Purdue Ag News
Purdue Ag News
The Pork Industry Handbook (PIH) is a three-ring binder full of fact sheets on every imaginable facet of the pork industry. It's produced by university swine specialists across the nation, so the information is applicable to producers everywhere.
One hundred thirty-five fact sheets currently are included in the handbook. Fact-sheet summaries recently were placed on the World Wide Web so potential users can see what they're about before ordering. The summaries can be found at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension site at http://www.anr.ces.purdue.edu and clicking on the "animals" link.
"Topics cover everything from animal selection to feeding to production and marketing," Petritz said. "They're being updated constantly, and new ones are being created."
An advisory committee guides development of the PIH fact sheets, and reviewers evaluate them to keep them up-to-date. New and/or updated material is released annually in January and June, and is automatically sent to PIH subscribers.
Petritz said the handbook is useful to pork producers, agricultural science teachers, agribusiness people, and other professionals who advise and support the pork industry.
To find out more about subscribing to the Pork Industry Handbook, call toll free at (888) EXT-INFO.
CONTACT: Petritz, (765) 494-8494; e-mail, David_Petritz@ces.purdue.edu
Ellsworth Christmas said his research has shown 10 percent to 50 percent yield losses in soybeans planted June 10-30. There also was a 10 percent yield loss in fields planted before April 25.
The agronomist recommended that farmers target May 5 through May 15 as the best window for planting soybeans in an average year.
Christmas tested eight planting dates between April 1 and June 30 at four Purdue agricultural research centers in 1991-1994. Four plots of each of five varieties were planted at each site. The trials were conducted at Purdue's research farms in Porter, Tippecanoe, Randolph and Jennings counties.
Results showed a small yield gain for early planting in one year of the study, "but it didn't carry through for the life of the study," Christmas said. Yields for fields planted in the first week of April were 20 percent below yields for fields planted in mid-May. Planting from April 20-25 led to a 10 percent yield decrease.
"I won't argue with any farmer who wants to plant before April 25," Christmas said. He said no one can plant all their crops on the ideal day. He also said producers need to get their corn in first, because corn pays a greater yield penalty for late planting than soybeans do.
He cautioned that his recommendations are for a typical year in central Indiana. Southern Indiana producers could start earlier, and northern producers might have to adjust to later dates.
Christmas said he tries to have half his soybean fields planted by May 15. He uses data from the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service to determine the average number of days per week suitable for field work. He then estimates when he would have to start to have half his soybeans in by May 15 and be finished planting by June 10.
CONTACT: Amy Raley, Agricultural Communication Service, (765) 494-6682.
Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; E-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
