Every other year the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture hosts the largest conservation tillage event in the nation, the Milan No-Till Crop Production Field Day. 2012 is the year for the 27th No-Till Field Day. It takes place at the UT AgResearch and Education Center at Milan on Thursday, July 26.

Event registration begins at 6 a.m. with research tours starting at 7 a.m. The program has been expanded to now include 17 research tours that focus on important agricultural issues such as weed control, seed treatments, precision agriculture, and irrigation, as well as specific tours for each of the major row crops grown in Tennessee.

Also included in the tours are the popular Crop Variety Demonstrations, and a back to the basics presentation for “first-time No-Tiller’s” which will cover key concepts like residue management, planter setup and pest management.

“The Milan No-Till Field Day features some of the brightest minds in agricultural research,” says Blake Brown, director, UT AgResearch and Education Center at Milan. “We think producers can greatly benefit from the research findings that will be presented on these tours, whether it be through increasing production, reducing expenses, or improving marketing skills.”

The final tours of the day will begin at 1 p.m. Most tours may be completed in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Arrive early to attend multiple tours. Between tours, guests are encouraged to visit the extensive industry/educational trade show, or cool off by exploring the West Tennessee Agricultural Museum.

For detailed descriptions of each research tour go to http://milan.tennessee.edu. There you can also find more information on related community activities and directions to the AgResearch and Education Center at Milan.

The Milan No-Till Crop Production Field Day is a free event. It began in 1981 and has been attended by visitors from around the world.