Wheat is big business in the Bluegrass state. According to the Kentucky Small Grain Growers’ Association, the state’s farmers harvested 30 million bushels of winter wheat from 375,000 acres in 2022. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Grain and Forage Center of Excellence supports the state’s wheat growers in many ways, including an annual field day.  

The 2023 Wheat Field Day is May 9 at the UK Research and Education Center farm in Princeton.  

“We’ve been conducting winter wheat research at the UKREC for decades,” said Chad Lee, UK Grain and Forage Center of Excellence director. “This field day will kick off a full slate of field day and workshop activities at Princeton this year. Anyone interested in learning more about the applied research we’re doing and the latest wheat management developments should attend the Wheat Field Day.” 

Topics this year include: 

• Drone regulations, applications and economics - UK extension engineers Josh Jackson and Tim Stombaugh 

• Wheat market outlook - UK extension marking specialist Grant Gardner 

• UK oat and rye breeding - UK small grains breeder Lauren Brzozowski 

• Wheat versus weather: a recurring battle - UK plant and soil sciences graduate student Kinsey Hamby 

• Fusarium head blight management – UK extension pathologist Carl Bradley 

• Wheat agronomics – UK grain crops extension associate Connor Raymond 

• Variety trial walkthrough – UK wheat breeder Dave Van Sanford and UK research specialist Bill Bruening 

• Sustainable wheat management in the presence of natural enemies in grain and soybeans – UK extension entomologist Raul Villaneuva 

Registration begins at 8 a.m. CDT and the program starts at 9 a.m. Continuing educational credits are available for certified crop advisors and pesticide applicators.  

The UKREC farm is at 1205 Hopkinsville St., Princeton, KY 42445. For more information about UK’s wheat science program, visit http://wheatscience.ca.uky.edu/.