New Mexico State University Extension entomologist Carol Sutherland leads a discussion during the 2018 Field Day at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences' Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari. The center will host its annual field day Thursday, Aug. 8. (NMSU photo by Darrell J. Pehr)

Northeast New Mexico is an agricultural engine for the state, with annual farm commodity sales surpassing $1 billion in recent years. The region leads the state in livestock production, generating more than $971 million in 2016.

To help keep producers at peak efficiency, researchers at New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari are investigating new and more efficient ways for farmers and ranchers to be successful. The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences researchers will give updates on their projects during the annual field day Thursday, Aug. 8, at the science center.

“We invite everyone to join us and learn about the updates we will present on projects ranging from beef cattle to special mixtures we’re developing for increased forage yields and nutritive value,” said Leonard Lauriault, superintendent and forage crop management specialist at the center.

A special program also is planned to unveil the sign reflecting the new name of the center.

Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. and the keynote speaker for the event will be New Mexico Cattle Growers Association President Tom Sidwell at 5:30 p.m., followed at 5:45 p.m. by a dinner catered by Tucumcari 4-H Roadrunners and sponsored by local businesses.

A hay wagon tour will start at 6:45 p.m. Participants will hear various presentations from center experts and others on a variety of topics, including:

– Beef Cattle Feed Efficiency Testing update by Marcy Ward, NMSU Extension livestock specialist
– Connection Between the Onset of Beef Heifer Puberty and First Breeding Conception, Craig Gifford, NMSU Extension beef cattle specialist
– Plant and Soil Characteristics Following a Single Manure Application with Strip-Tillage, Murali Darapuneni, NMSU semi-arid cropping systems scientist
– Potential of Guar for Eastern New Mexico (Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions Project), John Idowu, NMSU Extension agronomist
– Cowpea-Millet Mixtures for Forage, Gasper Martinez, agricultural research assistant at the science center.

The science center is three miles northeast of Tucumcari on Highway 54. For additional information, directions, or if you are an individual with a disability who is in need of an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the field day, please contact the center at 575-461-1620 or tucumcar@nmsu.edu.