CLC AgCentric hosting Field Day
Variable irrigation controlled by a smart phone will be one of the demonstrations at the Central Lakes College Ag & Energy Center Field Day, Friday, Aug. 26, at the Staples campus, starting at 9 a.m.
The irrigation workshop and demonstrations will be at 1:30 p.m. and will show how the irrigation system is remotely monitored and how nozzle pressure can be adjusted for different types of ground.
“This is the next step in irrigation,” said Ag & Energy Center Director Keith Olander.
Another new event will be a children’s program at 10 a.m. Activities will include technology demonstrations from the AgCentric technology trailer with mini-drones, a greenseeker crop sensing system, a science soil compactor and an aquaponics unit. They will also have the opportunity to drive equipment and tour the gardens.
Adults can also learn what’s growing at CLC at 10 a.m. with the local foods tour showing plots of hazelnuts, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, apples and grapes. The tour will show how CLC provides food for local programs such as Choose Health through Lakewood Health System. There will also be wine tasting after the tour for the adults.
Agronomic tours of CLC’s research projects will be held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The research projects are part of Minnesota Department of Agriculture and other partners, many of them involving nitrate monitoring.
At 11 a.m. there will be a tour of the plots in Byron Township that are gaining attention for land conversions involving cover crops, crop rotations and ground water studies.
The 12:30 p.m. lunch program will include Ag & Energy Center Director Keith Olander, CLC President Hara Charlier, Minnesota Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Boerboom, and the Minnesota House of Representatives Chair of the Agriculture Policy Committee Paul Anderson.
CHS will show their ag innovation plot at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Corn demonstrations will show different nitrogen application rates.
Midwest Machinery will will also be there showing some of their latest farm equipment.
Living Legacy Gardens will host their annual ice cream social in the gardens at 1:30 p.m..