How ethanol and biodiesel plants may influence crop production will be the focus of the annual lake Region Roundup Jan. 3-4 in Devils Lake, N.D.

General sessions will be in the World War II Memorial Building. Concurrent sessions will be in the Memorial Building's Armory Room, and the Historical Room and meeting room at the nearby Ramsey County Courthouse.

Both days start with breakfast at 8 a.m. General and concurrent sessions begin at 9:30.

Topics for the general sessions Jan. 3 include fungicide application research for enhanced scab control; ideas for managing wet, cool conditions in a no-till system; 2006 hard red spring wheat, barley and durum wheat performance; 2007 crop outlook; impact of ethanol plants; nitrogen management timing and rate effects on spring wheat; manure as a plant nutrient source; and orange wheat blossom midge.

Concurrent sessions that day include a look at insects and diseases of trees and shrubs, no-till discussions, issues important to wheat production, Langdon Research Extension Center crop production results, canola management studies, new developments in disease management, techniques for raising profitable winter wheat, livestock opportunities with increased ethanol production, natural beef production and beef systems update, preplanning funeral services, fertilizer price outlook, changes in crop fertilizer recommendations, workplace relationships and tools for grain pricing.

General sessions Jan. 4 include the impacts of canola row spacing, ideas to reduce canola production costs, issues impacting the canola industry, direct cutting of canola, industry commitments to NuSun and sunflowers, corn and feed grain market outlook, potential for soybean yield enhancement, organic crop production, sunflower hybrid resistance to white mold, weed control and homemade biodiesel.

Jan. 4 concurrent sessions include presentations on the farm bill, pea production, blackbird control, sunflowers and soybean production research summary, carbon dioxide sequestration, grazing Conservation Reserve Program land, grazing and haying management, eating outside the conventional food system, organic foods, crop disease control research at the Carrington REC, influence of adjuvants and fertilizers on herbicide effectiveness, dry bean markets and other dry bean issues, and profitable wheat production.

Admission is free.

The North Dakota State University Extension Service and Crop Improvement Associations in Benson, Cavalier, Nelson, Ramsey, Towner and Rolette counties sponsor the event.

For more information, contact your local NDSU Extension Service office.