Farmers can vote for directors in the county Cooperative Extension Service (CES) office where they reside the week of November 10-17. Farmers who cannot get to the CES office to vote are encouraged to vote by absentee ballot. Beginning October 31, farmers can obtain absentee ballots by going into the CES office or writing, calling, faxing, or emailing the county CES office.

Farmers can vote for three candidates in each district. Farmer candidates running in District I are Frank Driscoll, Urbana; Scott Fritz, Winamac; Tom O’Farrell, Delphi; Bill Peters, Sharpsville; and Joe Rush, Walton. District I counties include: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tipton, Wabash, and White.

Candidates up for election in District II are Roger Hadley, Woodburn; Joe Meyer, Williamsburg; and Doug Morrow, Marion. District II counties include: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Huntington, Jay, LaGrange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells and Whitley.

Farmers running in District III are Phil Carter, Lewis; Louis Rusch, Vincennes; and Mike Sprinkle, Plainville. District III election counties include: Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, and Warrick.

District IV candidates include: Linda Bacon, Milroy; Mike Flock, Ramsey; Bob Kent, North Vernon; George Morton, Lebanon; and Joan Truax, Pittsboro. District IV, covering southeastern counties include: Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington.

Election results will be announced after December 9.

USDA expands national soybean rust risk management tool
WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA Secretary Mike Johanns announced Oct. 27 that USDA is again funding projects to track the spread of soybean rust and create the Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education to provide producers with information about additional legume pests and diseases.

The nationally coordinated network will help producers in making crop management decisions that reduce pesticide input costs, reduce environmental exposure to pesticides and increase the efficiency and efficacy of pesticide applications.

“The soybean rust sentinel plots, mobile team monitoring program and online reporting system are important tools for our producers,” said Johanns. “Timely information is essential to help farmers combat plant diseases and we are committed to providing it.”

The risk management tool component of the network is an online, real-time data system that allows growers to access the latest information, to the county level, of where there are confirmed disease and/or pest outbreaks. The mapping tool will include frequently updated commentaries from state extension specialists and national specialists discussing immediate and projected risks and control options. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) funded this $2.4 million component. The soybean rust risk management tool is available online at www.sbrusa.net

To compliment the network, USDA will continue to conduct teleconferences, workshops and organize extension field visits to prepare first detectors to scout for pest and disease problems, to obtain diagnostic confirmation when a suspected problem is found and to manage the information for timely incorporation into the risk management map.

This farm news was published in the November 2, 2005 issue of Farm World.