Purdue Ag Roundup
Purdue Ag Roundup
According to Cheri Janssen, an environmental quality technical writer for agronomy, residents should bring a one-cup sample in a clean container for testing. The free test will be conducted at the expo, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at a farm near Shelbyville.
Experts will test the water sample with an indicator test that broadly measures nitrate levels almost immediately. "It's similar to a litmus test. Depending on the degree of the test's color, we'll be able to tell how much nitrate is present," Janssen said.
Sources of nitrate in well water include fertilizers, malfunctioning septic systems, industrial waste and manure. Wells that are old and shallow are at the most risk for a high level of nitrate. The acceptable level of nitrate is 45 milligrams per liter. If the level of nitrate is too high, Janssen said, it could cause problems with infants 6 months old or younger.
"If there's a large amount of nitrate in drinking water, it could cause methemoglobinemia," Janssen said. "This is a blood disease that blocks the hemoglobin's ability to carry oxygen in the body. It's also called 'Blue Baby Disease.'"
If well owners find that the level of nitrate in their water is too high, they should take another sample to a lab that can run a complete analysis on the sample, she said.
Janssen said reverse osmosis and distillation often are used to remove nitrate from water, but boiling will not rid drinking water of the substance.
The Land Care Expo will be on the farm of Jeff and Trisha Stevens. Take Interstate
74 to Exit 123, which is eight miles south of Shelbyville. The road loops back two
miles to County Road 725 E. The farm is on the left of the road.
CONTACT: Janssen, (765) 494-8043
The "MarketSmart Seminar" will cover using marketing risk management tools in four key areas: Futures markets; options markets; local cash markets; and seasonal price and basis patterns. Presentations will be in a workshop format, so participants are asked to bring pencils and calculators.
"Freedom to Farm" promised more variability in crop prices, and that has been evident, said Chris Hurt, a Purdue Extension agricultural economist. "With greater variability comes greater financial opportunity when prices are high, but also greater downside risk when prices are low. Thus marketing becomes a strategy of keeping opportunities in place when prices are rising, but using price management tools when prices are falling," Hurt said.
The "MarketSmart Seminar" is designed to enable agricultural decision-makers to better understand the tools for managing the downside risk, while leaving the upside opportunity in place, he said.
The program, to be held in Stewart Center on the Purdue campus, is Thursday, Aug. 7, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. A complimentary continental breakfast and lunch also will be provided. Reservations must be made by sending a fax to Cheryl Temple at the Chicago Board of Trade at (312) 341-3027. Include your name, address, day-time phone number, the number of people attending, and a fax number. If sending a fax is not convenient, call Temple at (312) 341-3194. Space is limited, and reservations are required.
The Purdue program completes a series of seven "MarketSmart Seminars" presented by
the Chicago Board of Trade throughout the Midwest this year.
CONTACT: Hurt, (765) 494-4273; e-mail, Chris_Hurt@acn.purdue.edu
"Heat-related illnesses can occur indoors, as well as outdoors," said Steve Freeman, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service safety specialist, "and they don't require extreme temperatures. But people who work outdoors, such as farmers or construction workers, should take extra precautions."
Contributing factors to heat-related illness, he said, are humidity, wind, clothing worn, work environment, physical activity, age and health condition. He said some preventative measures include avoiding strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day if possible, taking frequent breaks, drinking large amounts of fluids, and dressing appropriately.
Heat-related illnesses include heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and skin cancer. Heat cramps are painful spasms of the skeletal muscles, according to Freeman. They usually occur in the calves and abdominal muscles.
"They can develop rapidly with heavy exercise or work outdoors in warm or moderate temperatures," Freeman said.
He said heavy sweating, normal body temperature and moist skin are some other symptoms. Treatment includes resting in a cool place, drinking cool water or a sports drink, and gently stretching and massaging the muscle.
"Resume activity when cramps stop," Freeman said. "Drink plenty of fluids and watch for signs of more serious illness."
Heat exhaustion, the most common form of heat-related illness, is a form of shock that occurs after long periods of strenuous work or exercise in a hot environment.
"It's an indication that the body's temperature-regulating mechanism is overwhelmed," Freeman said.
With heat exhaustion there's a loss of fluid through sweating and increased blood flow to the skin, which reduces blood flow to vital organs. The circulatory system is affected, causing mild shock. Signals include exhaustion; dizziness and weakness; nausea; headache; cool, moist, pale or red skin; and normal to below-normal body temperature.
"Heat exhaustion can be reversed in its early stages with prompt care," Freeman said.
First aid includes resting in a cool place and drinking cool water.
"Without prompt care, body temperature continues to rise, there's a change in the level of consciousness, and it may quickly advance to heat stroke," he said.
Heat stroke, according to the specialist, is a life-threatening condition in which the body's cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed and the body's systems begin to fail. Body fluids are low, so sweating stops and body temperature rises rapidly. The brain, heart and kidneys begin to fail. If the body isn't cooled, convulsions, coma and death will result. It's the least common and most severe form of heat-related illness.
Some signals are high body temperature; red, hot, dry skin; progressive loss of consciousness; rapid, weakening pulse; rapid, shallow breathing.
"Without prompt care, the victim will die," Freeman said. "General care steps are to cool the body, give fluids and minimize shock."
To help cool the body, Freeman suggested removing the victim from the hot environment; loosening clothing; removing sweat-soaked clothing; applying cool, wet cloths to the skin; and fanning to increase evaporation. Fluids shouldn't be given too rapidly, he cautioned, only about 4 ounces every 15 minutes. The victim should rest comfortably and not resume normal activities that day.
Emergency medical assistance should be called when the victim refuses water, vomits or has a change in consciousness.
Skin cancer is another concern for people who work outdoors. Freeman said it's the most common form of cancer in the United States, and the average person has a 1-in-4 chance of developing it. Ninety percent of skin cancer cases are caused by ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure.
"Skin cancer risk factors are excessive and repeated exposure to the sun, fair complexion, and severe childhood sunburn resulting in blisters," Freeman said.
To prevent skin cancer, he said, avoid outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
When you're out, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat. A
baseball-type cap doesn't provide adequate protection for face, neck and ears. Also,
use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.
CONTACT: Freeman, (765) 494-5013; e-mail, sfreeman@ecn.purdue.edu
"The exhibits are staffed primarily by Cooperative Extension Service educators and specialists," said Dana Neary, coordinator for the Purdue Agriculture exhibits, "and they all reflect the theme. Some will be interactive."
Neary said the staff members manning the displays will be available to answer questions and chat with fairgoers about the exhibits. She said the new department heads for Animal Sciences and Botany and Plant Pathology will be on hand the morning of the first day to meet folks, as well.
One of the activities that will be available is a computer station, where visitors can browse Purdue's World Wide Web sites. Neary said visitors also can test their knowledge on numerous topics, such as food safety, food marketing and water quality.
"At the water-quality display they can learn about the 38 major watersheds in Indiana," she said. "There's a map, and they can push a button on a watershed, and a light comes on by its description."
Purdue Extension food safety specialist Rich Linton said the food-science display is designed to teach the public in a fun way the three basics of food safety -- using good personal hygiene, avoiding cross contamination, and keeping foods at the right temperatures.
The Indiana Master Gardeners and Purdue's Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory will be set up with samples and resource guides to enable them to answer visitors' questions.
"The Breaking New Ground Resource Center will have an accessible garden among their activities," Neary said. "It's called 'A Garden for Everyone,' and fairgoers can use a wheelchair to navigate around the garden and plant a seed in a pot to take home."
The "Wheel of World Food" will offer guests a chance to spin the wheel and find out how various factors -- good or bad -- affect the world's food supply.
"They'll spin the wheel and, depending on what color they land on, draw a positive or negative factor that affects food prices or production in the world," Neary said. "For example, they might draw a drought in the Midwest."
Fairgoers can win a Purdue cup by taking a quiz based on the information in the exhibits, Neary said. In addition, Purdue Extension publications on all types of home and family topics can be ordered from Purdue Ag's information booth.
David Petritz, assistant director of Extension for agriculture and natural resources, said: "It's notable that we see a high percentage of nonfarm people who are interested in the science of agriculture and food, and who also want useful information for their own lives."
Purdue Agriculture has had exhibits in the Our Land Pavilion since 1990. Half of the building houses exhibits by commodity groups and other agricultural interests. A stage provides entertainment, such as the Purdue Entomology Department's famous cockroach races, throughout the fair. Building hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. except for the last day, when they're 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The fairgrounds are on 38th Street in Indianapolis, off Interstate 65.
Advance-sale tickets for the fair are $4 ($1 off the gate price) at Marsh Supermarkets,
Revco Drug Stores, Indiana Farm Bureau offices, Union Federal Savings Banks, Indiana
Signature Inns, and the State Fair Box Office through Aug. 5. Children 5 years old
and younger are admitted free.
CONTACT: Neary, (765) 494-9113
"White clover often appears in lawns that have too little water or too little fertilizer," Reicher says.
Homeowners shouldn't plan to do anything about the lawn blemishes right now, though.
"Homeowners should resist the temptation to apply a herbicide to control clover during late July and early August," Reicher says. "Herbicide applications made during warm, dry weather can cause damage to turfgrass."
According to Reicher, the best method for controlling clover is to increase the annual fertilization of the lawn. "This is because clover is able to compete with grass in under-fertilized soils," Reicher says. "In lawns with adequate fertilization, this doesn't happen nearly as much."
To lessen the problem of clover in lawns, apply a minimum of one pound of nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000 square feet in September and one and a half pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in November. In between these fertilizer applications, apply a broadleaf herbicide in mid-October.
"This combination should control your clover problems," Reicher says, "When you do this though, don't forget to keep your mower set at three inches or higher, because fertilizer and herbicides are of little help if you mow too low."
More lawn and turf information, including weekly updates by Purdue turf experts, can
be found on the Internet at http://www.aes.purdue.edu/agronomy/turf/turftips.htm
CONTACT: Reicher, (765) 494-9737; e-mail, zreicher@dept.agry.purdue.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
