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@ctic.org.

I look forward to seeing you all in July!