New research programs include: profitability of crop rotation for durum, spring wheat and barley in north-central North Dakota. Included are sunflower, canola, dry bean, crambe, lentil, dry pea, and mustard. Nitrogen and sulfur fertility needs of small grains, dry bean and canola, commercialization of dry pea production and harvest, row spacing and plant population for sunflower and corn production, the timing of fungicide applications for canola, chickpea and small-grain disease protection. More than 1,400 owned, rented and contracted acres are planted for Foundation seed production. This recently increased from 600 acres in response to producer needs. Extension programs were added to the existing research site in 1976 to cover 10 surrounding counties and Fort Berthold. A considerable amount of research and extension educational programs comes from a small number of experts at the North Central Research Extension Center.

The seed increase program produces Foundation seed on approximately 1400 acres of owned, leased and contract growers’ land. The Center will have 12 crops consisting of 26 varieties available for the 2006-2007 cropping season. Newly released seed varieties are made available through county crop/agriculture improvement associations.

Cropping systems and production studies, seed company variety trials and breeder nurseries are evaluated in replicated small plot field trials at the Center. Cereal grains (barley, durum, HRSW, HRWW, oat, winter wheat, winter rye, corn, millet, triticale, specialty wheats), broadleaf crops (canola, sunflower, soybean, drybean, safflower, mustard, dry pea, chickpea, lentil, flax, buckwheat) and many new or alternative crops are evaluated for their agronomic traits, seed quality and yield. No till verses conventional tillage systems are evaluated for barley, durum, HRSW and oat. Soil fertility studies are being conducted in cereal grains, flax, canola and drybean. Chickpea and lentils are being evaluated to determine the influence fungicides, planting date and seeding rate to control the devastating disease ascochyta blight. Off-station research sites are being conducted to evaluate cereal grains, pulse crops, soybean, canola and field pea in other counties throughout north central North Dakota.

Weed control studies are being conducted in small grains, canola, sunflower, flax, dry bean, pea, lentil, chickpea and crambe, mustard, corn and soybean. We are evaluating new herbicides/adjuvants or different uses of existing products in various crops. Other experiments involve evaluation of the impact of different cultural practices such as crop rotation and conventional tillage vs. no-till on crop yield, seed quality, weed control and economic feasibility. We also conduct IR-4 residue trials to collect data for registration of pest control products in minor crops. We work closely with the ND Department of Agriculture in developing Section 18 packages for EPA. We have studies that target specific weeds such as Canada thistle, wild oat, foxtails, biennial wormwood, kochia, common mallow, common milkweed and others.