Agriculture News

June 21, 2017

Improve your forage management skills during four-stop bus tour

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Livestock producers can learn what it takes to develop better forage management skills during a four-stop bus tour. The South Central Indiana Forage Tour includes first-hand lessons on forage selection for various livestock, best forage management practices and direct marketing.

The tour, which is coordinated by the Indiana Forage Council, is 8:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. (EST) on July 25. A charter bus will take participants to farm operations in Dubois and Harrison counties to explore forage management practices.

Jason Tower, superintendent of the Southern Indiana Purdue Agriculture Center (SIPAC), said the tour is a great opportunity for any livestock producer interested in gaining better results from their operations. “There will be something for everyone to learn regardless of experience or interest,” he said. “We will be covering grazing with a variety of species and making stored feeds, too.”

SIPAC, one of the tour stops, features a meat goat herd operation. Attendees also will visit 3D Valley Beef in Depauw and Steckler Grassfed in Dale, and learn about the operations of Fischer Farms in Jasper. Each location will provide a different aspect on forage management and insights into various production goals. The last tour stop will be at Sander Processing in Celestine. The company specializes in custom meat processing and features a retail market.

“Indiana forage agriculture has great potential in the state and we wanted to highlight some operations that do an outstanding job with their forage and livestock management,” Tower said.

Dave Fischer, owner of Fischer Farms, will share details about his farm business via a video that will be shown to participants as they travel between farms. This will help them gain a deeper appreciation of what it takes to run his business for an entire year and his marketing methods. He said participants can gain numerous benefits from joining the tour.

“What’s unique about our product is that it’s sold directly to restaurants,” Fischer said. “Participants will learn about the marketing of those products. We also have an interesting system of crop rotation going on with ryegrass and corn silage.”

The event will also provide a great networking opportunity for livestock producers across the state, Tower said. Attendees will be able to interact with operators of successful enterprises, other producers in the industry and specialists.

The cost of the tour is $20 per person. Checks can be made to the Indiana Forage Council and sent to P.O. Box 2710, West Lafayette, Ind., 47996. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Those interested should RSVP by July 18 to Keith Johnson at johnsonk@purdue.edu or 765-494-4800. Tour participants will gather at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds to board the bus at 8:15 a.m.

A flyer and registration form for the event is at www.indianaforage.org. The tour is supported by the Indiana Forage Council, Inc., Purdue Extension, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture-Indiana Livestock Promotion Grant Program and Old National Bank. 

Writers: Morgan Sussman, msussman@purdue.edu

Shari Finnell, 317-201-2345 (m), sfinnell@purdue.edu

Source: Keith Johnson, 765-494-4800, johnsonk@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu  
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