AG & Natural Resources

This has been the hot topic recently in Benton County as BP would like to transport Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) via pipeline from Whiting and inject it under Benton County in the Mt. Simon sandstone layer that begins at about 2500’ below the soil surface.  If you are concerned or uneasy about this project, know that you are not alone and you are not being unreasonable.

If you are against this proposed CCS project in Benton County, look on the plat, get a list of neighboring property owners.  Communicate with them.  Be honest and respectful and let them know why you are concerned.  An online version of our county plat is available at https://bentonin.wthgis.com/  

Projections are that one million tons of CO₂ per year can be pushed down one injection well.  One million tons is roughly 3X the amount of CO₂ produced annually by the Duke Energy generation plant at Cayuga.  Once the CO₂ reaches the Mt. Simon sandstone layer, it will spread in a plume under approximately 9 square miles (5760 acres).  In order for this project to proceed, 70% of the surface land above that plume would need to be owned by people willing to sign the lease agreement (Section 4c3 Indiana House Enrolled Act No. 1209).  If no one signs the lease, the project will not move forward. 

If you have decided that you may be interested in signing a lease, you need to consult a qualified attorney before doing so.  Find out if the mineral and/or below ground rights are being severed from the surface land ownership.  Perhaps more importantly, if this CO₂ pumping leads to some unforeseen catastrophic results, can you be held liable?  Imagine going to trial and your codefendant is BP.  Good luck.

More detailed discussion of this topic can be found on the Purdue Extension-Benton County website.  https://extension.purdue.edu/county/benton/benton-anr.html

October Ag Newsletter

Office of Indiana State Chemist

Pesticide Private Applicator Search (Find your credits)

PARP classes will be posted as scheduled

PRIVATE APPLICATOR MEETINGS
(PARP)

Private Pesticide License Holders: You may have lost track of the date your license expires and how many PARP meetings you have attended during your current 5-year licensing period. You can check these by visiting the State Chemist’s website. OISC.purdue.edu/pesticide/ Once there, click on the ‘My Records’ tab near the top of the screen. Then choose ‘Pesticide License Search’ on the left side of the screen. Enter your last name and choose private applicator as your program type. 

For a listing of all of the upcoming meetings that offer credits visit this website: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/extension/ppp/ and once there choose ‘PARP Events’ then ‘View All Approved PARP Events’. You will see a listing of all of the upcoming PARP meetings in our state, including these nearby meetings.

• January 29, 2024 9-11 am    Benton County PARP – Government Annex Building, 410 S Adeway, Fowler, IN
• February 12, 2024 9-11 am   Warren County PARP -  Purdue Extension Warren County Office (Fairgrounds), 408 SR 28, Williamsport, IN
• February 21, 2024 Warren County SWCD annual meeting with PARP credit. West Lebanon Christian Church. This is a morning event, exact time of PARP meeting is still TBD.

It is always helpful if people RSVP for these events so that we can get the room set up ahead of time. You can RSVP to any of these events by emailing Jon Charlesworth at charles6@purdue.edu

Pastures and hay ground that are dominated by grasses with few or no legumes remaining will benefit from yearly nitrogen applications of 30-50 lbs per acre.  Nitrogen starved grass hay ground will produce lower volume and quality of feed and is more likely to become overrun with unwanted weed species.  It is also a good practice to send soil samples into a lab once every 3 or 4 years to check pH as well as phosphorus and potassium levels.  It is recommended that you use a soil probe to take 15-20 soil cores from an area of no more than 15-20 acres.  Each sampling area should be determined on the basis of common characteristics including soil type, location and management history.  The soil core samples should be taken to a 4 inch depth for established pastures and 8 inch depth if renovating the pasture or hay ground.  Don’t skimp on number of cores you take and don’t sample from too large an area.  Cutting these corners will make the resulting soil test analysis less reliable.  I have a soil probe that I am willing to lend out.  Contact me at charles6@purdue.edu to make those arrangements.    

When we get the details worked out, these meetings will be posted on the Purdue Pesticide Programs website.   https://ag.purdue.edu/department/extension/ppp/

The Fountain and Warren County SWCDs will be hosting their 2^nd annual Pond Management Workshop and fish sale on Thursday October 26^th from 9 am to 2 pm with lunch provided.  This workshop will be held at The Landing located at 1057 E. Division Road near Veedersburg, IN.  Please RSVP to Julie Clark at the Warren County SWCD office 765-764-8047 or online at https://fwswcdpondworkshop2023.eventbrite.com

Now is the time to think about preparing your lawn and garden for winter.  One question you may be struggling with is whether to leave perennials standing or mow them off.  One advantage of leaving them standing is that they can be a source of winter food for wildlife, especially birds.  A good example being our native goldfinches snacking on the seed heads of coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.  With many of the popular garden vegetables, a wise plan to reduce disease pressure next summer is to remove the dead plants from the garden after harvest.  These plants can be burned, sent to the landfill or buried.  Incorporating vegetable plant residue into a compost pile may result in your compost pile becoming a super source of disease inoculum next spring.  It is best not to compost this material unless you have a large property where you can keep your compost far away from your garden plot.  Another important winterizing task that is often overlooked is watering.  You should make sure your trees and shrubs go into winter well-watered.  This is especially critical for evergreens as they are exposed to the harsh winter conditions and are susceptible to drying out which can cause winter dieback.  It is best not to let your evergreens go into winter thirsty.

The number 1 cause of electrocutions on farms result from farm equipment accidentally touching power lines.  Combines, grain wagons and augers are some of the tallest farm equipment which makes harvest season prime time for electrical related accidents.  If you would happen to find yourself in the unfortunate position of being in a piece of farm equipment that is touching a power line- stay in the cab and call 911 for help.  There is almost no circumstance where you should leave the cab.  Even if you find yourself without a phone it is best to stay put.  Even in a low traffic area, someone will eventually come along.  One exception would be if the equipment you are operating catches fire and you need to escape.  If this is the case, what you must avoid at all costs is touching the tractor and the ground at the same time.  Jump away from the equipment keeping both feet together and then shuffle your feet in short steps away from the tractor making sure that neither foot loses contact with the ground.  Keep moving by shuffling your feet until you get at least 30’ away from the machinery and the live power line.

January 2024 Ag News

October 2023 Ag News

Purdue Agricultural Economics Report, PAER, Cash Rents