Workshop participants should meet and
sign in at the Beck Agricultural Center,
located off U.S. 52 West, at Purdue's
Agronomy Center for Research and
Education (ACRE). Sign in begins at 9
a.m. with a brief welcome and outline of
the day to follow at 9:30 a.m.
Preregistration is required and can be
done by calling Connie Foster at
765-494-4773. A registration brochure
also is available online at
http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/september3.aspx.
Registration is due Aug. 29 and costs
$80, which includes lunch, materials and
transportation to another farm.
Susannah Hinds, NRCS grazing specialist,
also will help instruct the workshop.
Sessions include use of a Web soil
survey and topographical maps, forage
and weed identification, understanding
soil fertility tests, and assessing
pasture conditions and the presence of
pests.
Johnson and Hinds will take
participants to two different locations
for a hands-on learning experience.
Before the day wraps up at 4:30 p.m.,
participants will be asked to assess
pasture conditions on a farm, scout for
pests and make recommendations about the
layout of fence, water distribution, hay
storage and corral location.
Workshop participants will learn to
read and understand soil survey maps and
topographical maps. By knowing how to
use these tools, a producer can make
better management decisions about where
to divide the pasture into paddocks for
rotational grazing, water and fence
placement, where to store hay and feed
during the winter, and where to place a
corral, Johnson said.
"We'll look at what forages can be
used or improve what you already have by
including different forages," he said.
"All these things help better utilize
the forage crop grown."
