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August 8, 2003

Field day workshops outline pressing issues in Indiana agriculture

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will host four agricultural field days this month to showcase topics such as soybean aphids, corn rootworm, controlling winter annuals and herbicide drift damage.

The field days will be conducted at four of the eight Purdue Agriculture Centers, where researchers carry out projects of a regional nature, help identify and solve production problems, and explain and demonstrate research results.

All four of the field days also will offer a private applicator recertification program, which requires a $10 recertification fee. In addition to the private applicator program, each field day will offer recertification programs for commercial pesticide appliers and certified crop advisers.

Each field day is free and open to the public, with sponsored meals and/or refreshments included. The field day schedule is:

• Aug. 19 – Southeast-Purdue Ag Center in Jennings County. Potassium soil fertility and stratification research will take center stage. Sylvie Broder, a Purdue Extension agronomist, also will cover site-specific issues concerning potassium and soil levels. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. and last until approximately 8:30 p.m. Participants will be divided into four groups to attend the four 45-minute sessions. Other topics include pesticide sprayer cleaning and safety, pesticide mixing techniques and herbicide drift damage. The center is north of Butlerville, Ind., on County Road 350 N. CONTACT: Mike Ferree, (812) 379-1665, ferreel@purdue.edu.

• Aug. 19 – Davis-Purdue Ag Center in Randolph County. Purdue Extension specialists will discuss a variety of site-specific topics such as controlling winter annuals and pesticide safety and handling issues. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the program will start at 8:30 a.m. A free lunch will be offered at noon. Other topics to be discussed include corn rootworm sampling and decision making, and pesticide regulatory issues. The Davis-Purdue Agricultural Center is five miles north of Farmland, Ind., on State Road 1. CONTACT: Daniel Kirtley, Davis superintendent, (765) 584-2271, daniel.kirtley@purdue.edu.

• Aug. 20 – Pinney-Purdue Ag Center in LaPorte County. Beginning at 8 a.m. with registration, the field day schedule includes tours, program presentations and an agricultural economics outlook conducted by Allan Gray, associate professor of agricultural economics at Purdue. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a tour of the center, followed by a discussion on advances in agriculture. Presentation topics include issues concerning corn rootworm and new corn varieties, fall herbicide treatments, an update on pesticide application, and a Roundup and manganese deficiency discussion. The Purdue Tillage Group also will provide tillage equipment field trials. There will be a lunch offered for field day participants at 12:30 p.m. The Pinney PAC program also will feature exhibits from local agribusinesses and door prizes for participants. The center is located approximately 5 miles east of Valparaiso, Ind., on U.S. Highway 30 and one-half mile north on County Line Road. CONTACT: Eric Biddinger, (219) 465-3555, ext, 227, biddinge@purdue.edu; Jon Leuck, (219) 733-2379, ppa@netnitco.net.

• Aug. 28 – Northeast-Purdue Ag Center in Whitley County. Beginning at 8 a.m. with registration, the emphasis of this year's field day is how to make sound management decisions. More than 60 demonstration plots of corn and soybean herbicide applications will be open for touring. There will be demonstrations plots on various seeding rates for corn and beans, a plot that compares manure to fertilizer usage and some twin-row corn comparisons. There also will be presentations on soybean aphids (a new pest in the Midwest), and the pollen drift issue, which is a concern with increased use of genetically modified crops. The center is located on County Road 400 S., just west of County Road 500 E. CONTACT: Rolla Parsons, Purdue Extension educator, (260) 358-4826, Rolla.Parsons@ces.purdue.edu.

Writer: Meggie Issler, (765) 494-8402, agnews-stories@purdue.edu

Sources: Mike Ferree, (812) 379-1665, ferreel@purdue.edu

Dan Kirtley, (765) 584-2271, daniel.kirtley@purdue.edu

Eric Beddinger, (219) 465-3555 ext. 227, biddinge@purdue.edu

Rolla Parsons, (260) 358-4826, Rolla.Parsons@ces.purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu; https://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/AgComm/public/agnews/


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