Irrigation Workshops to Prepare Farmers for Growing Season

Purdue Extension is offering workshops in northern Indiana Feb. 14-15 to provide advice and updates on irrigation practices for the spring growing season.

The “Irrigation Management and the Great Lakes Compact Update” will include topics such as irrigation energy and equipment costs, safe handling practices, and ways to increase soil fertility through irrigation. The workshop will be held Feb. 14 in Wanatah and on Feb. 15 in Goshen and Warsaw.

Participants at all three locations will receive news on the October 2011 updates to the Great Lakes Compact, the agreement governing how the eight Great Lakes states use and protect the lake waters. The session will focus on how the updates affect reporting of significant water withdrawal.

The morning sessions at the Wanatah workshop feature Jim Camberato, Purdue Extension soil fertility specialist, who will discuss the challenges of farming northern Indiana’s sandy soils and how to manage soil nutrients in tandem with irrigation. The afternoon session will be dedicated to a question-and-answer session for irrigators who have been participating in the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program through LaPorte and Starke counties, as well as those interested in participating this year.

The workshop in Goshen and Warsaw will feature Lyndon Kelley, irrigation extension educator at Michigan State and Purdue Universities, who will discuss calculating and managing the costs of irrigation energy, fuel and equipment, as well as safe handling practices for manure and waste water irrigation.

Date, time, and location information for each session is as follows (all times local):

* Feb. 14, 10 a.m.: American Legion Post 403, 203 S. Washington St., Wanatah.  Register with the LaPorte Soil & Water Conservation District office, 219-326-6808, ext. 2116.

* Feb. 15, 10 a.m.: Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, 17746 County Road 34, Goshen. Register with the Elkhart County Extension office at 574-533-0554.

* Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m.: Kosciusko County Extension office, 202 W. Main St., Warsaw. Register with the Kosciusko County Extension office at 574-372-2340.

There is no cost to attend the workshop, but participants should register before Feb. 10 in order to ensure adequate materials and refreshments.

For the Wanatah workshop, credits have been approved for private (PARP) and commercial pesticide applicators (CCHs) as well as Certified Crops Advisers (CEUs). For the Goshen and Warsaw workshops, credits have been approved for private applicators and Certified Crops Advisers. Private applicators should bring their PA license and $10 PARP fee with them.

Irrigation resources and more information about the workshops are available online.

Source: Purdue Ag Communications

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