Purdue Ag Roundup
Purdue Ag Roundup
Wide price variability in the absence of government assurances means more financial risk for farmers, and Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt said it all means producers need to better manage their marketing.
"Sophisticated marketing of agricultural commodities has never been more important for farmers," Hurt said. "Even if they're relying on marketing advisors, producers need to know enough to be critical consumers of marketing advice."
Hurt will be the lead instructor for "Commodity Marketing Management" July 7-18. The course is one of the Purdue Agricultural Certification Courses, a series of continuing education courses for producers and agribusiness people.
The course will focus on managing an integrated marketing program and developing an understanding of the fundamentals, examining pricing alternatives, using technical price prediction tools and establishing a financial decision-making process for farms and businesses.
The PACC courses are part of a Purdue response to requests for specialized higher education courses for working professionals, according to Allan Goecker, associate director of academic programs for the School of Agriculture. Participants can register for one or more of five classes this summer and, upon successful completion of 12 courses, receive a certificate of graduation. Each course costs $150 and includes 16 or more hours of instruction. Each class lasts for one to two weeks and will be taught at the West Lafayette campus.
Other courses offered this summer are "Soybean Management," "Introduction to Precision Farming," "Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management," "Swine Management I," and "Introduction to Soil Science."
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. To register, contact Goecker at (888) 398-4636 or (765) 494-8473; e-mail, adg@agad.purdue.edu or fax (765) 494-8477.
"The trees are looking dead because they have a fungal disease called sycamore anthracnose," Pecknold said. "They get it every year. But a cool, wet spring like we've had is ideal for the fungus."
The anthracnose fungus spent the winter in stem tissue in your tree. Then, in the spring, it produced spores that rain and wind carried to newly emerging leaves and stems, Pecknold said. Spores germinated and grew into fungal threads that killed leaf and stem tissue.
As long as the weather remained cool and wet, the fungus continued to grow and produce more spores that spread the infection. Cankers formed on wood, girdling stems and cutting off supplies of water and nutrients. Leaves, twigs and buds died.
"However, the magical thing about sycamores is that they are so vigorous they will grow right out of the disease," Pecknold said. "Even though they look very unsightly right now, they'll look 100 percent better in a month. Hot dry weather is fine for sycamore growth, but will send the fungus into a resting state."
The best thing for a sycamore owner to do is to give the tree a little extra fertilizer right now to help push out new growth, Pecknold said. And water the tree if the weather turns dry. Spraying with fungicides generally isn't effective or practical. Raking up leaves and twigs during the year won't rid you of the fungus, since it's living in cankers on the tree.
Anthracnose also infects leaves of white oak, ash and maple, Pecknold said. However, because it doesn't infect stems on these trees, they don't become as unsightly as do sycamores. They are still excellent trees for the home landscape.
However, keep the sycamore's troubles in mind, Pecknold said, if you are thinking about adding a tree to your yard.
"Though the sycamore is a great-looking tree on a stream bank in Turkey Run State Park or out on the back forty or the golf course, I don't recommend it for home landscape plantings," Pecknold said. "It's a very dirty tree. It drops leaves, twigs and bark all year long. And, in addition to anthracnose, it has insect problems. Indiana homeowners who want a large tree should look instead to such trees as tulip poplars, red oaks, white ash or sugar maples."
CONTACT: Paul Pecknold, (765) 494-4628; e-mail, pecknold@btny.purdue.edu
The National 4-H Congress began in Chicago in 1921.
Since its beginning, the 4-H Congress has evolved into a youth development conference, teaching leadership and community service skills to more than 1,000 young people each year.
"4-H Congress has changed from an event that simply recognizes 4-H achievements to a national event designed to give young people a higher level of knowledge about leadership and serving their community," said event coordinator Susan Stewart.
More than 1,200 youth from across the United States and its territories are expected to attend the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta in 1998. This year the National 4-H Congress will be held at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis and Orlando are the only other cities to have hosted the national event.
"We anticipate growth in the numbers of 4-Hers attending the late-fall event in the next four years. We moved to Atlanta to accommodate that growth," Stewart said.
At 4-H Congress, youth learn new skills in leadership as well as gain exposure to multi-cultural events and ideas. They will participate in a nationally televised town hall meeting that explores current issues young people feel are important to them.
At last year's National 4-H Congress town hall meeting, 4-Hers discussed ways to solve issues facing today's youth. Before they attended the congress, the youth surveyed more than 2,000 people from their home towns. They identified top issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse, teenage sex and violence, and how youth programs can help find solutions to those problems.
Also, 4-Her's attending the conference perform a day of community service. For example, they have helped plant trees in city parks and have made coats for the homeless. In the past, the participants have rated this as a positive experience, because they learned how to work with others to help individuals and organizations in a community improve themselves.
The selection process for 4-H Congress is set up by state 4-H offices. Youth who attend range from age 14 to 19. For more information on attending 4-H Congress, contact a local 4-H club or state 4-H office.
CONTACT: Susan Stewart, 4-H Congress, (770) 925-7507; e-mail, sstewart@uga.cc.uga.edu
Compiled by: Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415;e-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
