The Virginia Tech Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center will hold its pre-harvest field crops tour on Thursday, Sept. 11, at the center’s research farm at 1045 Hare Road in Suffolk.

Specialists will display field research in progress and present valuable information for the 2014 harvest season and 2015 planting season. Important topics addressed will include cotton defoliation strategies; peanut variety and maturity assessment; soil fertility in cotton; and disease and insect management in cotton, peanut and soybeans.

Virginia private pesticide applicator certification credits will be available for participants.

Lunch will be served after the tour, and updates will be presented from USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with the tour starting promptly at 8 a.m. Pre-registration by Sept. 3 is encouraged by contacting Gail White at 657-6450, ext. 430 or guwhite@vt.edu.