November 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.

The makers of hardwood products find that working with "tough trees" can be taxing on tools. That's why furniture-makers met with Purdue researchers in forestry and natural resources to see if new equipment and technologies could be developed to minimize tool wear and tear. As a result, two Indiana companies are expected to begin testing new tool cooling techniques by year's end.

Many food-processing companies cannot expand production lines, due to regulations limiting water discharged into municipal systems. Purdue food scientists are modeling new systems for recycling wastewater. A food-processing company in northern Indiana is in the process of implementing a Purdue-designed system that may reduce the company’s water use by as much as 30 percent.

Purdue Agriculture is an integral piece of the University’s campus-wide initiative for advancing Indiana manufacturing through Purdue’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The center will support hardwood and food-processing enterprises, as well as other high-tech fields. It will enhance companies’ access to the intellectual and technical resources of Purdue.

All of these opportunities also serve production agriculture. Innovation is necessary to make sure that soybeans, corn and other products grown in Indiana contribute to the new economy. Prosperity for agribusiness goes hand-in-hand with the other rural and urban enterprises that make use of agricultural products.

The saws used to cut hardwood may need to be cooled, but efforts to grow Indiana’s manufacturing economy need to be red hot. Purdue Agriculture continues to stoke the fire.

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Indiana as a good place to start a business

Economic indicators say Indiana is a good place to start a small business, according to a Purdue University expert. "The economic indicators for small businesses in Indiana were positive for 2003," said Maria Marshall, Purdue Extension agricultural economist. "An increase in business owner income and self-employment point toward an improving state economy."

Farm owner and non-farm business-owner income in Indiana rose above the national average. "Proprietor income in Indiana rose 11.5 percent from 2002 to 2003. This increase ranked Indiana eighth in the nation," Marshall said.

Nationally non-farm proprietor income rose 5.6 percent and farm proprietor income rose 36.4 percent. Self-employment increased by 6.2 percent in Indiana, while it rose 3.7 percent nationally. "It's unclear whether self-employment is pushed or pulled by unemployment, but I think people are hesitant to take the risk of starting a new business if they recently lost their job," Marshall said. read more

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O. Wayne Rollins Foundation endows urban entomology chair

The foundation established by the late head of pest control company Orkin Inc. is donating $1.5 million to further pest control research in Purdue University's Department of Entomology.

The funding will support the O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Endowed Chair in Urban Entomology to fund the work of a scientist, who will be selected later. The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation, created in 1967, continues the mission of the man who founded Orkin's parent company. The foundation's goal is to support medical research and public health issues at colleges and universities. The gift will result in the creation of two chairs at Purdue through a matching funds endowment from another donor.

"Mr. Rollins was a visionary in building his business and in leaving a legacy that has positive effects on many people," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke who announced the gift today (Friday, Oct. 15). "His family is furthering this tradition. We especially appreciate the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation's and his grandson Glen's recognition of our entomology department's leading role in both research and outreach. This support will measurably help curtail the economic losses and illnesses that result from infestations of insects and other pests." read more

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Farmers don't need a new superstar toxin to fight bugs

A new Michael Jordan of toxins isn't required to increase crop protection against bugs as long as the right genes are strategically placed to take their shots at destructive insects, researchers report.

Plants modified with protectant genes designed to kill resistant insects can extend the usefulness of currently used pest-control methods and delay the development of pesticide-resistant bugs, according to Purdue University scientists and their collaborators from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Monsanto Co., the University of Illinois and the University of California, Davis. The researchers' findings will appear in the December issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology.

"We always thought that it would take a Michael Jordan of toxins - a superstar of toxins to effectively halt insect resistance to the current generation of insecticides," said Barry Pittendrigh, a Purdue associate professor of entomology and lead author of the study. "We found that moderately effective genetically engineered protectants used in plants in the buffer zone around the main crops can play a major role in insect control, and they should be easier to identify than highly effective protectants.

"You don't find a superstar very often, but it may not be difficult to find good players, or worthwhile insect-control agents." read more

Tax laws allow agricultural producers the same deductions that small businesses enjoy, with a few added benefits, said George Patrick, a Purdue University agricultural economist and tax specialist.

"A farmer who has made capital investments has the ability to write off a tremendous amount of that investment in the year of purchase," Patrick said. "But the way our tax laws are set up with the standard deduction and the personal exemptions - if you've got children under the age of 17, there's a tax credit - you're probably better off taking advantage of those as much as you can. You should not, however, take your taxable income down so low that you don't get those tax benefits.

"As a producer, you need to look at what will minimize your taxes over time. Or, as I prefer to look at it, what's going to maximize your wealth after you pay taxes." read more

Wild turkeys don't gobble up crops, say Purdue experts

Wild turkeys are often accused of a crime they don't commit, say Purdue University researchers who claim the birds are victims of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A common perception among farmers throughout much of the United States is that turkeys, which are becoming more common in the agricultural landscape, knock down and eat crops ranging from corn and soybeans in the Midwest to grapes in California's vineyards. Research by Gene Rhodes, professor of wildlife ecology, and Brian MacGowan, Extension wildlife specialist, has found that deer and raccoons, and not turkeys, are the crop-munching culprits.

Their project was designed not only to solve the "whodunit" crop mystery, but also to address public perceptions and misconceptions about wildlife damage in agricultural fields. read more

The 2004 Indiana Certified Crop Advisers Conference delves into issues as diverse as autosteer technology, soil carbon sequestration and nutrient management. The conference takes place Dec. 14-15 at Adam's Mark Hotel, 2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis. The hotel is near Indianapolis International Airport.

"This conference is intended for crop consultants and farm managers who want to improve their business, reduce input costs, and enhance yield and environmental conservation for the 2005 crop," said Tony Vyn, Purdue Extension tillage management specialist and conference co-chairman read more

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