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 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Jay Akridge Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick 
Agricultural Communication |
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Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter for business and community leaders on research, academics and Extension across Indiana and around the globe. Purdue research, graduates help fuel Indiana's ethanol explosion I was fortunate to be included in the groundbreaking for The Andersons' new ethanol plant in Cass County. It is projected to be a $150-million facility, producing 110 million gallons of ethanol per year. As Gov. Mitch Daniels said, Indiana has gone from nowhere to national leadership in biofuels production. I'm proud to say that Purdue has helped make it happen. Purdue scientists like Michael Ladisch and Nancy Ho have refined production processes and yeasts that allow more of the corn kernel to be turned into alcohol. More efficient ethanol production adds value to Indiana's economy and to the corn crop produced by Hoosier farmers. We also provide the people it takes to turn ethanol production into a business. These plants offer high-paying jobs for Indiana college graduates, especially in agriculture. The plants need engineers, chemists, marketers and grain buyers. These are good jobs, with salaries starting in the $40,000 range. Ethanol also helps reduce our dependency on foreign oil, a fact that's hard to ignore with gas prices and the War on Terrorism dominating headlines. On Aug. 29, Purdue will partner with Sen. Richard Lugar to hold a national summit on energy security, an event that promises to bring even more attention to the importance of biofuels. No fish story: Indiana positioned for aquaculture boom Indiana is a small fish in the big pond of United States aquaculture, but the Hoosier state is positioned to make a larger splash, said a Purdue University expert. Its proximity to resources and markets, coupled with a climate that provides for year-round "Indiana is central to everything," said Quagrainie, a Ghana, Africa, native who once raised tilapia. "In terms of raw materials for feed, the aquaculture industry uses corn and soybean, and it's right here. In terms of markets for fish, it's right here. We are surrounded by big cities where we can sell our fish." Indiana's aquaculture industry ranges from producers who raise fish for restaurants and specialty markets to those who stock ponds and sell aquaculture equipment. read more Economist: To be site-specific, ag tools good for three years In the early 20th century, farmers wondered whether they should buy tractors equipped with new implement-operating features. Eventually, three-point hitches, power takeoff and hydraulics became commonplace on farm machinery. Nearly 100 years later, farmers still question technology purchases. But today the equipment is electronic and tied to global positioning system (GPS) satellites, said Jess Lowenberg-DeBoer, a Purdue University agricultural economist and director of Purdue's Site-Specific Management Center. While most farmers recognize the benefits of such GPS-related tools as lightbars, yield monitors and auto guidance, many are hesitant to sink thousands of dollars into the equipment without knowing if they'll recoup their investment, Lowenberg-DeBoer said. As a general rule, farmers should not expect their site-specific tools to remain viable any longer than their home computers, Lowenberg-DeBoer said. "For the kinds of electronic technology that we see being used for site-specific management, we usually think of about a three-year lifespan," he said. read more Odd-looking pig focus of research into diabetes, infertility, heart disease Despite the exaggerated, wrinkly snout and long, coarse, spiky hair reminiscent of the 1980s television space alien ALF, some very special swine are helping researchers at Purdue and Indiana universities understand human infertility, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Rebecca Krisher, a Purdue developmental and reproductive biologist, is studying the Ossabaws to determine if they also embody all of the metabolic and reproductive aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). "PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility in women, and it's exacerbated by obesity, which is rampant in this country," Krisher said. "Women with PCOS often have metabolic syndrome and obesity, so they are seven times more likely to have cardiovascular disease than a healthy female. read more Weed control guide now includes data for popcorn growers "Weed" is a nasty four-letter word to most farmers, but an annual guide from Purdue University and Ohio State University may help them remove weeds from their vocabulary and their fields. The 2006 Weed Control Guide for Ohio and Indiana is a comprehensive reference for row crop, forage, and for the first time, popcorn producers, said Bill Johnson, a Purdue Extension weed specialist and one of the publication's contributing writers. "Indiana is a major popcorn growing state and one of the most common comments we've gotten over the years is that we don't have a good weed control guide for popcorn," he said. The 2006 Weed Control Guide for Ohio and Indiana can be downloaded or a printed version is available for $7.50 by calling (614) 292-1607. read more Maier earns award for postharvest research Insects and other pests may have met their match in Dirk Maier, a professor of agricultural Highlights of Maier's work include using chilling and ozonation as non-chemical alternatives to protect stored products, developing a new controller for grain drying and using carbon dioxide detectors to monitor biological activity of fungi and insects in stored grains. "Dirk's work on developing non-chemical methods to control pest insects in stored products is significant. It serves as a replacement for insecticides or fumigants that are either unavailable or banned from use," said Sonny Ramaswamy, associate dean for research in Purdue's College of Agriculture. "In addition, these techniques may be used in organic production systems." read more Database provides pesticide information Spring means tending yards and gardens as well as crops, and along with these activities comes the task of keeping pests out. "Purdue maintains a database to make the chore of selecting the appropriate pesticide a more manageable task," said Victoria Cassens, systems analyst for the Center for Environmental Regulatory Information Systems (CERIS) at Purdue University. The National Pesticide Information Retrieval System (NPIRS) database contains information about registered pesticides at the state and federal levels. The Web site is free to access. The database is searchable by active ingredient, site of application, pest to be controlled, Environmental Protection Agency registration number, product name and company name. read more Aseptic Processing and Packaging Workshop focusing on future The 23rd annual Aseptic Processing and Packaging Workshop will take place May 15-18 at Purdue University. This year's workshop theme, " Focus on the Present-Planning for the Future," will feature aseptic processing topics such as microbiological principles, chemical considerations, packaging, engineering concepts, equipment features and principles of thermal processing. All sessions will be in the Food Science Building and will be led by Purdue Department of Food Science faculty and staff. Registration information is available online, or by contacting John Wellman or Lynn Stocksick at (765) 494-0243 or (800) 359-2968. read more Upcoming Events June 3 -- Vintage Indiana Wine & Food Festival, Indianapolis June 14-16 --
Home and Family Conference, Purdue campus
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aquaculture production, give Indiana a fin up on many other states, said Kwamena Quagrainie, an agricultural economist who specializes in aquaculture.
In addition to their odd appearance, these Ossabaw pigs are predisposed to metabolic syndrome. The disease includes a host of health problems, including obesity, insulin resistance leading to Type 2 (mellitus/adult-onset diabetes), hypertension, artery-clogging bad cholesterol and triglycerides, and abnormally high blood clotting. Many of these same features are characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome, an illness that leads to infertility in 5 percent to 10 percent of reproductive-age women.
and biological engineering, who is the recipient of the 2006 Purdue University Agricultural Research Award for his work on postharvest grain preservation.