Bird’s eye view of the demonstration site at Meigs.
The 7th annual Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day took place at Meigs Horticulture Research Facility took place Wednesday, September 11th. Welcoming about 250 participants from as far away as Quebec and Tennessee, the event showcased mechanical weed control tools and techniques for all scales of farming, ranging from tarps and hand tools to camera-guided cultivators and speed discs. Steve Meyers and Josué Cerritos (HLA) presented a session on tarping and timing for weed control. Moriah Bilenky (HLA) presented a demonstration of horse-drawn equipment, with the assistance of teamster Kris Acheson-Clair (CILMAR) and Percherons John and Cash. Ashley Adair (HLA), the Purdue team lead for the event, has been coordinating the field day with teammates Chloe Henscheid (PACs), Jay Young (PACs), Sarah Brackney (Extension), Steve Meyers, Moriah Bilenky, Aaron Fisher (Byron Seeds), Crystal Siltman (The Land Connection, IL), Jason Federer (Living Prairie Equipment), Daniel Garcia (Garcia’s Gardens) and Sam Oschwald-Tilton (Glacial Drift Enterprises) since December of 2023.
Josué Cerritos describes results of his silage tarping demonstration during the morning session. (Photo provided by the Meyers Lab)
Moriah Bilenky demonstrates a horse-drawn field cultivator with the help of John and Cash.
Ashley Adair piloting Meigs’ Ford 1920 during event setup.
“Walk-Behind Alley” featured human-powered tools and walk-behind tractor implements. This portion of the event gave participants an opportunity to try out new tools from companies like Small Farm Works, Earth Tools, Johnny’s, and Tilmor.
Jay Young, Chloe Henscheid, and Sam Oschwald-Tilton discuss demo plot plans during a field day site visit at Meigs in April 2024.
We are grateful to members of the Meyers Lab, Valeria Fonseca Turcios, Celia Corado, Lidysce Andrea Mata, and Helen Nocito for their help supporting various on-site activities during the field day!
Members of the Meyers Lab assisting during event registration. (Photo provided by the Meyers Lab)
Special thanks to: Amy Thompson (Extension/DFFS) and Tricia Herr (Extension) for volunteering their time to assist with on-site activities; and Chris Adair (HLA) and Nellie Walthery (Purdue Student Farm) for their assistance preparing plant material for the day’s vegetable demos.
HORT 318 and SFS 210 students were able to attend afternoon demonstrations as a class field trip.
We also wish to extend a big thank you to sponsors and trade show exhibitors from near and far, including Bane-Welker for the use Case IH 100 utility tractor during field demonstrations. You can see a full list here: https://www.thelandconnection.org/event/2024-mmwcfd/