The counter lawsuit filed seeks to obtain easements on 89 parcels of land through eminent domain.

In December 2012, Paul Wilson and his wife, Judy, owners of 151 acres; Charles D. and Carleen Wilson, 70 acres; Shawn P. Wilson and Katherine Wilson, 13,9 acres; and Geopetro LLC., 2,600 acres filed a class action lawsuit against Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, in the U.S. District Court, Southern District, on behalf of all landowners in Ohio whose land is being used by Columbia Gas Transmission as part of an underground storage facility, or storage field.

Counter lawsuit filed

According to court records, a counter lawsuit was filed May 17. The counter lawsuit includes landowners from 11 counties in the Weaver Storage Field, the Benton Storage Field, Brinker Storage Field, Crawford Storage Field, Guernsey Storage Field, Holmes Storage Field, Lorain Storage Field, Lucas Storage Field, Medina Storage Field, Pavonia Storage Field, Wayne Storage Field and the Wellington Storage Field.
89 parcels of land. The counter lawsuit filed by Columbia Gas is seeking permanent easements across, over, under and through the 89 parcels listed in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Columbia Gas Transmission claims that it was unable to agree with the landowners on the amount of compensation to be paid for the value of the interests in the property.
The lawsuit also claims the landowners will retain the property and be able to use it as they wish, but Columbia Gas Transmissions will retain the easement.

Leasing

The court records also show that landowners will also retain the right to lease the land to oil and natural gas producers any strata under the surface not already encumbered other than the formations used for storage by Columbia Gas Transmissions (according to the certificates issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission).

Negotiations failed

Columbia Gas Transmissions claims in the counter lawsuit it has attempted to negotiate with the landowners involved, but have not been to obtain the easements they are seeking.

Court?

Gail Wilson, with the firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP. one of the attorneys who filed the original lawsuit for the properties in Butler and Worthington, Ohio, said many of the landowners in the countersuit may not have been served yet. She said many of them may not have even known they would be part of this lawsuit.
She said it is too early in the litigation to know if and what type of a settlement can be reached in the case. A conference call is set for the week of May 27 and the attorneys involved will decide what the next steps are and where the case proceeds.

Columbia Gas Transmission was contacted by the Farm and Dairy for comment, but said it does not discuss ongoing litigation.

Background

According to court records, the landowners who filed the class action lawsuit do not have a lease signed with Columbia Gas.
However, the landowners’ properties are being used by Columbia Gas Transmission as part of underground storage facilities.

The original lawsuit filed is asking for fair compensation for the landowners.
The case is not about challenging the need for underground storage facilities, but instead asking for fair compensation. The lawsuit claims the landowners are not being compensated for the use of the storage space under their property, and that the land is being used without their permission.

Violating the constitution?

The lawsuit also claims that by Columbia Gas Transmission storing gas under their properties, they are violating the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the “takings clause,” by not compensating the landowners for the use of the land.
The landowners also claim that they have the lost the right to develop and produce the gas and minerals that exist under the property.

The post See you in court? Landowners battle Columbia Gas Transmission appeared first on Farm and Dairy.

Growing up in Cleveland, she attended Beaumont School for girls and went on to graduate from Ursuline College with a degree in social work. After working in Cleveland as a social worker, she attended Kent State University and obtained her teaching certificate.

She married Boyd in 1958. They purchased the original farm in 1959 and started Deerfield Farms. Joan taught grade school at Atwater and Southeast schools, while raising her family and helping Boyd farm.

Deerfield Farms

She retired from teaching in 1973 to devote all her time to build Deerfield Farms alongside Boyd. Joan was a world traveler, having explored places throughout Europe, Asia, Egypt and the Galapagos Islands.

She was a conservationist and a protector of wildlife as she loved God’s wonderful creation. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Boyd Jr., a sister, Judy Knight, and a brother, John Garmone.

Survivors include her daughters Jackie (Ron) Skipper of Lewistown, MT and Beth (Bill) Padisak of Deerfield, sons Bill (Jane) Wallbrown of North Benton, and John (Jessica) Wallbrown of Deerfield; grandchildren, Lauren, Cassy and Lydia Wallbrown, Caleb, Sarah, Jesse and Jonathan Skipper, Abby, Luke and Jake Wallbrown and Alex Silva Padisak.

Calling hours will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Deerfield Evangelical Friends Church, 1261 state Route 14, Deerfield, Ohio.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. June 3 at the church, with Reverend John Ryser and Father Tom Acker officiating. Burial will follow in Deerfield Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials to the Boyd Wallbrown Jr. Agriculture-Innovation Scholarship, 138 East Main Street, Kent, OH 44240. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.sscfuneralhomes.com.

The post Joan Wallbrown: June 14, 1932 — May 15, 2013 appeared first on Farm and Dairy.

According to Nicole Ward Gauthier, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Department of Plant Pathology, the viruses, strawberry mottle virus and strawberry mild yellow edge virus, were found on plants that originated in a nursery in the Great Valley area of Nova Scotia.

Three known Kentucky growers received a shipment of plants from this nursery, but only one of them has reported symptoms of the viruses.

“These are not new viruses, but the outbreak is so severe because plants from this area of Nova Scotia were distributed throughout the U.S.,” Gauthier said.

These viruses work together to reduce or eliminate yields. If the viruses are found, growers should plan for at least a 25 percent reduction in yields. While the viruses infect the plants, the fruit is still edible, and consumers should not notice a difference in taste or appearance.

Not known in Ohio

Brad Bergefurd, extension horticulture specialist with Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon, said he’s not yet heard of Ohio growers finding the virus. But if they do, they should try to control its spread, by reducing insect activity.

Same plants

Many Ohio growers purchase strawberry plants from the same region, he said, and the virus could easily show up. But so far, he said the Ohio strawberry crop looks good, and growers in the Piketon region are already in their third-fourth week of harvest.

“There’s a lot of strawberries out there,” he said. “They’re (growers) picking like crazy.”

Symptoms

Symptoms of the viruses include poor plant growth in spots or in entire fields, older leaves turning bright red, yellowing along plant edges or on emerging leaves and dead plant tissue along leaf margins.

Bergefurd said testing samples for the virus can be expensive, and there’s really no treatment, aside from controlling insects.

“Once you have the virus, you can’t do anything anyway,” he said.

Insect control

Common aphids can transmit these viruses to healthy plants. Lambsquarter, a common weed, is also a host for the strawberry mottle virus. This alternate host can allow the virus to survive in fields from season to season.

Lambsquarter infected with strawberry mottle virus may not show symptoms.If growers suspect their plants are infected by either of these viruses, they should contact their county extension office for confirmation.

Gauthier encourages growers to destroy all symptomatic plants as soon as possible. If growers cannot destroy infected plants, they should carefully manage aphid vectors and implement a strict weed management program. Infected perennial strawberries should be removed at season’s end.

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The final rule issued by the USDA requires the origin designations of muscle cut meats to include information about where each of the production steps (i.e., born, raised, slaughtered) occurred.

It took effect May 23, and is mandatory as of that date, although older, less-specific labels may be used until already-printed supplies are used up.

New labels

For muscle cuts that previously were designated as “Product of the U.S.” the new label would read, “Born, Raised, and Slaughtered in the United States.”

For animals, like some feeder cattle, born in another country and then raised and slaughtered in the United States, the label would read “Born in Country X, Raised and Slaughtered in the United States.”

For animals that spend a more extended time being raised in another country and imported just for slaughter, the label would read “Born and Raised in Country X, Slaughtered in the United States.”

The labeling mandate also covers goat meat, wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish, and perishable agricultural commodities.

Trade issue

The World Trade Organization in June 2012 determined that COOL was being implemented in a way that was a disadvantage for imported livestock from Canada and Mexico. It ordered USDA to take another look into the COOL rule and issued a deadline of May 23.

The COOL rule was modified just in time to meet the deadline imposed by the WTO.

Mixed reactions

“USDA’s final rule is right on the mark,” said R-CALF USA COOL Committee Chair Mike Schultz. “We are pleased that USDA did not weaken COOL in response to the WTO’s attack on our domestic food labeling program.”
The NCBA does not share the same feelings, calling the action “short-sighted.”

“Our largest trading partners have already said that these provisions will not bring the United States into compliance with our WTO obligations and will result in increased discrimination against imported products and in turn retaliatory tariffs or other authorized trade sanctions,” the cattlemen’s association said in a prepared statement.
“While trying to make an untenable mandate fit with our international trade obligations, USDA chose to set up U.S. cattle producers for financial losses. Moreover, this rule will place a greater record-keeping burden on producers, feeders and processors through the born, raised and harvested label,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Scott George, a Cody, Wyo. dairy and cattle producer.

USDA

According to the USDA, the WTO felt the existing COOL regulations required more information from cattle suppliers than what was actually being transmitted to consumers through the labels on beef. The WTO alleged that COOL was providing too many disadvantages for foreign livestock.

Under the final COOL rule, all origin labels for muscle cuts of meat slaughtered in the U.S. must now specify the production steps of birth, raising, and slaughter of the animal from which the meat is derived that took place in each country listed on the label.

The USDA estimates the label change could cost the industry between $17 million and $47.3 million to implement.

The post USDA modifies mandatory COOL rule appeared first on Farm and Dairy.

This is the seventh season the soy checkoff has partnered with the NTPA to promote the use of biodiesel to pulling fans, including many farmers, truck drivers and other diesel users.

Increase in horsepower

A study funded by the state soy checkoff board in Minnesota and conducted by United Pullers of Minnesota, found using biodiesel in pulling competition can provide a 4 percent increase in torque and horsepower.

“Performance results like these are an added bonus to the environmental and economic benefits of using biodiesel,” said Larry Marek, soy checkoff farmer-leader and a soybean farmer from Riverside, Iowa.
“If NTPA pullers can get these kinds of results on the track, we can certainly get great results using B100 on the farm.”

Biodiesel blends

Also returning to the track this season will be the “Powered by Biodiesel,” Light Pro Stock class, in which all competitors are required to use biodiesel blends.

“B100 performs well, and is dependable even in the most excruciating tests,” said Gregg Randall, NTPA office general manager. “Pullers will definitely want to take advantage of the fuel this pulling season.”

Check out the 2013 NTPA competition schedule and find out where tractor pullers will be using B100 near you.

The post B100, 100 percent biodiesel, to fuel pulling tractors appeared first on Farm and Dairy.

Taking antibiotics orally exposes the microflora in the digestive system to those medicines, and this exposure in itself could be a significant cause of the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria seen, according to a new study by Hua Wang, associate professor of food science and technology with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and postdoctoral research associate Lu Zhang.

“We have known for a long time that use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance, and many have called for reducing the use of antibiotics, in both human medicine and in agriculture, as a solution,” Wang said.

Now, her research offers another possible answer.

Transferring resistance

In previous work, Wang and her team identified large quantities of pervasive antibiotic-resistant genes in commensal (harmless or even beneficial) bacteria in conventional foods, and realized it would be relatively easy for these bacteria to transfer their drug-resistant properties to pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria.

Then the researchers found resistant bacteria rapidly developed in human infants’ gut microflora that had not yet been exposed to antibiotics, suggesting the involvement of other risk factors.

Taken together, these findings triggered a new hypothesis, Wang said.

What’s changed?

“Before the 1980s, a drug could last (without most pathogens developing resistance to it) for 30 or 40 years,” Wang said. “Why did penicillin last so long? Why do pathogens develop resistance to new drugs so quickly now?

“Is it only because we overuse them, or that we’ve been using them in food-producing animals? Or is it possible that it’s also related to how we have changed our ways of giving antibiotics?”

Delivery method suspect

It’s been only in recent decades that antibiotics have been prescribed primarily as pills to be taken orally rather than given as injections, Wang said.

In addition, antibiotics are often mixed in livestock feed or water, thus entering animals’ digestive systems as well.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance gene pools, which can further spread resistance, significantly increase when antibiotic residues and bacteria encounter each other in the digestive system.

Through human and animal waste, those gene pools, as well as the resistant bacteria, become even more pervasive throughout the environment, and affect humans again through food chain and environmental contact, Wang said.

Her research

To test the theory that oral administration of antibiotics could make a difference in antibiotic resistance, Wang and Zhang studied colonies of lab mice, some of which were inoculated with antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus or Escherichia coli. The mice were then given an antibiotic — either tetracycline hydrochloride or ampicillin — at different dosage levels in either their feed or by injection.

The researchers found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria developed sooner or were up to 100 times higher in mice given antibiotics orally compared with mice given the same dosage by injection.

In a group of mice that were not exposed to drug-resistant bacteria, neither the oral nor injected antibiotics caused antibiotic-resistant genes to develop in the gut microflora during the study, Wang said.

It’s all in the gut

“This tells us that if there are no antibiotic-resistant organisms in the gut in the first place, the development of antibiotic resistance won’t occur very fast,” Wang said.

The findings make perfect sense, she said.

“If you take an oral drug, only a certain percentage of the drug will be absorbed into the bloodstream, but all of the gut microflora will be unnecessarily exposed to it.” Wang said. “With the injection, all of the dosage will first go into the bloodstream, and the gut microflora is not directly exposed to the drug.

“The basic dosage is more effective against infection, and the gut microflora will have much less exposure to antibiotics, thus providing less chance to develop resistance.”

Could impact future

Wang hopes this and future research will help public health authorities develop more targeted and effective guidelines for the use of antibiotics and will encourage drug manufacturers to develop new methods of administering antibiotics to slow the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

“Knowing where the problem came from is the first but critical step,” she said. “We can then look for targeted methods to control the problem. It is especially exciting when practical solutions may be available.”

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Thousand cankers disease damage. (Photo by Ned Tisserat, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state of West Virginia has established an exterior quarantine, effective immediately, to help protect the West Virginia walnut resource from Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD).

“Simply put, the exterior quarantine means no plants and plant parts of walnut from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and any portions or areas of states where TCD has been found can be brought into or through West Virginia,” said West Virginia Department of Agriculture Plant Industries Division Director Sherrie Hutchinson.

Exclusions to the quarantine include nuts, nut meats, hulls, processed lumber and finished wood products without bark such as furniture, instruments and gun stocks. Processed lumber must be 100% bark-free and kiln-dried with squared edges.

What is it?

This photo, taken in Olney Springs, Colo., shows black walnuts in the end stage of thousand cankers disease. (Photo courtesy: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

TCD is a disease complex where the fungus is vectored by walnut twig beetles causing small cankers under the bark of walnut trees. The fungus is introduced when the beetles infest walnut trees.

Trees are killed when cankers become numerous enough to merge together — there is no cure once a tree is infected.

West Virginia Ag Commissioner Walt Helmick said black walnut is a valuable timber and nut resource in the state, and the quarantine is a step toward slowing its entrance into the state.

Thousand Cankers disease no longer occurs just west of the Mississippi River. It can be found in parts of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. In Pennsylvania, On Aug. 9, 2011, the state department of agriculture in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Penn State Cooperative Extension confirmed the presence of Thousand Cankers Disease in black walnut trees in Bucks County.

The quarantine also includes the TCD fungus, the walnut twig beetle in any life stage and any hardwood firewood from TCD-infected areas.

For more information on TCD, visit www.thousandcankers.com or contact the WVDA Plant Industries Division at 304-558-2212.

About thousand cankers disease

Thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a disease complex native to the western United States and primarily affects black walnut, Juglans nigra. This disease is the result of the combined activity of a fungus (Geosmithia morbida) and the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis).

Thousand cankers disease currently threatens millions of black walnut trees in forests and urban areas, an important species with great economic and ecological value throughout its native range. Several quarantines have been established in an attempt to prevent the disease from spreading.

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There was one application for unitization to the ODNR in 2012. So far there have been 12 in 2013. A unitization order allows oil and gas operators to join mineral owners to create large tracts of land for drilling units.

ODNR Director Jim Zehringer called it an “historic era of oil and gas production in Ohio,” and said there is enormous production potential in Ohio.
He added that production from the Utica shale drilling may surpass conventional oil and gas production as early as 2015.

“The future of the Utica shale looks very bright,” Zehringer said.

Not full year

None of the wells listed in the report produced for the entire year. The ODNR reported that 74 of the wells have produced gas for less than half a year.

Of the 19 wells that have not been placed into commercial production, 17 reported incidental volumes of crude oil and natural gas that were recovered during flow back of hydraulic fracturing fluids.

In 2013, a total of 635,896 barrels of oil and 12.83 MCF of natural gas was produced.
However, ODNR officials pointed out that some wells are choked because the infrastructure is not built to transport the materials to market, so production rates on producing wells could be higher in the future.

Hard to compare sites

The report lists each well by company, production numbers and the days it has been producing. The report also lists the driller, county, well name, the barrels of oil produced, gas produced by million cubic feet (MCF) and the number of days in production.

The ODNR noted the oil produced is much thinner than the oil we are used to; it is more of a condensate form and is worth about 85 percent of the average price of a barrel of oil.

Some companies didn’t report the amount of oil produced by the wells for different reasons, including that some do not have the ability to transport the oil from the well site yet or the amount produced was insignificant.
Here is a recap of some top well sites:

Anadarko E&P Onshore

FREC Guer Spencer A-5H; Guernsey County; 26,420 barrels of oil; 81,644 MCF; 276 days in production.
FREC Guer Spencer A-1H; 13,564; Guernsey County; 13,564 barrels of oil; 41,153 MCF; 293 days in production.
FREC NOBL Brookfield A-3H; Noble County; 38,313 barrels of oil; 193,797 MCF; 292 days in production.
FREC NOBL Sharon A-1H; Noble County; 30,287 barrels of oil; 126,703 MCF; 252 days in production.

Antero Reserve
Appalachian Corp.

Sanford Unit 1H; Noble County, 13,675 barrels of oil; 37,693 MCF; 27 days in production.

Chesapeake Exploration

Burgett 7-15-6 8H-RS; Carroll County (Center Township), 46,914.01 barrels of oil; 332,445 MCF; 206 days in production.
Burgett 7-15-6 6-H; Carroll County (Center Township), 11,759 barrels of oil; 56,364 MCF; 52 days in production.
Shaw 20-14-5 5H; Carroll County (Center Township), 24,313 barrels of oil; 344,387 MCF; 306 days in production.
Bucey 3H; Carroll County (East Township), 5,501.89 barrels of oil; 539,293 MCF; 231 days in production.
Harvey 8H; Carroll County (Washington Township), 6,122 barrels of oil; 322,213 MCF; 295 days in production.
Sanor Farms 23-17-5 3H; Columbiana County, 8,832 barrels of oil; 54,730 MCF; 204 days in production.
Enervest Operating LLC.
Cairns #5H; Carroll County; 20,951 barrels of oil; 92,860 MCF; 120 days in production.

Gulfport Energy Corp.

Wagner 1H; Harrison County; 12,147 barrels of oil; 644,276 MCF; 129 days in production.

Hess Ohio Resources LLC.

Nac Gas Unit B 3H-3; Jefferson County; 27 barrels of oil; 900,322 MCF; 292 days in production.

HG Energy LLC

Whitacre N-2H; Monroe County; 0 barrels of oil; 232,847 MCF; 247 days in production.

PDC Energy LLC

Hickenbottom 1; Belmont County; 0 barrels of oil; 5,370 MCF; 290 days in production.

Rex Energy

Brace Unit 1; Carroll (Washington Township); 12,879 barrels of oil; 159,213 MCF; 119 days in production.

2011 vs. 2012 well results

The Kenneth Buell well 8H in Harrison County was a hot topic after the 2011 results were released.

Here is a look at the well a year later.
The Buell well produced for 341 days in 2012. It produced 9,778 barrels of oil and 1,657,548 MCF of natural gas. In 2011, the ODNR production report shows that 13,472 barrels of oil were produced and 1.52 MCF of natural gas was produced during 198 days in production.
Another well that can be compared is the Neider well in Carroll County. The Neider 3H well produced for 120 days in 2012. It produced 5,043 barrels of oil and 234,428 MCF of natural gas.
In 2011, the well produced for 130 days and the results were 9,444 barrels of oil and 395,290 MCF.
Another well that produced in both 2011 and 2012 was the Calvin Mangun well in Carroll County. In 2012, it produced for 152 days and the results were 7,144 barrels of oil and 239,021 MCF in natural gas.
In 2011, the Calvin Mangun well produced 12,334 barrels of oil and 322,435 MCF of natural gas during its 206 days in production.

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I’ve been reading about “data journalism” for many years — combining traditional newsgathering and reporting with the sheer volume of digital information now available. Digging deep into online or digital public documents and records, and harnessing the power of software, helps journalists uncover and track new information.

It’s a new way to shine a light on things some would rather stay buried in the dark. In fact, Farm and Dairy Reporter Kristy Seachrist attended a Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting Workshop last May at the University of Kentucky to try and bolster our own data journalism skills.

Information — numbers — have always been essential to farm management, too, so now I’m starting to read more things about “big data” agriculture.

We’re talkin’ more than just pushing the pencil, unless your pencil has a microchip processor.

The latest John Deere equipment use sensors to track and store real-time information on weather, soil conditions, crop features and other data. The information can be accessed online or via an application on your iPad or iPhone to help farmer make better decisions. And along the line, John Deere is gathering information itself that could, say, help forecast demand for spare parts.

Equipment can take soil samples as it moves across your field, analyze the samples and feed the results back to you.

Wireless plant sensors help record and track factors in research plots (an Australian research project generated some 2 million data points per week from 40 sites).

Switching livestock feed? See how well an animal, or a group of animals, is performing with an intelligent weighing system to compare real-time information with historical information.

The USDA participated in a two-day G8 Open Data for Agriculture Conference at the end of April, where U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new U.S. data-sharing network for food, agriculture and rural issues (www.data.gov).

This open-source data from a variety of sources can now be layered to find connections we couldn’t see before.

Vilsack said open data is triggering a digital revolution that can do for agriculture what the industrial revolution did during the 1900s.

For example, open data from satellites can monitor vegetation growth. Couple that with tracking of insect pests and you could get a super scouting system before you even sweep your first acre.

The conference also drew someone who knows a thing or two about computing and data: Bill Gates. Gates challenged the international attendees to develop minimum standards for accountability and evaluation, and interoperability (making sure systems and data can talk to each other).

The pessimist in me worries a little about the Big Brother aspect of all this information gathering, and I also recognize the old adage of “garbage in, garbage out.” But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. This will be a new skill set for farmers. How do we make meaning of and extract insight from data? If that’s not your forte, you’d better find someone to do it for you.

Two former Google employees have founded Climate Corporation using free soils type information for every two square miles and crop yield data from the USDA, and historical precipitation and temperature data published by the National Weather Service. They added other sources, and real-time data and now know how the average weather at one spot differs from another 2 miles down the road.

They came up a crop insurance product, even for speciality crops, that’s customized according to each farm’s risk factors. If a farm gets dumped on with May rain, Climate Corp.’s computers know about it as soon as the first raindrop falls, and cut a check soon enough for the farmer to buy more seed to replant.

I like how Successful Farming Editor Dave Kurns put it in the April edition: “The key to the data is not precision technology; it’s decision technology.”

This is a lot to absorb, and I’m not sure I grasp its potential. But I predict we’ll see more innovation and creativity and science in agriculture than ever before — all driven by data. After all, information is power, and time is money. Data-generated information lets farmers make fact-based decisions faster.

Better data drives better ag decisions.

The post Susan Crowell: Big data: Farming by the numbers appeared first on Farm and Dairy.

Heat tolerance

The work will be done through the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center to develop heat-tolerant maize for Asia with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Mitch Tuinstra, a Purdue professor, Wickersham Chair of Agronomy and principal investigator of the grant, said finding ways to grow maize in the hotter climates of South Asia could help combat malnutrition and hunger issues in those countries.

Climate change

Understanding ways to adapt the crop to heat and drought could also help growers in the United States where climate change is expected to increase stress on crops.

“There is a lot of concern about how climate change will affect crops, but we know almost nothing about thermal tolerance in corn,” Tuinstra said.

Identifying genes

Tuinstra and co-principal investigator Guri Johal, a Purdue professor of botany and plant pathology, will evaluate temperate and tropical types of maize to identify genes and determine physiological mechanisms that allow them to stand up to heat and drought stresses. They will work with collaborators in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Partnership

The work is part of a larger public-private partnership called the Heat Tolerant Maize for Asia project. Private partners, including Pioneer Hi-Bred, Vibha AgriTech, Ajeet Seeds and Kaveri Seeds, will join national agriculture research programs in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“Dr. Tuinstra’s work embodies the College of Agriculture’s commitment to research with purpose leading to discovery with impact,” said Jay Akridge, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture.
“This work to improve crops through his genetics research has the potential to not only help U.S. growers but also make important advancements in efforts to feed the world’s growing population.”

The project is a public-private alliance led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. It includes Purdue and Pioneer Hi-Bred, as well as public and private sector maize breeding programs in South Asia.

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