Come witness Conservation in Action this summer during CTIC's annual conservation agriculture tour.
The Conservation In Action Tour 2008 is a day-long tour of profitable, innovative farms that demonstrate conservation that works for the farm, for the community and for our future. This CTIC member event will be July 17, 2008, in Central Indiana.
Leaders in agriculture from Indiana, the Midwest and the nation will be on this tour to see first-hand how conservation works on Indiana farms. We invite you to be a part of this informative and noteworthy event. The tour, sponsored by Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP), showcases successful farmers who have mastered innovative conservation practices in their profitable operations.
Starkey Farms Partnership , Brownsburg, Indiana
8 years of continuous no-till
Gradually incorporated 200 acres of annual ryegrass as cover crop
Gypsum added as a soil amendment to improve soil structure and infiltration
Tile Nitrogen outflow monitored by a local university because the farm is within a watershed that supplies drinking water to nearby Indianapolis
Lamb Farms , Lebanon, Indiana
84% of corn and soybeans are no-till or strip-till
RTK systems used to apply and manage nutrients
98 percent of compost produced is used on their farm for fertilizer and soil amendment
Nearly 50 acres of conservation buffers along ditches
Meadowlane Farms , Frankfort, Indiana
Tillage reduced by 75 percent on 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans
Balanced feed rations to produce balanced manure from 15,000-head hog operation
Custom-application of manure through a homemade injector attached to a hose nearly two miles long
Reduced water content by 50 percent with new technology that manages pigs' use of water
Rulon Enterprises , Arcadia, Indiana
15 years of no-till for corn and soybeans
Extensive use of precision agriculture technology to create a whole-farm fertility record
Integrated manure management and cover crops used in conservation system
Drainage managed and buffers incorporated for a total resource management system
Beck's Hybrids , Atlanta, Indiana
Largest U.S. independent retail seed company
18-year no-till demonstration plots in Practical Farm Research (PFR) program
Other studies look at strip-till and strip cropping with various crop combinations
Research and Development facility, with greenhouses totaling 24,000 square feet, works year-round on new hybrid improvements
In addition to each of the farmer hosts, we'll hear from featured speakers, including Melanie Acklin, with SFP; Jim Moseley, chair of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee; and Barry Fisher, state agronomist with Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service. Lunch and dinner are included on the tour.
Registration for the tour is $50 for members of CTIC and $75 for nonmembers (includes an individual membership). The registration fee includes coach transportation; lunch, dinner and snacks; and, of course, a full day of information plus the invaluable connection with others in agricultural conservation. The tour hotel is located in Indianapolis and a discounted rate is available for tour guests.
For more information or to register for the tour, please CLICK HERE or contact CTIC at 765-494-9555 or ctic@conservationinformation.org .
I look forward to seeing you all in July!
