The Upper Tippecanoe Water Quality Project Exchange
The Upper Tippecanoe Water Quality Project Exchange
ISSUE SHEET:
Irrigation and Chemigation - Management tips
FFA students become actively involved in Upper Tippe
HUA activities
Tillage transect - conducted recently in the HUA
Sarah Brichford -
Purdue water quality specialist leaves HUA project
Irrigation water testing - what can be learned?
Field Day in Marshall County - plan to attend!
Field Day at Girvin's - conservation practices at work
County Fairs and numerous other area events to
attend this summer
Several high school students from the Upper Tippecanoe River area are participating in a soil sampling program this summer under the guidance of Gene Matzat and Karen Sowers, Extension water quality specialists. Gene gave presentations to four area schools in April, and discussed the importance of soil testing and the usefulness of the presidedress soil nitrate test (PSNT) in fields where manure has been applied, a legume was the previous crop, or on organic soils. The students will learn in the field how to take a soil sample, send it to a lab for analysis, and determine from the results if fertilizer needed applied to each field sampled.
The students are required to fill out forms for each field with information
such as previous crop, present crop, planned sidedress nitrogen (N) rate, and
actual N rate applied. This fall, they will determine the yield on each field,
and compare that to the N applied. The goal of utilizing the PSNT is to apply
optimum, rather than excessive N rates. We will summarize results in an upcoming
newsletter.
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Staff from Kosciusko, Noble and Whitley County NRCS and CES offices and
Purdue Extension completed a tillage transect of the HUA in late June. The
transect involved making more than 300 stops at predetermined locations in the
HUA and recording present crop, previous crop, residue cover, and tillage
system. Results from past surveys have shown an increasing trend in no-till in
both corn and soybeans. We will report the findings from this year in the next
newsletter. Those participating this year were Kelly Easterday, Dave Hague, Amy
Lybarger, Gene Matzat, Myron Metzger, Val Slack, Karen Sowers, and Sam St.
Clair. Thanks to everyone for your help!
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Sarah
Brichford, Purdue Extension water quality specialist, has decided to devote
her time to her family after spending the past 5 years with the Upper Tippecanoe
River HUA project. Sarah has been instrumental in developing successful programs
ranging from manure management to abandoned well plugging. She also authored or
co-authored numerous publications relating to water quality. Sarah worked
closely with many people at the local, state and federal levels to bring
recognition to the HUAs, as well as securing additional funding, such as the
EPA-319 grant for filter strips in Kosciusko County. We greatly appreciate all
of her contributions and hard work, and hope to continue promoting the HUAs as
intensively as Sarah has. Sarah and her husband Jack are expecting their second
child in August. Good luck to all of you!
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Irrigation water management is an important part of a successful and
environmentally 'friendly' farming operation. The nutrient content of the water
could potentially affect crop and soil health. Several producers in the Upper
Tippe area agreed to having samples pulled from their irrigation wells three
times during the growing season (assuming it ever stops raining!). Soil samples
will be taken at the same time, and both will be analyzed for nitrate. One
sample of irrigation water taken mid-season will be sent to a laboratory for a
complete irrigation water suitability test, which includes chloride, sulfate,
sodium, total hardness, pH, bicarbonate, and numerous other tests. Karen Sowers
is coordinating this sampling program. If you are interested in participating,
call (317) 496-2578.
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It's time to clean out the shop and storage areas of empty pesticide containers! The 1996 recycling project has three sites in northern Indiana to drop off triple-rinsed containers:
August 5: Noble Co. Landfill
Baseline Road & 125 N
Albion
August 6: Wil Farm
1952 W. Market St.
Nappanee
August 7: Marshall Co. Fairgrounds
One mile east of U.S. 31 on
SR 10
Argos
Last year more than 120,000 containers were turned in for recycling. Sponsors for the project are Indiana Farm Bureau Inc., the Indiana Plant Food and Ag Chemical Association and Office of State Chemist. Help do your part in keeping these containers out of the landfill and haul them to these drop-off sites. Contact your county Extension educator for more information.
Make plans now to attend a field and hay day at the Marshall County Farm
Wednesday, July 17. Several Purdue Extension specialists will be on hand to
discuss results from plots on manure management (Gene Matzat), corn spacing and
uniformity, and narrow-row corn (Kirby Wuethrich), and alternative crops
(Ellsworth Christmas). In addition, a demonstration with hay harvesting
equipment and forage management is planned. Test your weed identification skills
in a weed 'garden' featuring 20 weeds common to corn and soybean fields in the
area. The farm is located on East Lincolnway (old U.S. 30) just east of U.S. 31.
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Karen Sowers, Extension water quality specialist and coordinator of the Upper Tippecanoe River HUA, and her husband Brett are the proud parents of Megan Kristin, born April 3, 1996. Megan weighed 7 lbs 14 oz. Congratulations!!
The sun finally shone on June 15 to welcome 70 people to Lee Girvin's
tree and wildflower farm near Pierceton for a morning of interesting
presentations. Topics included wetland restoration and wildlife management, fish
pond management, upland wildlife feeding stations, 'farmscaping' with
wildflowers and warm season grasses, timber stand improvement and harvest, tree
plantation management, and abandoned well plugging. The field day was presented
by the Kosciusko and Whitley County Soil and Water Conservation Districts. For
more information about materials presented at the field day, contact either SWCD
office.
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UPCOMING
EVENTSJUNE
26 - Purdue Hay Day, Plumer Farm, Cortland, IN. Call Agronomy Extension
at (317) 494-4783
27 - Purdue Agronomy Field Day, Agronomy Research Center, West Lafayette
JULY
2 - Elkhart River Basin public meeting, 7-9:00 p.m., Methodist Church,
Ligonier
2 - Kosciusko Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., NRCS office,
2 - Noble Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., NRCS office,
2 - Whitley Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., the Garage Office
(NRCS), Columbia City
6-12 - Kosciusko Co. 4-H Fair
6-13 - Noble Co. 4-H Fair
10 - Wabash Co. Field Day, County Farm
17 - Marshall Co. Ag Alliance Field Day, County Farm
20-25 - Whitley Co. 4-H Fair
23 - Purdue Weed Day, Agronomy Research Center, West Lafayette
25 - Upper Tippe HUA coordinating committee meeting - 9:00 a.m., Kos.
Co. NRCS office
26 - River Watchers training, Columbia City
AUGUST
6 - Kosciusko Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., NRCS office,
6 - Noble Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., NRCS office,
6 - Whitley Co. SWCD meeting - 7:30 p.m., the Garage Office
(NRCS), Columbia City
21 - Filter Strip Field Day, Kosciusko County (call 267-5726 for updated
information)
22 - Northeast Purdue Ag Center (NEPAC) Field Day, 4821 E. 400 S.,
Columbia City
The Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.
