Shop Talk series taking place in August

INDIANAPOLIS — A series of Shop Talks are on the calendar this month with the goal of setting farm policy priorities.

Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership and Policy Committee host the Shop Talks every August.

What is a Shop Talk? Indiana’s corn and soybean policy organizations offer meetings with an emphasis on farmers talking with state and federal lawmakers — as opposed to those elected officials giving a speech to farmers. The meetings are typically in a farm shop or an environment where farmers can feel relaxed.

Three stops in Flat Rock, Windfall and Albion have taken place already. The remaining schedule includes:

• Aug. 25 in Greensburg at the farm of Mike Koehne.

• Aug. 28 in LaGrange at the farm of Carey McKibben.

• Aug. 29 in LaCrosse at the farm of Denise Scarborough.

“Shop Talks give us a chance to showcase modern, commercial-scale agriculture to federal and state legislators,” said ICGA President Scott Smith, a farmer from Windfall.

“These on-farm meetings are a great opportunity to show the scale of how a modern farm operates, the volumes produced and the technology needed to efficiently produce a crop.

“Having this up-close and personal view of modern agriculture gives elected officials an important perspective as they debate issues impacting agriculture.”

Farmers will discuss the farm bill, including the need to protect crop insurance and increasing funding for the Market Development Program and the Foreign Market Development Program. Other topics include biofuels policies and trade policies.

After each Shop Talk, Purdue Extension will offer an optional Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program certification course, with fees sponsored by ISA and ICMC.

The sponsors of this year’s Shop Talk series are Corteva Agriscience, Pioneer and First Farmers Bank and Trust.

For registration information, go online to incornandsoy.org/2023shoptalks.