Ag PhD Field Day at Hefty Farms raises bar for field days

<p>As many as 10,000 people from 40 different states and provinces usually attend the annual field day near Baltic, S.D. This year, about 9,000 people attended the one-day event.</p>

<p>A sign picturing Brian (left) and Darren Hefty, who own Hefty Seed Co. and are hosts of the Ag PhD radio and TV shows, welcomes visitors to the Ag PhD Field Day.</p>

<p>The last mile of the road to the site was lined with current and historic U.S. flags as well as flags from nearly every state.</p>

<p>Acres of small grain stubble serves as the main parking lot for the field day. It rained a few hours before the event began, and gravel was spread on the parts of field road to keep vehicles from getting stuck.</p>

<p>Asgrow was one of several seed brands that had exhibits at the field day event.</p>

<p>Case combines, grain carts, tractors, sprayers and tillage implements were on display at the field day. Field demos were held as soil conditions allowed.</p>

<p>A Capello corn head rep talks to a field day attendee. Several other equipment companies and distributors exhibited, including Kuhn, Crary, Demco and many others.</p>

<p>The Ag PhD Field Day is held on part of the Hefty family farm.</p>

<p>They’re not playing a video game. Two people watch a BASF Revysol fungicide presentation through virtual reality goggles. The technology immerses the viewer inside the world of a soybean plant. It’s a presentation that you won’t soon forget.</p>

<p>Randy Dowdy, a national soybean yield contest winner from Valdosta, Ga., shares some of his max yield secrets during a seminar. Dowdy was one of four world yield contest winners in corn, soybeans, wheat and barley who spoke at the field day. There were also several state yield contest winners who had high yield plot trials at the event.</p>

<p>James Poyzer, Ankeny, Iowa, who was attending a presentation, shows the mobile app he designed himself to track inputs, precipitation, yields and much more.</p>

<p>FMC’s foam insecticide application system got plenty of attention from farmers. The foam creates more uniform coverage of the insecticide in the furrow compared to other application systems, the company says.</p>

<p>Kate Krathy, an FMC marketing specialist, explains how the FMC’s insecticide delivery system works to field day attendees.</p>

<p>Randy Dowdy answers questions after his presentation on how he has achieved a world soybean yield record. Being able to ask high-yield farmers questions is one of the attractions of the Ag PhD Field Day.</p>

<p>Hefty Seed variety show plots are marked with Hefty’s “H” logo.</p>

<p>Amanda Thompson (left) and Erin Covey, field day volunteers, talk to a farmer in the Hefty Seed tent.</p>

<p>Corn roots displayed at a root pit show the impact of seed treatments, insecticides and fertilizers on growth.</p>

<p>Cody Clark, Aurora, S.D., examines the bean plants in a high-yield plot. He was impressed with how many branches the soybeans had on the stems. “Look at all the pods!” he said.</p>

<p>Darren Hefty describes varietal differences during the soybean plot tours. He urged attendees to take a look at the pollinator variety planting, too. “They are important to have on the farm,” he said.</p>

<p>Dave Hula, Charles City, Va., who has won several national corn yield contests, stands in front of his corn plot on Hefty Farm. Yield contest winners compete with Brian and Darren Hefty in a First Steps trial to see who can produce the highest yield. Detailed records are kept of the inputs used, rates applied and how much each person spent on their plot. “It’s not officially a competition,” says an AgPhD spokesperson. “It’s more like, ‘How would this world record yielder manage crops in fields like ours?’”</p>

<p>Brian Hefty speaks from atop a wagon during the plot tour. There were 30 First Steps high yield plots and hundreds of corn, sunflower, soybean, edible bean, sorghum, winter wheat and barley plots to see at the field day.</p>

<p>Kevin Kalb, Dubois, Ind., talks about the inputs he applied in his high-yield corn plot.</p>

<p>Some of the presentations by national yield contest winners at the plots were so popular it was hard for attendees to get close.</p>

<p>Kermit Allard (left), New Hartford, Iowa, who said he has attended several Ag PhD Field Days, tells Darren Hefty how he and his son will soon pay off their farm — thanks in part to the high-yield ideas they have learned about at events. “That’s great!” Darren Hefty exclaimed.</p>

<p>The Ag PhD Field Day, seen here from the air, is held the last Thursday in July. In 2020, it will be held July 30.</p>