Purdue News
Purdue News
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May 26, 2000 Hay fever – catch it at Purdue's annual Forage DayWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The way to a farm animal's heart – and the other parts that go to market, too – is through its stomach. Livestock producers interested in growing top-quality hay and pasture can pick up pointers at Purdue University's annual Forage Day. Formerly called Hay Day, the event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 22 at Purdue's Animal Sciences Research and Education Center, located a half mile east of County Road 500 North and U.S. 231, in Tippecanoe County. Forage Day is free, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. the same day. Lunch is available on site for a modest charge. "Most people in Indiana see only the corn or soybeans part of agriculture, but forage is a very pertinent, very valuable aspect of our total agricultural enterprise," said David Trotter, Clark County Extension director and Forage Day co-chairman. Sponsored by Purdue Extension and the Indiana Forage Council, Forage Day combines educational workshops with equipment demonstrations. Workshops cover various topics in the agronomy, beef, dairy and sheep categories. Subjects include storing feed in bags, beef and dairy cattle stresses caused by forages, and parasite control while grazing. "The educational topics are almost entirely different this year," said Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage specialist and a Forage Day coordinator. Johnson said 18 equipment manufacturers will display mowers, rakes, balers, wrappers and related machinery at a demonstration area. "Folks will be able to see the newest technology. There aren't many places where they can do that," he said. Another highlight is a side trip to the Scholer Purdue Animal Sciences Farm, where a team of Purdue agricultural researchers developed an extensive watering system from a hillside spring. The contractors installed a submersible pump and a 2,000-gallon collection tank at the spring, then ran more than a mile of 2-inch pipe to carry the water to animals. "The original well at the pasture was unreliable and only provided one to two gallons of water a minute," said Kirk Vanzant, manager of Purdue's Beef Research and Education Center. "With this spring and watering system, we're now getting 10 gallons a minute." A bus or caravan leaves for the Scholer farm at 4 p.m. Again this year, Forage Day will feature the Hay Quality Contest. Divisions include grass, legume and mixed. To enter, farmers must bring an unbroken bale of hay. Hay will be evaluated with a near-infrared reflectance spectrophotometer. Winners will be announced about two weeks after Forage Day, with prizes awarded by the Indiana Forage Council and various agribusinesses. For more information about Forage Day, contact your county Extension office, call Carol Summers at (765) 494-4783 or log onto Purdue's forage Web site. CONTACTS: Johnson, (765) 494-4800, johnsonk@purdue.edu; Trotter, (812) 256-4591, david_trotter@ces.purdue.edu; Vanzant, (765) 583-2622, kvanzant@purdue.edu Compiled by: Amanda Siegfried, (765) 494-2080, asiegfried@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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