'Lo-till' farming a high priority at Purdue crop workshop
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Growing crops on untilled or slightly disturbed ground is good for the soil, but is it good for the farmer? Yes, and a Purdue University workshop will show how producers can benefit from soil conservation practices.The Crop Production and Residue Management Workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 9) at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1401 Teal Road, Lafayette, Ind. The event is free, with an optional catered lunch available for $5. Pesticide applicator recertification is available for $10, while workshop attendees are eligible for continuing education credits.
"In this workshop, we're focusing on what we're calling 'lo-till,'" said Jeff Phillips, educator, Purdue Extension Tippecanoe County. "We'll be talking about any situation where a producer is trying to reduce tillage. In today's world of expensive inputs and fuel, farmers should be thinking about reduced tillage."
Workshop sessions will cover both no-till and limited tillage cropping systems. Topics and speakers include:
• "No-till Soil Quality" — Eileen Kladivko, Purdue Department of Agronomy.
• "No-till Corn Transition" — Barry Fisher, conservation tillage coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
• "Managing Weeds in Lo-till" — Terry Semmel, pest specialist, Monsanto Corp.
• "Conservation Security Program" — Mark Eastman, NRCS.
• "A New Look at Nitrogen Recommendations" — Brad Joern, Purdue Department of Agronomy.
• "Maximizing the Bottom Line" — Kelly Cheesewright, area farmer.
The workshop will culminate with a farmer panel discussion on no-till and lo-till practices.
Workshop enrollment is limited, with preregistration required by Friday (Feb. 3). To preregister, contact any of the following county USDA Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices: Benton, (765) 884-0660; Carroll, (765) 564-2849; Clinton, (765) 659-1223; Howard, (765) 457-2114; Tippecanoe, (765) 474-9992; and Warren, (765) 762-2443.
For more information or to receive a workshop brochure, call the Purdue Extension Tippecanoe County office at (765) 474-0793 or Purdue's toll-free Extension hotline at (888) 398-4636 (EXT-INFO).
Purdue Extension is offering the workshop in conjunction with the NRCS, SWCD and the Greater Wabash River Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc. Workshop sponsors include Ag Venture and Frontier Co-op.
Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu
Source: Jeff Phillips, (765) 474-0793, jphillips@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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