April 2004

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

Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, my family looked to Extension for answers to the problems we faced. My father learned new farming techniques and my mother learned food preservation, among other skills.

Extension still helps families and communities today. Our land-grant institutions are a valuable resource of unbiased, research-based knowledge. This information helps provide solutions to today’s challenges.

Here in Indiana, in LaGrange County, Extension is helping this mostly rural area plan for the future and address current problems such as the needs of youth and families, and ways to preserve natural resources. Sometimes Extension helps communities become more economically viable. With help from Extension, Decatur County farmers annually grow about $1 million worth of black beans, an alternative crop to corn and soybeans.

Purdue Extension also partners with many organizations to solve community problems. We've assisted areas of the state with recycling and waste issues; taught businessmen and others Spanish so they could communicate with clients; and given families the tools to better manage their finances. Education that will make a difference their entire lives.

I will never forget when an Extension specialist from the University of Nebraska, and a Purdue University graduate, visited with me at my high school. If it wasn't for my conversation with him, I don't know if I would have furthered my own education. The experiences of my past are still lived out in success stories told by those who are touched by Extension today.

If it belongs to Purdue University and it runs on diesel fuel, chances are it's now powered by a force friendlier to the environment and farmers.

During a recent news conference sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Board, Purdue officials announced that the university is using soy biodiesel to fuel the diesel-engine vehicles in its transportation fleet. Most of the Purdue Agricultural Centers and farms around the state also pump soy biodiesel into tractors, trucks and other vehicles.

"We have about 80 vehicles running on the soy biodiesel blend, and we've experienced no problems," said Mike Funk, transportation services director. The university started using biodiesel in late November. No modifications were made to any of the vehicles for the switch to the more environmentally friendly fuel. The transportation center annually uses 85,000-90,000 gallons of diesel fuel, Funk said. read more

Chestnut trees to spread across landscape again

A Purdue University researcher is working to restore the American chestnut, an important wildlife tree and timber resource that dominated the landscape from Maine to Mississippi before it was driven to near-extinction by a fungal disease introduced about 100 years ago.

Doug Jacobs, assistant professor of forestry in the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center at Purdue and director of the Indiana chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, studies how well American chestnut trees grow in plantations, research essential to future reintroduction plans. He also is developing a blight-resistant hybrid to be used in future planting projects.

Jacobs reports that American chestnut in a study plantation grew as much as 77 percent taller and 140 percent wider than two other forest species — black walnut and northern red oak — in the same plantation over an eight-year period.

"This data tells us that American chestnut is such a fast-growing species that it should do very well in future restoration programs," Jacobs said. "A lot of other species are much more sensitive, grow more slowly or just don't make it, but this tree tends to just explode out of the ground." read more

What's ahead for 2004

Purdue Extension specialists preview the spring planting season in the following stories, which include information on crop management, tillage and weed control.

Past crop season teaches hard-luck lessons

Fumed over no-till? 'Revenge' won't be sweet

Newest version of WeedSOFT available

Purdue unites fun, family and agriculture at Spring Fest

Visitors can drive through a toy tractor obstacle course, climb a tree and pet exotic bugs on April 17-18 as part of Purdue University College of Agriculture activities at this year's annual Spring Fest.

Spring Fest takes place on the Purdue West Lafayette, Ind., campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.

All events are free and open to the public. Visitors can obtain a map and a list of all events online. For more information, contact Purdue Extension at (888) EXT-INFO. Free event parking will be available in Purdue parking garages and lots. read more

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