Event scheduled for Thursday

Raising hogs is a big part of the agricultural community in east-central Indiana, and it continues to grow. That was taken into account when planning the Davis-Purdue Agriculture Center Field Day.
The free annual event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the facility, located at 6230 Ind. 1 in Randolph County about 6.5 miles south of Redkey.
Use of hog manure will be among the topics discussed by five speakers during the field day.
“They try to pick topics that are relevant or important to the farmers in eastern Indiana,” said Davis-Purdue superintendent Jeff Boyer. “That’s one of the reasons hog manure was chosen.”
Brad Joern and Shaun Casteel, both professors of agronomy at Purdue University, will speak about manure and share information that has come out of recent trials. It’s important for area farmers to understand the different benefits hog manure can have and how to use it properly, Boyer said.
“It’s an excellent source of nitrogen if it’s managed properly. A lot of times you can cut back on nitrogen applications on corn when hog manure is applied,” he added. “It’s a great nutrient resource, but it needs to be managed like anything else.”
Joern and Casteel will follow the opening speaker of the day, Purdue extension weed specialist Bill Johnson.
Part of his presentation will include showing herbicide plots. The goal, Boyer said, is not to promote one herbicide or another but rather to show what happens if herbicides are not applied or applied incorrectly.
Also Tuesday, extension specialist Christian Krupke will discuss insecticides and Honey Bee toxicity, extension educator Larry Temple will talk about new fertilizer application regulations and director of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center Otto Doering will give a presentation about the effect of climate change on agriculture.
The goal of Doering’s talk is to present facts and try to eliminate the emotion that sometimes comes along with the topic of climate change, Boyer said.
Registration for the free event begins at 8 a.m. Lunch will be provided, and there will also be free blood pressure tests, tetanus shots and skin cancer screenings.
The event generally draws from about 10 or 11 counties with between 200 and 300 participants each year.
“They can learn a lot about what’s going on in Purdue and what’s important in agriculture right now in Eastern Indiana,” said Boyer, noting that the field day can also be applied to continuing education requirements. “It’s an opportunity for us to share information with producers in the area about things that are going on in[[In-content Ad]]