Purdue News

December 26, 2001 Crop workshop places pests, weeds in the crosshairs WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Pests and weeds work hard to ruin corn and soybean crops. A daylong workshop will arm farmers in southwest Indiana and neighboring Kentucky and Illinois with the knowledge to thwart those natural enemies. The annual Corn-Soybean Day takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST) Jan. 3 at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center Activities Building, located on Darmstadt Road off U.S. 41, north of Evansville, Ind. There is no charge to attend. The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service sponsors the event. "We've scheduled the Corn-Soybean Day to provide information to bring to farmers some of the latest information on doing a more effective job of producing these crops," said Gary Michel, Purdue Extension Warrick County educator and a workshop coordinator. "We've tried to put a well-rounded group of topics together, covering insects and weeds, and some of the new and innovative ideas in corn and soybean production." Speakers include Extension specialists from Purdue and the University of Kentucky, and the agriculture industry. Among the topics covered are control measures for Southwestern corn borer, Japanese beetles, grubs and wireworms; pesticide recordkeeping; problem weeds and new herbicide products; polymer-coated corn and soybean seeds; the 2002 agricultural outlook; and farm bill update. Michel said he expects a session on field mice to be one of the more popular. "This past year we've had a lot of calls and concerns about rodents, particularly voles," he said. "We'll discuss how to reduce those populations, and control measures for voles." Private pesticide applicators attending the workshop are eligible for credits toward recertification. A $10 fee will be charged for those registering for recertification credit. Continuing education credits also are available for commercial pesticide applicators and Certified Crop Advisors. Consolidated Grain & Barge and ADM Growmark will provide lunch for workshop attendees. For additional information, contact a county office of Purdue Extension or call the toll-free Extension hotline at (888) 398-4636. Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415; sleer@aes.purdue.edu Source: Gary Michel, (812) 644-7436, gary.michel@ces.purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu; https://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/AgComm/public/agnews/ Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page