Indiana Ag Connection - 10th CTIC Tour to Focus on Central Indiana Farms

Indiana Ag News Headlines

10th CTIC Tour to Focus on Central Indiana Farms
Indiana Ag Connection - 05/22/2017

The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) has opened registration for its 10th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which will be held Sept. 5 and 6 in central Indiana. This year's tour theme is "Building Bridges: Past, Present and Future in Conservation Agriculture."

The Conservation in Action Tour series brings together farmers, researchers, policymakers, crop consultants, association leaders, conservation agency employees, and agricultural journalists for an up-close look at conservation farming systems in the field. Host farmers and guest speakers on each farm will provide insight on national issues and practical solutions, while networking opportunities throughout the program allow participants to exchange perspectives.

"The Conservation in Action Tour puts people in direct contact with some of the most innovative conservation farmers in the country, and in direct contact with each other," notes Chad Watts, executive director of CTIC in West Lafayette, Ind. "We're especially excited about this year's tour because we'll be celebrating the program's tenth anniversary here in Indiana, where it all started. That gives us an opportunity to explore how conservation agriculture has advanced over the past 10 years and explore where it's going--the bridges that connect past, present and future."

The 2017 Conservation in Action Tour will include stops on four farms, each demonstrating conservation systems in real-world conditions:

- Dan DeSutter, Attica, a diversified operation that utilizes cash crops, cover crops and livestock to build soil health and build the bottom line.

- Tim and Clayton Muller, Oxford, drainage water management with control structures which minimize off-farm nutrient flow and how their farm is part of a local effort to improve water quality.

- Josh Cox, Lafayette, who grazes cover crops to improve soil health and optimize nutrient use efficiency.

- Purdue University Dairy, West Lafayette, a commercial dairy that has closed the loop of its manure management, utilizing all manure on the farm while protecting water quality. The dairy is also home to research on animal care, feed rations, and herd management.

Soil health is a key element on many farms that host the Conservation in Action Tour.

In addition to the farm visits, the program will include talks and panel discussions on conservation issues facing farmers nationwide. The tour will include explorations of CTIC's efforts in the Big Pine Creek watershed.

"We design our Conservation in Action Tours to inform and inspire people from around the country," Watts notes. "Last year's tours in Idaho drew participants from 17 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada, and I think every one of them went home with new contacts and new ideas about what they can do back home to advance conservation systems that work for farmers."

CTIC has opened online registration at www.ctic.org/CIATours, and is taking registrations by phone at (765) 494-9555. Registration for the tour is $100. The fee covers the Evening Social on Sept. 5 in West Lafayette; breakfast, lunch and dinner during the tour on Sept. 6; and round-trip transportation from the tour hotel to all tour stops.

For more information on the tour in the months to come, including detailed information on the stops and speakers, check www.ctic.org/CIATours.

Other Indiana Headlines