By ANN HINCH
Assistant Editor INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Thanks to Gov. Mitch Daniels, Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller said interest in and lively debate about agriculture now exists even among non-farmer Hoosiers.
“We’re going to have to look at the future in a way that’s not afraid of new things, new structures and new ways of doing things,” he told the audience attending the exhibit of five Purdue University teams’ new soy-based inventions last week in Indianapolis.
The Soybean Product Innovation Competition, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), has been a yearly tradition since 1993 and has spawned some products now in wide use – such as soy wax and crayons and soy-based home heating oil. Miller said it’s those teams’ spirit of entrepreneurship that will generate income for rural Indiana communities in the future.
“If you’re getting into the food sector today, you’ve picked no better time,” he added.
Jennifer Nordstrom, a professor of organizational leadership and supervision at Purdue, oversaw the teams for the first time this year as project manager, beginning back in September. Her job was to walk team members through the steps of concept and creation, packaging, technical analysis and the like.
“It’s really a lot of fun,” she said. “The students mature along the way, and it’s fun to see the unique ideas they come up with.”
Nordstrom hosted monthly meetings with students where she invited guests from various fields and industries to speak about soybeans, business, marketing and manufacturing, and to “really tell them what this (competition) will bring them in their lives,” she said.
Each team also had its own faculty advisor, who shared in that team’s prizes from the ISA, and the ISA funded the costs of development.
“Nothing should come out of (students’) pockets except their time,” said Ryan West, ISA technology commercialization director. “It never ceases to amaze me how bright they are.”
Todd Case, a Purdue senior from Fishers, Ind., was part of the Scoops! soy-based waffle bowl team that won in Tier 1 (see related article). At 38, he’s been in the workforce for many years already, but in product development. With this project, he learned marketing and presentation, as well as how team members from different backgrounds can form “synergistic relationships” in the workplace.
Jacob Smoker, a sophomore, grew up on a Wanatah, Ind., farm with soybeans; his interest is in food production. But through this competition, he “crossed over” into other parts of doing business, such as creating the product and trying to sell it – not to mention, he was the only competitor dealing with liquor regulations because of the nature of his drink product.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Miller said of the learning experience. “Hope and optimism.”
This farm news was published in the April 23, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
