Purdue News

August 6, 1999 Purdue Field Day aids in economic farm crisis WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- This year's Southeast Purdue Ag Center Field Day will present alternative crops for Indiana farmers to help diversify the agricultural economy. According to SEPAC superintendent Don Biehle, there is a tremendous economic potential for grape and wine production in Indiana, as well as a growing market for botanicals that exhibit some natural medicinal qualities. The SEPAC field day will start at 1: 30 on August 19 at the Southeast Purdue Ag Center in Jennings County. "The current economic status of farms can be described as a crisis," said Biehle. "Farmers are being forced to look at new strategies that will allow them to be able to continue to farm. Hopefully, some of this information presented will be useful to farmers as they analyze the difficult situation that exists in agriculture." Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. followed by a welcome from Biehle. At 2 p.m., visitors will choose between a horticulture tour or a field crop tour. The field crop tour will feature food-grade corn plots. The horticulture tour will include a visit to a grape vineyard where participants will view a wine grape variety study. Another stop on the horticulture tour will show alternative botanicals being grown because of their medicinal qualities. According to Biehle, the alternative botanical plots consist of two dozen different plants with some medicinal qualities. "Our efforts have been to get some basic production information on these plants," said Biehle. "We are simply seeing if the plants will grow in our soils and environment. We're also looking at potential pest problems such as weeds, insects, and diseases." Biehle said that most of these crops will require a large amount of labor to produce but will offer the potential for a high-value crop produced on small acreage. At 3:30, field day visitors will choose between a field crop tour, pest control tour or forestry tour. On the pest control tour, visitors will be taken to corn and herbicide demonstration plots that address problems with diagnosing crops. A tour of the pesticide handling facility at SEPAC also will be included. The forestry tour will take participants to both established woodlands and plantations, which will include a discussions of management practices and economic considerations. At 5 p.m. there will be a second opportunity to go on either the pest control tour or the horticulture tour. At 6:30, a dinner sponsored by several chemical companies will be served followed by a farm overview or forestry tour. In addition to tours, this field day will feature displays and presentations inside the shop and office building. Some other things to look for at the field day include how food-grade corn can possibly offer a price premium, the importance of continually being updated on how to diagnose plant problems, and the impact of the government loan deficiency on the income generated in grain markets. Speakers scheduled are County Extension Educator Terry Keeneth on food-grade corn production plots; agricultural economist Chris Hurt on agricultural outlook; viticulturalist Bruce Bordelon on grape production; horticulturist Jim Simon on alternative crops; and Jack Seifert on forestry. Roslyn Amor will talk about the Farm Counseling Project. Other speakers will discuss Money 2000, food safety, herbs, and corn and soybean herbicides. The Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center is five miles east of North Vernon off U.S. Highway 50. This field day is free and open to the public. Source: Don Biehle (812) 458-6979, djbiehle@seidata.com Writer: Naomi J. Haley, (765) 494-8396, news_students@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page