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 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Jay Akridge Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick  Agricultural Communication |
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October 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. Enrollment numbers show growing interest in Ag Careers The Purdue University College of Agriculture passed a milestone this fall with enrollment at more than 2500 students - one of the two highest figures in the last 15 years. The growing popularity of our academic programs is in part due to the strength of the agricultural industry and your commitment to Purdue. Thank you for your help in sending us talented students and getting the word out about opportunities in agriculture! Evidence of those opportunities includes great participation from ag businesses and other employers in our College of Agriculture career fair scheduled for Oct. 7 in which more than 120 organizations will be represented. On Sunday, September 28, we hosted almost 800 students, parents and donors for our annual College of Agriculture scholarship banquet. It was an amazing event, and a real celebration of student success, parental support and donor generosity. As always, we value our partnership with you as we work together to prepare the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Large freshman class boosts Purdue Agriculture enrollment Enrollment in Purdue University's College of Agriculture reached an 11-year high this fall, buoyed by a strong freshman class. Total enrollment in Purdue's 42 agricultural majors is 2,535 - four shy of fall 1997, said Dale Whittaker, the ag college's associate dean and director of academic programs. "Interest in agriculture is taking off," Whittaker said. "Our enrollment is going up because students see agriculture as offering strong, viable careers where they can make a living. There's also a new idealism among young people. Students want to make a difference in the world, and they see agriculture as a way to do that in areas such as climate change, clean water, bioenergy and world hunger." The new agriculture students are among Purdue's best, Whittaker said. "Our average new agriculture student ranked in the top 20 percent of their high school graduating class, which is higher than the university average. In addition, just over 25 percent of our incoming freshmen placed in the top 10 percent of their high-school classes." I can't believe it's not fried: New oven fries food without oil A new type of oven quickly produces foods that appear and taste identical to those that were "The radiant oven has the capacity to replicate the frying process without placing the food in an oil bath," said Keener, an associate professor. "If we're successful, when you put the product from our oven next to one that's been traditionally fried, you won't be able to tell the difference." Keener partnered with the Indiana-based Anderson Tool and Engineering Co. to produce a commercial prototype. The team plans to have the oven built and working by the end of the year. 100-year study asks how forest management affects animals, plants A century-long study seeks to see the forest for more than just the trees. A group of researchers led by Purdue University has begun to sample data for a planned 100-year study "Our main goal is to find out how to most effectively regenerate oak and hickory forests, while examining the impact these treatments have on the whole ecosystem," said Cortney Mycroft, project manager for the study, called the "Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment." Researchers plan to develop a decision support tool that will help people like forest managers and landowners predict the likely effects of specific management decisions. More information is available online at http://www.HEEForestStudy.org. Survey finds large ag producers value supplier convenience More and more, large commercial agricultural producers are viewing their relationship with suppliers as a marriage of convenience, a Purdue University study has found. In the 2008 Large Commercial Producer Survey, producers indicated they place greater weight on convenience and location when choosing a primary supplier than did producers who participated in previous surveys. Results from the survey, conducted by Purdue's Center for Food and Agricultural Business, will be presented during the National Conference for Agribusiness. The conference takes place Nov. 18-19 on Purdue's West Lafayette campus. The event is intended for those who sell, service or market to agricultural producers. For more information or to register, visit http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/cab/programs/nca. Expanding cell girth indicates seriousness of cancer How fat cells become after being exposed to a specialized electrical field is helping researchers determine whether cells are normal, cancerous or a stage of cancer already invading other parts of the body. Purdue University scientists tested the electrical process and found cells that expanded the most were metastatic cancer, the term used when the disease has spread beyond its point of origin. The technique allows screening of single cells 300 times faster - five cells per second compared with the one cell per minute of previous methods, said researcher Chang Lu. "If you look at the properties of only a few cells, it would be a stretch to say they exactly represent a tissue cell population since tissues have tens of thousands of cells," Lu said. "Our goal is to have a tool so that we can reputably look at large numbers of cells and obtain information about their biomechanical properties." Innovation contests extend beyond soy, now include corn Purdue University's Student Soybean and Corn Innovation Contests are providing students with educational opportunities and, potentially, a lot of cash. The corn contest is new this year, as are the larger cash prizes. "By participating in the Student Soybean and Corn Innovation Contests, teams of students go through the entrepreneurial process of creating a product from concept through prototyping — including marketing and economic analysis, technical production, packaging, quality testing, patent disclosure and written and oral presentation," said Bernard Tao, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and contest administrator. "This practical experience and demonstrated skill helps students stand out in the eyes of employers." The soybean portion of the contest is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. Because of the success of the soybean competition, the Indiana Corn Board decided to partner with Purdue to offer the corn competition. More information is available on the contest Web site at www.soycorninnovation.com. Summit to teach the dollars and sense of going green When the hardwood lumber industry and secondary wood manufacturers gather in Indianapolis Oct. 28-29, the topic at hand will be environmental stewardship and the bottom line. The Dollars and Sense of Going Green conference is organized by Purdue University and features national industry experts speaking about the ways hardwood businesses of all sizes can become more involved in the green revolution and be profitable. "People everywhere are looking to live a more green lifestyle, and the hardwood industry is responding to that consumer demand," said Dan Cassens, Purdue professor of forestry and natural resources. More information and registration are available by visiting the conference Web site at http://www.greenwoodseminar.com. Upcoming Events October 1: Spirit of the Land-Grant Mission Award October 8: Starting A Community Kitchen October 8-9: Balancing For Success October 11: Goat & Sheep Master Grazing Workshop October 15: Starting A Community Kitchen October 18: Indiana Farm sustainability Tour Click here for more information on upcoming events |
fried, but, unlike traditional fryers, uses no additional oil. The "radiant fryer" could create products with 50 percent less oil, less fat and fewer calories than conventional fryers, said Purdue University food scientist and inventor Kevin Keener.
designed to develop better forest management methods and measure how such practices affect resident plant and animal species.
