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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. Biofuels information benefits producers and consumers The hot topic in agriculture these days is bioenergy. With construction plans announced for 17 ethanol plants and four biodiesel facilities in Indiana, bioenergy has the potential to be a strong component of our state’s economic prosperity. At Purdue University, we are very aware of the profit, potential and problems associated with the rapidly expanding biofuels industry. Purdue Agriculture has launched several new projects to help people learn more and make informed decisions about biofuels. The Purdue Extension BioEnergy Web site http://www.ces.purdue.edu/bioenergy/ highlights research and information related to renewable fuels, ethanol and biodiesel. This online series of publications is pertinent to producers, businessmen, consumers and citizens who want to know more about biofuels. In this issue, you will learn more about Purdue Agriculture's activities in many different areas related to bioenergy. Purdue, city and county, and industries join to turn waste into wattage Industrial and farm waste soon may supply electricity for thousands of people because of an economic development collaboration of experts from Purdue University, industry, and city and county governments. To make this a reality and to curb natural gas and petroleum use, planners and scientists from Purdue, central Indiana's Clinton County and city of Frankfort, and industries Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Indiana Clean Energy LLC (ICE) are joining forces to use waste to produce methane for conversion to electricity. Two separate facilities will be built — one for industrial waste conversion and another for hog waste — with the goal of having plants in operation by spring 2008. "We're bringing together pieces of industry and agriculture to optimize the energy potential in waste," said Ron Turco, Purdue environmental microbiologist. "We want this project located in an area that takes full advantage of the available waste generated by the area's industrial base." read more Road to energy independence could be bumpy one On the road to making the United States energy independent, Hoosiers are likely to find potholes, highway congestion and construction zones, said Frank Dooley, a Purdue University agricultural economist who specializes in transportation. The race to build ethanol plants is a positive sign for agriculture but the plants are going up faster than the transportation infrastructure to support them, Dooley said. Dooley examines the ethanol industry's impact on grain shipping and transportation systems in "The Effect of Ethanol on Grain Transportation and Storage," a publication that appears on Purdue's BioEnergy Web site http://www.ces.purdue.edu/bioenergy/. read more Scientists develop method to find genetic basis for plant variation
The approach, a combination of new and existing technologies, may offer researchers a tool to pinpoint genetic differences many times faster than currently possible and help shed light on the likely origin of such differences. "We've combined a variety of techniques to get at the gene behind a specific trait," said David Salt, a horticulture professor at Purdue University. "If picked up broadly, the approach could have an important impact on the activities of other laboratories." The method allowed Salt's research team to determine differences within a single gene that drives a specific trait among naturally occurring plant populations — a finding that can take years with current methods, he said. read more Glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed confirmed in Indiana, Ohio Giant ragweed soon could cast a giant shadow on the world's most popular herbicide. Researchers at Purdue and Ohio State universities have confirmed glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed populations in Indiana and Ohio. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in herbicides, such as Roundup and Touchdown, which are used for burndown weed control in no-till cropping systems and postemergence in Roundup Ready soybeans and corn. The weed species is the seventh in the United States to show resistance to glyphosate. Johnson and Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension weed scientist, urge farmers to alter their weed control strategies in 2007 to slow the development of glyphosate-resistant weed populations. They recommend starting with a weed-free cropfield at planting and using a program of pre-emergence herbicides, followed by a series of timely postemergence herbicide treatments. read more Wheat can fatally starve insect predators
The gene's role in creating resistance to Hessian flies was a surprise to U.S. Department of Agriculture and Purdue University researchers, discoverers of the gene and its function. They made the finding as they investigated new, long-term methods to protect wheat from insect damage. "This is a different kind of defense than we were expecting," said Christie Williams, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service scientist and Purdue Department of Entomology adjunct assistant professor. "Usually we expect the plant to fortify its cell walls or make poisons to use against insects and pathogens." read more Ethanol policy the focus for Ag Forecast A Purdue University agricultural economist will discuss our nation's energy predicament and the role of biofuels on Feb. 3 during the Ag Forecast in Indianapolis prior to the Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry. Ag economics professor Wally Tyner’s talk, "Energy Security and Biofuels: Policy Alternatives for the Future," will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Old National Bank Grand Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The Ag Forecast is free and open to the public and precedes the Ag Fish Fry that begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Those also wanting to attend the Fish Fry will need to purchase tickets in advance for that event. Astronaut Jim Lovell and NASA flight director Gene Kranz will be the guest speakers for the Ag Fish Fry and will recount their roles in guiding the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission back to Earth. Ag Fish Fry tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance. For tickets, contacting the Ag. Alumni office via email, debby@purdue.edu, or online http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agalumni/fishfry07.html Upcoming Events Feb. 1: Annie's Project training program Feb. 3: Purdue University Agricultural Alumni Fish Fry Feb. 6: Soybean Rust and Crop Management Update Meetings Feb. 10: 2007 Midwest Small Farm Conference Feb. 10: Lambing School Feb. 20: 2007 Indiana Regional Dairy Meetings Feb. 24: Indiana Sheep Symposium 2007
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A new research approach that allowed scientists to rapidly identify the gene responsible for high sodium levels in certain naturally occurring plant populations could have applications for the study of a wide variety of other important plant properties.
A newly identified wheat gene produces proteins that appear to attack the stomach lining of a crop-destroying fly larvae so that the bugs starve to death.