AG & Natural Resources
The Warren County agriculture and natural resources (ANR) program strives to connect the residents of Warren County to research and expertise available through the Cooperative Extension Service which is a network of colleges, universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A partial list of clients who seek our assistance includes grain farmers, livestock producers, pesticide applicators, woodland owners, gardeners, lawn & tree enthusiasts and homeowners. We look forward to helping you find answers to your ANR-related questions.
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Ag and natural RECOURcES
information
ANR Educator
Jon Charlesworth
ANR Extension Educator
charles6@purdue.edu
765-762-3231
Ag & Natural Resources Additional Information
Things seems to be relatively quiet at the current time in Benton and Warren Counties although this quiet might be deceiving. There may be activities going on behind the scenes that we are not allowed to be aware of. However, the process by which companies get approved by the EPA to inject CO2 into underground geologic formations remains public information. As of this date (9/19/2024), neither BP-Whiting nor Tenaska / Hickory CCS has filed the initial request seeking a Class VI well permit from the EPA. This does not mean carbon sequestration is going away, as highlighted by the fact that numerous other new carbon sequestration projects around Indiana and the rest of the U.S. are beginning the process to seek EPA approval to operate class 6 injection wells. Projects seeking EPA approval that have showed up in the EPA database recently are the Cardinal ethanol plant in Randolph County, Valero ethanol plant in Linden, and two July 2024 applications for ethanol plants near Madison and Wabash, IN.
To date, there are only four wells in the United States that have completed the entire process and received approval from the EPA. Two belong to the ADM ethanol plant near Decatur, IL and two belong to Wabash Valley Resources for a project in Vigo and Vermillion counties in Indiana. Anyone who wants to keep watch on what new projects are being submitted for EPA review can visit the EPA’s list of current projects under review. The easiest way to get there is to do an internet search for EPA class 6 well permits. If you decide to do this search, I can save you a few heart palpitations by assuring you that the BP Carbon Solutions Jasper County Storage Facility that is getting close to approval is not in our neighboring county, it is in Jasper County, Texas.
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
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..
A couple of December PARP meetings within reasonable distance of Benton and Warren Counties. Keep in mind that these dates and times are not yet set in stone. I will send a follow up mailing to all private license holders in Benton and Warren Counties in November.
- Bi-State Crops Conference at the Beef House Restaurant near Covington, IN. 10 am – 2:30 pm EST on December 10, 2024.
- Quad County PARP at the Tri-County HS Auditorium near Wolcott, IN. December 12, 2024 from 7-9 pm EST.
Any questions email Jon Charlesworth at charles6@purdue.edu
I don’t want to dwell too much on the obvious point that this year’s excellent corn and soybean yields will be coupled with disappointing commodity prices. I don’t feel like I have any expertise that I can bring to you that will be of much help so I will just use this section to advertise a couple of December PARP meetings within reasonable distance of Benton and Warren Counties. Keep in mind that these dates and times are not yet set in stone. I will send a follow up mailing to all private license holders in Benton and Warren Counties in November.
- Bi-State Crops Conference at the Beef House Restaurant near Covington, IN. 10 am – 2:30 pm EST on December 10, 2024.
- Quad County PARP at the Tri-County HS Auditorium near Wolcott, IN. December 12, 2024 from 7-9 pm EST.
These meetings will be posted on the Purdue Pesticide Programs website. https://ag.purdue.edu/department/extension/ppp/
Recently at a field day I heard one of the farmers on the speaker panel make a great comment about possibly taking some land out of production. Most farmers now have yield monitors in their combines and the yield maps generated can allow the farmer to verify what he or she probably already suspects: that some parts of certain fields are money losers year after year. If you find yourself in this situation, whether you own the land or rent, look into the possibility of placing that portion of the field into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The staff at your local USDA Service Center will be happy to discuss your options with you.
September is the closest thing to the ideal time to apply herbicide to kill broadleaf lawn weeds. The weeds are now moving carbohydrates down into their roots for overwinter storage and the herbicide can sneak right in with the carbs and kill the entire weed, including the root. The most common broadleaf killers used on lawns contain some combination of the three growth regulator active ingredients: 2,4-D, Dicamba and Mecoprop-p. This trio will give you good control of dandelions and plantains as well as most of the other common broadleaf lawn weeds. However, if you have an infestation of creeping Charlie or wild violets you will need to add triclopyr to the mix. You can purchase all of these active ingredients without a pesticide applicator license and they are available for sale at most garden centers. When handling these pesticides, wear goggles, chemical resistant gloves, long sleeve shirt, pants and closed-toe shoes. This is especially important during the mixing process when you are handling the concentrated form of the herbicide.
If you have crabgrass making your lawn look like a mess, my best advice is to wait until the temperatures start cooling. The crabgrass will begin to die out and your bluegrass or fescue lawn will come into its cool season glory. Trying to kill mature crabgrass with herbicide at this time is almost futile. It is best to note the areas of infestation and apply crabgrass preventer to those areas next spring. You can also help your lawn grasses outcompete weeds this fall and early next spring by applying nitrogen fertilizer in September to early October. A rate of ¾ pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn should be enough. This will help your lawn go into winter strong and be ready to outcompete weeds early next spring. If you go to your garden center to purchase granular fertilizer it will likely be formulated to include Potassium. This is fine, Potassium is important as well, but apply the fertilizer based on getting the proper amount of Nitrogen applied per square foot.
With corn and soybean harvest getting underway, it is always good to be aware of all of the life altering mishaps that can occur in a farm community related to harvest operations. There are so many danger points. Moving large equipment and slow-moving vehicles on the roadways (often after dark), PTO drives on grain augers and the auger screw itself can tear parts off of the human body, combines are huge collections of mechanisms that can be lethal, fire hazards in and around LP dryers, the risk of hitting an overhead power line with a combine, auger or grain wagon, the list goes on and on and on. On many farms the harvest workforce consists of family and long-time family friends. It can seem uncomfortable leading a meeting to instruct your aunt, nephew and a recently retired family friend on harvest safety precautions. Be uncomfortable! Do the meeting anyway!
On a related note, a good thing to check out as you get going on harvest is your inventory of fire extinguishers. Make sure you have fire extinguishers in every truck, tractor and combine. They aren’t perfect solutions, but BC rated fire extinguishers can be purchased at reasonable cost and are effective against most of the fire types that you are likely to encounter during harvest.