University News

WIU Allison Organic Farm Field Day

August 10, 2005

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MACOMB, IL – Pesticide-free and organic farming methods and will be featured at the annual Western Illinois University Allison Farm Field Day beginning at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17 at the WIU agriculture department's
80-acre pesticide-free and organic Allison Research and Demonstration Farm located in southern Warren County seven miles north of Sciota (see directions below).

Field day presentations will begin after a complimentary noon lunch. Presentations include: “Evaluating a Cover Crop Roller for Organic and Integrated No-Till Soybean Production” by Adam Davis, a weed ecologist with the United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service’s invasive weed unit, Urbana (IL); “Seed Production for Organic Crops” by Maury Johnson of Blue River Organic Seed; “Premiums Available for Organic Wheat, Soybeans and Corn” by Roger Hendricker, manager of Clarkson Grain, Beardstown (IL); “Ballad® for Control of Asian Soybean Rust and Secondary Diseases in Organic Soybeans” and “Serenade® and Sonata® for Organic Vegetable Disease Control” by H. Brett Highland, manager of product development, AgraQuest, Inc.;
“New Developments in Legume Inoculants” by K. Kyle Luther, a sales representative for Nitragin, Inc.; “Organic
Foliar and Seed Treatments from AgriCoat” by Todd Zehr, founder and president of The AgriCoat Company,
Soledad, CA; and “Economic Aspects of Organic Crop Production at the Allison Farm” by Jerry Vigue, WIU
agriculture professor and coordinator of the field day.

In addition, a demonstration of treatments for soybean rust using an OMRI-approved fungicide will be held, and participants will be able to view plot trials of organic corn hybrids and soybean varieties.

The 2005 field day is sponsored by Western’s agriculture department and the McDonough County and Warren County soil and water conservation districts. The field day is open free to the public, but advance registration is required for the lunch. To register by the noon Tuesday, Aug. 16 deadline or for more information, contact the McDonough County Soil and Water Conservation District at 309/833-1711, ext. 3; or the agriculture department at 309/298-1080.

Directions to the Allison Farm: If arriving from the north, travel on Rt. 67 five miles south of the Rt. 67 - Rt. 116 intersection in Roseville to County Rd. 20th Ave N, then turn west and travel four miles to the farm. If arriving from the south, travel on Rt. 67 seven miles north of the Rt. 67 - Rt. 9 intersection in Good Hope to Country Rd. 20th Ave N, then turn west and travel four miles to the farm. The farm is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of County Rd. 20th Ave N and 20th Street.






Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing