Purdue Ag News Roundup
Purdue Ag News Roundup
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September 11, 1998
Farm Fest offers tours of 5 Morgan County sitesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Hoosiers can take a break from the fast pace of city life and experience the sights, tastes and smells of life on the farm at the annual Farm Fest, sponsored by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and the Morgan County Extension Office.The free tour of agricultural operations provides a way for the farming community to promote a better understanding of agriculture to its urban neighbors. Farm Fest, which began in 1981, annually rotates among the seven counties surrounding Indianapolis. Farm Fest '98 will take place Sunday, Sept. 20, in Morgan County. The five locations on the tour will offer family activities, information about how farms operate and a chance to sample farm cuisine for a small fee. "Each of the sites represents Morgan County agriculture," said Chris Parker, agriculture and natural resources educator in the Morgan County Extension Office. "In addition to traditional agriculture, the farms show the diversity of agriculture in central Indiana." Visitors can start and stop at any of the five sites; tour hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maps are available from the Morgan County Extension Office, 180 S. Main St., Martinsville, (765) 342-1010. The route also will be marked with Farm Fest road signs. Morgan County Fairgrounds is one of the stops on the tour. Though technically not a farm, this site will showcase the connection between 4-H and agriculture. Visitors can see a variety of 4-H projects, including animal projects like horses, sheep and llamas. Children can take part in a 4-H-sponsored scavenger hunt. The Morgan County Sheep Producers will be on hand to demonstrate sheep shearing and sheep dog herding. Antique machinery also will be on display. The sheep producers and 4-H Junior Leaders will provide food. Families also are invited to bring a picnic lunch to this site. Ozark Fisheries, which was started in 1926 in Stoutland, Mo., is one of the more unique stops on the tour. Visitors can see fish ponds, fish tanks, hatchery equipment and a display concerning aquaculture and fish. Among the fish raised here are Japanese Koi and several types of goldfish, including Calico Fantail, Black Moor, Red Fantail and Shubunkin. Valley Farms, the grain farming operation of the Milhon family, is another Farm Fest stop. Tourists will see grain handling equipment, modern and antique farm machinery, and the plane Brent Milhon uses for his aerial crop application business. Additionally, there will be displays of products made from corn and soybeans, and free soy-based crayons and agriculture-related coloring books for kids. Food and drinks will be available from the Morgan County Pork Producers. The McCarty Farm, owned by Dale Jessup and farmed by the McCarty family, includes nearly 6,000 acres in Morgan, Johnson and Marion counties. At this site, visitors can observe a beef feeding and cow-calf operation and tour the feeding complex. Also, be sure to walk through the historic "cloverleaf" barn, a large barn from a bygone era that is still in use. The Morgan County Beef Cattle Association will sell ribeye steak sandwiches at this location. The Anderson Orchard sells a variety of apple products, in addition to being a U-pick farm. Established in 1969 by Paul and Carolyn Anderson, the family orchard operation also raises other fruits and vegetables. Visitors can take a bus tour of the orchard or sample any of the numerous apple desserts sold at this Farm Fest site. CONTACT: Chris Parker, (765) 342-1010; e-mail, chris.parker@ces.purdue.edu
Purdue brings ag economic outlook homeWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- An anticipated large harvest, low prices and the loan deficiency payment program will put a new twist on speculation this harvest, say Purdue University agricultural economists who will hold 41 outlook meetings across Indiana in September and December."Farmers will be looking for the lowest price they can find," said Chris Hurt, a Purdue Cooperative Extension Service economist who is organizing the meetings. "We're recommending they try to maximize the LDP (loan deficiency payment) and then store the crop until they see some price recovery." With corn prices below $2 per bushel in some parts of Indiana, farmers can opt to take a loan deficiency payment, which is the difference between the county loan rate and the posted county price. The posted county price is set daily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, based on grain terminal bids. If the posted county price is less than the county loan rate, producers can take the loan deficiency payment for the amount. For example, if the posted county price is $1.70 and the county loan rate is $1.90, a producer could collect 20 cents per bushel as a loan deficiency payment. Deciding when to collect the loan deficiency payment is at the farmer's discretion. The payment can be taken only on grain that has been harvested, Hurt said. The grain can be sold at any time after that, though, for whatever price the farmer can get, he said. "If a farmer can get 20 cents for the loan deficiency payment and hold on for $2.30 corn, most can survive this tough year," Hurt said. If a producer does elect to take the loan deficiency payment, the grain is no longer eligible for the nine-month nonrecourse loan program. Even with the additional payment, farmers are in for a tough financial ride, Hurt said. Purdue agricultural economists recommend that farmers start planning on three-year budget cycles instead of the traditional one year, and that they start looking at long-term financial strategies. "The difficult question to answer is how long these low prices will last," Hurt said. "A lot of Indiana farmers can weather one year, but two or three might be tough. They need to start thinking long-term." Other topics the Purdue agricultural economists will cover are the continuing Asian market collapse and the outlook for land and input prices. The meetings are free and often include a sponsored meal. For information on locations, contact the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service office in your county or call toll-free (888) EXT-INFO. December dates have been scheduled for southern Indiana counties because the harvest is later. The schedule, alphabetically by county, is:
The schedule, alphabetically by county, is:
Melon growers to cooperate with pesticide surveyWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's Pesticide Program is asking Indiana cantaloupe and watermelon growers to participate in an upcoming survey on their pest control practices.The survey results will be used by state and federal regulatory agencies, public policy officials and others to help base pesticide-use issues on more accurate estimates rather than gross assumptions. Producers will receive letters followed by phone calls to set up interview appointments. Questions will cover production and pest management practices. The survey will be coordinated by the Purdue Pesticide Program, which is a member of the National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program, and Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in conjunction with the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. CONTACT: Fred Whitford, Purdue Pesticide Program, (765) 494-4566 Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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