Purdue Extension presented its second Fruit and Vegetable Field Day post-pandemic at the Throckmorton Purdue Agriculture Center’s Meigs Horticulture Research Farm, located in Lafayette, on July 20th, 2023. Extension Specialists and Graduate Students presented specialty crop research to 90 attendees. Attendees had only good things to say about the event. ‘It was an interesting program, I learned quite a bit.” “Excellent information and material.” “Excellent information and resources on new horticultural technology and techniques.” “Diversity of the tales, well explained and some topics never heard of before.” “I learned new techniques and gained some new ideas for the future”. As a result of the Fruit and Vegetable Field Day, 96% of survey respondents indicated (agree or strongly agree) that they learned something they didn’t know before, nearly half indicated they plan to adopt practices for horticulture and the environment (41%), and a third plan to adopt practices that increased yields (36%) and conserve resources (32%). Nearly three-quarters of past field day participants (71%) indicated that they had adopted new, recommended practices for their farm or operation. When asked what new practice they had adopted, participants responded: alteration of insect control program, refrain from using pesticides in high tunnels, and new ideas of types of trees to plant. All of the participants (100%) reported that they had experienced financial improvements because of adopting new, recommended practices from information presented at past field days.
Below are some of the production topics presented at the field day. We expect to have a similar lineup for the 2024 field day.
- Black Soldier fly composting and specialty crop production
- Collard insect management trial
- High tunnel diversification and biological control
- Plasticulture strawberry research
- Silage tarps for weed management in potatoes
- Soil health and pepper yield
- Sweet corn pest management
- Unmanned aerial vehicle demonstration
- Watermelon weed management
We are happy to announce that Purdue Extension is presenting its annual Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on July 18, 2024, at the Throckmorton/Meigs Horticulture Farm, Lafayette, IN.
More information about the upcoming field day will be available in May 2024.
Contact Lori Jolly-Brown or Petrus Langenhoven if you have any questions.
