July 28, 2005
August crop report briefing to be held at the state fair
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Drought and the threat of soybean rust have endangered Indiana crops this summer. Just what toll the elements will have had on this fall's harvest will be discussed on Aug. 12 during a briefing to be held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service will host a crop report briefing at 9 a.m. in the Our Land Pavilion. The briefing will cover the crop estimates released that day by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The event is open to the public and will also be carried live on the Web.
Greg Preston, director of Indiana Agricultural Statistics, will provide details of the USDA yield and production estimates.
Chris Hurt, Purdue Extension economist, said projected farm incomes for this year are down due to the anticipated lower yields and higher costs.
"We are anticipating below average yields this year given the extreme dryness and heat earlier this summer," he said. "We'll have to see if the crop recovers in the next few weeks."
Commenting on Indiana’s agricultural situation will be Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, who also serves as secretary of agriculture and rural development; Andy Miller, director of Indiana Agriculture; and Hurt. Randy Woodson, dean of Purdue Agriculture, will moderate the event.
The briefing will be streamed over the Internet by Brownfield, "America's Ag News Source." Producers who want to listen to the Web cast will find a link on the Brownfield home page. The presentation is expected to last about 30 minutes.
Brownfield is one of the country's oldest and largest farm radio networks, providing farm news and market reports to more than 270 radio stations throughout the Midwest.
Writer: Beth Forbes (765) 494-2722, forbes@purdue.edu
Source: Chris Hurt (765) 494-4273, hurtc@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page
Note to Journalists: Journalists wanting to cover the crop report should request media credentials from the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Contact Andy Klotz at (317) 927-7577 or Beth Forbes at (765) 494-2722.
Related Web site:
Purdue University Home Page: http://www.purdue.edu
To the News Service home page