A PURDUE gricultures · Fall 2013 a Safer environment ... and access to its educational programs, services, ... state conference marked its anniversary with a special

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Agricultures MagazineEditor: Olivia Maddox Copy Editor: Laura HoelscherPhotographer: Tom Campbell Graphic Designer: Russell Merzdorf

Agricultures magazine is published three times a year by the Purdue University Department of Agricultural Communication and is available by free subscription. Send correspondence, subscription requests and address changes to:

Agricultures Magazine615 W. State StreetWest Lafayette, IN 47907-2053(765) 494-2406Fax: (765) 496-1117E-mail: [email protected] us online: ag.purdue.edu/agricultures

It is the policy of Purdue University that all persons have equal opportunity and access to its educational programs, services, activities, and facilities

without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation,

disability or status as a veteran. Purdue University is an Affirmative Action institution. This material may be available in alternative formats.

Purdue Agriculture AdministrationJay Akridge - Glenn W. Sample Dean of AgricultureJ. Marcos Fernandez - Associate Dean of Agriculture and Director of Academic ProgramsJason Henderson - Associate Dean of Agriculture and Director of Purdue ExtensionJess Lowenberg-DeBoer - Associate Dean of Agriculture and Director of International Programs in AgriculturePamala Morris - Assistant Dean of Agriculture and Director of Multicultural ProgramsKaren Plaut - Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs

On the cover:Research by entomologist Christian Krupke may help prevent honey bee deaths during the spring planting season. Bee deaths have been linked to dust from planting equipment. Krupke experiments with alternative seed treatments to reduce dust and toxicity to bees. See full story on page 12.

Photo by Tom Campbell

Agricultural Research Impacts Food Production from Farm to Plate

It’s been nearly a century since 360 acres donated to Purdue in 1914 became the foundation for the first agricultural “experiment station” off campus. This farm laid the groundwork for the eight regional Purdue Agricultural Centers now located around the state. The farms entrusted to us provide an important resource that will continue to benefit Indiana agriculture well into the future.

Today, faculty and staff conduct more than 400 research projects on 40-plus different crops and animal species at PACs each year. Field research targets local production problems, providing solutions to area farmers.

Research conducted in Purdue labs also advances the food and agriculture industry. A horticulture scientist adapted NASA experiments with LED lighting to the greenhouse industry. He collaborates with other researchers to determine if using LEDs can lower production costs and provide a means to grow fresh vegetables during the off-season.

After harvest, food scientists are testing new methods to eliminate harmful bacteria such as E. coli from fresh produce. A promising new technology uses cold plasma to destroy pathogens in packaged food products.

Advances in agricultural research at Purdue are essential to overcome production obstacles both at home and abroad and to help ensure a plentiful and safe food supply for a growing population.

Jay Akridge Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture

Features

Contents

Spotlights 2

Profile 24 Self-Discovery

Magazine

6 Urban InspirationMulticultural Programs has developed a continuum of recruitment and support services that stretches from middle school to graduate school and showcases the benefits of agricultural study to students who might not even be aware they exist.

10 Mean MachinesWhether students are building quarter-scale tractors or multi-terrain vehicles, Purdue’s top-ranked agricultural and biological engineering department has always emphasized the importance of construction skills. And employers take notice.

12 Down to a ScienceThe eight Purdue Agricultural Centers represent the diversity in Indiana’s geography, topography, climate, soil types and growing conditions. Field research at PACs helps faculty and Extension specialists find solutions to local production problems.

16 Starring AttractionCommunity partnerships in Elkhart and LaGrange counties have created quilt-themed flower gardens, which attract visitors from around the globe and benefit area businesses.

18 Greenhouse Tomatoes in Red and Blue

Cary Mitchell has been thinking about how to make plants grow more efficiently since growing up on the family farm in the 1950s. He’s now researching ways to efficiently grow tomatoes using LED lighting.

22 Making Fresh Food Safe Food

A new technology that uses cold plasma to ionize air molecules in packaged fruits and vegetables may eliminate foodborne pathogens on the produce. Not only does the process eliminate bacteria such as E. coli, it may also extend the shelf life of fresh food.

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u Inheritance tax change helps farm beneficiaries

The repeal of Indiana’s Inheritance Tax has the potential to help farm families who have valuable land, equipment and monetary assets.

The repeal, signed into law in May, is backdated to Jan. 1, 2013.

“The inheritance tax was an issue for those transferring more than modest wealth to heirs and for transfer to perhaps unrelated parties,” said Gerry Harrison, a Purdue Extension agricultural economist.

The problem for beneficiaries was that a farm inheritance often includes land and equipment. Without an additional cash inheritance, beneficiaries would have to come up with the money to cover inheritance tax bills.

For example, in 2012 three siblings who inherited a parcel of farmland valued at $1 million from a family friend faced an inheritance tax of about $100,000.

“Farmland market values have risen a lot in recent years,” Harrison said. “Many farmers and landowners who have retired from farming or inherited land with plans for just a few beneficiaries would have an estate that faced significant Indiana inheritance tax.”

Jennifer Stewart

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lu Ag students garner top senior awards Purdue College of Agriculture alumni Gabe Rangel and Laura Donaldson come from diverse backgrounds.

Rangel, a biochemistry major, grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Pike High School, a large Indiana high school with a graduating class of 660.

Donaldson, an agribusiness management major, grew up on a farm and graduated from tiny South Newton High School near Kentland, one of Indiana’s smaller communities. In fact, Donaldson sometimes had more people in her classes at Purdue than were in her high school graduating class of 66.

But the May graduates shared a record of sustained excellence in academics, leadership, service and character that earned them the honor of top graduating seniors for the 2012-13 school year.

It is the second time College of Agriculture students have earned the G.A. Ross (top senior male) and Flora Roberts (top senior female) awards in the same year. Amir Faghih and Tanya Hadley were the top seniors of the class of 2006.

Of the 55 graduating men who have won the Ross Award since it was established in 1959, 22 were College of Agriculture students. Donaldson is the seventh Agriculture student to win the Flora Roberts Award, named after a member of Purdue’s Class of 1887.

In June, Donaldson started a career in marketing with John Deere.

Rangel, the first student to be named outstanding freshman, sophomore, junior and senior student of the college, was married in June, before heading off to Harvard University to pursue a Ph.D. in biological sciences and public health.

Tom Campbell

Agriculture majors Gabe Rangel and Laura Donaldson were selected as 2013’s top graduating seniors at Purdue.

Agricultures • Fall 2013 3ag.purdue.edu/agricultures

u Discovery of gene function may help prevent kidney stones

The discovery of a gene’s function in E. coli and other bacteria might lead to a probiotic to prevent the most common type of kidney stone, according to a Purdue University study.

Human cells can’t process oxalate, an acidic chemical found in nearly all plants we eat, so oxalate absorbed from food must be excreted from the body. Calcium-oxalate urinary stones can form when oxalate reaches high concentrations in the kidneys.

Biochemistry researcher T. Joseph Kappock and his team made the discovery during a study of genes in Acetobacter aceti, a harmless bacterium typically used to convert wine to vinegar.

The researchers found that Acetobacter aceti and E. coli contain an enzyme with a previously unknown function, called YfdE in E. coli. They followed a hunch that the enzyme would use oxalate.

Their results connected oxalate degradation to bacterial metabolism. The research may help identify beneficial bacteria that could serve as probiotic agents in the human gastrointestinal tract to reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Olivia Maddox

u A century of progress on the home front

The Indiana Extension Homemakers Association was created in 1913 to help Hoosier homemakers better manage their busy households. A century later, the organization does the very same thing.

The statewide organization was founded to provide opportunities for fellowship, education and leadership for rural Indiana homemakers. This summer, the annual IEHA state conference marked its anniversary with a special centennial celebration.

“One hundred years ago, we were delivering programs on how to freeze food and use dress forms,” says Angie Abbott, assistant director of Purdue Extension and program leader for Health and Human Services. “Today, we’re talking about chronic disease prevention, identity theft and quality childcare. The thread that runs through all of these things is improving the quality of life for farm families. The content and topics have changed, but the thread has remained the same.”

Jessica Merzdorf

Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures for expanded coverage of a century of IEHA.

WEB EXTRA

u Purdue Agriculture ranks sixth-best in the world

A British company that specializes in information about higher education and careers ranks the Purdue College of Agriculture sixth among agricultural institutions worldwide.

Quacquarelli Symonds ranks learning institutions in 31 categories based on several metrics.

“This ranking is testimony to the hard work of College of Agriculture faculty, staff and students, and the support we receive from the university, stakeholders, partners and alumni,” said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “Recognitions such as this QS ranking illustrate the impact our people have.”

Universities are ranked based on four main criteria: the number of times research publications from the institution were cited by other researchers in professional journals; the opinions of other academics in the field; the opinions of employers in the field; and the “H-index,” a quantitative and qualitative measurement of research paper output.

Keith Robinson

Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to see the full ranking.

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S P OT L I G H T S

u Indiana wine wins top honorsThe top award in the 2013 Indy International Wine Competition went to an Indiana winery for the second year in a row.

Huber’s Orchard, Winery & Vineyards of Starlight, Ind., won Wine of the Year for its 2012 Vignoles, besting 2,300 other wines in the three-day competition at Purdue University. Entries from 39 states and 14 countries, including France, Australia, Chile and Greece, were judged on appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste by 44 international judges.

“For an Indiana winery to win Wine of the Year is very exciting for the Indiana wine industry,” said Jeanette Merritt, marketing director for the Purdue Wine Grape Team, organizer of the competition. “Indiana wines are outstanding; all of our wineries proved that in the amount of medals they won this year.”

The Purdue Wine Grape Team has organized the Indy International Wine Competition since 1992, for the past seven years under the leadership of enology professor Christian Butzke.

“The Indy’s international wine judges truly represent the ever-changing palate of the American public,” said Butzke. “By giving consumers advice on more than 2,000 new wines from 14 countries, they recognize the incredible diversity and creativity of our local and international winemakers and the vibrant state of the global wine industry. Wine has become the coolest and most dynamic beverage in the world by far.”

A list of all medal-winning wines is available at ag.purdue.edu/agricultures. Jeanette Merritt

Indiana-grown Vignoles is used in wines that have won Wine of the Year for the past two years at the Indy International Wine Competition.

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u Aquaculture industry growing in Indiana

The business of raising fish may still be relatively small in Indiana, but it is a growing part of the state’s agricultural economy.

Estimated sales from Indiana fish farms amounted to more than $15 million in 2012, an increase from $3.5 million in 2006, according to the Purdue Extension publication Economic Importance of the Aquaculture Industry in Indiana. About 50 fish producers operate in Indiana, compared with 18 just seven years ago.

“While aquaculture is not the most well-known industry in Indiana’s agriculture sector, it has seen steady growth and is very important to the state’s economy,” Kwamena K. Quagrainie, aquaculture marketing specialist, said.

Indiana’s aquaculture industry ranges from small-scale producers raising fish in their backyards to large-scale producers growing fish to sell in national and international markets. The industry includes production of fish for human food, ornamental fish for aquariums and recreational fish that are stocked in private and public ponds and lakes. Keith Robinson

Indiana’s aquaculture industry includes production for human food, ornamental fish for aquariums and recreational fish stocked in ponds and lakes.

WEB EXTRA

Visit two Indiana fish farms at ag.purdue.edu/agricultures.

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Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to follow Through the Grapevine, an up-close look at Indiana wines from vine to bottle.

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Ben Hall, a Purdue graduate student in agronomy, collects leaf reflectance data in a soybean field to determine variation in nitrogen content in the plants’ leaves. Sensor technology has proven to be a precise and efficient method for phenotyping breeding populations.

SpotlightS EXtRA

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Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to hear more about this investment in Purdue Agriculture and the plant sciences.

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u Purdue Ag to receive major funding for plant sciences

Purdue’s College of Agriculture will receive more than $20 million in university funding for plant sciences research and education to strengthen Purdue’s leadership in developing novel ways to help feed a rapidly growing world population.

The plant sciences initiative, announced by President Mitch Daniels Sept. 12, is among 10 targeted programs designed to enhance research and educational opportunities for students and broaden Purdue’s global impact.

“One of the critical questions we face is how to feed a growing world population,” Daniels said. “This initiative can lead to answers to that question by helping to produce plants that have higher yields and can grow in a variety of environmental conditions.”

The College of Agriculture plans to add 10 new faculty positions, establish some new facilities and remodel existing facilities, and provide programmatic support for research and student recruitment and education.

The investment will dramatically expand Purdue’s capabilities in plant sciences, helping the university move discoveries from the laboratory to commercialization or to the farm in innovative ways, said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.

“In addition, we will be embedding educational opportunities for students throughout this process of discovery and innovation, creating a unique learning opportunity for the next generation of leaders in the plant sciences,” Akridge said.

Gebisa Ejeta, distinguished professor of agronomy and 2009 World Food Prize laureate, said the funding reflects Purdue’s leadership role in working to find ways to feed a world population expected to increase from about 7 billion now to 9 billion by 2050.

“Science, technology and innovation are key to feeding humanity sustainably,” Ejeta said. “With this investment, Purdue is making a commitment to the future of agriculture in Indiana and beyond, and showing the collective resolve that we all share at this institution to remain among the very top tier of leading universities in the world.”

The plant sciences investment will be divided into these main areas, with student engagement a part of each:

• Expanding research and education in plant biology through 10 new faculty hires that would be affiliated with a new Center for Molecular Agriculture.

• Enhancing the college’s ability to move research discoveries into commercially important crops with development of a plant transformation facility, which will

bridge a gap between identification of valuable genes in crop production and their commercialization.

• Building high-speed, large-scale capabilities to assess crop characteristics and performance through automated field phenotyping that will provide for detailed assessments of plant traits that are important for both research and commercialization.

• Establishing a plant commercialization incubator facility to create opportunities for plant sciences faculty and students to move their ideas to the farm and the marketplace through commercialization and licensing arrangements.

• Developing student leaders in the plant sciences through a precollege summer institute and in-college programs to help attract students to the discipline and retain them; establishing student research and experiential learning activities throughout the curriculum; and engaging them in licensing and commercialization.

“This investment in the plant science research and education pipeline will catapult Purdue’s efforts to enable faculty and students to translate their creativity into new products to help feed a hungry world,” said Karen Plaut, senior associate dean for research and faculty affairs.

Keith Robinson


When sophomore agribusiness major Chloe Jefferson showed up for her first agricultural economics class at Purdue, she found herself the only student of color in a room of 200-plus students. Jefferson, a graduate of North Central High School in Indianapolis, says she’s always been comfortable around different cultural influences. “It’s not like I need to have people of color in my classes,” she says. “I never felt unwelcome. It’s just that being the only one makes you take notice.”

The College of Agriculture’s Office of Multicultural Programs is working to change that, to ensure that classrooms include students underrepresented in courses like Jefferson’s, and to offer the benefits of agricultural study to those who might not even be aware they exist. Such students could not only be ethnic minorities—African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American—but also first-generation college students, and, in some departments, women.

Purdue Agriculture makes recruiting and supporting underrepresented students a priority in response to market demand, says Pamala V. Morris, assistant dean of Agriculture and director of Multicultural Programs: “Agribusinesses recognize the value of diversity. We’re living in a global community; employers know they have to diversify the pipeline.”

To meet that demand, OMP has built a continuum of recruitment and support services that stretches from middle school to graduate school. The percentage of underrepresented minority students in the College of Agriculture increased from 4.2 percent in 2008 to 6.3 percent in 2012; total college undergraduate enrollment increased about 8 percent over the same period.

Targeting Urban High-SchoolersOMP staff working to attract underrepresented minorities to Purdue must help

students realize that while production is an important part of agriculture, the range of professional opportunities is diverse.

Chloe Jefferson’s perspective is typical of urban students: “I didn’t know how broad agriculture was until I learned that it really covers every topic.”

Urban InspirationMulticultural Students Begin to See Agriculture in a New Light

By Nancy Alexander

Sophomore Chloe Jefferson is among the College of Agriculture’s first group of Multicultural Scholars. The goal of the USDA-funded scholarship program is to increase the number of outstanding students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the food and agricultural sciences.


“I didn’t know how broad agriculture was until I learned that it really covers every topic.” Chloe Jefferson, agribusiness major

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OMP recruiter and Program Manager Myron McClure, an agricultural and biological engineering alumnus recruited as a track athlete from California, understands students’ reluctance. He spent summers in his youth working at his grandparents’ farms in Louisiana and Arkansas—and didn’t like it much. “The farm was how I related to agriculture,” he

says. “[Prospective] students can’t come up with anything I didn’t say myself. But I can also tell them the College of Agriculture was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

McClure focuses his recruiting primarily on school systems with larger populations of ethnic minorities in urban areas like Hammond, Gary, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Chicago.

OMP works closely with Science Bound, a partnership among Purdue, Indianapolis Public Schools and the Indianapolis business community designed to prepare low-income students for careers in agriculture and the STEM disciplines. McClure taps into Science Bound events, some of which start in early middle school. “I’m just trying to plant the seed,” he says of his presentations to younger students. Everyone’s saying, ‘I want to be an engineer, I want to be a scientist,’ and I’m saying, ‘Be an agricultural engineer, be an agricultural scientist.’”

Upward Bound, a federally funded program that helps high school students prepare for college, is another resource for OMP recruiting. McClure, a former participant himself, visits Upward Bound students in northwest Indiana. He wants them all to go to college, but he especially hopes a few might find their way to Purdue Agriculture.

Retaining Talented Students“It’s one thing to recruit; to retain them is another focus of

this office,” Morris says. Toward that end, OMP administers the Multicultural Scholars Program, a USDA-funded scholarship to increase the number of outstanding students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the food and agricultural sciences.

The first cohort of six Multicultural Scholars that arrived last fall included Chloe Jefferson. Seminars help knit the group together and build the skills and strategies needed to succeed in Agriculture. “MSP made me feel more comfortable in the classroom,” Jefferson says.

Another student resource and retention tool, Academic Boot Camp, occurs on campus over five intensive weeks each summer. This year about 65 multi-ethnic students learned about the college lifestyle and previewed their academics.

They live in Purdue housing and take general courses and Animal Sciences 102, which was chosen to appeal to students’ interest and to present broad, basic agricultural concepts, Morris says. From the boot camp, they arrive in the fall with friends in different majors, knowing the campus and anticipating what’s ahead academically.

“They develop, in a sense, a family,” Morris says. “That’s what contributes to their success.”

Building a PipelinePurdue’s Hoosier Agribusiness Science Academy is

structured to expose even more students to agriculture—and at an earlier age. It starts with an agriculture-themed field day with activities and applied experiences for students in sixth through eighth grades in targeted locations.

“The literature clearly says we need to start earlier than high school to develop students’ sense of inquiry about careers other than those they’ve heard of,” Morris explains.

In May 2013 a new component of HASA, Environmental Revolution Day, was piloted. Indianapolis middle-schoolers visited the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where academic departments from Purdue Agriculture focused on different aspects of the field: global issues, biodiversity, plant science,

Chloe Jefferson

Kara McKinney, a food science major from Indianapolis, attended Academic Boot Camp. While the classroom work was rigorous, she believes the head start will pay off.

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environmental economics and ecosystems. Based on the pilot’s success it will be expanded next year.

HASA’s Summer Institute brings high-schoolers to West Lafayette. For two weeks this July, 40 students lived in the dorms, ate college food and chose one of three agriculture tracks: biodiversity and carbon footprint; food and energy security/climate change; or renewable resources and sustainable development. They were immersed in a research-based world of study through presentations, lab experiments, mini-lectures, workshops and field trips to farms and agribusinesses.

Many of the mostly rising juniors and seniors came from Indiana’s urban areas and were first-generation prospective college students.

Purdue Senior Alex Martinez spent his second July as a HASA counselor, which he likens to being “a 24-hour chaperone.” But beyond making sure his high-school charges were in the right place at the right time, he wanted to set a good example while living with the male students in Earhart Hall: “I would hope that being a little older and in college and responsible, I was a role model.”

While helping students prepare for postsecondary education, HASA opens their eyes to opportunities in agriculture. “It really piqued their interest,” Martinez says. “A

Contact Nancy Alexander at [email protected]

The Office of Multicultural Programs helps students learn about career opportunities in agriculture: (from left) Moriah Hurt, president of Purdue’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS); Pamala Morris, OMP director; and Myron McClure, program manager.

WEB EXTRA

Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to hear MANRRS president Moriah Hurt talk about how the organization benefits students and the community.

lot of them are city kids, so they did have that notion that agriculture’s just about farming. But even in the first few days, you could see that notion was blown wide open for them.”

At the far end of the recruiting continuum are potential graduate students. In a three-way investment by the graduate school, faculty and OMP called the Agricultural Summer Research Opportunity Program, faculty mentor students who work in their labs over the summer. By targeting students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, the program encourages talented undergraduates from social and economic backgrounds that are underrepresented in research careers to pursue graduate education.

In summer 2013 four undergraduates were matched with faculty mentors in agricultural economics, food science, animal sciences, and botany and plant pathology. One, a rising senior, already intends to apply to Purdue for graduate study.

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Graduates of Purdue University’s top-ranked Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering enter the job market with the creativity of a designer, the savvy of an entrepreneur and the calluses of a grease monkey.

Not all agricultural engineering programs offer the space and training students need to transform their designs from a blueprint to a rumbling, running machine, but at Purdue, it’s more than a possibility—it’s a priority.

“We want our students to do hands-on testing,” says John Lumkes, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. “Even if the students are never going to be professional welders or machinists, the chance to build and make mistakes that aren’t costing a company millions of dollars is an advantage. It plays a huge role in job prospects.”

Second-year graduate research assistant Daniel Skelton says that building what he designs has given him a new perspective on the engineering process. “I started to see a difference between book-smart engineers and those who actually know how to put things together. Now when I design, I think more about how the part will be built.”

While an emphasis on construction is a long-standing feature of Purdue’s ABE program, the new ADM Agricultural Innovation Center—a 27,000-square-foot building funded in part by Archer Daniels Midland Co.—greatly expanded workspace for student projects. The center, which opened in January 2012, features three large bays, classroom space with computers and writeable walls, new tools and after-hours access.

The center’s location on the outskirts of campus also prevents other programs from being disturbed by construction noise or testing prototype machines. “We get into less trouble here,” jokes Lumkes.

Nuts and Bolts of Global BusinessThe ABE program also teaches students how to transition from the workshop

to the conference room. Many of their design-build competitions, such as the quarter-scale tractor contest, require students to develop business and presentation skills in addition to building a winning machine.

“Most of your points come from written reports, a design log, cost analysis and oral presentations,” says Skelton, who has been a member of the tractor team several times. “You can’t just have a well-designed tractor. You have to sell it.”

Mean Machines

Hands-On Learning Gives ABE Grads an Edge in the Job Market

By Natalie van HooseTo

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Other student projects, such as the Basic Utility Vehicle , a Purdue-designed, multi-terrain vehicle built for the rough roads of Cameroon, Africa, tackle the global “grand challenges” of energy, food, water and the environment. First-year graduate student David Wilson says working on the BUV pushed him to think more creatively about designing with limited resources.

“We have to make the BUV work the best we can without access to top machines and top materials,” he says. “It’s not necessarily about engineering a new part; it’s finding what’s available.”

Top Honors—Again The department’s innovations and integrated approach are paying off.

USNews & World Report rated Purdue’s graduate ABE program as the best in its category for the fifth year in a row, and Purdue’s undergraduate ABE program has earned No.-1 ranking for the third consecutive year. The percentage of ABE graduates who land jobs in their field is close to 100 percent, according to Lumkes.

“ABE is a very diverse field,” he says. “Some part of the industry is always doing well. Students can work in a number of areas, including food processing, machine systems, pharmacy, and environmental and natural resources, and we as faculty are proactive about finding jobs that will fit individual students.”

“In ABE, you set your own path,” says Skelton. “You take the core classes, but you get to choose where you want to end up. I’m not worried about getting a job at all.”

ABE graduate students Daniel Skelton (left) and David Wilson look to their post-graduation futures with confidence. After his experience with the Basic Utility Vehicle, Wilson hopes to work interna-tionally, while Skelton, a veteran of the quarter-scale tractor contests, leans toward diesel engines.

Contact Natalie van Hoose at [email protected]

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Find out more about these “mean machines” at ag.purdue.edu/agricultures.

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In farming, as in life, timing can be everything. Just ask Randy Kitts.

The Grant County, Ind., farmer, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat on 580 acres near Marion, discovered how applying fungicide at exactly the right moment provided his wheat crop the protection it needed from fungal foes to grow stronger and more productive.

“We’ve had some problems with head scab in our crop,” Kitts says. “I started working with Kiersten Wise of Purdue on when to spray fungicide. She said the best time to spray is when the wheat heads are out and flowering, and able to accept the fungicide.”

Wise’s advice proved sound when Kitts applied fungicide on a field where some grain heads had emerged and others had not. After the fungicide application the non-emerged plants exhibited signs of Fusarium head blight—or scab—infection, which shrivels plants and shrinks grain size. Their head-blossomed neighbors looked healthier.

“Kiersten was right on,” Kitts says. “I noticed about a 10-bushel-an-acre difference in those sprayed at the right time and those that were not. With that kind of yield difference you’re talking about an additional 80 bucks or so an acre. That’s quite a bit for a farmer.”

As an associate professor and Extension specialist in botany and plant pathology, Wise travels Indiana helping farmers identify and manage crop diseases. The knowledge she shares often comes from scientific research she and other Purdue crop and livestock specialists conduct at Purdue agricultural research centers.

“The fungicide research we’ve done at the Purdue farms in recent years is in response to the increase in corn, soybean and wheat prices farmers are receiving,” Wise says. “Because farmers are receiving higher prices for their crops, they are able to use more inputs, like fungicide, on those crops to protect them against potential yield losses. In some cases, growers are applying fungicide because those products have been promoted as having additional crop benefits beyond disease control. Field research can help us show whether that is the case.”

No Two Are the SameThe eight farms that make up the Purdue Agricultural Centers program

represent diversity in geography, topography, climate, soil types and growing conditions. From Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center near Valparaiso in northwest Indiana to Southern Indiana-Purdue Agricultural Center in rural Dubois and the six PACs that dot the map in between, College of Agriculture faculty conduct more than

Down to a SciencePurdue Research Farms Tackle Agriculture’s Toughest Challenges

By Steve Leer

Kiersten Wise

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400 research projects on 40-plus different crops and animal species each year.

Combined, the facilities total 11,000 acres and employ 30 full-time staff members. The PACs operate under the auspices of Agricultural Research at Purdue.

Five of the eight farms were donated to Purdue by university families and supporters. The first PAC, Feldun-Purdue Agricultural Center near Bedford, turns 100 years old in 2014.

Funds designated to the state’s Crossroads fund for research and Extension pay most PAC staff salaries, while operational costs like supplies, machinery and utilities are covered from the sale of commodities the farms produce.

Grant County farmer Randy Kitts checks conditions in his soybean field. When head scab affected his wheat crop, he turned to Purdue Extension for help. By applying fungicide when wheat heads were flowering, he increased yield several bushels an acre.

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“The size of our program speaks to why these ag centers are important

being located across the state,” says Jerry Fankhauser, director of the

PAC program. “There are local problems, local pest issues and local soil issues in

terms of productivity, and faculty can better address those on site in those parts of Indiana.

“Although Indiana isn’t a large state, there are tremendous differences agronomically for producers. Look at the climate around the Evansville area, which is more Kentuckian with a longer growing season, and then compare it to what producers have

to deal with up in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, where you’ve got a lake-effect, Michigan-type climate, a shorter growing season and cloudier in the fall and spring.”

The crop and livestock mix is wide-ranging, too. Because of this variety, PAC research runs the gamut from row crops such as corn and soybeans, to fruits and vegetables, mint, beef cattle, forage, goats, hardwood trees, crop irrigation and wildlife management, to name several.

Onward and UpwardVolumes could be written about

the important scientific findings

made at the PAC farms. A few recent research projects that have advanced agricultural production include:

• No-tillage cropping systems. Studies done on planting seed into uncultivated soil and field drainage led to wider acceptance of the practice by, and production gains to, farmers—especially those in southeast Indiana, where soils are more challenging.

• Cover crops. Research conducted in collaboration with Soil and Water Conservation Districts has shown the benefit of planting grasses, legumes or small grains between regular crop seasons in order to protect and improve the soil.

• Insect management. Field experiments by entomologists have led to safer and more effective ways to control crop-destroying bugs without harming beneficial insects.

A Bee’s LifeOne ongoing study by associate

professor of entomology Christian Krupke could have far-reaching implications for how farmers grow crops in the future. Krupke is investigating the deaths of honey bees in springtime near agricultural fields. Bees play an integral role in pollinating many crops.

Krupke already has identified a link between bee deaths and dust from planting equipment. He’s now analyzing the chemical composition of the dust and how planting practices can be made safer for agriculture’s winged friends. Krupke’s research is being conducted at Pinney-Purdue and Throckmorton-Purdue Agricultural Center, a few miles south of Lafayette.

“The dust typically is composed of bits of talc, graphite or both—whatever is used to lubricate the seeds

Analyses of bees found dead in Indiana apiaries showed the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are commonly used to coat corn and soybean seeds before planting. The insecticides were present in waste talc exhausted from machinery during planting. Scientists are researching ways to reduce the amount and toxicity of the talc dust.

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Contact Steve Leer at [email protected]

as they move through the planter—and is contaminated with whatever was put on the seed as a seed treatment,” Krupke says. “That typically includes neonicotinoids, which are insecticides that are very toxic to bees, and fungicides.”

In his PAC experiments, Krupke planted insecticide-treated corn with conventional lubricants in the planter boxes, and then measured the amount of dust produced, how far it moved from the planter and the level of toxicity. To do that, he placed sticky microscope slides on panels downwind from the planter. The slides caught dust particles that landed on them. At those same fields, Krupke then ran a second set of tests with a new experimental seed lubricant designed to adhere better to seed and become less airborne.

“We don’t yet have a definitive answer as to how much dust is controlled with the experimental lubricant,” Krupke says. “What we do know is that it takes less of this powder per unit of seed. So if there’s less going in, there should be less coming out.”

Tunnels of ProduceAnother research project could

extend the growing season for vegetable farmers. At Southwest-Purdue Agricultural Center near Vincennes, regional horticulture and vegetable specialist Shubin Saha produces tomatoes and peppers in high tunnels. The long, plastic-covered structures allow farmers to grow crops and plants year-round in conditions similar to those in the field, without the carefully controlled environment usually associated with greenhouses.

“The local food movement keeps growing, and consumers are demanding fresh vegetables all year; high-tunnel production provides

growers a way to continue to meet those demands, even when field production ends for the season,” Saha says.

Saha and his research assistants maintain three high tunnels at Southwest-Purdue. The structures are 30-by-90 feet and 16 feet tall. Two of the tunnels house tomatoes; the other, bell peppers.

The tomatoes are a study in contrasts. Some rows are backyard garden-variety plants that grow about waist-high. Those plants are known as “determinant” varieties. Other rows are varieties with unlimited growth potential, or “indeterminants.” Those plants stand upwards of 7 feet. Every plant is tied to a support system suspended from the ceiling. At regular intervals, Saha shifts the aboveground part of the indeterminant plants several inches along the row to permit further growth.

Red and green tomatoes hang from nearly every plant.

Saha carefully documents the growing practices he uses in the high tunnels. What he learns he shares with

vegetable farmers statewide. Some have constructed high tunnels based on his recommendations.

“Most farmers I work with produce about 15 pounds of tomatoes per plant,” Saha says. “Through our research, we’re pushing 20 pounds per plant.

“I tell people, ‘Let us fall on our faces and be the ones to fail, so you can learn from our research.’ We’ll still have jobs, if that happens. Farmers might not.”

That attitude is comforting to producers, says Gary Battles, a St. Joseph County farmer and Certified Crop Advisor.

“I’m thankful for the help I get from the folks at Purdue,” Battles says. “When farmers see that the university has enough interest in them to help them every step of the way, it makes a real difference.”

Shubin Saha grows tomatoes and bell peppers in high tunnels. Some tomatoes are grown vertically and stand upwards of 7 feet. Saha has increased yield per plant and shares his findings with vegetable farmers statewide.

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For a free attraction, the Quilt Gardens in northern Indiana’s Amish Country have cash registers ringing.

Visitors who flock to ooh and aah at a million blooms stitched together into living quilt blocks and other area attractions dropped $273 million into the Elkhart County economy in 2009 alone. This year, 19 quilt-inspired gardens and 20 quilt-themed murals bind seven communities in Elkhart and LaGrange counties together with common thread.

But before the Quilt Gardens could become an economic boon to one of the nation’s areas hardest hit during the recession, the project first had to establish a grassroots partnership among municipal governments, civic and nonprofit organizations, and local businesses, plus a cadre of volunteer gardeners. Like gardens, the project had to grow from the ground up, says Sonya Nash, program manager for the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A Winning CombinationNash says the CVB hit upon the Quilt Gardens concept in 2006 during a

brainstorming session for new additions to the Heritage Trail, a scenic driving tour centered on Amish culture.

“We were trying to think of something unique that tells our story,” Nash says. “We are an ag-based region—gardening and quilting are part of our heritage.” The idea developed into quilt-block flower gardens.

Purdue University’s Tourism & Hospitality Research Center was tapped during the strategic planning phase. Purdue Extension educators and Master Gardeners, with their brain trust of gardening knowledge and expertise in community programming, play prominent roles.

The first plants went into the ground in spring 2007 at two pilot gardens, and the Quilt Gardens project was officially launched in 2008. Despite the recession, the gardens’ niche markets of quilters and gardeners blossomed.

“People travel to follow their passions, despite the economy,” Nash says.

By the BusloadsFor the past five years, the American Bus Association—a trade group for

the motorcoach industry—has named the Quilt Gardens one of its top 100 attractions in the nation.

“Step-on” guides contribute to the strategy. Purdue Master Gardeners Vickie Estep and Mary Davis are among the local guides who join bus tours to talk about the gardens and answer questions.

In June, 36 charter buses visited—an all-time high for one month. Some 5,000 tourists are expected to arrive by motorcoach from June through

Starring Attraction Quilt Gardens Put on a Million-Dollar Show

By Olivia Maddox

WEB EXTRA

Tour the Quilt Gardens, and learn about the cast of volunteers that make them possible at ag.purdue.edu/agricultures.

VIDEO


September. Visitors stay overnight, dine out, tour other venues and shop.

Stitchin’ Heaven, a Texas-based, Texas-sized quilt shop, runs its own travel program that is, well, heaven for quilters. It sponsors an annual bus trip to the Quilt Gardens. Attendees come from as far away as New Zealand, and tours can book up two years in advance.

In mid-July, 46 McLean County, Ill., Master Gardeners took a three-day tour and left a trail of sales slips in their wake. The Wakarusa Dime Store—a specialty confectionery shop—is just one of the businesses to get a bump in its bottom line.

“Not only do visitors buy here at the store, they order from our website when they go home,” says owner Debra McNally. “Then, they tell their friends, who also order online.”

Community PrideThe seemingly whimsical gardens

follow a finely tuned business plan. Designs for next year’s gardens were under review in a juried selection process this summer. “It’s not the complexity of the design but how well it translates to a garden,” says Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross, director of Purdue Extension Elkhart County and member of the Quilt Gardens Advisory Board.

Mark Salee, town manager of Middlebury, says the gardens are in such demand that when a local hardware store moved to a new location, owners factored a garden site into their building plans.

“There’s a cooperation and connection among all the communities now,” Vickie Estep says. “Everyone works hand in hand.”

Contact Olivia Maddox at [email protected]

The Quilt Gardens in Elkhart and LaGrange counties are a top draw during the summer tourism season. Master Gardner Vickie Estep (bottom left) co-authored a gardens guidebook and served as a guide for bus charters.

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Young Cary Mitchell saw that bedding plants stored under a bench in his parents’ plastic-covered greenhouse were growing almost as well as those on top and fully exposed to light.

His father, Carl, was showing the 13-year-old that, unlike in a glass greenhouse, sunlight passing through the translucent material was so scattered that there were very few shadows, and the plants under the bench received almost the same amount of light. That was in 1956, when the Mitchells were the first nursery owners in the Midwest to erect a greenhouse made with plastic.

“So right from the get-go we were thinking about how plants grow and how we could make that process more efficient,” says Mitchell, recalling his days on the family farm in Woodstock, Ill.

Fifty-six years later, Mitchell’s curiosity is reflected in his work as a professor of horticulture and researcher at Purdue University, where he and doctoral student Celina Gómez are growing tomatoes in a greenhouse using light-emitting diodes, known as LEDs.

During the daytime, the greenhouse behind the Horticulture Building looks like any other, the plants inside soaking up natural sunlight. But at night, it almost looks like it is strung with Christmas lights, the LEDs’ tiny red and blue lights embedded on towers only inches from the stems and leaves of several rows of 9-feet-tall tomato plants. The lights help to drive photosynthesis so the plants can produce their succulent fruit.

The BeginningsMitchell’s interest in growing plants with LEDs

began in the 1970s with NASA’s Advanced Life Support Program, in which he researched how to grow plants in a chamber with no sunlight to sustain space travelers of the future on such places as the moon and Mars. Although he and others on the research team grew cowpeas—also known as black-eyed peas—in a controlled environment with traditional lights hanging above the plants, they found that as the plants grew larger and filled the chamber, the light wasn’t getting below the upper leaves. That left the

Greenhouse Tomatoes in Red and Blue

By Keith Robinson

Cary Mitchell’s curiosity is reflected in his work as a professor of horticulture and researcher at Purdue University, where he grows tomatoes in a greenhouse using light-emitting diodes, known as LEDs.

Mitchell, 1957

Cary Mitchell started selling vegetables as a teenager at a family farm stand in the 1950s.

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middle and lower parts in the plant’s canopy not producing the high-protein legume.

To grow many plants close together in a small space and make them productive, the researchers needed to come up with a way to feed light into the inner leaf canopy. They got short, fluorescent kitchen lamps from a hardware store, modified them to the need, hung them in the growth chamber from fish line and tried growing crops around them. While the lamps provided light in the canopy, they were too large and too hot so close to the plants, scorching some. Some plants would have to be removed to make room for more lights. That seemed counter-productive.

So Mitchell began to ask himself this: How could we get light into a foliar canopy without creating a lot of heat or needing lots of bulky lights?

Mitchell knew that scientists at the University of Wisconsin and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center had been

experimenting with LEDs for plant growth for about 10 years. So with more funding from NASA, he and the aerospace research and development company Orbital Technologies Corp. of Madison, Wis., developed “light-sicles,” vertical strips of LEDs—cool to the touch—that could hang close to plants while providing the necessary light.

That got Mitchell and the team at Orbitec, as it is called, thinking about possible other applications for LEDs in horticulture. They decided to look at extending the LED technology to the greenhouse industry, using the lights to supplement natural, solar light. Mitchell’s work for NASA led to his current research, funded by a $4.88 million, four-year grant from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2010. He has collaborators at the University of Arizona, Michigan State University, Orbitec and Purdue. (Roberto Lopez of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture is using LEDs

to propagate ornamental bedding plants in a greenhouse, and John Burr of the Krannert School of Management is looking into whether LEDs in greenhouses can be economical for growers.)

The ChallengesUsing LEDs to grow plants isn’t new.

Japan is using them as the sole source of light for growing leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach in tiered shelves in warehouses, a system called “vertical farming.” But whereas such plants are relatively easy to grow, Mitchell and Gómez are taking on the difficult task of growing greenhouse tomatoes, which require so much light and warmth that they are produced mostly in the Southwest and Mexico. They want to determine whether tomatoes can grow with the help

Cary Mitchell, from left, and Celina Gómez harvest tomatoes grown around red and blue LED lights, which use far less energy than traditional high-pressure sodium lamps in greenhouses.

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Contact Keith Robinson at [email protected]

WEB EXTRA

What do top industry professionals think about the economics of LEDs? Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to hear what they have to say.

of LEDs as a partial energy source in the semi-controlled environment of a greenhouse in colder, northern states, especially during winter, when direct sunlight can be scarce because of frequent overcast skies. Mitchell figures if tomatoes can grow in those conditions, just about any vegetable could.

“We chose tomato as a worst-case crop species, frankly,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell’s and Gómez’s research goes beyond just trying to grow tomatoes in a difficult environment. They want them to taste good—like luscious, home-grown tomatoes—so that northern consumers do not have to rely so much on tomatoes that are picked green before they are ready and then ripen as best they can while being trucked over long distances. New graduate student Michael Dzakovich is working on the issue of fruit quality from off-season tomato supplemental lighting in greenhouses.

The researchers also have environmental concerns that tomatoes shipped across the country leave a deep carbon footprint.

And with the increasing popularity of local foods, they want to help meet consumers’ demand for affordable, “clean and fresh” fruits and vegetables, including those that are out of season.

Their work with LED lighting is centered on saving energy, thereby helping to reduce production costs.

Greenhouses typically use yellowish high-pressure sodium lights—we most often see them as street lamps—to supplement sunlight. Mitchell and Gómez are using both HPS lights and LEDs and comparing their electricity use. Gómez, who monitors the electricity consumption, says the LEDs use about 25 percent of the energy that is needed to power HPS lights.

“We’re saving 75 percent of the energy, and we have not seen any yield differences,” she says.

While Gómez says the heating expense for a greenhouse with LEDs would increase if it did not use heat-emitting HPS lights, it could be offset by the lower cost of lighting. She is sending data from the LEDs’ energy consumption to Orbitec so that it might develop even more energy-efficient lights.

The FutureMitchell’s years in researching

how to grow horticulture crops more efficiently has been a learning experience for him beyond the technical insights he has gained. He understands that with most of the world’s arable land already in use, agriculture will need to find new ways to grow more food to meet the needs of a global population that is expected to increase from 7 billion people today to 9 billion by 2050.

That is where he finds the relevance in his work.

“We need to come up with new staple food sources that lend themselves well to controlled environment agriculture and can be produced cheaply enough,” he says.

What that food of the future is we don’t know yet.

“But, for now,” Mitchell says, “tomatoes are really good for getting controlled environment agriculture going.”

What is an LED?An LED, or light-emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light. As the electricity crosses the components of the diode, energy from the electrons in the current is released as photons, or light rays.

Developed in the 1960s, LEDs today are used in a variety of products: traffic signals, mp3 players, DVD players, computers, televisions and outdoor signs, among others.

LEDs consume less energy and so are more efficient than traditional lights such as incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lights. They also last longer, too. But they are more expensive to buy.

The technology in electrical-conversion efficiency is improving rapidly and is expected to become even more efficient in coming years.


It’s ironic, but foods considered among the most healthful and nutritious— fresh fruits and vegetables—can also be carriers of deadly bacteria.

In recent years, foods such as cantaloupe, strawberries, peppers and spinach have been implicated in large food-illness outbreaks and national food recalls. Fresh foods present food safety challenges unlike those for more processed foods, in which contaminants are destroyed in the production process. And with greater distribution of fresh foods, a problem on just one farm can sicken thousands in several states.

A Charge to Kill PathogensIn an effort to improve food safety for fresh foods, Kevin Keener,

Purdue University professor of food science, tested a technology with food products that turns air into a killing agent for pathogens. He uses electricity to generate cold plasma that ionizes the air molecules within a packaged food product. In as few as 20 seconds, the charged air molecules eliminate bacteria such as E. coli from food surfaces.

After a few hours, the air within the package returns to normal, and the food product is bacteria-free. “The cost is comparable to that for chemical and heat treatments currently used and may be more acceptable to consumers than techniques such as chlorine washes and irradiation,” Keener says.

The key for companies adopting greater food safety measures such as his technology may be the added benefits of extending the shelf life of fresh food products. Spoilage is a major cost for food companies.

Keener is working with colleagues in Europe to perfect the process.

Food Safety Starts on the FarmConcurrently, Keener and a team of Purdue experts are working with

producers to improve food safety practices on the farm. Government agencies have stepped up surveillance measures, thanks to increased interest in food safety from Congress.

Keener says federal inspections of produce farms are stricter now than in the past. The Food and Drug Administration may recall produce even when no foodborne illness has been reported. A recall could be triggered for produce produced under unsanitary conditions, or without complete process records, or if it contains a pathogen.

Making Fresh Food Safe Food Research, Producer Education and Tighter Government Controls Boost Food Safety

By Beth Forbes

Kevin Keener is developing methods using cold plasma to kill bacteria in packaged fresh foods.

WEB EXTRA

Kevin Keener explains how cold plasma creates bacteria-killing molecules to make fresh food safer at ag.purdue.edu/agricultures.

VIDEO

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“The FDA has always had the power, but now it also has the political will,” Keener says.

Concern over food safety has also increased at the state level.

“Providing fresh fruits and vegetables that are healthful has always been the goal and responsibility of the farmer who produces them. Recent regulatory changes by the Indiana State Department of Health also require an additional level of accountability for farmers who want to sell to customers other than the end consumer,” says Jodee Ellett, Purdue Extension’s local foods coordinator.

She says farmers who sell to Indiana restaurants, brokers, wholesalers, food hubs and some auctions must register with the state as fruit and vegetable wholesalers

and indicate they follow good on-farm food safety practices.

At several Purdue Extension workshops last year, producers learned food safety information on health and hygiene, water quality, animals and animal products, sanitation, recordkeeping and farm food-safety plans.

Scott Monroe, Purdue Extension educator in Daviess County who is part of the education effort, says, “We want to help ensure Indiana farmers are producing the safest and most wholesome products possible.”

Contact Beth Forbes at [email protected]

The key for companies adopting greater food

safety measures may be the added benefits of

extending the shelf life.


PROFILEPROFILESelf-DiscoveryAs a youngster, Alexandria Pettigrew tended her “sick” stuffed animals and patched them with bandages. As she grew, she was still interested in making animals feel better. Her first thought was to become a vet—an obvious choice for someone who loves animals. But at Purdue, she learned becoming a vet was just one of many career opportunities open to her.

“I grew up in the inner city, so I didn’t know anything about agriculture,” says Pettigrew, a senior from Indianapolis. “I thought agriculture was just farming, and I didn’t want to farm. When I started thinking about what kind of degree I needed, I thought biology was the only way to learn about people and animals.” But during campus visits, she discovered animal sciences and was soon convinced it was the major for her. “Animal sciences is more hands-on, and that’s how I learn best,” she says. Career-interest programs gave her plenty of chances to explore options in addition to veterinary medicine. “I liked animals, so I thought all I could do was be a vet,” Pettigrew says. She credits the animal sciences faculty and staff for opening her eyes and helping pinpoint her interest in animal behavior. “Growing up watching Animal Planet and National Geographic, I liked the documentaries—observing animals and finding out why they do what they do,” she says. She plans to get a master’s degree and maybe even a Ph.D.Interacting with livestock is now the norm for this urbanite. “I’m working with pigs a lot,” she says. She joined Purdue’s livestock evaluation team to learn even more about animals. During the summer, she did research with Candace Croney, associate professor of animal behavior and well-being.Pettigrew has also followed her interest in helping people to other countries. “When I heard about the Romania service-learning trip, I knew it was for me. I wanted to go abroad, but I didn’t want to just take classes. I wanted to help people.“It was very hands-on; we were helping villagers improve their agriculture systems. So when I heard about the service-learning trip to Haiti this winter, I signed up right away.”Her self-discovery journey extends beyond academics. A student-athlete at Cardinal Ritter High School, she captained the golf team her senior year and was named most valuable golfer. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would play athletics in college at all. I was just looking for academics. My freshman year here, though, I felt something was missing. So my sophomore year I walked on to Purdue’s team.” This year she is vice president of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, an organization she embraces for its community service and leadership components. “I like helping people. That’s the common denominator in the things I choose.”While her path has diverged from vet school, she found a way to continue her goal to help people and animals. And along the way she learned that agriculture is farming—and a whole lot more. “Agriculture was all around me in the city; I just didn’t know it,” she says. “Everything is possible through agriculture.”

By Olivia Maddox

WEB EXTRA VIDEO Visit ag.purdue.edu/agricultures to hear Alexandria Pettigrew on finding her passion for agriculture.

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The College of Agriculture’s Office of Multicultural Programs works to ensure classrooms include underrepresented students and offers the benefits of agricultural study to those who might not even be aware they exist. Such students could not only be ethnic minorities—African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American—but also first-generation college students, and, in some departments, women. “Agribusinesses recognize the value of diversity,” says Pamala V. Morris, assistant dean of Agriculture and director of Multicultural Programs (center). “We’re living in a global community; employers know they have to diversify the pipeline.” Also pictured: Moriah Hurt, president of Purdue’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (left), and Myron McClure, OMP recruiter and program manager.

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Multicultural Students Begin to See Agriculture in a New Light

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