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gardengrow?

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by Shari Gasper

How does your

Coblentz

Tom

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l Andy Coblentz loves to dig his

hands into the rich garden soil in his

backyard and nurture tiny seedlings

into strong, prospering plants.

He has gardened his entire life, beginning as a little boy helpinghis mother after school at their New York home, then during WorldWar II in the Victory Gardens and later through years of a busycareer. But upon retirement as a 32-year postal service veteran, herealized there was a lot more to learn about his favorite hobby.

So, like thousands of other garden enthusiasts across the state ofIndiana, Coblentz, Lafayette, attended Master Gardener classesthrough Purdue Extension.

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In 1978, Purdue Extension initiated theIndiana Master Gardener program withfour counties. Currently, more than 50counties have programs, and 2,500participants are actively working ongardening education projects in theircommunities.

“The Master Gardener program is themost efficient means we’ve developed tomeet the huge demand for home garden-ing information,” explains B. RosieLerner, Extension consumer horticulturespecialist and Indiana Master Gardenerprogram state coordinator. “We train aselect group of individuals, and they passthe information on to people they meet intheir communities, who then pass it on tomore people.”

The program can be described as acrash course in practical horticulture.While curriculum varies slightly fromcounty to county, students learn aboutplant science and nutrition, soil fertility,pesticide safety, and identifying andcontrolling insects, weeds and disease.Topics such as flower gardening, lawncare, fruit gardening, vegetable garden-ing, indoor gardening and compostingalso may be added to the curriculum.

“It’s a fun, diverse program,” saysLerner. “Once accepted, participantsattend a series of weekly classes, followedby a comprehensive exam. Then, studentsare required to volunteer one hour of timeper one hour of training. This time is usedto spread the knowledge they’ve gainedto others in the community.”

Ten years after Coblentz earned hisMaster Gardener title, he continues toshare his gardening knowledge. Teachingcourses at the Tippecanoe CountyExtension Office, answering questions atgarden shows and caring for Purdue’shorticulture gardens are just a few wayshe helps promote proper gardeningtechniques. Because of his experience as aMaster Gardener, he was hired part timeby a local greenhouse where he reacheshundreds of customers who welcome hisgrowing tips.

Acquiring gardening acumenPeople take the Master Gardener course

for several different reasons. As a newretiree, Coblentz took the course as a wayto stay active in the communtiy and toheighten his gardening knowledge.

Gardeners create the lush display gardenssurrounding the Extension office, whichis located on the campus of IndianaUniversity Purdue University FortWayne. The Master Gardeners heredonated 4,760 hours of communityservice last year through work with areaschools and seminars for the generalpublic. Plus, they have a gardeninghotline—staffed by volunteers—thatreceives nearly 7,000 calls each year.

To share his vast horticultural knowl-edge, Kemery conducts neighborhoodwalks and talks. About 20 times per year,he and fellow Master Gardeners walkthrough neighborhoods, talking tohomeowners and answering theirindividual lawn and gardening questions.“It’s a great way to meet people and talkface-to-face with them about theirparticular gardening issues,” he says.

Giving back to the communityLarry Caplan, program coordinator in

Vanderburgh County, admits that indi-viduals tend to take the course so theycan take better care of their own property.“But then, they enjoy the course so muchand the people they meet that they gethooked into sharing their knowledgethrough volunteering,” he says.

A stay-at-home mom in Evansville, PatMarienau took the program in 1994 tofind the answers to her specific gardeningquestions. Now she teaches inner-cityyouth about vegetable gardening througha mission program, Patchwork Central.

“We started by planting seeds with thechildren and talking to them about howplants grow,” says Marienau. “Last yearthey wanted to plant a salsa garden, sowe planted all the vegetables needed tomake salsa—tomatoes, peppers, onions.We worked together through everygrowth stage, and in the fall, we har-vested our garden and made our ownhomemade salsa.”

Children in Vanderburgh County alsocan learn about horticulture every timethey visit Mesker Park Zoo. The Master

Bev Netzhammer’s story is a littledifferent. She’s a degreed horticulturistand co-owner of ScapeArt LandscapeDesign and Installation in West Lafayette.She works with plants every day and isan experienced gardener. However, asNetzhammer explains, “There is alwaysmore to learn. Plus, as a Master Gardener,I have more opportunities to spreadinformation on proper gardeningpractices.”

Netzhammer has participated in theGreat Annual Annual Planting, in whichshe and other Master Gardeners workwith the local parks department to plantflowers around the Tippecanoe CountyCourthouse each spring. In addition tostaffing a horticulture booth at theIndiana State Fair and conducting work-shops, Netzhammer writes a statewideQ&A gardening column.

“I love to teach others about gardening,and I get to meet a lot of great peoplewho are as enthusiastic about gardeningas I am,” she says.

Across the state in Fort Wayne, RickyKemery, Extension horticulture educatorfor Allen County, and about 175 Master

Lerner

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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

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Gardeners maintain a colorful butterflygarden there and a display about theplants that attract larvae, caterpillars andbutterflies.

In Hamilton County, Extensioneducator Bill Rice has his hands fullkeeping up with demand. “We hostthree 13-week classes every year with35 students in each,” Rice says.

The Hamilton County Master GardenerAssociation has 130 members and 20active committees that organize speakingengagements, maintain public displaygardens and work with students in localschools. The group currently is research-ing Victorian gardens in an effort torecreate a Victorian ambience at anhistoric Victorian house, which recentlywas relocated to a public park.

Popularity on the riseGardening’s popularity is growing

every year. Why do people love it somuch? For Nancy Werner, Lafayette,gardening is a great way to unwind aftera stressful day at the office. “And it’s veryfulfilling to see a plant flourish and knowyou’re responsible,” she says. Gardeningis a recreational way to burn calories andan effective therapy for one’s body andmind. As the Master Gardeners testify,there are many good reasons to start agarden; any kind will do.

Indiana Master Gardeners is a uniquegroup striving diligently to fulfill itsmission—“helping others grow.” Like allExtension services, the Master Gardenerprogram supports people helping people.

“Our network of educated, experiencedgardeners is now teaching thousands ofother gardeners across Indiana how togrow healthier plants and produce,” saysLerner. “It’s a win-win situation foreverybody.”

Horticulture

HelpfulsTrying to identify a plant in your garden? Need toknow more about planting trees? Having problems withpests? You’ll find many helpful tips from the followingresources.

• Purdue Extension has a library of free bulletins on an array ofhorticulture topics. Contact your local Extension office or callPurdue’s Media Distribution Center at (765) 494-6794 or check itsWeb site www.agcom.purdue.edu for a list of topics. In addition,educators at your Extension office can answer your questions andprovide information about local gardening events.

• Down the Garden Path, a newsletter published by Purdue’shorticulture department, provides timely information on yard andgarden care. You’ll acquire helpful tips on planting, growing andharvesting in each issue. For a $15 annual subscription, call (765)494-7071, or view the newsletter online for free atwww.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/Newsletters.html

• The Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University canhelp you identify plants and pests in your garden. Just take samplesto your local Extension office for submission to the lab. An $11processing fee is charged per sample.

• The Consumer Horticulture Web page www.hort.purdue.edu/extcontains archives of news releases, Q&A columns, bulletins,information on the Master Gardener program and more! Beprepared to spend a lot of time here because you’ll find hundreds oftopics and links to other sites.

• Possum in the Pawpaw Tree, A Seasonal Guide to MidwesternGardening, a book by B. Rosie Lerner and Beverly S. Netzhammer,offers a no-nonsense point of view when explaining gardeningbasics. Great for beginners! The book is available at most bookstoresor by calling the Purdue University Press at 1-800-933-9637.❖

Editor's note: If you are interested inbecoming a Master Gardener, contact yourcounty Extension office or B. Rosie Lerner at(765) 494-1311.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

10 Agricultures

$ense$ense

by Chris Sigurdson

Nowhere in Indiana has the downturnin the global economy made itself harderfelt than in Carroll County, one of the toppig-producing areas in the United States.And with world surpluses projected forgrain, it could be déjà vu for crop farmersin the county this fall.

A slowdown in global demand forpork, fewer packing houses and too manyhogs surprised most producers with thelowest hog prices seen since the GreatDepression. Hogs that cost $38 perhundred weight to raise were selling for$8. Grocery stores charged more for arack of ribs than many producers earnedfor the whole hog. It was a devastatingtime for farmers, and the effects willripple through the community for yearsto come.

The darkest days of December 1998coincided with the darkest days of the“hog price crisis,” says Steve Nichols,Carroll County educator with PurdueExtension. He and others worried aboutthe emotional stability of farmers whowere losing, in some cases, thousands ofdollars per week. As losses mounted,farmers pulled into themselves, turning asolitary endeavor even more reclusive.

Nichols helped pull some of them back.

For the farmers, he started a weeklyluncheon meeting ostensibly to discusscost-cutting strategies and marketoutlooks. “It really was a support group,”says Nichols, a tall, bearded man whoraises hogs himself. Fifty people showedup for those sessions, which ran until theprice of hogs rose to $25 in February.“They still weren’t break-even, but thingswere improving,” Nichols says.

A familiar figure on almost every boardand commission in the county, Nicholsworked the county like a performer whokeeps dishes spinning on poles. BillPickart, a hog-and-grain farmer, saysNichols “shouldered a lot of the burdenof others. He’s been almost a counselor,helped others find off-farm employmentand make financial plans. He helped

them realize it was not their doing, thatit was external factors outside theircontrol.”

Nichols also met with elementaryschool staff, organizing a meeting forcounselors, administrators and schoolboard members to explain that tight timeson the farm might play out in theclassroom. The community awarenessmeeting also was extended to clergy,police officers and public officials.Ultimately, that meeting provided amodel for similar events in surroundingcounties and even other major hog-producing states.

Moving among the “horse-and-buggy”farmers, the large producers, and thecounty’s business and civic leaders,Nichols helped people work together tolessen the effects of an implacable globalmarketplace.

Working with the editor of the CarrollCounty Comet, Susan Moss Scholl, Nicholshelped the county’s only newspapercover the crisis to help the non-farmcommunity understand the problem, butnot hammer the people who were livingit. “We looked to Steve to tell us whatpeople needed to know. I wish we couldhave done more,” Scholl says. Nichol’sfarm column helped put a human face onthe headlines, she says.

The community work won’t stop there.Nichols expects another 15 pork produc-ers to leave the business this year. Theloss of industry has implications forcounty government and the schools. Areamerchants already have noticed theeffects of a failing farm economy. DaveMann, of Mann Chevrolet in Flora, saysthe big pickups aren’t selling. Pickart,who’s also a 25-year member of theschool board, is wary. “As for the schools,we’re holding our breath, waiting to seewhat happens. May property taxes camein OK, but now we have to see how anextended period of low grain prices willaffect us in November.”

Bright National Bank Vice PresidentMonty Edging says this crop season willbe critical for many farmers. “Theirreserves are gone.” He’s had people in hisoffice who don’t know what they’re goingto do—and that may include farming.

Nichols says there were 800 full-timehog farmers in Carroll County when hearrived in 1977, and pork contributed $50million to $60 million in gross receipts.Today, there are 100 pork producers onhis newsletter mailing list, and he andothers openly wonder what the futureholds for their county. “The worst may beyet to come,” says one farmer.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture DanGlickman says it’s part of the rapidlychanging rural landscape. Nationally, thenumber of farmers has dropped from 38percent of the labor force in 1900 to 2.6percent of the labor force in 1990.

Dollars andDollars and

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“Farmers will have to become moreentrepreneurial, more market-oriented.They will have to recognize that this isn’ttheir father’s farm economy. They willhave to be better educated and moretechnologically sophisticated than everbefore,” he told an audience of 400farmers and faculty at Purdue in April.

Ironically, if farmers raise a good crop,it will be the fourth record-setting year ofglobal production in a row, but low crop

prices could be the last straw for many.Purdue agricultural economist Chris Hurtsays corn and soybean prices this fall willbe well below what it cost to grow them,and he estimates Carroll County farmrevenue could drop $31 million from 1997levels, the season before the hog crisis.Government payments will be the onlyrelief for many.

With a conservative economic multi-plier of $3, the economic loss to Carroll

County communities could approach$100 million, a scenario that could playout across the state. “Corn and soybeansare billion-dollar crops for Indiana, andwe would be approaching losing half ofall the farm revenue in the state if cropprojections come true,” Hurt says. “Thiscould be the most difficult period sincethe farm crisis of the early ’80s.”

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NicholsM

ike K

erpe

r

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GROUNDSGROUNDS

IRON RIVER, MICH.—Purdue Agricul-ture students Amy Dankert and Jeff Pagecompare compass readings, adjust theirGlobal Positioning System (GPS) com-puter and make a note of their locationbefore leaving the safety of a gravellogging road and diving into the un-known darkness of the Ottawa NationalForest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Just across the state line, in Wisconsin’sNicolet National Forest, another student,Zachary Lowe, quietly puts the finishingtouches on an animal scent station,

smoothing a layer of sand that will recordthe footprints of animals attracted to thesmell.

A few miles away, in the cold, clearwaters of Lake Hagerman, MackenzieCurless leans over the edge of the green,flat-bottomed John Boat—dubbed thePurdue Research Vessel—and watchestrophy-size walleye gliding aimlessly offthe boat’s bow.

These north woods and waterways arefilled with Boilermakers. Some 47students, five teaching assistants and

Story and photos

by Tom Campbell

TRAININGTRAINING

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various professors are here to participatein the forestry department’s five-weeksummer camp.

Forestry students have been retreatingto the woods for the past 70 summers,gaining first-hand knowledge noclassroom lecture can match. And whilemany schools are scaling back theirsummer camp programs, Purdue’sprogram is expanding. This is the secondyear that students majoring in fisheriesand aquatic science and wildlife havebeen required to join their forestry

brethren as a condition of graduation.Curless recently changed her major tofisheries and aquatic science for just thiskind of hands-on learning opportunity.

“Summer camp is very expensive($1,681 for Indiana residents, $3,736 fornonresidents),” acknowledges DennisLeMaster, department head of forestryand natural resources.

“Other forestry and wildlife schools(Penn State, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa Stateand Oklahoma State, to name a few) have

adjusted inmany ways,”says LeMaster,“includingdiscontinuingcamp altogether,abbreviating itslength andcontent, orsubstitutingfield coursework during theacademic yearfor camp.”

But Purdue students whoparticipated in this year’s summercamp feel the program is a bargainbonanza of learning.

The cool, clear waters of LakeHagerman in Michigan’s UpperPeninsula provide the base ofoperations for Purdue’s Forestry andNatural Resources summer camp. Forfive weeks in May and June, the lakeand surrounding woods double as ahome and a classroom for students.At left and top, fisheries and aquaticscience students like Jason Lewis(front) and Nate Gould learn to electro-fish to study the lake’s population offish. A meeting room in the camp isconverted into a computer lab whereAmy Dankert completes a homework

assignment. At left, forestry students enter the woods as agroup, but will exit in pairs, using a compass and a map toguide them back to safety.

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“By seeing the actual organisms orspecies of study in their environment, welearn so much more than if we weresitting in a classroom watching aninstructor with an overhead projector,”says Nathan Gould, a fisheries andaquatic science major.

Bringing the fisheries and wildlifestudents to camp fosters a degree ofteamwork that LeMaster says will helpstudents in their professional careers.“The students are going to need to worktogether in a professional capacity whenthey graduate,” he says, “and it’s best thatthey get to do it sooner rather than later.”

Forestry professor John Moser concurs.“Where better to learn to work togetherthan being at summer camp and goingthrough your program with otherstudents?” And Moser should know. He’sbeen coming to camp every year since1964.

Purdue’s first forestry camp was heldnear Scottsburg, Ind., in Clark State Forestin 1929. Camp was moved to Wisconsinin 1959 to accommodate construction ofI-65 through southern Indiana. For thepast seven years, camp has been held atCovenant Point, a Lutheran Churchfacility on the shore of Lake Hagerman,near the Wisconsin-Michigan (UpperPeninsula) state line.

“The objective of the camp is to letstudents learn to work together, learn toappreciate the other resources and learnthings about the other resources as anintegrated experience while they are uphere,” Moser says.

Students and staff agree the hands-onexperience makes the camp well worthsacrificing five precious weeks of summervacation. “Sometimes, I think I’ve learnedmore in three weeks here than I learnedin five years on campus,” Dankert says.

The ecological diversity of the UpperPeninsula allows students to see thingsforeign to the West Lafayette campus. “InIndiana, all you see are fields with smallpatches of trees in them,” explains

TRAINING GROUNDS

Five weeks in the woods provide some time forrecreational activities. Teaching assistant Joel Merriman(top) found time to pursue his hobby of bird watching,while Stacy Shorter (front of canoe) and Eileen Oppeltrelaxed by canoeing across Lake Hagerman (near right).But there was plenty of work to be done, too. Jan Apolinarand Paul Wigginton (above) empty their nets into the flat-bottomed boat, which students dubbed the PurdueResearch Vessel. Andy Freise and Stephanee Gipson (farright) find their way through the woods. Anne Spacie(bottom) conducts a class lecture on the banks of awoodland stream.

At camp, Merriman spends much of histime grading daily quiz papers andhauling students into and out of thewoods in one of eight Purdue vans.However, he did manage to find sometime to squeeze in his favorite hobby—bird watching.

“I love this place; the birds up here arefantastic!”

Stephanee Gipson, “but up here, all yousee are huge forests with small patches offields.”

The economy of the area is dependenton fishing, logging and tourism, notfarming and industry. It is in these typesof areas that many forestry graduateslikely will get their first jobs. Studentsvisit area logging operations, lowlandbogs and upland stands of hardwoods.Local experts, paper industry representa-tives and natural resources agentsparticipate as guest lecturers duringcamp.

“Summer camp is an invaluableopportunity to put the student in thecontext of natural resources wherenatural resources are an importantcomponent in the environment,” Mosersays. “It’s totally different than Purdue,where it is relatively flat, and there arenot large, vast expanses of forests ornatural resources.”

Jeff Page sums it up another way. “I’mused to seeing cornfields, cows and hogs.I got up here, and it’s nothing but bigforests and wild animals.”

Teaching assistant Joel Merrimanenjoyed the camp experience so much lastyear, that he decided to come back again.“I had a blast last year,” he says.

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TRAINING GROUNDS

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Progress came to Gibson County—whether citizenswere ready for it or not. And while it came cloaked inthe form of a Toyota truck assembly plant that willeventually employ 2,300 people, occupy some 1,100acres and strain the county’s inadequate infra-structure, Toyota turned out to be just the spark thatignited the flame.

Snagging the $700 million plant was a coup forGibson County—a prize sought after by severalstates, as well as next-door neighbors Vanderburgh,Warrick and Posey counties. But a by-product of thedeal was that residents had to confront zoning, roads,sanitation, pollution and education—issues they hadswept under the carpet for years.

Unity has become an important word to

Indiana communities. It represents a new-

found philosophy of self-reliance where

individual citizens come together to lead

their community into the future. And

Purdue Extension is helping to show them

the way. Through Extension’s Leadership

and Community Development Programs,

people of all ages and walks of life are

becoming involved, helping solve problems

and making informed decisions for the

betterment of their communities. And, as

the following stories reveal, these programs

can be tailor-made to fit an individual

community’s needs and respond to its

concerns.

Community Spirit

After completing a Gibson County leadership program, Richard Paul launched a successful run for county commissioner. “I wanted to try and make a difference,” he says.

by Olivia Maddox

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Growth from the grassrootsOn the surface, Community Systemwide Response (CSR) efforts in Marion County’s Perry Township and Brightwood/Martindale/

Forest Manor communities may seem very different. At first glance, Perry Township, on Indianapolis’ affluent west side, may havelittle in common with the three communities in a low-income, high-crime area near downtown. What connects the two communities,however, is federal court-ordered desegregation that buses students in Brightwood/Martindale/Forest Manor to Perry Township.

In any community, CSR must first begin with a steering committee that has the juvenile judge, prosecutor, law enforcement andschool firmly on board. Through a series of community partnership meetings, citizens identify key issues and brainstorm for ideas.Focus groups then begin meeting on the issues and decide what they want to accomplish.

“But that’s where the similarities end,” says Dorothy Campbell, Extension educator in Marion County. “No two communities are thesame. You can’t go in with preconceived ideas about what’s wrong. You have to let the citizens tell you.”

And tell they did. Among the priority concerns voiced were family breakdown, drugs and alcohol, violence, financial concerns,youth gangs, peer pressure, job security, community curfew and support for families.

“The participation was more than I had hoped for,” Campbell says of themeetings, which drew an average 80 people in the inner city and more than200 in PerryTownship.

As a result, five major programs were started. Campbell counts curfewsweeps, a mentoring program and more family involvement among CSR’s bigsuccess stories.

heads PurdueExtension’s leader-ship and commu-nity developmentprogram. “It bringspeople together tolook ahead collec-tively and develop avision.” Programslike Take Charge

became necessaryafter federaland stateprograms—soprolific in the1970s—werecut back to a

trickle, and communities had to findways to solve their own problems. Todate, nearly a third of Indiana’s countieshave participated in Take Charge.

“We sent out more than 600 invitationsto a cross section of the population,” saysKeeneth. An average of 123 peopleattended each of the three meetings, thelargest Take Charge audience in Indianahistory. Among the key areas identifiedwere land use and controlled growth,transportation, employment, education,leadership, and environmental and solidwaste management. Committees wereformed to address each of these issues.

Public issues by nature are oftencontroversial. And while consensus wasreached on several topics, others evokedopinions that after long laying dormantcame rushing to the surface, sparkingheated debate.

Fast forward to 1999, three years later.

In April, committees held their reunionmeetings, as they do annually now, todiscuss county issues.

What has happened during the threeyears since Take Charge was initiated?Plenty.

“A lot of people who never knew eachother before are working together now,”says Keeneth. “People are taking more ofan interest in what happens to thecounty.”

It was a time of opportunity, but it wasalso a time of fear. “Once the Toyotarumors began circulating, there was a lotof fear in the county,” recalls TerryKeeneth, Gibson County Extensioneducator. “A lot of rural people don’t likechange. They were afraid of what growthwould mean to the county.”

Although Gibson County is large inland mass, it is small in population.Predominately agricultural, it has only32,000 residents, some 10,000 of whomlive in Princeton, the county seat and thelargest of the more than a dozen townsscattered throughout the county. Bor-dered by the Wabash River, Gibson

County has remained true to itsagrarian roots, which date back tothe days when Indiana was part ofthe Northwest Territory—until thatfateful day in November 1995, whenToyota officially announced thecounty would be the site of its newplant.

To get citizens involved and toallay some of their fears, Keenethsuggested the county participate inTake Charge, a program offered byPurdue Extension that helps commu-nities plan for the future. TakeCharge brings citizens from all walksof life together to identify and

discuss major issues, aswell as chart a plan ofaction to reach theirgoals.

“The program fitsindividual communityconcerns, whether it’sland use, property taxesor school finances,”says Janet Ayres, who

Networking on the ’netA county so skinny that its name has to be

printed vertically on the state map, VermillionCounty is wedged between the Wabash River andthe state of Illinois. But its location in cyberspacelets it reach far beyond its narrow physicalboundaries.

Vermillion County is just one of a handful ofIndiana communities that received a grant throughAccess Indiana to create a local community networkand join others in the Indiana Community NetworkAssociation.

“Access Vermillion County can be used by peopleinside or outside the county,” says Mark Spelbring,Vermillion County Extensioneducator who chaired the creation ofthe community project. “Forexample, if you want to plan ameeting, you can find out what isgoing on in the county at the sametime.”

What else is on the network? Youcan tour local historical sites, checkout special events, consult acommunity calendar, reference city/county and emergency services,contact elected officials and evenfind out about your high schoolreunion.

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Leap of faithA hand-crafted tree of life in the entry of the Wells County

Community Center recognizes the efforts of nearly 300 organizations,companies and individuals in the small rural county who raised more than$1.2 million to fund the center.

A February 1996 community rally—dubbed Leap of Faith in recognition of Leap Year, which occurredthat year—spurred gifts of $1,000 or more from 85 community groups. A $285,000 challenge grantfrom the county council and leadership gifts from local businesses and foundations helped the campaignraise more than $1 million in two months’ time.

“We did not have a YMCA or any big facilities for banquets and conventions,” says Roger Sherer,Wells County Extension educator. “And the one restaurant in town that had meeting rooms burneddown.”

Completed in November 1998, the center, located at the county fairgrounds, already has hostednumerous community events. The 16,400-square-foot faciltiy features meeting rooms, a multi-purposeroom that can accomodate a banquet for 500, kitchen facilities and a distance learning satellite hook-up,as well as county Extension offices.

Many of these newcommunity leaders aregraduates of a GibsonCounty leadershipprogram that holdssessions twice a year.Among them is retiredbusinessman RichardPaul, whose call to actionwas a growing dissatisfac-tion with the progress—orlack of it—the county wasmaking in some areas. Asa result, he launched asuccessful bid for countycommissioner in 1998 and,upon his election, vowedto make a difference.Now, he lobbies to buildgrassroots support forcomprehensive planning.“We need to look ahead to the future ofour county and decide where we want tohave our business and industry, ourresidential areas and our farmland,” hesays.

The Education Committee, whichidentified a need for vocational trainingand adult education, is working withcommunity colleges in the area. “We’resurveying all the businesses in the countyto see what their current and future needsand skill levels are,” Keeneth says. Andthe county anticipates expanded jobopportunities from satellite businessesthat are beginning to pop up aroundToyota. “Toyota has raised everybody’sjob skills,” he says.

In the southern part of the county, thereis now ambulance service where oncethere was none. Aging septic tanks in andaround small towns, where high levels ofE. coli have shown up in nearby ditches,are being updated to modern sewers.

New construction is under way on bothapartments and high-end housing. Landvalues, too, have increased.

Still, some things are slow to change.Traffic jams plug Princeton from east towest. City streets and two-lane highways

were not built to accommodate theincreased traffic of another 1,000commuters a day. Jobs for low-paying

and unskilled labor now go unfilled.And although it’s slowly being

revived by Paul’s efforts, talk ofa comprehensive plan for landuse still looms somewhere in

the future.

But at least it’s a future that peopleseem assured of and one they feelconfident will bring good things toGibson County. Of the inevitableprogress, one farmer said it best: “I hateeverything that is being done, but Iapprove of it, because it will give mygrandson an opportunity to live inthis county.”

Leading the wayLeadership Perry County, a program supported by

the Perry County Extension Office, is reaping bigrewards. Naturally, program participants gain fromthe training they receive, but a hallmark of theprogram is that every class has to have a communityservice project.

The first class set the benchmark, starting thePerry County Community Foundation, which to datehas raised more than $1 million through LilyEndowment’s matching grant program.

Other class projects have included a study-buddyprogram where adults work with students in localelementary schools; Hello Perry County, aprogram to reach out to newcomers; andWe the Youth, a spin-off of the adultleadership program that is designedfor high school students. And withhelp from a grant, We the Youth willbegin recruiting students evenearlier. “We visit schools and talk toeighth-graders about the importanceof leadership,” says Allen Ullom, PerryCounty Extension educator, who workswith the program.

Monroeville 2010: a call to actionA few years ago, the small town of Monroeville, Ind., had some

big ideas. Town leaders asked the Allen County Extension Officeto help them focus in on the issues. Extension educator RogerMoll facilitated a series of meetings that helped the communityidentify those issues most important to residents. The result—Monroeville 2010—has addressed communication with lawenforcement, built curbs and sidewalks, and made the downtownarea more attractive for business relocation.

“Instead of just sitting around the coffee shop complainingabout something, this gives people an opportunity to dosomething about it,” Moll says.

The community is now tackling a drainage problem in theFlat Rock Creek watershed that affects three counties and twostates. “Seventy people attended the public meeting,” Mollsays. “There’s a lot of public support for the process.”

Once in place, the framework can be used forcommunities to continue to take on newchallenges as they arise. “It helps citizens findout how to solve their own problems,” Mollsays.

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Pleasepass the

disease prevention

Pleasepass the

disease prevention

20 Agricultures

Tom

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by Rebecca Goetzby Rebecca Goetz

21Agricultures

For the first humans, food was fuel. As theyhunted and gathered for their suppers, theymight have asked: “What can I find, and will itbe enough?”

As people became farmers and manufacturers,food became easier to find. Industries formulated,processed and packaged food in a myriad of ways.We started searching through an ever-expandingarray in grocery stores for our suppers, asking:“Which food should I choose?”

For the first humans, food was fuel. As theyhunted and gathered for their suppers, theymight have asked: “What can I find, and will itbe enough?”

As people became farmers and manufacturers,food became easier to find. Industries formulated,processed and packaged food in a myriad of ways.We started searching through an ever-expandingarray in grocery stores for our suppers, asking:“Which food should I choose?”

Food scientist Bruce Watkinsand graduate assistant AmyDevitt — creating designer eggs

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At first, Devitt fed laying hens twodifferent levels of supplemental conju-gated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is thoughtto help prevent cancer, arteriosclerosisand inflammation. Yolks from the eggs ofthese hens contained more CLA than didyolks from hens fed the same diet withoutCLA. The supplement didn’t change eggproduction, weight or consistency—agood sign that CLA-enhanced eggs couldeventually be developed for commercialmarkets.

Since adding one dietary fat worked sowell, Devitt decided to try a blend of twofatty acids. She fed laying hens a diet thatcontained more CLA plus docosahex-aenoic acid (DHA). DHA is an omega-3fatty acid that is known to reduce the riskof cancer and cardiovascular disease. Italso promotes neural and retinal develop-ment in infants.

The eggs from hens that ate both CLAand DHA were richer in both of thosebeneficial fatty acids. In fact, there was asynergistic effect, Devitt says. Egg yolksfrom hens that ate both had higher levelsof CLA than did eggs from hens in thefirst study. And the eggs from hens fedboth fats contained higher levels of DHAthan did hens fed only DHA.

Devitt’s work is promising, but youwon’t see fat-balanced eggs in stores nextweek. Compared to traditional eggs, theenhanced eggs from her final study haveoranger yolks and a bit different textureand flavor. However, Devitt feels surethat by fine-tuning hens’ diets, foodscientists eventually will come up with amarketable, fat-balanced egg.

In search of antioxidantsAs a plant breeder, Rick Vierling

approaches the problem of making foodhealthier from a different angle. Vierling,a Purdue geneticist who has a jointappointment as director of the geneticslaboratory at the Indiana Crop Improve-ment Association, goes looking for plantsalready rich in health-promoting com-pounds. Once he finds a plant with

Now, as the millennium is drawing to aclose, the question is getting even morefocused. We’re still scanning groceryshelves for our suppers, but instead,we’re asking: “Which food is best for me?What should I eat to keep me healthy?”

The focus on disease prevention wasinevitable after researchers found thatcertain components of food can do morethan just correct nutrient deficiencies,says Bruce Watkins, a Purdue Universityfood scientist. Now, when people hearthat a certain food helps prevent cancer orhelps children grow and develop, theysearch out those foods and empty grocerystore shelves. Then, food manufacturersrush to fill the void—and start looking forways to offer healthier foods to thepublic.

Watkins and other researchers want tobring healthier foods into our diets, too.At Purdue, scientists are looking for waysto alter animal diets to make productshealthier for us and to come up with newand better foods.

“In 1995, we spent $1 trillion on healthcare to treat diseases. I believe we shouldspend money on keeping people healthierto improve the quality of life,” Watkinssays. “This is how food and agricultureare going to develop as we move into thenext century. We’ll be creating foods thatare better for people. We’ll be going backand looking at more food componentsthat are not classical nutrients, but thatseem to be health protectants. In thefuture, foods may be matched to anindividual’s risk for chronic disease.”

These foods will be part of the newscience of “nutraceuticals,” “phyto-chemicals,” “functional foods” and“designer foods.”

Fat-balanced, designer eggsMost of Watkins’ research has revolved

around dietary fat and bone health. He’sdiscovered that bones need certain fatcombinations for growth and that vitaminE is essential to bone and joint health.

We need fats in our diets, he says, butit’s no secret that some fats are better forus than others. For optimum health, weneed to include more omega-3 fatty acids(common in fish and canola oil) andfewer omega-6 fatty acids (common incorn, soy and safflower oil).

“We’ve altered our fatty acid intakeover the last centuries, because we’vemoved from a hunting-gathering lifestyleto an industrial lifestyle,” says AmyDevitt, who worked with Watkins as agraduate student. “The Western diet haschanged so that the ratio of omega-6 toomega-3 fatty acids in our diet is 25-to-1.”It used to be—and should be—some-where between 10-to-1 and 4-to-1, shesays.

“Because we’ve moved to intensiveanimal production and changed therations they’re fed, we’ve altered the fatcomposition of beef, pork and poultryfrom 100 years ago,” Watkins says. “Meatand poultry contain less of the omega-3fatty acids. The way we’re eating, withhigh omega-6/omega-3 ratios, we’reincreasing our risk for arteriosclerosis,certain cancers and inflammatorydiseases.”

While Devitt doesn’t figure she canimprove the eating habits of the entirepopulation, she’s trying to take us a stepin that direction. She’s hoping to create atleast one designer food—a designer egg—that delivers a better balance of fattyacids. She picked eggs because they’reeaten the world over, and becauseconsumers already accept and buydifferent kinds of designer eggs.

“In 1995, we spent$1 trillion on health care totreat diseases. I believe weshould spend money onkeeping people healthier toimprove the quality of life.”

Food scientist Bruce Watkins

PLEASE PASS THE DISEASE PREVENTION

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promise, he identifies the good genes andbreeds the promising traits that go with itinto plants already grown for market.

One group of health-promotingcompounds Vierling looks for in plants isantioxidants.

Antioxidants protect cells from thedamaging effects of free radicals, whichare molecules that chemically break downfats, proteins and DNA in the body. Someof the most notable antioxidants in thehuman diet are vitamin E, vitamin C andcarotenoids.

Some plants produce higher levels ofantioxidants than do others, but you can’ttell the antioxidant-rich ones from theothers just by looking. In fact, tests tolocate and measure them can be expen-sive and time-consuming. So Vierlingcreated his own new technique. He calls itTNAP: total non-enzymatic antioxidantpotential test. “TNAP is a broad screeningtool,” he says. “It’s inexpensive, fairlyquick and can be automated,” he says.

The new antioxidant test uses only atiny bit of a plant, one one-thousandth ofan ounce—less than a caterpillar could eatin a day. So if a seed, for example, testshigh in antioxidants, it can still be plantedto produce more seeds with the sametrait. In fact, seed banks could quickly bescreened for plants with antioxidantpotential without destroying the savedseeds.

So far, Vierling has tested herbs, spicesand the seeds of rainforest trees, lookingfor plants that promise the benefits ofantioxidants.

Antioxidants against cancerDavid Waters might be able to use the

antioxidants that Veirling harvests.Waters, associate professor of surgeryand comparative oncology in Purdue’sSchool of Veterinary Medicine, is also theassociate director of the GerontologyProgram and director of the DrugDevelopmental Shared Resource of thePurdue Cancer Center. He studies thelink between aging and cancer.

“The older people get, the higher therisk of cancer,” Waters says. “More thanhalf of cancers occur in people 65 andolder, but we don’t know why.”

He wants to find out.

We know that oxidative damage islinked with aging, Waters says, and thatoxidative damage to DNA can causecancer. He suspects a link. To check outhis suspicions, Waters is using a testdeveloped by researchers that can tellhow much oxidative damage there is incells, such as lymphocytes in the blood, orepithelial cells in the breast and prostate.

He’ll compare lymphocytes in dogs onregular diets to lymphocytes in dogseating diets rich in antioxidants. He’ll alsowatch for development of prostate cancer,to see if there is any link between oxida-tive damage and cancer development.

Why prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer shows the strongest linkwith aging and potentially with oxidativedamage, says Waters. Eighty percent of80-year-olds have cancer in their prostateglands at autopsy, he says.

And why dogs?

“Dogs and people have been tiedtogether since our early history,” Waterssays, “and dogs are the only nonhumanspecies that spontaneously developsprostate cancer. Also, because of theircompressed lifespan, two years ofantioxidant supplements in dogs is theequivalent of 15 to 20 years in humans.”

Waters hopes that someday doctorswill be able to test people for oxidativedamage through a simple blood test, thenrecommend dietary changes or treatmentto reduce their cancer risk.

“Just as in cardiovascular andneurodegenerative diseases such asAlzheimers, disease prevention is theultimate key,” Waters says.

Prevention of many diseases may juststart with what you’re eating. Purdueresearchers like Watkins, Veirling andWaters are finding and designing foods toprotect your health and the health of yourpets, so that you can drop by the grocerystore and pick up some disease preven-tion for dinner.

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New center puts disease prevention

in breakfast, lunch and dinner

Purdue researchers are hoping to make disease prevention a big part of break-

fast, lunch and dinner. They’re bringing together biomedicine, food science, health

care and food production in a new center called Enhancing Foods to Protect Health.

The role of foods in disease prevention is the focus for center researchers, who

come from varied fields throughout Purdue, plus medical researchers from Indiana

University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and industry affiliates. They will

identify and evaluate nutraceuticals, as well as work to produce healthier foods for

our tables and for companion animals. Just as important, they will educate students

to work in food industries that will bring us better food products.

“The Center for Enhancing Foods to Protect Health is an excellent partnership

among researchers from different disciplines and between the university and

industry,” says Dean of Agriculture Vic Lechtenberg. “This is the wave of the future

in food production, and it is exciting for Purdue Agriculture to be a part of it.”

Agricultures

PLEASE PASS THE DISEASE PREVENTION