Purdue News
Purdue News
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July 24, 1998
Learn the future of corn and soybeans at SEPACWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Corn and soybean farmers who want to know what the 21st century holds for their crops can get some answers at the Southeast Purdue Ag Center Field Day on Aug. 18.The free field day will focus on the future of corn and soybeans for the next millennium. Presentations will cover topics ranging from products currently available to new product development and from development of marketplaces to ways to improve and help develop crops through new technologies. The event will be at the Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center in Jennings County, a quarter mile west of Butlerville on U.S. 50. Registration is from 9:15 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. "One of our presentations will focus on changes in contract growing, which is basically raising value-added crops," said Dan Wilson, a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service educator in Decatur County. Such value-added crops include waxy, white, high-oil, food grade and nutradense corn. "These crops result in a bonus paid to farmers above the traditional dent corn price," Wilson said. Nancy Benson and John Haas, market developers for Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., will conduct a presentation on how to contract corn and how to work with such contracts from a farmer's perspective. Haas, from Illinois, is a specialty market developer. "Southeast Indiana is always looking for ways to be innovative," Wilson said. "Some markets are coming to us, especially with Consolidated Grain and Barge's grain facilities on the Ohio River. We have a strong market potential and a good place to ship the crop." There also will be a panel discussion featuring current contract growers to answer any question on the contract growing process and experience. In addition, Roger Dumond with KOVA will make a presentation about advances in site-specific farming and the direction it will take in the 21st century. There also will be a Herbicide Advantage tour allowing participants to view herbicide test plots on the farm, as well as a general farm tour. Gary Cutter, the parent seed/production research manager for Cargill Hybrid Seeds, will conduct a presentation on the cutting edge of corn production as affected by biotechnology and breeding. Cutter, a Purdue graduate raised in southern Indiana, will discuss the development of crops to fit markets. He will talk about products currently available and will predict the direction companies will take in the next century. Purdue agricultural economist Marshall Martin will discuss the farm bill, and Purdue agronomist Bob Nielson will discuss current production issues such as flooding and lead the panel discussion on contract growing. "The number one thing participants will gain is knowledge," Wilson said. "They will have a better feel for what's going to happen to agriculture over the next 10 years as far as development and marketing." The field day is free and open to the public. To preregister, call the Decatur County Extension office at (812) 663-8388. A free lunch will be sponsored by Stewart Seeds, Pioneer Seeds, KOVA, Bayer, DuPont, American Cyanamid, BASF, AgrEvo, Monsanto, FMC, Novartis, Rhone Poulenc, Zeneca and AgriGold. CONTACT: Wilson, (812) 663-8388; e-mail, Dan.Wilson@ces.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
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