Chester, Maryland (April 24, 2024) – The Maryland Grain Producers wants you to come see farmers’ check off dollars hard at work at the Maryland Small Grains Field Days! The field days featuring check off funded small grains research and commercial demonstration plots are being held May 22nd at the Wye Research and Education Center and May 23rd at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in partnership with the Maryland Crop Improvement Association.
The first stop on each tour will allow attendees to view commercial wheat plots and hear from local seed retailers. Check off dollars are used to compare a number of wheat and barley varieties to provide Maryland growers with real results. You can find previous variety trial data online at https://Maryland.Medius.Re/.
The next stop will take attendees to the University of Maryland’s Small Grains Breeding Program. Grower dollars are hard at work to develop wheat cultivars that are high-yielding and disease-resistant. Dr. Vijay Tiwari has been building this program since 2019 and Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board has provided $161,434 in funding. Varieties should be commercially available in the next few years.
Then, attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about Dr. Nidhi Rawat’s research on managing Fusarium Head Blight across the state. Dr. Nidhi and her team stimulate disease conditions at the University of Maryland College Park’s greenhouses with a misted nursery to help Dr. Tiwari provide a disease-resistant varieties and find the best products to protect Maryland wheat. You can find the latest reports on our website at www.MarylandGrain.org.
The last stop before a complimentary dinner will allow everyone to view Dr. Nicole Fiorellino’s research on nitrogen rate in high yielding wheat. Check off dollars are supporting this research in hopes of updating Maryland’s Nutrient Management recommendations. First-year results will be available after wheat harvest this year, recommendations will be available after three years of data.
We hope you are able to join us for our Small Grain Field Days. We will be at the Wye Research and Education Center on May 22nd and the Central Maryland Research and Education Center on May 23rd. Registration is free and encouraged, please register www.MarylandGrain.org.
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