The farm crew has been working in overdrive to prep for this year’s Field Days. While we’ve always hosted an opportunity for farmers to join us to see the latest crop technology being put on trial in the fields, this year’s experience will be a bit different. Instead of a one-day Field Day, the Darrell Williams Research Farm at the Sunbelt Ag Expo will be open for visitors to explore the fields from 8:00 a.m. to dusk starting July 10 through July 24. Explore at your own pace when it is convenient for you. We invite you to see the most up-to-date research being carried out by the University and industry leaders. For more details about the Research Field Days, visit www.sunbeltexpo.com/field-day.
One of the crops we are most proud of on the farm and one that we are always excited to share about is hay. Dr. Lisa Baxter, Assistant Professor and State Forage Specialist with the University of Georgia, and her team conduct the research in the field. Read below for more information from Dr. Baxter:
The Sunbelt Ag Expo’s Darrell Williams Research Farm continues to provide an exceptional opportunity to highlight forage research in South Georgia by providing an outdoor classroom for County Extension Agent in-service trainings, producer field days, and collaborative industry events. The 2-acre bermudagrass garden provides a field-scale comparison of the six most popular bermudagrass varieties in the Southeast. Here producers can interact with and evaluate these different varieties before selecting the best option for their own farm. This area is also used for large-plot research trials to better simulate the yield impact of the treatments that would be observed on-farm. This area has previously been used for large-scale bermudagrass stem maggot and fertilizer research but is currently investigating the effects of spring applications of indaziflam and glyphosate on bermudagrass production. Herbicide treatments included: Indaziflam (PRE; Rezilon, Bayer Crop Science, Whippany, NJ) at 0.044 kg ai ha-1; Glyphosate (POST; Roundup Pro Concentrate, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO) at 0.52 kg ai ha-1; and Indaziflam at 0.044 kg ai ha-1 + Glyphosate at 0.52 kg ai ha-1 (PRE+POST). Each treatment was applied in January, February, and March. Treatment combinations were randomly assigned to split plots within each replicate for 54 total treatment combinations. Data are currently being collected and preliminary results will be available in fall 2024. For more forage information, please visit our website. Follow along with us (Georgia Forges and Lego Forage Specialist) on social media for timely research updates and important Extension recommendations.
