Farm Winter Workshops

Gibson County has a winter workshop series that is now fabled to have started before 1960.
If anyone can remember the originating year of the workshops, please call the extension office at 385-3491, and let Hans know. After at least 52 years, the workshops remain a well-attended, highly informational and social opportunity for farmers in southwestern Indiana.

The 2012 workshops begin on January 9th at 7 p.m. with Dr. Bret Marsh, state veterinarian for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), presenting “Hot Topics from the Indiana State BOAH.” The last year presented livestock producers with yet another bovine TB scare and the adoption of standards for animal care, among other BOAH activities. All livestock producers are encouraged to attend this unique opportunity to hear from the state regulatory and monitoring agency for livestock.

The following 7 p.m. workshop, on January 16th, is a Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program featuring Valerie Clingerman, county educator and former graduate student of Purdue Weed Specialist Bill Johnson, discussing the increasing finds of herbicide-resistant weed species. This workshop prefaces a February 29 Weed Management seminar in Vincennes co-sponsored by Purdue Extension and Monsanto. This workshop also will be held the same day as the Nuts and Bolts of Farm Estate and Succession Planning Workshop at the Posey County Fairgrounds (9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). Last year’s most well-attended Farm Winter Workshop covered similar topics and would be a good supplement for any individuals interested in passing the farm on to the next generation.

The third workshop in the series starts at 7 p.m. on January 23rd with the annual Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) updates. Both governmental units have substantial information and changes to impart, both in programming efforts and agency focus.

The next workshop on January 30th at 7:00 p.m. features Bob Nielsen and Shaun Casteel, Purdue corn and soybean specialists. The presentation title “Agronomic Claims: Fact or Crap?” adequately summarizes the workshop content. The morning of January 31st sees Bob and Shaun travel a little further south for the Area Corn and Soybean Day at the Vanderburgh County Fairgrounds (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.). This meeting will also be a Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program and will conclude with the ever-pertinent grain marketing panel discussion.

The first February workshop convenes an industry research panel with representatives from major agronomic companies describing current and future R&D developments in the agriculture industry. With 2,4-D and dicamba tolerant soybean on the horizon, are the days of glyphosate use limited? Find out at 7 p.m. on February 6th.

Canola has not been grown in Gibson County for about a generation. That is, canola was not until 2011. Chuck Mansfield, leader of the National Winter Canola Variety Trials in Vincennes, Dan Dorney of Baker Seeds, LLC, and Brian Calvbeck will be discussing the potential benefits and drawbacks of getting back into canola production or starting anew on February 13th at 7 p.m.

The penultimate workshop on February 20th brings Chris Hurt, Purdue Economist, back down to Gibson County at 7 p.m. for the Grain Marketing Outlook in 2012. Dr. Hurt is a perennial favorite, and his insight is reinforced by considerable research.

The series-ending banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. on February 27th. Dr. Kiersten Wise will be speaking on the validity of fungicide use in corn and soybean, as well as recent research in matching fungicide selection in wheat with the disease present. This presentation will be a Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program.

If there are any questions about the programs, please call Hans Schmitz at the Purdue Extension office at 385-3491 or Richard Ritter at Gibson Southern High School at 753-3011. Also, if you have any program ideas that need to be covered in future years, call the numbers above, and let them know.