By RICK A. RICHARDS
Indiana Correspondent

WANATAH, Ind. — Tim McKinney has been going to the Pinney-Purdue Field Day for years – “Every time I come here, I learn something,” said the Winamac, Ind., farmer.

McKinney, who farms 240 acres, makes it a point to get time off from his full-time job with Braun, Inc. in order to attend the field day. “There is so much information available here. It’s great to see what is taking place out here.”
That was the sentiment from most of the farmers from across northern Indiana who spent Aug. 24 at the 664-acre research farm listening to the results of tests conducted by half a dozen scientists at Purdue University. Visitors received a crash course in the latest research on cover crops, corn and soybean production, pest control and how to make sure pickup towing capacity matches up with trailers.

For McKinney, the research on towing capacity was thought-provoking.
“This is something I just never thought about,” he said. “I’m going to go home and see how my pickup matches with my trailer.”

Gene Matzat, extension educator for the LaPorte County Cooperative Extension Service, said more than 250 farmers attended the morning session and more than 100 attended an afternoon session.

Fred Whitford, director of the Purdue Pesticide Program, presented his research, not on pesticides but of one of farming’s most basic chores – connecting a trailer to a truck and hauling items safely. He showed how to match up truck load capacity with hauling capabilities of bumpers, receivers and towing hitches, along with the weight and towing capacity of wagons and trailers.

“Just because it fits doesn’t mean you should carry it,” said Whitford, who pointed out farmers need to do their homework when buying a truck. He said they haul bulk material, pesticide equipment, pallets of seed and fertilizer, and too frequently overload their trailer or truck because they don’t know its capacity.

And if there is a spill, he said, many of those items being carried become an environmental hazard. “You would think that a truck that can has an 8,600-pound capacity would be able to haul that much, but you’d be wrong,” said Whitford, pointing to a truck parked behind him with such capacity.

But, its bumper is rated at only 5,000 pounds, and once a 2,000-pound trailer is attached, the rig has the capacity to safely haul only 3,000 pounds. “If you don’t check, that’s how you can overload your truck,” he explained.
Also presenting research were Jim Camberato and Eric Miller on nitrogen loss and management in corn; Shaun Casteel on the future of soybean yields in Indiana; and Christian Krupke on how summer heat affected crop pests.