.
7) We’ll have more demonstrations (weather-permitting) on planting, spraying, harvesting, tillage, tiling, and more. We’ll have some ride and drive activities you can participate in, too.
8) We have many other great guest speakers lined up on topics such as estate planning, grain marketing, drainage law, and biotechnology.
9) We will have kids’ activities all throughout the day.
10) We will have some speakers and other activities specifically for farm wives, too.
11) Since I just mentioned our women’s program, I can promise you that we will have the best restrooms you have ever seen at a farm show or field day in your life!
12) Our average temperature at that time of year is just 85 for a high and 60 for a low. I am praying we have perfect weather that day, but just in case we don’t, we have plenty of buildings, air conditioning, and great tents.
13) There will be excellent, free food throughout the day.
14) Our Field Day is free, but we encourage you to bring any extra jackets you have for our Ag PhD charity drive this year. Whether it’s an extra seed jacket or an ordinary coat, big or small, we would accept your donation at the front gate when you arrive. Our goal is to put jackets on 5,000 people in need this next winter!
15) Last year we had over 10,000 farmers from 40 different states and 25 foreign countries, so there is a lot of opportunity to meet new people and hear about new ideas in crop production.
