Purdue Agriculture and Extension Events

Weeks: 1/29/12 - 6/10/12

FEB. 1 – JUNE 14: BEDDING PLANT WORKSHOPS

A series of educational workshops continues across the state for operators of greenhouses, nurseries and garden centers who can learn about new production techniques and get advice on marketing. The workshops, most of them free, will be held on the following dates and at the following locations: Feb. 1, 3-5 p.m. (CST), Alsip Nursery, St. John (Lake County): substrates, Jamie Gibson of Conrad Fafard, Inc.; Feb. 23, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (EST), Crossroads Greenhouse, Indianapolis (Marion County): temperature and light, Erik Runkle of Michigan State University (This session is part of the 2012 Indiana Flower Growers Association Bedding plant Conference bedding plant conference and requires the conference fee.);  March 8, 3-5 p.m. (CST), Zandstra's Farms and Greenhouse, Highland (Lake County): Northwest Indiana Floriculture Association meeting, water quality, alkalinity, and pH management, Brian Krug of the University of New Hampshire; March 21, 4-6 p.m. (EST), Krueger Maddux Greenhouses, Sunman (Ripley County): height control, Jim Barrett of the University of Florida; April 11, 4-6 p.m. (EST), Broadview Greenhouse, Fort Wayne (Allen County): Northeast Indiana Flower Growers Association meeting, disease management, Janna Beckerman of Purdue University; April 25, 4-6 p.m. (EST), Elsbury's Greenhouse, Hope (Bartholomew County): insect management, Cliff Sadof of Purdue University; June 14, 4-6 p.m. (EST), Heartland Growers, Westfield (Hamilton County): marketing, Bridget Behe of Michigan State University. The March 21 and April 11 and 25 events are approved for pesticide applicator recertification credit. Attendees at each event are requested to confirm their attendance three days in advance by contacting Tammy Goodale at tgoodale@purdue.edu

CONTACT: Roberto Lopez, 765-496-3425, rglopez@purdue.edu

JAN. 23-27: CROP MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS

Purdue Extension's Pest Management Program will offer a series of Crop Management Workshops at five Indiana locations in January. The workshops focus on a variety of disease, insect and weed control strategies, and pesticide regulations. They will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time on the following dates: Jan. 23, Porter County Expo Center, 215 Division Road., Valparaiso; Jan. 24, Wells County Community Center, 1240 S. 4-H Road., Bluffton; Jan. 25, Holiday Inn, 2480 Jonathan Moore Pike, Columbus; Jan. 26, Huntingburg Event Center, 110 E. 14th St., Huntingburg; Jan. 27, Beck Agricultural Center, 4540 U.S. 52 W., West Lafayette. Registration is $75 per person and includes lunch and a copy of the 2012 Corn and Soybean Field Guide. Seating at all locations is limited, so participants should pre-register. More information is available at http://www.conf.purdue.edu/crop.

JAN. 25-26: HEART OF AMERICA GRAZING CONFERENCE

Livestock producers from across the Midwest can learn about the latest grazing and pasture management techniques at the Heart of America Grazing Conference, Jan. 25-26 in Mount Vernon, Ill. The conference features speakers from Purdue and other universities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and industry. Registration is $45 per day or $70 for both days. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/outreach/2011/111108JohnsonGrazing.html, and to register online visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ajmpu/hoa

CONTACT: Keith Johnson, 765-494-4800, johnsonk@purdue.edu

JAN. 27-28: FARMING TOGETHER WORKHOP

The Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics will sponsor a Farming Together Workshop Jan. 27-28 at the Stewart Center on the Purdue campus in West Lafayette. The workshop will provide valuable information and answer questions on the issues involved with bringing a family member such as a son or daughter, or other partner, into a farming operation. The complete agenda is available online at http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/extension/programs/farm_together.asp. For more information, contact Alan Miller at 765-494-4203 or by email at millerwa@purdue.edu, or Craig Dobbins at 765-494-9041, cdobbins@purdue.edu.

JAN. 31: INDIANA FORAGE COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING AND SEMINAR

The Indiana Forage Council will host its annual meeting and seminar Jan. 31 at Gasthof Amish Village, 6747 E. Gasthof Village Road, Montgomery. The annual meeting, for members and other interested participants, begins at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., dinner will be served at no cost to Forage Council members or $5 for nonmembers. At 7 p.m., guest speakers Gary Zimmer of Midwestern Bio-Ag and Andrew Brown, 2011 Indiana Forage Council spokesperson, will talk about quality forage and personal observations of forage farming. Attendance at the annual meeting is not a requirement for participation in the remainder of the evening. Participants should register by Jan. 27 with Lisa Green at 765-494-4783 or by email at lgreen06@purdue.edu

FEB. 1-4: NORTHERN, SOUTHERN INDIANA GRAZING CONFERENCES

Indiana livestock producers looking to improve their pastures and forages will have opportunities to learn from experts in the field at the Northern and Southern Indiana Grazing Conferences in February. The Southern Indiana Grazing Conference is Feb. 1 at the Simon J. Graber Building, 9164 E. 875 N., Odon. The Northern Indiana Grazing Conference, sponsored in-part by Purdue Extension, takes place Feb. 3-4 at the Michiana Event Center, 7605 N. Indiana 9, Howe. The conferences will include presentations by agronomists, farmers and Extension experts. Both also will offer exhibits from agribusinesses. Registration is $35 per person. Walk-in registration is $40. For more information, visit: http://daviesscoswcd.org/main/page_sigc.html. Registration for the northern Indiana conference is $35 for one day for the first person from a farm. Additional attendees from the farm can register for $25 each. Two-day registration is $55 for the first person from each farm and $40 for each additional. More information is available at http://www.lagrangeswcd.org/_mgxroot/page_10776.html

CONTACT: Keith Johnson, 765-494-4800, johnsonk@purdue.edu

FEB. 2: WEBINAR SERIES ON RAISING POULTRY

A series of online workshops will help those running a small-scale poultry operation better understand the fundamentals of raising chickens for eggs, meat and income - from selecting their birds to marketing their products. The webinar, "Raising Poultry for Pleasure & Profit," is sponsored by Purdue Extension and the Purdue School for Successful Poultry Production and Marketing. It begins Feb. 2 and will contain five webcasts, shown weekly at Extension offices across Indiana. They also can be watched at home or as recordings. Early registration is due by Jan. 26 and costs $40 per person attending the entire webinar series, with no additional fees for attendees from the same household. Cost for one session is $15 per person. There is a late fee of $10 for registration after Jan. 26.

FEB. 4: PURDUE AG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FISH FRY, AG FORECAST

Farmer and philanthropist Howard G. Buffett will speak on the need for global food security in his featured presentation during the annual Purdue University Agricultural Alumni Association Fish Fry on Feb. 4 in the Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The Fish Friday will begin at 11:30 a.m. EST, following the Ag Forecast in the Grand Hall at 9:30 a.m. The Ag Forecast will consist of a panel of Purdue faculty and agricultural leaders discussing issues to be resolved in writing of the 2012 Farm Bill in Congress. Admission to the Ag Forecast is free and open to the public. Tickets for the Fish Fry are $20 each. Information on tickets, parking permits and on-site child care for the Fish Fry is available at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agalumni or by calling the Agricultural Alumni office at 765-494-8593.

CONTACT: Danica Kirkpatrick, 765-494-9113, dkirkpat@purdue.edu

FEB. 8: CENTRAL INDIANA PORK CONFERENCE

Pork producers can learn about trends, legislation and studies involving the industry at the Central Indiana Pork Conference at Rossville High School, 1 Robert Egly Drive, Rossville. Those interested in attending are requested to register before Feb. 1 in order to ensure adequate supplies for all participants; however, late registrations will be accepted as space allows. Registration costs $20 per person. The fee includes materials, refreshments, and a lunch. For more information or to register online, visit http://www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/clinton/Pages/cipc.aspx or contact Curt Emanuel at 765-659-6380 or cemanuel@purdue.edu. The conference is sponsored by the Clinton County Extension Service and the Clinton County Pork Producers.

FEB. 23:  BEDDING PLANT STATE CONFERENCE

Operators of greenhouses, nurseries and garden centers can learn about new production techniques and get advice on marketing at the 2012 Indiana Flower Growers Association Bedding Plant Conference on Feb. 23 at Crossroads Greenhouse, 2559 Kentucky Ave., Indianapolis. Registration is $35 for one person and $20 for each additional attendee from the same business. Registration forms are available at https://sharepoint.agriculture.purdue.edu/agriculture/flowers/events.aspx under "Registration." Alternatively, contact Colleen Flynn at martinck@purdue.edu

Conference attendees can earn pesticide applicator recertification credit by paying an additional $10 fee and bringing their private applicator cards.

CONTACT: Roberto Lopez, 765-496-3425, rglopez@purdue.edu

FEB. 28-29: MIDWEST COVER CROPS COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING

The Midwest Cover Crops Council will host its annual meeting Feb. 28-29 and the Greater Wabash River RC&D will follow with a workshop on Soil Productivity March 1, both at Purdue University's Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette. The meeting will focus on topics including cover crop selection, conservation benefits, management techniques, regulations, research and more. It is intended for a variety of participants, such as crop producers, Extension professionals, seed dealers, agency professionals and researchers. Registration for the Feb. 28 MCCC morning working session and afternoon session is free, but participants must register for lunch. Those who register for the Feb. 29-March 1 sessions by Feb. 14 can attend for $25 per day, or $40 for both days. After Feb. 14, the rates are $35 per day or $50 for both days. Registration fees include lunch and a copy of the new Cover Crop Field Guide, which will be available at the meeting. A brochure with registration, lodging and transportation information is available at http://www.mccc.msu.edu/MCCCmeeting.html

CONTACT: Eileen Kladivko, 765-494-6372, kladivko@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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