UW Research and Extension Center to Host Field Day and Precision Ag Expo Aug. 22

On Wednesday, Aug. 22, the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station will host a field day at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC) near Lingle. The field day will be integrated with a precision agriculture exposition, hosted in collaboration with Eastern Wyoming Community College (EWC).

A man and two kids watch a drone flying over a field. — Precision ag research, including best practice using drones, has been a recent area of focus at SAREC and other R&E Centers. A drone demo at the 2023 SAREC field day captivates participants young and old. Photo by David Keto.

The field day and expo are free and open to the public. Registration will open at 9 a.m.

From 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., UW researchers will present their current investigations during a field tour of SAREC grounds. Participants can also peruse scientific posters created by UW researchers.

“I like to think that all producers in the area would benefit from seeing some of the current technology and viewing for themselves some of the actual research that’s being conducted in crop management and variety trials,” says Steve Paisley, director of SAREC.

A catered lunch will be served at 12 p.m., followed by a keynote speech by Ron Rabou, an organic farmer from southeast Wyoming, who will discuss innovation in agriculture.

After Rabou’s presentation, the precision ag expo will begin, offering participants the opportunity to learn about precision ag equipment.

Precision ag uses new technologies to improve efficiency, allowing producers to manage exactly how materials, like seeds or herbicides or water, are used. These technologies include tractors with autosteer and GPS capabilities and pivot irrigation systems that can adjust how much water is applied to different parts of the field.

Throughout the day, participants will have a chance to examine precision ag equipment from local Torrington dealerships. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., dealership vendors will perform equipment demonstrations, including tractor field trials and commercial drone herbicide applications.

Following the precision ag field demonstrations, a closing reception will be held at 5 p.m., allowing for follow-up questions and discussion.

The expo is part of a grant from the Wyoming Innovation Program (WIP), which is designed to train Wyoming youth in skills that will allow them to be successful in Wyoming.

Attendees are asked to RSVP for the field day and expo by contacting SAREC at sarec@uwyo.edu or (307) 837-2000 no later than Friday, Aug. 16.