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 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Jay Akridge Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick  Agricultural Communication |
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July 2009 Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter for business and community leaders on research, academics and Extension across Indiana and around the globe. Internet extends Purdue Agriculture reach in critical areas The Internet is the preferred way to access information for more and more people worldwide. Convenience is surely one reason. But the capabilities of the Internet extend far beyond mere web pages and provide a dynamic tool for sharing information. Purdue Agriculture is committed to developing web-based resources that allow people easy access to research-based, unbiased information and to utilizing this tool in innovative and impactful ways. A few of these web-based resources are highlighted in this newsletter. As the state’s unemployment numbers continue to climb, Purdue Extension has gathered resources to help people better manage personal finances, and stretch their income. The Money on Your Mind Web site provides timely information on how to deal with many personal finance issues. Another exciting Internet-based tool is Driftwatch, a website that lets farmers, commercial sprayers and others know where crops sensitive to spray drift are planted around Indiana and how to avoid the problems of spray drift. This web site is a great example of the power of the Internet for sharing information on a real-time basis. Putting research-based information into the hands of decision-makers and others is what our College is all about. And the Internet is one of our most important tools for making that happen. Money on Your Mind? New Web site provides financial resources
"We know people have questions and that they need unbiased, research-based information," said Elizabeth Kiss, Purdue Extension specialist in consumer and family sciences. "We have those resources and we want consumers to have access to them." The front page of the site, found at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/money/pages/default.aspx, allows visitors to select the financial categories in which they have the most concerns. The site will then generate links to resources specific to the consumer's selection. Categories include retirement planning, financing children's education, managing debt, identity theft and fraud prevention, personal finances, stretching dollars, and mortgage concerns. Purdue state fair exhibits combine learning and fun Visitors to the 2009 Indiana State Fair can learn more about themselves, animals, plants, insects and agriculture in a fun setting at the Purdue University Extension exhibits in the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion. The eight exhibits feature a variety of hands-on activities, said Danica Kirkpatrick, Purdue Agriculture events and educational activities coordinator. "In the Pavilion this year we have a very exciting and diverse selection of exhibits, ranging from personal finance, to veterinary medicine," Kirkpatrick said. One exhibit expected to attract large crowds is the Genomics eXplorer. "The Genomics eXplorer looks at cutting-edge research taking place at Purdue and how plant genomics can help solve problems such as nutritional deficiencies in other countries," said Jon Bricker, Purdue exhibit center coordinator. "Visitors to the exhibit will be able to walk through a giant cell, stop by the DNA Diner, and look at a giant flower pot, which provides information about plant genomics' benefit to agriculture." A full list of all the exhibits with descriptions can be found by visiting www.ag.purdue.edu/extension/Documents/2009PurdueSFExhibits.pdf. The Indiana State Fair runs from Aug. 7-23.
Purdue-developed tool can get most pollution control for the money There may be thousands of things large and small that can be done to better control pollution on even the smallest waterways, and a new tool developed at Purdue University may help sort out how to choose the best ones. Indrajeet Chaubey, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, combined a best management practices tool with a complex genetic algorithm that can search out the best solutions for non-point source pollution control in a watershed. The tool determines the best solution - such as changes in tillage practices, grass coverage and structural changes on the land - based on the amount of pollution that can be eliminated, the economic impact to agricultural land and other factors. The calculations used include soil, water, topography and other data usually collected by governmental agencies. "When you have got limited resources to control non-point pollution in an area, you have to decide where to best use your resources," Chaubey said. "At the same time, you want to be sure you don't disrupt the agricultural production in an area." New Website can give crop applicators information on sensitive areas
Driftwatch, a new Web site designed to make applicators aware of what's around them when they are making pesticide applications and help reduce drift incidents, is now accessible at http://www.driftwatch.org. "Drift is something that occurs every year," said Fred Whitford, director of Purdue Pesticide Programs. "When considering that every crop acre is sprayed with either a herbicide, insecticide or fungicide at least once - and more than likely, multiple times, including organic acres - growers are really doing a good job about not drifting. Driftwatch is a Web site where Indiana pesticide applicators can check before they spray near sensitive areas that are susceptible to drift. Sensitive sites include beehives, certified organic fields, fruits, fish farms, grapes, floriculture or greenhouse production, organic livestock, nursery crops, pumpkins and melons, and tomatoes and vegetables. Sensitive fields or habitats can be located on the Web site by entering an address, town or ZIP code. Protein can help cells or cause cancer, Purdue researcher finds A Purdue University scientist has discovered a key process in cell growth that can lead to the formation of tumors. Xiaoqi Liu, an assistant professor of biochemistry, found that an overabundance of the polo-like kinase 1, or Plk1, molecule during cell growth, as well as a shortage of the p53 molecule, will lead to tumor formation. Studies in Liu's laboratory showed that the Plk1 molecule indirectly attacks p53 in a process called ubiquitination. "This provides the mechanism for how p53 loses its function in cancer cells," said Liu. "If we understand how the cancer forms, then we can create a more useful therapeutic approach to treating that cancer." Reviving American chestnuts may mitigate climate change A Purdue University study shows that introducing a new hybrid of the American chestnut tree would not only bring back the all-but-extinct species, but also put a dent in the amount of carbon in the Earth's atmosphere.
Douglass Jacobs, an associate professor of forestry and natural resources, found that American chestnuts grow much faster and larger than other hardwood species, allowing them to sequester more carbon than other trees over the same period. And since American chestnut trees are more often used for high-quality hardwood products such as furniture, they hold the carbon longer than wood used for paper or other low-grade materials. "Maintaining or increasing forest cover has been identified as an important way to slow climate change," said Jacobs. "The American chestnut is an incredibly fast-growing tree. Generally the faster a tree grows, the more carbon it is able to sequester. And when these trees are harvested and processed, the carbon can be stored in the hardwood products for decades, maybe longer." Food safety recalls suggest need for more frequent and better testing Safety testing of the nation's food supply must be improved in light of the mysterious link between eating raw refrigerated cookie dough and food-borne pathogenic bacteria, says a Purdue University food safety researcher. Nestlé USA voluntarily recalled about 300,000 cases of refrigerated Toll House cookie dough products due to a link between the product and an outbreak of illnesses caused by E. coli in more than 25 states. "The mystery of this situation is how this strain of bacterium, which normally lives in animals like cattle, deer and sheep, is connected with a product like cookie dough," says Bruce Applegate, associate professor of food science. "Factors like plant equipment, factory workers' health and hygiene, water sources, bulk ingredients, and packaging material must be examined to determine the source of the outbreak. The unusual circumstance of the recall suggests the need for increased routine testing of the nation's food supply before products are sent to market." Upcoming Events August 12: Indiana Integrated Resource Management Field Day August 15: Wabash Herb Fest September 3: Crop Training Workshops Click here for more information on upcoming events |
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At a time when many consumers are worried about the economy and finances, Purdue University's Cooperative Extension Service has launched the new Money on Your Mind Web site as a way to provide resources on a number of financial topics. 
