Agriculture Educator Alan Kurtz will be leaving his position tomorrow. Kurtz has worked in both Starke and Pulaski Counties over the past year and a half.
Kurtz talked about his time here.
“Well, it’s been kind of a whirlwind tour for me. I’ve been involved in a lot of different things. I came in as an Agriculture Educator, I did a lot of 4-H work, and ended up being an Agriculture County Extension Director,” he said.
Starke County farmers, like those in neighboring counties, are up against a deadline for getting their corn crop in the ground. County Extension Director Alan Kurtz said yesterday that the corn crop ideally should have been in a month ago.
“It’s not so much a specific date, but we have a trend as you go over time, that the later the gets the lower your yield potential may be,” said Kurtz. “We’re getting into the time frame now as we come into early June where farmers are facing that decision of whether it’s worth continuing to plant corn or to consider other options.”
A rainy and cool spring season has caused planting problems for farmers in Starke and Pulaski Counties.
“Those things combined have made for a very wet season which, in general, has delayed planting and we’re well behind the average planting for this time of the year. I’m specifically talking about corn planting. For example, the information that we had this past week indicated that across the state, we had planted two percent of the corn, compared to sixty-nine percent at the same time last year,” said Alan Kurtz, Ag and Natural Resources Educator at Purdue Extension.
How much in jeopardy is Extension as we know it in Indiana? Governor Mitch Daniels has proposed deep cuts in spending on state universities, and part of the funding for County Extension Offices comes from Purdue University.
Allen Kurtz, of the local extension offices in Starke and Pulaski Counties, was asked that question recently by Ted Hayes.
“I think we’re optimistic,” replied Kurtz. “We had a good meeting with Mrs. Dembowski last week and had some good discussion about the importance of some of the line items that we have from the State and how they impact our Extension Service, 4-H and the Fair.”
If you’re a farmer considering irrigation to your farm operation Purdue Extension can help you answer some of your questions. Alan Kurtz, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator with Purdue Cooperative Extension in Starke and Pulaski Counties, suggests questions you might ask yourself.
“If you are a grower considering adding irrigation to your farm operation, Purdue Extension can help you answer some of the difficult questions,” said Kurtz. “Questions may include, how much water do I need? What are my energy options? Can I afford to pay for irrigation? These and other questions will be addressed during three workshops to be held at four locations in Northern Indiana during the month of December.”
The two meeting locations closest to farmers in Starke County include the Wheatfield Public Library and the Wanatah Public Library. The Wheatfield meeting is in the morning at 9:00 a.m. CT and the Wanatah meeting is at 2:00 p.m. CT.
For more information contact the Extension Cffices in Starke and Pulaski Counties.
