University of Nebraska winter wheat plot tours June 20-23 in the Panhandle will give producers an opportunity to learn more about new wheat varieties and other topics relevant to producers in western Nebraska.

Plots are located in Box Butte, Deuel and Cheyenne counties, and just across the Wyoming line.

In addition to the conventional plots, the June 21 tour at the High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney will feature organic plots. The conventional plot tour starts at 8:30 a.m., and the organic tour will start at 10 a.m. Dr. Dipak Santra, alternative crop breeding faculty, will discuss yield, quality traits and wheat canopy cover to suppress weeds. Fenugreek will be discussed as a potential cover crop, and also weed control in sunflowers with a flamer. Information will be presented on how to use varietal performance in conventional yield trials to supplement organic data.

The Sidney organic tour will be one of three organic wheat plot tours scheduled across the state. The UNL Wheat Breeding program is working with millers and bakers to select winter wheat cultivars for the organic market with an emphasis on nutritional whole-wheat products. Antioxidants, dietary fiber and gluten strength, as well as yield performance and disease resistance, will be discussed for each of the varieties grown on certified organic research land.

A full schedule to wheat plot tours throughout the state can be found at cropwatch.unl.edu.

The schedule of wheat plot tours in the Panhandle (conventional and organic) is listed below. For more information, contact the extension educator in the host county.

June 20, 6 p.m. – Deuel County: From U.S. 30 and Wheatland Drive on the west edge of Chappell, north 8.5 miles on Rd 165, west side of road. Host Specialist/Educator: Dipak Santra, 308-632-1244; Carla Mahar 874-2705.

June 21, 8:30 a.m. – High Plains Ag Lab, Sidney: From Sidney, 6 miles north on U.S. 385 or from Gurley, 7 miles south on US 385, 2.5 miles west at Huntsman elevator on Rd 32, 0.5 miles north on Rd 109, 1 mile east on Rd 32N. (8:30 a.m.: Conventional wheat trial; 10 a.m.: Organic wheat trial.) Host Specialist/Educator: Dipak Santra, 308-632-1244-work; Drew Lyon, 308-632-1266 and Karen DeBoer, 308-254-4455.

June 21, 3 p.m. – Box Butte County Dryland: From Hemingford, about 5.5 miles south on Highway 2 to Hall Rd, west on Hall about 0.5 miles, south side of road (this is 0.2 west of Hall Rd & Rd 67). Host Specialist/Educator: Dipak Santra, 308-632-1244.

June 21, 4:30 p.m. – Box Butte County Irrigated: From Hemingford, 0.5 miles north on CR 70 (oil road). Plots are on the east side of the road. Host Specialist/Educator: Dipak Santra, 308-632-1244.

June 23, 10:30 a.m. – Albin, Wyo: From Albin, west 2.5 miles on Highway 216, then 2 miles south on Rd 159, then 0.3 miles west on Rd 227, then continue south 2 miles on Rd 159, then west 3 miles to Rd 156, turn north 0.7 mi. Plots are on the west edge of the north center pivot. Host Specialists: Jerry Nachtman, 307-837-2000 or Jim Krall (307-837-2000).

June 23, 1:30 p.m. – Pine Bluffs, Wyo.: From Pine Bluffs, north 6 miles on Highway 215 or from Albin 11 miles south, west at Mattson farm sign, plots on east side of road south of grain cleaning building. Host Specialists: Jerry Nachtman (307-837-2000) work or Jim Krall (307-837-2000).