July 2003

Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter about research and Extension in the Purdue University College of Agriculture.

Purdue Extension is undergoing change, and, while change does not come easily to any organization, it does keep us vital and responsive to current needs.

Despite recent budget cuts and a number of retirements in the county staff, we have the opportunity to expand our outreach and effectiveness and continue to provide the best Extension programming in the nation.

Statewide, there are about 40 open county educator positions, and we are using those positions to respond to community needs and prepare for the future.

New Purdue Extension educators will provide expertise in only one specific program area: youth and families, agriculture or economic development. Educators may serve adjacent counties, but they will not be asked to work outside of their area of expertise. This will allow them to focus and provide high-quality programs to meet the needs of citizens, regardless of county lines.

We are also equipping our educators with greater skills in facilitation, communication and networking to enable them to more effectively engage with the public.

We understand the value of having a Purdue Extension office in every Indiana county to serve as a gateway to Extension, the university, and the land-grant system. Thanks to local support we will continue to keep our county offices open.

Genetic discovery may aid plants and human medicine

Findings that two mutated genes alter plant growth and development could result in improved plants and enhanced cancer treatments, according to Purdue University researchers.

In a paper published in the July 26 issue of Nature, the scientists report that these abnormal, or mutant plants, are able to reorient themselves in response to light and gravity more rapidly than normal, or "wild type," plants. Apparently plants behave differently in accordance with how a growth hormone moves through them. Because the two genes affecting transport of the hormone are related to human genes that impact the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs, controlling these genes may allow physicians to better determine the dosage of cancer drugs.

"We now know that if we can modify these genes, we can control the growth of the plant in very specific regions," said Angus Murphy, assistant professor of horticulture and senior author of the paper. "This means we might be able to change the shape of upper portions of a plant or develop a more robust root system." read more

Economist: Indiana pork processing at record high level, value

While most of Indiana's economy struggles for jobs, one sector has been growing, according to Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service agricultural economist Chris Hurt.

"Hog processing in Indiana has reached record high levels," he said. "In 2002 we processed 7 million head of hogs in the state. That's a dramatic increase from where we were in 1990. Then we had about half that amount, with 3.6 million processed."

Hurt sees this increase in pork processing as a boon for the state.

"The retail value of the 1.8 billion pounds of pork processed is a staggering number," he said. "We're estimating that the value of all the pork processed in Indiana is about $2.5 billion. Broken down, $600 million is the contribution that producers provide, $400 million is the value provided at the processing level and the remaining $1.5 billion is from the marketing side of things, including transportation, packaging and the functions of the retail sector." read more

Researchers learning how food-borne bacteria make you sick

Whether food-borne bacteria make people sick depends on a variety of factors, and better understanding of the infection process could lead to ways to stop such illnesses from occurring.

In the first comprehensive study of the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes, Purdue University food scientists Arun Bhunia and Ziad Jaradat, both of the Department of Food Science, report that how well the bacteria attach to cells does not alone determine the degree of illness. The factors that determine if a person becomes ill and the degree of illness include the levels at which the pathogen attaches to intestinal cells, penetrates cell walls and then moves into other organs.

"I'm interested in understanding how the bacteria interacts with the intestinal cells," said Bhunia. "If you eat food that contains these bacteria, the first place they react with cells is in the intestinal track. If we understand the initial interaction of Listeria in the gut, we might be able to prevent the binding and, therefore, the infection." read more

Southern Indiana-Purdue Ag Center celebrates 50th anniversary

The Southern Indiana-Purdue Agricultural Center (SIPAC) in Dubois, Ind., marked 50 years of service June 28 with a celebration that remembered the past while looking ahead to the future.

"This was a way for us to show our thanks and appreciation to the many people of Indiana who have been a part of SIPAC in the last 50 years," said Jason Tower, SIPAC superintendent. The celebration included tours of SIPAC operations, as well as a program that featured Jim Kaiser, SIPAC superintendent during the 1960s, and a look back at the center's 50-year history through archived photos.

Originally known as the Forage Farm, SIPAC was managed by the Purdue University agronomy department in the '50s and '60s. Tower said that during the mid-60s SIPAC was transferred into agricultural research. read more

Related link: Southern Indiana-Purdue Agricultural Center (SIPAC)

World-class wines toast of town at Indy International

For a few weeks this month, the Purdue University Food Science Building will amass a collection of wines rivaling the inventories of some of the country's top restaurants and wine shops.

The wines, some coming from as far as New Zealand and Hungary, will compete in the 12th annual Indy International Wine Competition July 24-26 at the Indiana State Fair Exposition Hall in Indianapolis. Hundreds of commercial vintners from some of the world's foremost wineries, as well as more than 100 amateur producers, enter the annual contest.

The Indiana Wine Grape Council, based at Purdue, oversees the competition. As the repository for all the wines, each entry is shipped to Purdue, where it is registered and stored until the contest. Contest organizers expect to see more than 3,500 entries this year. read more

Upcoming Events

July 19 — Purdue Garden Day

July 20 - 23 — Top Farmer Crop Workshop, West Lafayette campus

 

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