Purdue Agriculture Calendar

Weeks: 2/28/00 - 4/05/00 For additional information, call (765) 494-8396 Feb. 29: 4-H Electricity Judging/Leader Training Workshops The state 4-H electric committee will hold two judging/leader training workshops in Scottsburg for 4-H volunteers, utility representatives, electricians, electrical contractors and 4-H members. Identical sessions will begin at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Scott County Extension Office. Participants should attend only one session. The workshops are designed to train current and future electric judges on judging 4-H electric projects, to provide volunteer leaders with the skills to communicate effectively with 4-H'ers, and to help 4-H'ers learn how to build quality electric projects. The workshops are free, but advance registration is desired. CONTACT: Roger Tormoehlen, associate professor of 4-H youth, (765) 494-8429 March 4: Indiana Agriculture In Transition The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service is offering a stress management workshop for rural families in southeastern Indiana. The event is free and open to the public and will be at the Scottsburg Inn in Scottsburg, Ind. Ted Bowman, a professor at the University of Minnesota and independent educator and trainer, is the facilitator for the workshop. He specializes in dealing with families who often face change and transition. Three separate sessions will be offered. The first session, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, is geared toward individuals in service professions such as public officials, attorneys and lending institutions. The second session, from 1:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., is geared toward farm families and deals primarily with personal issues such as economic loss, handling grief, re-evaluating goals and dreams and moving toward new goals. The final session, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., is also geared toward the farm family, focusing on communication in times of crises and change. Participants may choose to attend any or all of the sessions. Registration will take place 15 minutes before the start of each session. CONTACT: Thomas Springstun, Extension director in Scott County, (812) 752-8450, thomas.springstun@ces.purdue.edu March 6-7: Tri-State Vegetable Meeting This meeting at Pokagon State Park is for growers interested in commercial vegetable and specialty crop production. Topics will be discussed in an informal roundtable fashion and may include changes in herbicides, insecticides and fungicides; new varieties; new cultural technologies; fertility; irrigation; and post-harvest handling. The meeting is intended to help forge new links between producers; to introduce new people and staff to each other; and to cover what's happening in surrounding states with vegetable and specialty crop production. Activities on the first day begin with registration from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Activities will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second day. Registration costs $15 at the door, but advanced registration is desired. To reserve a spot, send e-mail to carter@hort.purdue.edu by Feb. 29. The meeting will be at the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park near Angola, Ind. Attendees are responsible for their own overnight accommodations at the Potawatomi Inn, (219) 833-1077, and should mention they are with the Tri-state vegetable group. CONTACT: Jim Simon, professor of horticulture, (765) 494-1328 March 6-7: Midwest GIS 2000 Conference Farmers, county planners and county officials can learn more about geographic information systems at this conference. Purdue GIS specialist Mark Ehle will present several topics such as digital soil maps; correlating yield monitor data and field attributes; and detecting crop weather damage. The sessions run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Registration cost is $100 at the door. For more information, contact Kathy McCarter, The Polis Center, IU-PUI, 1200 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202, (317) 274-8400, fax (317) 278-1830, kmccarte@iupui.edu or check the GIS Web site. CONTACT: Ehle, (765) 494-1198, ehlem@ecn.purdue.edu March 7-9: Keeping Kids Safe This three-day workshop focuses on preventing juvenile violence and reducing long-term violence. It is designed for community teams made up of people who work with youths, such as school administrators, juvenile court judges, probation officers, law enforcement officials, Cooperative Extension educators, business leaders, and parents. The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. March 7 and conclude at 4 p.m. March 9 at the Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park. Participants are responsible for their own room costs and the registration fee of $80 for the entire conference or $50 for one day. The registration packet includes materials, lunch, continental breakfast and breaks. Pre-registration for the event is due by March 1. Send registration information and a check payable to Purdue University to Pam Robbins, 4-H Youth Department, Purdue University, 1161 Ag Administration Building, West Lafayette, Ind. 47907. Arrangements for overnight lodging should be made by Feb. 25 directly with the Abe Martin Lodge, (812) 988-4418. March 8-10: Risk Management Seminars Agricultural producers can engage in contract production of many agricultural products. This seminar, presented at three locations around the state, will equip producers with the decision-making skills necessary to evaluate the risks and benefits of contracts. Each seminar covers topics including sources of risk; trends and types of contracts available; the needs of participants; and the specific risks of both livestock and grain production contracts. Each seminar begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 2:30 p.m. The registration cost is $10 and is due by March 1. Checks, payable to Purdue University, and registration information should be mailed to Pat Dudley, Purdue University, Department of Ag Economics, 1145 Krannert, Room 565, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Registration costs include materials, lunch and breaks. For information about program content, contact James Pritchett, assistant professor of agricultural economics, (765) 496-6262, pritchett@agecon.purdue.edu. The seminar schedule: • March 8: Winchester, Ind. Randolph County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1885 S. U.S. 27 CONTACT: Dan Kirtley, (765) 584-2271 • March 9: Wabash, Ind. Honeywell Center, 275 W. Market St. CONTACT: Vince Harrell, (219) 563-0661 • March 10: Vincennes, Ind. Beckes Student Union, Vincennes University CONTACT: Jerry Nelson, (812) 882-3509 March 11: Gypsy Moth Informative Session Gypsy moths have infested the top tier of Indiana's counties, and they also have shown up in an isolated patch of Indianapolis, which may be sprayed this spring. Purdue entomologist Chris Sadof will discuss the gypsy moth invasion and treatment options at 1:50 p.m. March 11 at a spring gardening clinic presented by the Marion County office of the Cooperative Extension Service. Pre-registration is required. To register, call (317) 848-7351. Although Sadof's talk is free, the cost to attend the entire gardening clinic is $5. CONTACT: Sadof, (765) 494-5983 March 14: Sipac 2000 Beef producers are invited to this first in a series of five free programs sponsored by the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center in Dubois County to improve management practices. Some of the topics to be covered are body condition scoring; selecting a performance-tested bull; fly control strategy; heifer selection; and intensive grazing systems. The program begins at 6 p.m. and is expected to last approximately two hours. Attendees should meet at SIPAC headquarters, 11371 E. Purdue Farm Rd. Other workshops in the series will be May 9, July 11, Sept. 12 and Nov. 9 and will deal with livestock and pasture management. CONTACT: Jim Peter, Dubois County Extension educator, (812) 482-1782, jim@dubois.ces.purdue.edu March 28-29 &Amp; April 4-5: Caregivers Conference These workshops for disabled farmers and their families are designed to encourage caregivers to develop support and resource networks. The first sessions will be March 28-29 at Spring Mill State Park, near Mitchell, Ind. The second will be April 4-5 at Hampton Inn and Healthsource Rehabilitation Hospital, Kokomo, Ind. An informal reception, with sundae bar and a professional storyteller, opens each conference at 7 p.m. the first day. Second-day sessions begin at 8 a.m. with registration and conclude at 4 p.m. Workshops throughout the day will deal with caregivers' changing roles; stress management and communication; and teaching caregivers the importance of becoming their own personal care managers. The fee of $25 includes lunch, snacks and materials. Hotel expenses are the responsibility of the individuals attending the conference. Attendance will be limited. Call (800) 825-4264 to ask about space availability. The sponsors for the conference are the Breaking New Ground Resource Center at Purdue and the Indiana State Department of Health. CONTACT: Paul Jones, technical editor/media developer at Breaking New Ground, (800) 825-4264 Compiled by Kay Hostetler, (765) 494-8402; news_students@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page