Purdue Ag News Roundup
Purdue Ag News Roundup
Farmers are finding that their grazing pastures are too dry to support their livestock, said Dave Petritz, assistant director of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.
"Pasture conditions are not good. The southern third of the state is the driest," he said. "If producers get an inch of rain right now and frequent rains until fall, it could turn fall pastures around. They could get another cut of hay."
The lack of feed has caused some farmers to use their winter supply. "Typically, producers have to feed their livestock stored feed to make up the difference of the pasture," Petritz said.
The dry crops create serious problems for both hay producers and livestock farmers, Petritz said. "One of the problems is the hay crop is short this year. We're using up hay that's already quite valuable," he said.
"The other problem you have is cattle production. They're not feeding the cattle as much, so they don't weigh as much. If it stays this dry, producers will be forced to sell livestock. Prices will go lower, and income will go down."
Petritz advises livestock farmers to prepare for these circumstances by following these tips:
Topics are milking procedure, cow anatomy and physiology, udder preparation, mastitis and antibiotics, hygiene, regulations, milking equipment, and sanitation.
The training team will include Mike Schutz, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service dairy specialist; Simon Kenyon, Purdue Extension coordinator for Veterinary Clinical Sciences; Kelly Easterday, Purdue Extension educator in Kosciusko County; Louis Ramsey, Indiana State Board of Animal Health Dairy Program; and several milking equipment service specialists.
The one-day workshops will be held Sept. 8 at Luekens Dairy, Birdseye; Sept. 9 at John Finke Dairy, Columbus; Sept. 10 at Kuehnert Dairy, Fort Wayne; Sept. 11 at Lavon Martin Farm, Goshen; and Sept. 12 at Tuholski Farms Inc., Mill Creek. Enrollment will be limited to 20 people per day on a first-come, first served basis. Registration is $30 and should be paid by Sept. 1.
For more information, contact Schutz at (765) 494-9478 or Kenyon at (765) 494-0333.
The free videoconference, sponsored by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program in cooperation with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, will air Sept. 10 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (2-4 p.m. EDT).
Topics covered include environmental and economic impacts, information on mussel biology, and methods for prevention and control of zebra mussels. Experts will describe and discuss case studies. Participants may join the discussion by phone, fax or e-mail.
The teleconference is aimed at recreational users; waterfront homeowners; freshwater marina owners; bait shop owners; elected officials; journalists; industrial water users; electric utility managers; municipal and private water suppliers; environmental and conservation groups; resource planners; and natural resource and environmental management staff at all levels.
Zebra mussels moved into the Great Lakes in 1986 in the ballast water of ships that had set sail from Europe. Now they're moving into inland lakes and streams. The creatures are tiny, about the size of a thumbnail, but they cause big problems.
"Great Lakes industries and municipal water firms spent an estimated $120 million in cleanup costs in one five-year period following the zebra mussel invasion," noted Pat Charlebois, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant nonindigenous specialist. And they're not done yet.
Researchers initially thought that zebra mussels tended to form clusters on hard surfaces, because that's where most had been found. However, Sea Grant researcher David Garton said recent studies found that the mussels also can form clusters on soft surfaces. It's just a matter of time before they infest lakes bordered primarily by mud and sand, he said.
The videoconference is free. To register, call 1-800-319-2432. A list of downlink sites is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.aes.purdue.edu/acs/zm/regis.html
For more information, contact Pat Charlebois at the Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion, Ill., (847) 872-0149, or by e-mail at p_char@ix.netcom.com
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Eleven Indiana 4-H'ers have been selected to attend the 1997 annual National 4-H Congress in Memphis, Tenn.
The congress encourages 4-H youths to learn new leadership skills and experience multi-cultural events and ideas. The participants will attend and play an active role in a nationally televised town meeting, as well as perform a day of community service.
The National Congress will be from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Atlanta is the host city for the 1998 Congress.
The following are the 1997 National 4-H Congress winners:
Dearborn County Amanda Weaver
Henry County Amy Sarah
Howard County Amanda Freeman
Monroe County Belinda Baynes
Owen County Kurt Curry
Putnam County Kristen Archer
Tippecanoe County Ryan Sipple
Vanderburgh County Tiffany Hodge
Warren County Amanda Greenwood
Warrick County Jason Kinman and Deidra Potts
According to Bob Ritchie, associate professor of 4-H youth at Purdue University, the day of community service is one of the most important events of the congress. Youths at past 4-H Congress meetings have helped plant trees in city parks and made coats for the homeless. This year, the 4-H members will spend some time with Memphis volunteer agencies.
"Kids from 4-H, from all the states, go out in the city of Memphis and assist 35 to 40 service agencies. To me, it's one of the most outstanding things they do," he said.
4-H is the largest youth-serving organization in the country. It is a volunteer-led organization that reaches youths through a variety of programs in both rural and urban settings. In Indiana, 4-H is part of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service.
CONTACT: Ritchie, (765) 494-8439; e-mail, bob_ritchie@four-h.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
