Purdue Ag News
Purdue Ag NewsNovember 21, 1997
Designed for small and medium-sized pork producers, the conference will highlight methods for raising swine on pasture, use of forages, hooped structures and other technologies.
Sponsored by Sustainable Earth, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and Indiana Sustainable Agriculture Association, "Alternative Hog Production Strategies" will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at Judi's Catering in Lafayette.
According to Sustainable Earth president Steve Bonney, the three organizations want to help farmers who want to stay competitive and learn more about low investment-low production cost systems for hog production.
"We're constantly looking for ways to keep farmers in business. I think this is an appropriate strategy to do so," Bonney said. "Producers who face uncertain futures in the hog business should attend this conference. Never will there be a better opportunity for farmers to learn how to get in or stay in the hog business and earn good profits."
Specialists and hog farmers will make presentations on the different aspects of low-investment and low-cost production strategies. The program also will feature a panel of farmers and specialists to answer questions, plus information on alternative marketing strategies, such as direct marketing from farmer to consumer or through farmer cooperatives.
Speakers include Mark Honeyman, a swine production specialist from Iowa State University; Jim Van Der Pol, a Minnesota hog farmer; and Greg Gunthorp, an Indiana farmer. David Petritz, assistant director of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, will give a welcome address to conference participants.
"Ninety percent of this conference is production," Bonney said. "We designed it that way so we can provide adequate information for farmers to make decisions on whether to adopt these systems."
Later in the conference, Bonney and Jerry Frey of Indiana Family Farms will discuss marketing strategies.
"We're simply touching on that, but marketing is what's driving these changes in hog production. Anytime someone recommends alternative practices, there should be suggested marketing links," Bonney said.
Those attending the conference will be surveyed on topics they'd like to discuss for a follow-up meeting.
Registration for the alternative hog production conference is due by Dec. 4. Attendees must pay a $35 fee, which includes lunch and printed materials. Additional owners or employees of the same farm can register for $15. To register, make checks payable to Sustainable Earth Inc., 100 Georgton Court, West Lafayette, Ind., 47906, or call (765) 463-9366.
CONTACT: Bonney, (765) 463-9366; e-mail, sbonney@iquest.net
"We really need people to report zebra mussels found in inland waters," said Pat Charlebois, nonindigenous species specialist with the Illinois Indiana Sea Grant College Program. "We rely heavily on reports from individual citizens and lake associations, and the perfect time for a quick check is when boats are taken out of the water for storage. To prevent transportation of zebra mussels to uninfested lakes, it's critical that we know which lakes are infested."
Zebra mussels, a European transplant believed to have been carried to the United States in the ballast water of ships, were found in the Great Lakes in 1988. The tiny mussels form large clusters that can clog water lines and damage boat engine cooling systems. Millions of dollars have been spent in cleanup costs in the Great Lakes. In addition, zebra mussels can smother native species of mussels and compete with juvenile gamefish for food.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports that the tiny invaders have been found in three more northern Indiana lakes this fall: Chapman Lake in Kosciusko County and Pine and Stone lakes in Laporte County. That brings the total of infested Indiana lakes to 18. Zebra mussels also are in the Ohio and St. Joseph rivers.
In inland Illinois, zebra mussels have been reported in the Illinois River and its tributaries, and in the upper Mississippi, with unconfirmed reports of some at Sangchris Lake in central Illinois.
When checking their boats, people should look for small, D-shaped mussels no bigger than a large fingernail, usually with black and white stripes, similar to stripes on zebras.
Charlebois said boat owners should check livewells, transoms, and the interior and exterior hull. Mussels could also be found in the water intake pipes of motors and in the nooks and crannies of engine mounts and lower units.
Charlebois said lakeside homeowners could also extend the zebra mussel inspection to docks and pumps they will be putting away for the winter.
If any are found, Charlebois would like to have the zebra mussels sent to her to confirm the finding. "We would like for people to save any zebra mussels they find so that we can catalog them. They can contact us for instructions on preserving and sending the mussels."
To report zebras mussels, call Charlebois at (847) 872-0140 or e-mail p_char@ix.netcom.com. A comprehensive guide to zebra mussel monitoring, "Biological Notes 138," by Sea Grant researcher J. Ellen Marsden is available for $3 from the Illinois Natural History Survey at (217) 333-6880.
CONTACT: Charlebois, (847) 872-0140; e-mail, p_char@ix.netcom.com
Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; E-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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