Agricultural industries in Indiana account for more than $31 billion in direct sales and nearly $13 billion more in ripple effects such as related supply-chain purchases and spending by workers, according to a new report from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. The new report, “Beyond the Farm: A State and Regional Report on the …read more.

LIVABILITY.com has named Indianapolis among the top ten best downtowns for 2015. It came in at number three. The website stated that Indy’s neighborhoods are continually evolving into hip destinations which attract young families and professionals, helping to make the city’s business and cultural center one of the best in the US. LIVABILITY considered the …read more.

Especially within the last three school years, the culture has changed at Wawasee High School. And that is precisely what Mike Schmidt, principal at Wawasee High School, and others wanted to see. “Student led” is more often becoming the norm at the high school. And it’s something Schmidt is particularly passionate about. “It’s part of …read more.

By MARIANNE HOLLAND The Hoosier Environmental Council The Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana’s largest environmental policy organization, is warning residents in Indiana’s lakeside communities about a sweeping measure moving through the Indiana General Assembly that could decrease their ability to protect the waterways they enjoy for recreation, drinking water and natural beauty. Senate Joint Resolution 12, …read more.

By JEFF BURBRINK Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Elkhart County Growing up on a southern Indiana farm, I learned a lot about weed identification from my Dad. He would point out features of various plants, and by the time I was 12 years old, I could identify many of the more common broadleaf plants. Two weeds …read more.

By KELLY L. HECKAMAN Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County Purdue Extension will be holding an all-day conference focusing on precision agriculture from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Newton Center, on the north side of Lakeville. We have some outstanding speakers on this program, including Dr. John Fulton from Ohio State …read more.

By KELLY L. HECKAMAN Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County Starting Wednesday, Feb. 11, Purdue Extension in Kosciusko County will offer a series of traditional winter farm meetings with a digital-age twist – participants and presenters from throughout the state will be linked via the Internet. “Winter has traditionally been the time for farmers across …read more.

By JEFF BURBRINK Extension Educator Purdue Extension Elkhart County Last week I read an article urging farmers to apply lime every year. That sort of recommendation may work in some communities, but in our area, more often than not, it could lead to some long-term problems because most of our soils are high in pH. …read more.

By KELLY HECKAMAN Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County Interested in trying some new seeds for 2015? Have seeds that you saved from last year’s garden or flowers? Do you want to learn how to save seeds? Then, you will want to plan on attending the first Northern Indiana Seed Swap on Saturday, Jan. 31, …read more.

EDITORS NOTE: This is the start of a series of essays leading up to the celebration of the  Indiana Bicentennial In December 2016. The essays focus on the top 100 events, ideas and historical figures of Indiana, in chronological order, tying each to a place or current event in Indiana that continues to tell the …read more.

By KELLY L. HECKAMAN Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County Purdue Extension is offering two-day workshops at the Noble County Extension office on Tuesday, Jan. 27, and Wednesday, Jan. 28, for farm families wanting to know more about business succession planning. The Noble County extension office is located at 2090 N. SR 9, Albion. Registration for …read more.

By JEFF BURBRINK Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Elkhart County Without much fanfare, the USDA Census of Agriculture will be surveying two important groups of agricultural producers in the next few weeks, horticulture and organic growers. Some local growers may have already received surveys in the mail. More than likely, many may not receive a survey. …read more.

By LISA PAXTON FFA Advisor, Tippecanoe Valley High School The Tippecanoe Valley FFA recently held their annual Greenhand Celebration to honor the first year members in the FFA Chapter. These young members have studied the history of the FFA Association, recited the FFA Creed, practiced parliamentary procedure, investigated potential agricultural industry career avenues, including a …read more.

A new strategic alliance with Ivy Tech Corporate College, Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council has produced a new Next Generation Farming course, a 21-week, online course and comprehensive curriculum designed to serve as a foundation for a successful career in livestock, poultry and agricultural operations. Today’s farms require a combination of skilled …read more.

By ROBERT KELLY Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Elkhart County The Purdue Extension office in Elkhart County will be serving as a host site for an upcoming webinar aimed towards preparing sheep and goat producers for their lambing and kidding seasons. The educational series will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, …read more.

By KELLY HECKAMAN Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County There are two free meetings scheduled in north central Indiana on Monday, Dec. 15 where you can learn how the new farm program works and also have a chance to work through some examples. In Warsaw, the meeting will be offered at 6:30 p.m. in the …read more.

By NANCY BORKHOLDER Ag/NR Secretary, Purdue Extension Elkhart County Nutrition is always a hot topic when it comes to dairy cattle farmers. With the fluctuation in feed prices, the weather, and the newly harvested crop it can be a task for dairy cattle farms to find that right ration balance for their operations. Purdue Extension …read more.

By GRACIE WEINZIERL Osborn Barr After a successful pilot in Indiana this past school year, America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders is now expanding to 40 states, with more than $500,000 worth of scholarships available. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the program provides $1,500 college scholarships to students pursuing a degree related to agriculture. Starting Nov. …read more.

Hot, dry weather that has returned to Indiana is beginning to take its toll on the state’s corn and soybean crops, which Purdue Extension specialists said needed rain within days to keep them from deteriorating further. “A month ago I was very optimistic about the size of this corn crop, but now I’m less so,” …read more.

The Northern Indiana Lakes Festival at Center Lake hosted numerous groups today that came together to provide information on lakes and the environment. At the Lakes Agriculture Forum, also held today and hosted by Kosciusko Lakes and Streams, agricultural leaders from northern Indiana gathered to discuss issues pertaining to the lakes in the area and …read more.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Agricultural industries contributed $37.9 billion to Indiana’s economy in 2011, according to a new report from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “Agriculture’s Bounty: The Economic Contribution of Agriculture,” produced by the Indiana Business Research Center, also said that the state’s agricultural output supports nearly 190,000 Hoosier jobs. Of those jobs, 103,000 …read more.

Students at Warsaw Community High School spent Thursday afternoon celebrating foreign cultures at the World Language Extravaganza as part of World Languages Week. They had refreshments and learned to make foods, dance and learned about fun things in new languages and cultures. Jacqueline Schram, professor of French at Grace College, who lived in France for …read more.

One thing is certain for corn farmers in 2013, and that is the importance of risk management amid extreme uncertainty in yields and revenues, Purdue agricultural economist Chris Hurt said. Three years of below-normal corn yields and ongoing drought in the western corn belt have the potential to drive corn prices to record highs in …read more.

There were fewer reports of Indiana farm-related deaths in 2011 than the previous year, including none involving children for the first time in 13 years, according to a new Purdue University report. The Indiana Farm Fatality Summary reports that 16 people died in farm-related incidents in 2011, down from 23 in 2010. The number of …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana is poised to become a global force in food and agricultural innovation, according to the latest BioCrossroads report, “Food and Agricultural Innovation – 21st Century Opportunities for Indiana.” The report, which was released today after nearly two years of in-depth sector research and expert interviews, calls for the formation of an …read more.