Purdue conference to teach farmers more about precision ag

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Extension and University of Kentucky Extension will jointly host a Nov. 29 conference to teach farmers more about how precision agriculture systems could improve their bottom lines.

The Ohio Valley Precision Ag Conference will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (CST) at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Fairgrounds, 201 E. Boonville-New Harmony Road, Evansville. It will cover data management, implement systems technologies, and systems calibration and setup. It also will feature local precision agriculture companies and projects.

"The variety of technologies that farmers and industry representatives have to evaluate for on-farm use is staggering," said Kenneth Eck, Purdue Extension educator in Dubois County. "This conference will give folks a better understanding of what systems are available, how emerging technologies might mesh with producers' current systems, and how both farmers and agribusinesses can manage farm data for improved economic and environmental results."

The conference will start with a presentation titled "Data Utilization and Management with Precision Tools" by Betsy Bower and Troy Walker of Ceres Solutions.

Morning breakout sessions are:

* "RTK Accuracy" by Tim Stombaugh, associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at the University of Kentucky.

* "Calibration Basics - John Deere" by Ben Carlisle, Wright-Stemle John Deere.

* "Variable Rate Seeding - Can You Do It and Do You Need To?" by Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension agronomist.

Afternoon breakout sessions are:

* A repeat of Stombaugh's "RTK Accuracy."

* "Calibration Basics – Trimble/Case IH" by Kevin Roy and Kristina Nadin, Hopf Equipment Case IH.

* "Economics of Investing or Upgrading: Old vs. New" by Greg Halich, associate Extension professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky.

The conference also will feature a farmer panel discussion titled "What Do We Do With the Data and How is It Managed?" The keynote presentation will be "Precision Planting" by Gregg Sauder of Precision Planting Inc.

"This is the first time we've pulled together a program with so much of our expertise in one place," Eck said.

Conference registration is free, but reservations are required by Nov. 19. Participants can register online at http://tinyurl.com/pukyregister or by contacting any of the sponsoring Purdue Extension or University of Kentucky Extension county offices. Those counties in Indiana are Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick. In Kentucky they are Daviess, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union and Webster.

For more information contact Larry Caplan, Purdue Extension educator in Vanderburgh County, at 812-435-5287, lcaplan@purdue.edu

Writer: Jennifer Stewart, 765-494-6682, jsstewar@purdue.edu

Source: Kenneth Eck, 812-482-1782, kjeck@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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