Applications for 2010 Pork Industry Scholarships Now Open!

All juniors and seniors in college who plan to pursue a career in swine production management or a related field, or will be seeking to attend graduate school and major in a discipline with an emphasis on swine, are invited to submit an application for one of 19 available scholarships sponsored by the Pork Checkoff, PIC and Pioneer.

For more information and application guidelines, visit the Pork Checkoff link:

National Pork Industry Scholarship

Country Lifestyle Experience features three fun-filled and educational days packed with workshops,  presentations and demonstrations covering the core topics on small rural lifestyle.

Topics Include —
Renewable Energy. Small-Scale Agriculture • Gardening. Green Building . Health

Pick and choose from dozens of programs conducted by leading authorities. In between workshops, enjoy shopping the marketplace and visiting the animal exhibits. Best of all, Country Lifesty le Experience provides a
unique, hands-on event experience designed to inspire attendees to take action and get on the path to a sustainable agriculture lifestyle!

More information, including daily programs can be found on the attached flyer:  Country Lifestyle Experience 1

Sponsored by:

• Indiana Farm Bureau
• Indiana Cooperative Development Center, Inc.
• Farm Service Agency
• Fletcher Chrysler Dodge Jeep
• The Martin House

Topics include:  Pond history, grade stabilization and structures, Aquatic vegetation, Pond shocking and Fish inventory.

RSVP (required) to SWCD office:  765-564-4480.

Bring your own lawn chair!

More information on this flyer:  Bi County Pond Workshop

The Purdue Land Value and Cash Rent Survey is conducted each June. The survey is possible through the cooperation of numerous professionals that are knowledgeable of Indiana’s farmland market. These professionals include farm  managers, appraisers, land brokers, agricultural loan officers, Purdue Extension educators, farmers, and persons  representing the Farm Credit System, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices, and insurance companies. Their daily work requires that they stay well informed about land values and cash rents in Indiana. [excerpt from report]

Download your copy of the report here:  Purdue Ag Econ Farm and Cash Rent Values 2010

Check it out:  Corn Fact Book

Agriculture producers wanting to learn more about reduced tillage, no-till and improving soil quality in their farming operation are encouraged to attend a Soil Productivity Field Day on Tuesday, August 24^th from 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM. The event will be held at the Beck Agricultural Center located at the Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education located on US 52 in West Lafayette.

Phil Needham, Needham Ag. Technologies will be the keynote speaker focusing on “How Tillage Impacts Productivity” followed by a field demonstration on planter setup. The agenda will also include sessions on soil quality, winter cover crops, disease and weed issues in no-till, Atrazine updates, and will include a facilitated discussion with a panel of Farmer’s experienced in no-till.

This workshop is approved for Private Applicator Re-certification (PARP), and Certified Crop Advisor Continuing Education Units.

The no-till field day is open to the public and lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required and can be made by calling the Clinton County SWCD office at 765-659-1223 ext. 3.

The Soil Productivity Field Day is being sponsored by the Greater Wabash River Resource Conservation and Development Council, Carroll, Clinton, Howard, Benton and Tippecanoe Co. Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Purdue Cooperative Extension, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service and funded in part by an Indiana State Department of Agriculture Clean Water Indiana Grant.

More information can be found in the attached flyer:  Brochure2010draft soilworkshop

You can take pesticides to the Tippecanoe Fairgrounds on August 5, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

You MUST complete and submit the Clean Sweep Planning form to the State Chemist office no later than July 27 (details on the form available here):  2010_clean_sweep_form

More information is available at the flyer posted here:  2010_clean_sweep

NOTE – Bring pesticides to the disposal site in sealed containers and DO NOT mix chemicals

The Public Outreach Meeting will be Thursday, July 29 at 8:30 a.m. at the Bennett Center in Rossville (50 E North Street).

Two flyers are attached for more information about the Mississippi River Basin Initiative and the regional grant that includes Carroll County.

MRBI Fact Sheet

MRBI Initiative Info- Carroll County

You can also contact Joe O’Donnell or Rhonda Hicks at 765-564-4480 (extension 3) for more information.

Check out the NISWD website for more information about what hazardous waste will be accepted and the fee for tires.  Northwest Indiana Solid Waste District Tire Disposal Day

You can have your property taxes adjusted for next year (2010-pay-2011) tax cycle.

Visit the Carroll County Assessor’s Office and the staff will help you complete form 137R.   Your property will be re-assessed based upon the damage or destroyed property, and this adjustment will be effective on your property tax statements next year.

For more information call the Carroll County Assessor’s office at (765) 564-3444.

Download the Form 137R here: IN DLGF Form 137R

Farmers must know the following:

1. When a load of grain is delivered, it needs “disposition” (or to be sold, in storage, etc.) within 21 days.
2. Farmers are only protected with a licensed elevator. (A “registered” elevator is not necessarily licensed.)
3. Claims must be submitted within a year.

This is a summary of some key points. The entire document can be found on the IGBWLA Statute page.

To help answer questions or address concerns, IGBWLA Director, Jerome Hawkins will be holding one-on-one meetings across the state with grain farmers to further discuss these changes in statute.  These meetings will be confidential.

“Our farmers are our first line of defense with potential problems at our elevators,” said IGBWLA Director Jerome Hawkins. “By meeting with our farmers we hope address concerns –which may just be misunderstandings. Regardless, our agency is here to serve our grain farmers and agribusinesses.  We hope these confidential meeting are helpful to grain producers.”

Check out the updated website:  Crop Management Information for Flood-Damaged Fields, posted at the Chat-N-Chew Cafe.  You’ll find compilation of flood-related crop management information written by crop experts from throughout the Corn Belt. The articles are organized by subject area.

Crop Management Information for Flood-Damaged Fields

More information available on the attached flyer:  Plant Exchange

Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) is currently offering grants to Indiana livestock and grain farmers who want to spread the positive word of agriculture in their communities. These grants are intended to financially assist individuals or organizations as they plan and carry through on farm outreach programs in their communities. The programs could include anything from creating a farm Web site to hosting a neighborhood event in order to promote agriculture.

Examples of programs that may receive grants include but are not limited to:
· Local community activities focused on agriculture
· Neighbor appreciation dinners on farm
· Community group tours on farm
· Networking program with non-farm organizations
· Humanitarian programs such as food drives

To apply for the grant, download the application from the ISA website:

IN Soybean Alliance Grant Application

More information about the project can be found on this outline: ResearchOutline-1

Contact Ken Wilson at this email address: Kenneth Wilson

State departments of agriculture nationwide are eligible to apply and are encouraged to involve industry groups, academia and community-based organizations in the development of applications. Therefore, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is looking for project proposals from the specialty crop industry of Indiana. The proposals must solely enhance specialty crops throughout the state of Indiana.  ISDA will award grants ranging from $2,000-$30,000 to qualifying projects.

“Specialty crops have a total production value of more than $9 million to Indiana,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “These grant funds are an opportunity for our State and our specialty crop producers to continue and enhance the marketing, research and consumer awareness efforts of these crops. I encourage all groups associated with this industry to apply.”

The funds announced under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) are authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.

For more information, check out the IDSA Grants Page:  ISDA Specialty Crop Grant

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) is a USDA Rural Development initiative to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers. The start of understanding where your food comes from and how it gets to your table.

Learn more about the programs under this initiative at the KYF2 website:

Know Your Farmer – Know Your Food

The Carroll and White County SWCDs and CES offices are sponsoring a soil conservation workshop in Reynolds on February 18th, from 9 a.m. – noon.  The main feature of this workshop will be cover crops.

The workshop is free, but registration is requested.

Topics include:

• Soil Health
• Cover Crops for Grain & Livestock Producers
• USDA Financial and Stewardship Incentives

For more information, see the attached documents:

2010BiCoSoilConWorkshop

2010 Location Map

Find out more about Federal Grant Programs for assisting farmers and rural business with projects designed to improve energy efficiency.

Speakers include:

• Chad Martin – Purdue Ag & Biological Engineering
• Mark Beckman, USDA Rural Development
• Cary Aubrey, IN State Department of Agriculture

More information available on the attached flyer:  REAPworkshop (1)

- Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE)
– Establishing yields for the Average Crop Revenue Election program(ACRE)
– Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL)
– Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
– Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
– Wildlife Habitate Incentive Program (WHIP)
– South Fork Wildcat-Kilmore Creek Cost-Share Program

If you have questions, concerns, or just want to know more about the details and availability of these programs, plan to attend!  Meeting dates, times, and locations are:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Community Building at the Clinton County Fairgrounds from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at the Bennett Center in Rossville beginning at 6:00 p.m.

For more information, contact:

Susan K. Allen
County Executive Director
Clinton County FSA Office
860 S. Prairie Ave., Suite 2
Frankfort, IN  46041 
Phone: (765) 659-1223, ext. 105