Upcoming Events - Private Applicator Recertification Program

Training sessions for Private Pesticide Applicator permit holders will be held locally at the following locations:

November 29

6:30 PM CST

Warrick County 4-H Fairgrounds

Boonville

November 30

1:00 PM CST

Spencer County 4-H Fairgrounds

Chrisney

November 30

6:30 PM CST

Perry County 4-H Fairgrounds

Tell City

Topics will include:

Fungicide Use on Corn

Dr. Kirsten Wise, Purdue Extension Field Crop Disease Specialist

Soil and Manure Nutrient Sampling and Analysis

Pesticide Record Keeping

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Please remember to bring $10 and your Private Applicator number to the meeting to receive credit. 

For more information, please contact Nicholas Held, Extension Educator, Spencer County at nheld@purdue.edu or (812) 649-6022. 

Additional training session dates and locations can be found at www.btny.purdue.edu/PPP/PARP/ .

Rain Gardens Go with the Flow

Rain gardens are areas of the landscape designed to catch rainwater long enough to allow it to percolate slowly back into the groundwater rather than run off the soil. Rain gardens help recharge groundwater, improve the water quality of streams and rivers, reduce flooding, and provide cover for wildlife and butterflies.

Rain gardens can be just shallow depressions of a few inches or elaborately constructed sites, depending on available space and needs of the site. The garden's topography should be designed to encourage water flow into the garden. The site must drain well enough to allow slow and steady percolation into the groundwater. Soil drainage can be greatly enhanced by additions of finished compost in preparing the area. <Read More>

Hogs: 2012 The Best Year in High-Priced Feed Era

The pork industry is expected to have a profitable year in 2012! In fact, the level of profitability could be the most favorable during the high priced feed era. Profits in 2012 are currently forecast to be near $17 per head, which would be the highest since 2006.  That was the last year of the low feed price era when corn prices received by farmers averaged about $2.30 per bushel for the calendar year and estimated hog profits were $27 per head.

While a return to profitability is welcome news, there are deeper and more important implications. The first is that the pork industry, like most other animal industries, has made the adjustments necessary to live in a world of high priced feed. The second is that the pork industry probably has “turned the corner” on high feed prices as one looks to 2012 with abundant and cheap feed wheat, prospects for moderation in the rate of growth in corn use for ethanol, the potential for a larger South American soybean crop, and hope for a return to higher U.S. corn and soybean yields. <Read More>