2017 Midwest Mint Growers Meeting set for Feb. 23-24

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Mint growers and consumers can learn about the latest developments in weed management, pest control, equipment maintenance, crop insurance and other topics at the 2017 Midwest Mint Growers Meeting, sponsored by the Indiana Mint Market Development and Research Council.

The event is scheduled for Feb. 23-24 at The Market, 2405 U.S. 30 in Valparaiso.

Indiana has been a major mint producer since the 1800s, especially in the northwestern and north-central parts of the state, said Jerry Fankhauser Jr., assistant director of agricultural research at Purdue.

 “These annual meetings are really an important time when mint growers come together with specialists, researchers, industry professionals and Purdue Extension faculty to visit and learn from each other. It’s also a great opportunity to learn about the most recent research and developing technologies for their crop,” he said.

Sessions and speakers include:

* “Innovative Technologies for Oil Capture”; Kevin Kinder, ABS Materials.

* “Weather Update for 2017”: Ken Scheeringa, associate state climatologist.

* “2017 Mint and Grain Outlook”; Chris Hurt, Purdue Extension agricultural economist.

* “New Herbicide Application Techniques”; Bryan Young, Purdue professor of botany and plant pathology.

* “Common Parasitic Nematodes of Corn, Soybean and Mint in Indiana”; Jamal Faghihi, research and Extension nematologist at Purdue.

Hours are 12:30-6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 8-11:45 a.m. Feb. 24. The first day of the meeting concludes with a banquet featuring a presentation by Noel Stuckman on mint production in the 1940s.

Registration is $40 before Feb. 17 and $45 after that date. To download the meeting brochure go to https://ag.purdue.edu/arp/Pages/Mint.aspx.

For more information on how to register, contact Fankhauser at fankhaus@purdue.edu or by phone at 765-494-8368.           

Writer: Cheri Frederick, 765-494-2406, cfrederick@purdue.edu 

Source: Jerry Fankhauser, 765-494-8368, fankhaus@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Darrin Pack, dpack@purdue.edu 
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