August 2004

Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter for business and community leaders on research, academics and Extension across Indiana and around the globe.

As interim dean I enjoy many special opportunities.

Recently, I represented Purdue Agriculture at the Soybean Innovation exhibit celebration at the Indiana State Museum. The exhibit is the result of a partnership between Purdue, the Indiana Soybean Board and the Indiana State Museum to showcase the fantastic potential found in the “Superbean.”

It’s a great exhibit and I encourage you to see it. It’s also a good illustration of several important points.

First, the exhibit shows agriculture’s history of farmer innovation and scientific progress, a combination that grows more important every day.

The exhibit also displays the wide range of products made from the protein, carbohydrates and oil found in the soybean, and the environmental and economic benefits of this home-grown renewable resource.

Third, because we teamed up with other groups, more than 80,000 museum guests may better understand agriculture’s direct impact on their lives.

Collaboration is a hallmark of Purdue Agriculture, as we continue to work with Indiana’s food, agriculture and natural resource system to strengthen Indiana’s economy and opportunities.

Indiana 4-H celebrates 100 years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of 4-H in Indiana, and, just in time for the celebration, the doors will open at the newly renovated 4-H buildings at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

The 4-H Exhibit Hall and 4-H Centennial Hall, formerly the boy's dormitory, will house 4-H exhibits and interactive centers where 4-Hers and the public can help create projects in woodworking, cooking, sewing and computers. Events will take place during the Indiana State Fair, which runs Aug. 11-22.

A grand opening ceremony for the buildings is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Aug. 11 in Celebration Park, located just in front of the 4-H Exhibit Hall. The $7.5 million facelift on the 4-H complex in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds began in 2003. The project was funded by donations from 4-H alumni and friends, the Indiana State Fair, and the Indiana 4-H Foundation. read more

Seed commissioner begins testing seed count claims

This spring the Office of the Indiana State Chemist and Seed Commissioner began testing seed corn and soybeans for accuracy of seed count labeling, and the results surprised a few people.

"We have determined that seed count labeling claims are very accurate," said Larry Nees, a seed administrator in the state chemist's office. "Our violations were very low. In fact, soybeans were 2.75 percent above label claim and corn was 0.9 percent above label claim on the average. That's exceptional performance by the companies in terms of how they're labeling their products."

The state chemist's lab, based at Purdue University, started sampling seed from companies marketing in the state after receiving allegations of inaccurate seed count labeling last year. read more

Scientist uses DNA evidence to solve 'tree rustling' case

In much the same way forensic scientists use DNA evidence to crack murder cases, a forest geneticist at Purdue University used genetic analysis to help the state of Indiana secure a settlement in a case of "tree rustling."

Tree rustling, or tree poaching, a crime analogous to cattle rustling, occurs when trees are illegally taken from private or public lands.

"Some trees are valuable enough that there is an underground economy of people who rustle them. They sneak onto a piece of property, cut the tree, remove it quickly and sell it," said Keith Woeste, a molecular geneticist with the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, a collaborative research effort between Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Woeste, who also is an adjunct assistant professor of forestry and natural resources, provided the DNA analysis for the state.

"The kinds of trees people rustle aren't just run-of-the-mill trees," he said. "These trees look like columns in a cathedral – they can be 4 to 5 feet in diameter, and the first row of branches can be 60 feet high. Trees like that can sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars." read more

America's two leading field crops yield more grain today than they did 75 years ago. But while corn has taken giant leaps forward in average bushels per acre, soybean yields have advanced in baby steps.

Between 1930 and 2003, average corn yields jumped nearly sevenfold, from 20.5 bushels per acre to 142.2 bushels per acre. In that same period, average soybean yields not quite tripled, from 13 bushels per acre to 33.4 bushels per acre. National soybean yields have hovered around 40 bushels per acre for about a decade.

Why the widening yield gap between corn and soybeans? There are many reasons, said Purdue University agronomists Jeff Volenec and Scott Jackson. Among the reasons are genetic differences between the two crops and greater attention paid to corn research.

"We're looking at about a 0.4-bushel-per-acre-per-year average increase for soybeans. For corn it's 1.5 bushels per acre per year," said Volenec, a professor of crop physiology. "Will soybeans equal the annual increase in corn yields in the near future? No. Can we improve on the 0.4 bushel per acre per year? Yes." read more

This year Purdue University will feature what is perhaps its largest and most dramatic exhibit ever at the Indiana State Fair.

Snakes of the Midwest, a walk-through replica of a snake's skeleton that measures 36 feet by 18 feet, will take center stage in the Our Land Pavilion from Aug. 11-22 at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The pavilion is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

"If the snake was stretched out, it would be 68 feet long and nine feet tall," said Danica Kirkpatrick, events coordinator for Purdue School of Agriculture.

In addition to Snakes of the Midwest, there are 12 other Purdue exhibits at the Indiana State Fair. read more

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