Jeff Burbrink

Great Outdoors



The Northern Indiana Soil Management Seminar, or NISM, will be held on Feb. 14 in Ag Hall at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds. It is a great opportunity to not only earn credit for your pesticide license and certified crop adviser CEUs, but also to learn from top-notch speakers on the subjects of cover crops and resistant weeds. The Elkhart County SWCD and Purdue Extension of Elkhart County sponsor NISM.

The program begins at 9:30 a.m. with a morning discussion featuring Scot Haley and Jamie Scott talking about cover crops selection, establishment and management, and the value of cover crops.

After the noon lunch, Bill Johnson, of Purdue’s Weed Science department, will share information about management of resistant weeds, including Palmer amaranth, which was recently discovered in parts of northern Indiana.

The day will wrap up at 2 p.m. with Fred Whitford, the coordinator of Purdue Pesticide Programs, discussing how to extract equipment safely. Fred is a lively speaker, who will not allow anyone to fall asleep during his presentation!

The cost of the program is $30 for the whole day, which includes lunch. Farmers who wish to receive PARP credit can attend just the afternoon session for $10 (no lunch) plus the $10 PARP fee.

Commercial pesticide applicators in categories 1, 2, 5, 6, 11 and RT can earn two CCH credits, and those in category 14 can earn one CCH towards their license renewal. Certified crop advisers can earn 1 CEU in Soil and Water Management, 1 CEU in Crop Management, and 2 CEUs in Integrated Pest Management.

For the complete agenda, you can go to www.ces.purdue.edu/elkhart and click on NISM.

Jeff Burbrink is an Extension educator in agriculture and natural resources. Write to him at 17746 E. C.R. 34, Goshen, IN 46528; call 533-0554; or fax 533-0254.