Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
February 23, 2004 Crop seminar packs bushels of information into single dayWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Southern Indiana farmers counting down the days until the start of the 2004 crop season might consider taking time out for some professional development. The annual Southwest Indiana Crop Seminar provides producers and the agribusiness people who serve them with insights on various aspects of feed grain management, no-till systems, grain storage and forages. This year's seminar takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST on Thursday (2/26) at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, Jasper, Ind. The facility is located along U.S. 231 on Jasper's southwest side. About 20 individual seminar sessions are scheduled, led by Purdue Extension specialists, producers, industry professionals and others. The seminar is information-driven, said Kenneth Eck, Purdue Extension conservation program specialist and seminar coordinator. "We have three goals," Eck said. "One, we want to expose producers to new specialists or people in industry that can help them with problems as they have them. Second, we'll explore problems they may have had last year, and those that we see on the horizon, such as glyphosate-resistant weeds. And third, we'll share new research from Purdue, industry and other universities that they can incorporate into their farming operations." Among the seminar topics planned are discussions on soybean aphids, Southwest corn borer, soybean cyst nematode, gene stacking in corn, no-till machinery and maintenance, no-till fertility issues, precision soybean drilling, grain storage for identity preservation, diseases in stored grain, grain bin aeration and pest control, forage watering systems, hay marketing and herbicides/pesticides. "Another local issue we'll cover is grain sorghum production," Eck said. "The poultry industry is looking more toward grain sorghum for feed because of the color that it leaves with the eggs. They're looking for clear yolks that they can't get with yellow dent corn. By using grain sorghum, they gain the lack of color they need for products such as cakes and cookies. There's a lot of out-of-state sorghum coming in that local producers could muscle in on and create new markets. "We'll also focus on forage issues. We'll address ways to enhance the forage production in this part of the state, as well as marketing opportunities in areas just to the south of us across the Ohio River in Kentucky. There are a lot of horse markets down there that need forage, as well as general beef cattle." The seminar annually attracts producers and agribusiness people from Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, Eck said. Seminar admission is $5 and does not require preregistration. The fee includes a seminar proceedings packet and other materials. Attendees are eligible for continuing education, certified crop adviser and private applicator recertification program (PARP) credits. An additional $10 fee is required for those requesting PARP credit. For more information about the Southwest Indiana Crop Seminar, contact the Purdue Extension Dubois County office at (812) 482-1782. A seminar brochure is available on the Purdue Department of Agronomy Upcoming Events Web page by logging on and clicking the "Southwest Indiana Crop Seminar" link. Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu Source: Kenneth Eck, (812) 482-1171 ext. 3, keck@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Related Web site:
|
