|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Jay Akridge Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick 
Agricultural Communication |
|
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 Power of Education This fall Purdue Agriculture introduced two news opportunities for students. The first is the Leadership Development Certificate Program which partners interested students with a leadership coach to hone the student's leadership skills and experiences. Consistently, job recruiters tell us that graduates with a practical understanding of leadership are incredibly valuable. Employers look for graduates with proven leadership capabilities. The second is the Dean's Scholars Program, an undergraduate honors program. Students must maintain a minimum 3.25 grade point average while taking honors courses each year and completing a creative, scholarly project, such as an undergraduate thesis or design project. We provide every student a rigorous and challenging academic environment. The Dean's Scholars Program gives our students who are looking for an extra challenge the chance to expand their undergraduate academic careers even farther. Purdue Agriculture - and all of Purdue University - is committed to quality education. Education transforms lives and educated people have the power to change the world. Purdue Agriculture offers RSS feeds
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds from Purdue Agriculture offer headlines and links to the latest news from Purdue, including announcements about workshops, stories about scientific breakthroughs and tips of the trade for business owners. "Purdue Agriculture has a tradition of using the latest technologies to get information to the people who need it," said Chris Sigurdson, head of the Department of Agricultural Communication. "This is one more way for us to help people tap into the university's expertise." RSS allows users to receive headlines about topics they've chosen without the hassle of spam messages or visiting several Web sites every day, said Sigurdson. "A lot of people look to Purdue Extension for unbiased, science-based information. This is another convenient way for them to get that information." read more Related Link: Natural gas costs could leave consumers cold this winter Energy prices are high and will likely stay that way, with the biggest winter sticker shock expected in the Midwest, according to a Purdue University agricultural economist. Wally Tyner, professor of agricultural economics, said Midwest homeowners will see some of the highest price jumps in the country when they receive their natural gas bills this winter. "Last winter was warmer than normal in this part of the country, and natural gas prices were lower in the Midwest than elsewhere in the nation," Tyner said. "That means the price rise locally this year will seem even steeper." Tyner said the U.S. Department of Energy predicts an average price increase of 52 percent this winter for natural gas across the nation and a whopping 71 percent for the Midwest. That's based on mid-range Hurricane Katrina recovery price predictions, he said. "About 64 percent of the Midwest gas heating cost increase is based on the expected increase in natural gas prices, while 7 percent of the boost is related to the expectation that this winter will be colder than last year," Tyner said. read more Input costs for 2006 include higher fuel, fertilizer and seed Indiana farmers should plan for a double-digit increase in the cost of producing next year's crops, according to a Purdue University farm business management specialist. "The total variable costs of producing corn and soybeans in rotation on average Indiana farmland are forecast to increase at least 12 percent in 2006," said Alan Miller. He said the increase could be even more significant if Hurricane Katrina's impact on fuel and fertilizer prices is more than short-lived. The out-of-pocket costs of producing corn and soybeans in Indiana have been consistently higher on a year-to-year basis since 2002, he said. Diesel prices jumped sharply in response to Katrina and are likely to stay high until the infrastructure situation in and along the Gulf improves. Miller said nitrogen fertilizer prices in the United States will also likely be higher this fall and next spring as a result of Katrina. read more Purdue Extension, partners launch pregnant pig housing Web site
Purdue University researchers, along with governmental agencies and private organizations, have produced an educational package to help tackle the complex and controversial subject of the best housing for pregnant pigs. "There are so many questions about sow gestation housing that people need to investigate the option that is best for them and for their animals," said Ed Pajor, director of the Purdue Center for Food Animal Well-Being. "It's important to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the different systems." The collaboration has resulted in a two-disc video and a newly launched Web site that includes presentations by hog farmers about their sow gestation housing choice, video of part of the National Pork Board conference on the topic and other resources. The Web site also has news and events listings, photos, printed information, video ordering information and links to other informational sites. read more Prices increase less at grocery stores than restaurants
Grocery store prices rose 1.4 percent from July 2004 to July 2005. This was a much smaller increase compared to last year's rise of 4.8 percent, a near record high, partly because of an abundant supply of food products that were in short supply last year. "The hurricane season is still early," said Corinne Alexander, an assistant professor in agricultural economics. "Last year's price increases of fruits and vegetables were largely because the southern region was hit by three hurricanes. Unusual weather always has an effect on fruits and vegetables, so we'll have to wait and see how this year's hurricane season affects food prices." Restaurant prices continued their typical price increase of about 3 percent, surpassing the increase in grocery store prices. Energy prices during the last 12 months have also had some effect on the food markets. read more Purdue Extension program changes name, sharpens focus A Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service program area has changed its name to better reflect what the program does. The leadership and community development program is now the Economic and Community Development program area. "The economic development aspect of our program area is part of state and university priorities," said Sam Cordes, assistant director of Purdue Extension and program leader for Economic and Community Development. "We've been working in this area for a long time, and we wanted to elevate it to the title level. While leadership is no longer part of our title, it is still an important element of what we do." Purdue Extension is divided into four program areas: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Consumer and Family Sciences, 4-H and Youth Development, and now, Economic and Community Development. read more Related Link: Upcoming Events Oct. 4 - Agriculture Career Fair Oct. 13-Nov. 17 - "Introduction to New Ventures: Generating a Business From Ideas" Workshops Oct. 15 - Fall Sheep Shearing School Oct. 15 - Tri-State Woodland and Wildlife Workshop Nov. 11 - "Introduction to Starting a Specialty Food Business in Indiana" Workshop Nov. 17-18 - Tri-State Diversity Conference
|
If given a choice, would pigs want a solitary stall or to live in a group with peers? Studies by animal-welfare scientists to find out has lead to a multi-institutional effort aimed at informing farmers and the public about housing options.
Despite rising fuel costs, consumers this year are seeing smaller increases in food prices at grocery stores, said a Purdue University agricultural economist.