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A large white building with green roof and trim sits at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site. A sign in the foreground labels the site.
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Thomas Miorini
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2026 Oakes Crop Shop Talks

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The 2026 Oakes Crop Shop Talks will focus on providing participants with a wide range of crop production and crop protection topics. The event will take place on March 17 from 8 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Central) at NDSU’s Oakes Irrigation Research Site, 4.5 miles south of Oakes on U.S. Highway 1 South.

Morning refreshments and lunch are sponsored by General Irrigation & Dewatering, Hoffman Irrigation, CHS Dakota Plains Ag, AgTegra Cooperative, Four Star Ag, and BankNorth.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the new headquarters building currently under construction.

This program is designed for farmers, students, researchers, and agronomists who want to improve their field skills. Speakers include Extension Specialists and graduate students from North Dakota State University who will share practical knowledge and real field examples to help to understand common crop issues.

The agenda includes these topics and speakers:

  • Welcome & opening remarks – Dr. Thomas Miorini, Agronomist/Site Manager at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site (OIRS).
  • History of Robert Titus Irrigation Farm – Heidi Eslinger, Agronomy Research Technician, OIRS.
  • Canola Agronomy – Dr. Ana Carcedo, Extension Agronomist / Broadleaf Crops, NDSU Fargo campus.
  • Evaluation of biological products for controlling white mold of soybean – Madeeha Marloob and Maria Paiva de Oliveira, graduate students at NDSU, Fargo.
  • Quantifying the efficacy of N fertilizer applications – Megan Culpitt, graduate student, NDSU, Fargo.
  • Tar spot identification – Kevin Gladitsch, graduate student, NDSU Fargo.
  • Fungicide research on corn – Dr. Andrew Friskop, Cereal Plant Pathologist, NDSU Fargo campus and Kevin Gladitsch.
  • Tech talk – Demonstrations on NDAWN predictive models & white mold of soybean ROI tool – Dr. Wade Webster, Soybean Pathology Specialist, NDSU campus.
  • Lunch and discussion moderated by Dr. Jeff Stachler, Extension Cropping Systems Specialist from the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.

A report of Agricultural Research and Extension in Central North Dakota (Dec 2025) with crop variety comparison data conducted in Oakes during season 2025 will be provided for whoever is interested. Also, 2026 North Dakota Management guides for insects, diseases and weeds will be available.

The event registration can be made here.

If you are not able to attend in person, and you would like to attend virtually, please register here: Virtual Attendance for Oakes Crop Shop Talk.

For more information, please contact Barbara Nilles (barbara.nilles@ndsu.edu). The program provides an excellent learning opportunity for students and early career crop scouts who want to strengthen their pest identification and crop management skills before the growing season begins.

Thomas Miorini, Ph. D.
Thomas.Miorini@ndsu.edu
Research Agronomist and Site Manager, Oakes IRS