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(Photo provided by Purdue University Press) |
William Carroll Latta (1850-1935) left a lasting mark on Purdue University and the state of Indiana . Latta started the work of the Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station and was the leader of the first Extension-type programs, bringing scientific information to farmers.
"Approximately 5 million Indiana farmers were trained through his outreach programs," says Fred Whitford, coordinator of Purdue Pesticide Programs and co-author of a new Latta biography.
Whitford and Andrew Martin, training specialist for Purdue Pesticide Programs, wrote The Grand Old Man of Purdue University and Indiana Agriculture: A Biography of William Carroll Latta , which was released in August by the Purdue University Press.
In 1882, Latta became Purdue's second agriculture professor. He started the four-year undergraduate program and founded the Farmers' Institutes, predecessors to Purdue Extension, which marks its 100th anniversary this year.
Latta also initiated on-farm research. For those farmers who couldn't attend the two- or four-year program, he offered winter short courses.
"At Purdue, we are constantly looking forward," says Whitford. "Writing this book gave me the opportunity to pause and look back. It gave me a sense of the history and foundation behind the College of Agriculture." Whitford was impressed that Latta's goals and missions are still current today. "We find that what we do today is still guided by the same philosophy he used back then."
More information on the biography is available at from the Purdue Press. Proceeds from the book support the W.C. Latta Scholarship Fund.
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