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The University of Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Greeneville will hold its annual Tobacco and Forage Field Day on Thursday, May 13, beginning at 8 a.m.

The event, which is free, features UT Institute of Agriculture researchers and Extension specialists and includes two concurrent tours on tobacco and forage production. Transportation will be provided to each stop on both tours.

(For a complete list of the 2010 field days offered by the University of Tennessee, click here.)

The tobacco tour will explore different aspects of burley production research, including how variety selection impacts yield and quality of the cured leaf. Information will also be provided on avoiding herbicide injury in tobacco and insect control for tobacco production.

One of the most important aspects of growing a good tobacco crop is starting with a healthy transplant, so experts will discuss methods for growing and maintaining healthy transplants.

Concurrent to the tobacco tour, a separate program on forage will be presented. Information will be provided to help producers develop an effective weed control strategy for maintaining productive pastures for cattle. Results of trials conducted in Greeneville evaluating different cool-season annuals will be presented as will a discussion on how cool-season annuals can fit into a forage management program. Visitors will have an opportunity to walk through the research trials and visit with experts about pasture management programs.

“Information will be presented on each tour to provide producers with the most up-to-date research and information,” said Rob Ellis, director of the UT AgResearch and Education Center in Greeneville. “Each speaker on the program wants producers to leave with some ideas or information to help them better manage their individual operation.”

A trade show featuring private vendors and educational and informational displays will also be available for visitors to enjoy.

Both tours during the event will be presented twice, so visitors may attend each tour. A sponsored lunch will be served at 1 p.m. courtesy of the Burley Stabilization Corp., Carolina Soil, Chemtura Corporation Inc. and R. J. Reynolds Tobacco.

The field day site is located on East Allens Bridge Road, off Highway 70 in Greeneville. Directions to the center are available online at http://greeneville.tennessee.edu/ For more information regarding the field day, contact your county UT Extension office or the AgResearch and Education Center at Greeneville, 423-638-6532.

The AgResearch and Education Center at Greeneville is one of 10 outdoor laboratories located throughout the state as part of the UT AgResearch system. UT AgResearch http://agresearch.tennessee.edu/ is a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture http://agriculture.tennessee.edu/.

In addition to its agricultural research programs, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.

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