Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
The Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, based at Purdue University, reported that the 64,000 acres planted in popcorn in the spring of 1996 was 7 percent below the rain-reduced planting levels of 1995 (69,000 acres).
In '94, under relatively normal planting conditions, Indiana's popcorn acreage stood at 88,000.
The bright spots in the statistics service's report are in yield per acre and price.
Based on survey responses from 300 Indiana producers, the '96 yield per acre averaged 3,000 pounds, compared to 2,400 pounds in '95. And the price per pound averaged 12.4 cents, considerably higher than the 10-cents-per-pound level of '95.
The per-acre yield increase combined with the price increase lifted the value of Indiana's '96 popcorn crop above the previous year by 41 percent -- $23 million compared to $16.3 million.
Indiana was the nation's top popcorn-producing state in 1992, the most recent year in which national popcorn production statistics were compiled. Another national survey will be conducted this year.
Targeting an eight-county area northeast of Indianapolis, Purdue specialists and agricultural chemical experts will teach a watershed approach to controlling pesticide runoff in areas that drain into the White River, the primary source of drinking water for the Indianapolis Water Co.
Farmers, private pesticide applicators and commercial applicators are invited to attend one of two workshops -- Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Hamilton County and Wednesday, Feb. 12, in Delaware County. The seminar, "Keeping Pesticides Out of the White River Watershed," will cover past problems, explain how pesticides can work their way into the river and what that means for downstream users such as Indianapolis Water Co. customers. The afternoon program will discuss management practices and watershed programs that can prevent pollution.
According to Don Jones, a Purdue Extension agricultural engineer and one of the organizers of the workshops, the watershed approach to improving water quality is relatively new for Indiana, which relies more on a "one-size fits-all" regulatory approach. Watershed programs that enlisted voluntary assistance from farmers have met or exceeded water quality goals in other states, he said, and a similar program in New York has helped New York City avoid raising water bills to pay for expensive filtering and has helped upstream farmers avoid stricter regulations.
Farmers also will learn which subwatershed they farm in and where the water goes when it leaves their fields, Jones said.
The organizers, who include Extension agricultural and natural resource educators Bill Rice of Hamilton County and Harold Brown of Delaware County, selected the area partly because many farmers in the area were good managers. "There are a number of progressive farmers in the area, and we thought they would be interested in trying to make a difference," Jones said. "This is more of an educational approach to water quality than regulatory, and it will require the cooperation of people who want to do a better job."
The Feb. 11 workshop will be at the Annex Building at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville. The Feb. 12 workshop will be at the Selma Elementary School, 200 East St. in Delaware County, six miles east of Muncie. Each workshop will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Preregistration is $5, includes lunch, and is due by Feb. 7. For a registration form, call Rice at (317) 776-0854 or Brown at (317) 747-7732.
CONTACT: Jones, (765) 494-1178; e-mail, jonesd@ecn.purdue.edu
cs/agroundup/9701f40
Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; Internet, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
