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 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Randy Woodson Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick  Agricultural Communication |
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March 2008 Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter for business and community leaders on research, academics and Extension across Indiana and around the globe. Agriculture sector growing A well-known TV financial analyst was recently asked where people should invest their money during these uncertain economic times. “Oil” was his first answer, but his second was “agriculture.” It seems that Wall Street has found a good value growing in farm fields.
Researchers have developed a new technology that can simultaneously screen thousands of samples of food or water for several dangerous food-borne pathogens in one to two hours. The technique, which has potential biosecurity and food safety applications, also can estimate the amount of microbes present and whether they pose an active health risk. This could help neutralize potential threats and improve food-processing techniques, said Arun Bhunia, a professor of food science at Purdue University. "For food safety and biosecurity purposes, you need a quick test - a first line of defense - to be able to tell if there is something pathogenic in the food or water," Bhunia said. "With many toxins or pathogens, there is an effective dose or threshold you must pass before you have to worry. By providing information on quantity, this technology gives you a higher degree of confidence in the test and what steps must be taken to alleviate the problem." WIRED program trains workers in 'green' manufacturing skills It's not easy being green - even in the business world. But employees of north-central Indiana manufacturers can help their companies become more sustainable and improve their own job skills through a training program sponsored by Indiana WIRED. The Green Manufacturing Certificate Program will educate workers in the principles of clean manufacturing, energy conservation and waste reduction. The training is provided at no charge to industrial firms in the 14-county Indiana WIRED region. The first training takes place May 12-16 in West Lafayette, with another planned for Kokomo in June. "We want to show the positives of sustainable manufacturing," said Christy Bozic, Indiana WIRED manager of business innovation. "For the employees who go through this training, they will be better prepared to compete in the global economy." For more information or to enroll workers in the green manufacturing training program, contact Bozic at cbozic@purdue.edu. Additional information about Indiana WIRED is available at http://www.indiana-wired.net.
A newly defined biochemical pathway in plants may provide the scientific tools to design plants that will yield larger quantities of alternative transportation fuels than currently can be produced, according to Purdue University researchers. The pathway moves materials that determine cell shape and size through a system of signaling proteins, said Dan Szymanski, a plant geneticist and cellular biologist. By learning more about the growth and development process, it may be possible to engineer plants with improved properties such as cell walls that are more massive or are more easily fermented in the biofuel process. "We expect that cell wall material will be a major source of biomass from plants designated for biofuel production," Szymanski said. "We need to learn more about how plant cells control the quality and amount of cell wall material."
Excessive pork production combined with feed price escalation has the North American pork industry on pace to suffer the most damaging financial year ever, said a Purdue University expert. "We estimate losses of $27 per head on average for 2008 for farrow-to-finish operations and those taking the market risk," said Purdue Extension agriculture economist Chris Hurt. "That compares with the previous worst year of 1998, where our estimates showed an average loss of $15 per hog. In the fourth quarter of 2007, pork supplies were up 10 percent and the excess supplies, which began last October, continue in 2008, Hurt said. "The new year has brought no relief," he said. "Production has been up 11 percent through March 1, versus previous years' levels, and I don't see an end in sight." Purdue Agriculture funding Indiana-targeted research Purdue University will fund 14 research projects aimed at enhancing Indiana's economic potential through the Mission-Oriented Grant program. Purdue Agriculture is providing more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars for integrated, applied research and Extension projects that are strategically important to Indiana. Eight of the 14 grants will fund studies regarding biofuels and hardwood production. The other projects will focus on livestock, aquaculture and specialty crops. "The findings of these integrated research and Extension projects, we hope, will ultimately help farmers and business owners in Indiana become more profitable," said Sonny Ramaswamy, director of Agricultural Research Programs and associate dean for research.Almost 50 Purdue Agriculture researchers will participate in this program.
Hoosiers can now find farm-fresh eggs or just-picked apples right in their neighborhood, thanks to a new interactive Web site called MarketMaker. The Web site connects consumers, agricultural businesses and farmers, providing a one-stop shop to locate locally grown food products."Consumers, local food buyers, retailers and restaurants are all looking for a quick and easy way to locate Indiana food products," said Andy Miller, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. "MarketMaker is the tool to open new markets to Indiana food producers, helping farmers reach their market directly." Indiana MarketMaker - online at http://www.inmarketmaker.com - currently has more than 150 farm enterprises with more farmers and food businesses registering each day. The Web site is free to consumers, farmers and businesses. Ag outlook meeting will feature grain-pricing strategies Purdue University experts will host an ag outlook meeting via IP-videoconference March 31, based off the Grain Stocks and Prospective Plantings reports released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier that morning.The report will be the first indicator of what U.S. farmers intend to plant and will likely cause a large reaction in the grain and livestock markets. Chris Hurt and Corinne Alexander, both Purdue Extension agricultural economists, will host this year’s ag outlook meeting. The meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public and may be viewed at 18 sites across the state. Host sites include Purdue Extension offices in Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Clark, Dearborn, Decatur, Dubois, Grant, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Marshall, Pulaski, Tipton and Vanderburgh counties. The outlook meeting also will be available for viewing from the Purdue West Lafayette Campus in Krannert, Room 661, the Southwest District Extension office and the Newton County Government Center.For questions and more information contact Alexander at cealexan@purdue.edu or Hurt at hurtc@purdue.edu. Read more Upcoming Events
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New tool links consumers, businesses with farmers to ease search for local foods