The annual Panhandle Agriculture Research and Technology Tour will be held on Thursday, Aug. 22, at the UNL Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center campus in Scottsbluff.
One of the speakers on the tour will be Dr. Mohamed Khalil, Nebraska Extension Assistant Geoscientist Applied Geophysics. He has done work on seepage and its effect on building and dam structures.
“In Nebraska, we have 2,969 dams, and five percent of them are classified as having high hazard potential. There are many reasons for seepage. It could be a permeable layer within the dam or the foundation of the dam, some cracks, or animals,” said Khalil. These problems are nationwide. He will explain more on his investigative tools and some of the work he is doing on fields at the center.
The free event will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and a welcome by Director John Westra at 8:30 a.m., followed by tours of the research plots. Vendors and equipment will be onsite. Demo and field visits will be held, along with a tour of dry bean varieties.
Following is the agenda
Morning schedule - outdoor sessions and trailer tours
- Dipak Santra: Alternative crops for Nebraska
- Xin Qiao & Gary Stone: Irrigation Research Update
- Nevin Lawrence: Palmer Amaranth Management
- Mohammed Khalil: Geophysics in groundwater and hydraulic structures
- Carlos Urrea: Update on the dry bean breeding program
- Bob Harveson: Managing Multiple Diseases of Specialty Crops in Nebraska.
- Bijesh Maharjan: Nutrient management in sugar beets and dry beans
- Pin-Chu Lai: Thrips and seed treatment in dry beans
Noon - 1 p.m. Lunch and vendor and equipment visits and award presentations
1-2 p.m.- Afternoon schedule indoor sessions at the auditorium
- Wei-Zhen Liang: STEM education with sensors and cameras
- Jessica Groskopf: Ag Economy Update
- Mohammed Khalil: Geophysics in groundwater and hydraulic structures
2 p.m. - Demo and field visits and the dry bean variety tour at the Mitchell Ag Lab, hosted by Carlos Urrea
