Join the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) in Ogallala, Nebraska for the Annual Technical Tours and Banquet beginning Thursday, June 24 at noon starting at the Best Western Plus in Ogallala. The tours include Kingsley Dam, Water Interpretive Center, Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center and a privately owned indoor garden.

On Friday, June 25, the tours start at Grant, Nebraska, where the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was gifted land and built a wheat research station. At the Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center, researchers and research assistants keep busy all year overseeing studies on corn, soybeans, irrigation, crop rotations, pollinator habitats, along with the wheat variety trials.

After a sack lunch, the tour group will visit Madrid, Nebraska to observe a high tunnel at The Prairie Garden. A project in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the high tunnel features softball-sized tomatoes growing on 300 vines.

After a stop at the Madrid Country Store, the group will meet at Tri-Trails Park, located south of Ogallala, at 2:30 p.m. to discuss water quality and water towers. The last stop of the tour will be the well field located south of Ogallala, where visitors will learn about the impact of the area on the water supply.

Friday’s events will conclude with a banquet at Open Range Grill (dinner off the menu). During the banquet, two members of the Nebraska SWCS will be honored — Craig Derrickson will be awarded the SWCS Fellow Award, and Mike Kucera will be awarded the Hugh Hammond Bennett award. The banquet is optional, and all are welcome to attend.

Following the banquet, visitors can return to the Best Western Plus, where silent auction items will be on display. The annual business meeting of the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (NSWCF) and Nebraska SWCS is also located at the Best Western Plus, scheduled for Saturday morning, June 26.

Please register for $15 for the tours. Dinner both nights is off the menu, so not included in registration. Main hotel for the event is Best Western Plus; $99/night if you use the SWCS. Contact Claudia at 308-289-0434 to reserve your spot for the tours.