2026 WKREC Field Days
The Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers (WKREC) host a full calendar of field days that invite producers, industry partners, and community members to experience applied research firsthand—right where it happens. From the Hays Fall Field Day and the Tribune Wheat Tour and Fall Field Day, to Southwest Research-Extension Center Field Day Plus and Wheat Tour and Colby KSU-TAPS Field Days, these events showcase current research, emerging technologies, and practical management strategies tailored to western Kansas conditions. Each field day blends on-the-ground demonstrations with direct conversations between researchers and producers, creating opportunities to ask questions, compare approaches, and take home insights that can be applied immediately.
K-State Southwest Research-Extension Center Fall Field Day Plus
Aug. 25 | Garden City
Explore current crop and water-management research at the Southwest Research-Extension Center. Field tours will cover weed management in corn and grain sorghum, limited-water corn-cotton rotations, alternative summer legumes, forage variety performance, biostimulants, precision agriculture technologies, and cotton variety and irrigation management. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the program starting at 9 a.m. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., followed by sessions on water-resilient alfalfa production, corn and sorghum insects, and a Kansas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator core hour.
K-State ARCH Fall Field Day
Aug. 26 | Hays
See research in action at the Agricultural Research Center–Hays. Field tours will cover grain sorghum fertility and weed management, integrated crop-livestock systems, forage pearl millet and research on finishing beef cattle. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with field tours starting at 9 a.m. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., followed by indoor presentations and a student research poster competition at 1 p.m.
Tribune Field Day
Aug. 27 | Tribune
Explore crop and forage management research for limited-water conditions in western Kansas. Topics will include nitrogen management in dryland sorghum, iron chlorosis and micronutrients in sorghum, limited irrigation strategies for forages and corn hybrids, and wheat variety selection and seeding time management. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time at the irrigation field, with lunch and a brief preplant wheat session to follow at the fairgrounds.
Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) Fly-In plus the KSU-TAPS Twilight Tour and Farm Duel
Sept. 10 | Colby
Join us for the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) Fly-In and KSU-TAPS Twilight Tour and Farm Duel on Sept. 10 to see the competitions in action. Attendees will visit the National TAPS competition and KSU-TAPS plots, learn how participants are managing their crops and using in-field technologies and data throughout the season and connect with growers, agronomists, consultants, researchers and agricultural industry partners. Then, put your own crop-management instincts to the test in the TAPS Farm Duel, a fast-paced virtual TAPS competition where your decisions go head-to-head with other players. Check back for more information!