Purdue News
Purdue News
Mengel will be teaching "Soybean Management," one of six Purdue Agriculture Certificate Courses (PACC) July 7-18. The courses are flexible programs designed to offer farmers and agribusiness people current information on agriculture necessary to maintain profitability.
"Fifty years ago farmers normally chose one soybean and one management practice for a whole field," Mengel said. "Today we fit soy genotypes to environments and analyze such things as the topography, water-holding capacity and nutrient capacity at many points across a field. We then can increase or decrease planting depth, herbicide applications, fertilizers or seeding rates in response to differing conditions."
Mengel will discuss management, then offer sessions in the field that will help illustrate what happens when inappropriate seeding or herbicide rates are used. Recognizing mistakes is often the first step in correcting crop problems, Mengel said.
"I want students to have diagnostic experience" he said. "I want them to correlate what is taught in class with what they can see, touch and feel."
The class will spend more than one whole session discussing the spread, life cycle and habits of the soybean cyst nematode, a problem some people say is the No. 1 yield robber in the state. Mengel also will provide information on variety selection, replant decisions, soil fertility, mineral nutrition, common diseases, insect pests and more.
Other ag certificate courses offered this summer are "Commodity Marketing Management," "Introduction to Precision Farming," "Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management," "Swine Management I," and "Introduction to Soil Science."
PACC allows participants to complete 12 courses for a certificate of graduation or just the courses that meet their specific needs. The courses are offered on Purdue's West Lafayette campus and meet for one to two weeks each. Grades will be awarded in each course, and a Purdue academic record will be developed for all PACC students.
To be admitted to PACC, students must be high school graduates or at least 18 years old. Applications are due by June 28. There is a one-time, nonrefundable admission fee of $30 for new students and a $150 fee for each course.
For more information, contact Alan Goecker, assistant dean of agriculture, (888) 398-4636 or (765) 494-8473; fax , (765) 494-8477; e-mail, adg@agad.purdue.edu
