What the Wheat, Oat and Cover Crop Field Day Is
The LSU AgCenter Wheat, Oat and Cover Crop Field Day, usually called the Wheat and Oat Field Day, is a morning of field tours and short talks at the AgCenter's Tom H. Scott Research, Extension and Education Center in Winnsboro. Researchers walk producers through the demonstration plots and trials, so growers see the varieties, fungicide results and management tips before they make planting decisions. The event brings researchers together with producers from across the state.
Date, Time and Place
The most recent field day was Thursday, April 16, 2026, from 8 a.m. to noon. It was held at the LSU AgCenter Tom H. Scott Research, Extension and Education Center, 212A Macon Ridge Road, Winnsboro, Louisiana. Lunch was provided. Earlier field days ran on similar spring mornings, for example April 20, 2022 (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.), and the 2024 event moved the oat portion to the AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station a few miles away.
What You See: 2026 Topics
- Oat and triticale breeding
- Wheat variety development, plus wheat and oat seed increases
- Deer food plots
- Fungicide trials and scab nurseries
- Drone sensing technology
- Cover crops
- Hessian fly
The program was led by AgCenter plant pathologist Trey Price, who has pointed to erosion control and nutrient retention as benefits of cover crops.
What Past Field Days Covered
The 2024 field day shows the kind of detail producers take home:
- Scab (Fusarium head blight): The fungicide application window is short, and planting resistant varieties is the most important control, according to pathologists Trey Price and Boyd Padgett.
- Hessian fly: Entomologist James Villegas reported infestations were down from the year before. Pupae can survive in soil and stubble for two years, so resistant varieties or seed treatments are recommended.
- Drones: Researchers demonstrated drones that collect color and multispectral imagery for crop monitoring.
- Corn zinc fertilization: Soil fertility expert Rasel Parvej presented the state's first zinc trial and said soil testing shows whether zinc is needed.
- Variety work: Wheat varieties from the SunGrains consortium were shown. The roughly 40-year-old LSU AgCenter program has released about 26 varieties, split about evenly between oats and wheat, aiming for higher yields, better disease resistance and greater profitability.
- Oats and triticale: Oat research covers conservation tillage, cover crops, and deer and wildlife food plots, and some released oat varieties are widely used by hunters and wildlife managers. Triticale, a rye-wheat cross, tolerates cold, acidic and sandy soils and suits poultry rations, cover cropping and distilling, but not bread-making.
That year, speakers noted that Louisiana's wheat acreage had fallen from about 50,000 acres to under 10,000, and that growers need better prices and more acres to stay in production. Past sponsors have included AGSouth Genetics, Dyna-Gro Seed, Louisiana Land Bank, Progeny and Stratton Seed Company.
Cost and Registration
Lunch is provided. Contact Trey Price with any registration questions. Phone: Trey Price, 318-435-2903.
Questions
Is it only for wheat farmers?
No. Oats, triticale, cover crops, deer food plots and corn fertility have all been on the program.
How long does it last?
About four hours in 2026, 8 a.m. to noon.
Is lunch included?
Yes, lunch was provided in 2026.
Official Links
- Wheat, oat, cover crop field day to be held April 16: 2026 announcement
- Grains of knowledge: 2024 field day report
- 2022 field day announcement
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- State Fair of Louisiana
The 120th State Fair of Louisiana fills the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in Shreveport for eighteen days, with livestock shows, midway rides and food. The fair has run since 1906.
3701 Hudson Ave., Shreveport, LA 71109 | Organizer: State Fair of Louisiana Official event details - Allen Parish Fair
Four-day parish fair at the Allen Parish Fairgrounds on Tiger Lane in Oberlin, with general and agricultural exhibits. Held each year; the 2025 fair ran Nov. 12-15 and the 2026 fair is set for Nov. 11-14.
Tiger Lane, Oberlin, LA 70655 Official event details - Port Barre Cracklin Festival
Four-day festival in Port Barre built around Louisiana cracklin, the fried pork rind. Held each year; the most recent dates were November 12-15, 2026 at Veterans Memorial Park.
- Christmas Time at the Farm
Holiday farm day in Bossier City on the LSU AgCenter events calendar, set for December 12, 2026.
Bossier City, LA | Organizer: LSU AgCenter Official event details - Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival
Three-day April festival celebrating Louisiana's state fruit in Memorial Park, with local growers selling berries on Farmers Row, strawberry-eating contests and a Saturday parade; the next dates are April 9-11, 2027.
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.