Applications now open for 2018 pork industry scholarships

DES MOINES, IOWA — The National Pork Board announces the opening of the application period of the 2018 Pork Industry Scholarships. This program is open to college juniors and seniors who have plans to pursue a career in swine production management or a related field.

In addition, students who will be seeking to attend veterinary or graduate school with an emphasis on swine are encouraged to apply. The National Pork Board will award up to 21 scholarships in 2018 totaling $48,000. The top applicant will receive $5,000, the second-ranked applicant will receive $3,500 and all others will receive $2,000.

“Developing human capital and identifying future leaders is critical to the continued success of the swine industry,” said Chris Hostetler, animal science director for the pork checkoff. “The National Pork Board’s Animal Science Committee understands this need and continues its commitment to recognize excellence and encourage students through awarding scholarships.”

The deadline for application submission is Feb. 16. Following review and selection, recipients will be notified in April. The guidelines for the scholarship application and the online form can be found at www.pork.org/scholarship

About 80 percent of the previous recipients of the Pork Industry Scholarship have pursued advanced degrees as they prepared to serve the industry as veterinarians, nutritionists, reproductive biologists and management consultants.

Team shout-out for the agBOT Challenge in 2018

ROCKVILLE, Ind. — Producers and sponsors of the agBOT Challenge are challenging innovators to push technology forward in agriculture by competing in the agBOT Challenge 2018.

Over the last two years, teams and individuals from coast to coast and everywhere in between have spent time on research and development to create innovative technologies capable of performing tasks in agriculture. Teams entered into the agBOT Challenge have showcased the newest technologies in agriculture, demonstrating machines capable of autonomously moving through the fields, planting seeds, identifying plant health, eradicating weeds, gathering layers of data and more.

The agBOT Challenge 2018 will be held at Gerrish Farms in Rockville, Ind., from May 17-19. Universities, entrepreneurs and private groups are currently being recruited to enter into the competitions: the Weed & Feed on May 18 and/or the Harvest Competition May 19.

Proposals and teams will be accepted until the event roster is full. To learn more about the competition objectives, visit the website www.agbot.ag and email Rachel Gerrish, senior executive producer, at rlgerrish@odeaulete.com to submit proposals.

FFAR awards FMI, AAA grant to study consumer understanding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit established in the 2014 farm bill with bipartisan Congressional support, awarded a $50,000 grant to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation and Animal Agriculture Alliance to study consumer understanding and willingness-to-pay for alternative production practices in animal agriculture.

The FFAR grant has been matched with funding from the FMI Foundation and the Alliance for a total investment of $100,000.

Farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses are seeking to respond to consumer demand for cage-free egg production and slow-growth broiler chickens, and there is a need by food retailers to better understand consumer knowledge, beliefs and willingness-to-pay for these attributes. Agricultural producers, businesses and retailers turned to cage-free eggs and slow-growth broilers for this consumer research because fresh eggs and chicken are some of the best sources of protein in the American diet.

In addition, increasing transition to cage-free production practices by farmers and commitments by businesses to adopt alternative production practices for broilers have begun to impact the supply-demand paradigm. Gaining knowledge of consumers’ preferences and beliefs will help to guide choices in research, production and retail sales.

Led by Jayson Lusk, Ph.D., who is a food and agricultural economist at Purdue University, the research team will custom build consumer surveys distributed to at least 3,000 respondents that mimic decision-making in the retail environment. Respondents will make a series of choices between products that vary in price and other attributes, such as production practices (cage-free, pasture-raised, slow growth, conventionally raised), labeling claims, packaging, product color and appearance.

This grant is funded through the FFAR Protein Challenge, a suite of research programs that support producers’ efforts to improve plant and animal production efficiency to meet the growing global protein demand while conserving natural resources.

Tennessee extension launches project to study hops

SPRING HILL, Tenn. ― Tennessee’s burgeoning microbrewery industry is encouraging the local production of a key ingredient in beer that is not among the usual list of the state’s specialty crops. Hops are used to add flavor and aroma to beer, and they can also contribute to a brew’s shelf life.

Hops are not widely grown in Tennessee, but that may change soon. A team of University of Tennessee extension specialists from across the state has been awarded a grant for a project aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops, specifically hops.

Four specialists from three departments have teamed up to implement the project. They will study hops production in other states, develop educational materials to aid in the evaluation of hops production in Tennessee and analyze the demand for hops and other specialty crops by craft brewers.

David Lockwood, a professor with the UT Department of Plant Sciences, will lead the effort to evaluate production possibilities for hops. He said farmers need more information before committing acreage to production.

“We need to study our local growing conditions including soil and climate to see if we can generate acceptable yields,” he said. “This grant allows us to embark on a valuable fact-finding mission and narrow the options and avoid some of the common pitfalls of new crops at the farm level.”

David Hughes, who serves as the Greever Chair of Excellence in Agribusiness Development in the UT Agricultural and Resource Economics Department, will lead a survey and analyze the potential demand that exists for hops. The project is funded in part by the Specialty Crop Block Grant program, which is administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the USDA.

Purdue, U of I apple gaining popularity for production in France

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A French company has obtained worldwide exclusive rights to Juliet, a Purdue-affiliated apple gaining popularity for organic production.

Benoit Escande Editions SARL has obtained exclusive rights to the Juliet apple, a product of a cooperative breeding program involving Purdue University, Rutgers University and the University of Illinois. The cooperative had received royalties on the tree sales as well as any merchandise sold under the name Juliet, and will now also receive royalties on the fruit.

“The Juliet apple is popular among organic growers because of its many good qualities, such as disease-resistance, lack of premature fruit drop, long storage life and smooth, shiny skin with crisp texture,” said Jules Janick, the James Troop Distinguished Professor of Horticulture at Purdue. “It is a remarkable apple.”

The Juliet is a “club” apple, which means it is trademarked and grown by a select group. The apples are grown in France by members of “Les Amis de Juliet,” or “Friends of Juliet,” and distributed throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Canada. There are more than 120 Juliet growers in France.

“Making it a club apple is a way to limit production and maintain a fair price for growers. People growing the Juliet are having great success,” Janick said. “That popularity is a strong indication this cultivar could be promoted for organic production in the United States as well as other apple-producing countries.”

The long storage life also makes Juliet popular among growers. The lack of fruit browning is another virtue. The cooperative apple breeding program involving Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois was started in 1945 to develop apples that were resistant to a serious disease called apple scab. Because the apples are scab-resistant, the need for pesticide use is greatly reduced.

Cui named area farm management specialist for UT extension

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee extension recently welcomed Iris Cui as the newest area farm management specialist for Benton, Cheatham, Dickson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Steward and Sumner counties.

Using the latest farm financial planning software, Cui will assist families with confidential, intensive analyses of their farming operations. Working alongside county agents, she will develop comprehensive farm and financial management educational programs for Tennessee’s MANAGE Program using workshops, seminars and individual farm visits in these counties.

Originally from China, Cui graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine. A one-year internship at a horse farm in Lexington, Ky., cultivated her love for horse racing and enhanced her understanding of the equine industry. Following the internship, she earned her master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky.

She has since worked as an agricultural economist for a commodity exchange that traded agricultural derivatives including industrial hemp and organic grains. Her interests also include risk management and alternative agricultural production.