West Lafeyette, Ind. — The Purdue School for Back Yard Fruit Growers will take growers through "Adventures in Backyard Fruit Production" in a series that offers opportunities to learn about modern fruit production practices.

The school will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. EST on March 4, 11, 18 and 25 and April 1, with a sixth session to be announced. The program will be held at 25 sites around the state using Webinar broadcasts. Participants also have the option to access the sessions from home via a high-speed Internet connection.

Each day will feature a two-hour session that covers a topic important to fruit growers. The agenda includes:

* March 4 - Session 1: Assessing personal goals and learning how and where to begin fruit production.

* March 11 - Session 2: Growing tree fruit such as apples, pears and peaches.

* March 18 - Session 3: Growing small fruit such as grapes, strawberries, red and black raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

* March 25 - Session 4: Harvest, storage, preservation and use of fruit.

* April 1 - Session 5: Overview of crop protection using pest management and discussion of organic fruit production.

Session 6, on a date to be announced, will be a hands-on workshop in pruning and training fruit led by local Extension educators.

Purdue presenters include associate professor Peter Hirst and professor Bruce Bordelon, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture; Linda Souchon, educator, Purdue Extension Johnson County; Rick Foster, professor and Extension coordinator for pest management, Department of Entomology; and Janna Beckerman, assistant professor, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.

Participants also will hear advice from successful fruit growers. Richard Hayden, professor emeritus, will introduce the series with a historical perspective on fruit culture and provide background on the basics of successful fruit culture.

Roy Ballard, educator, Purdue Extension Hancock County, said the series will be especially beneficial for beginning growers.

"We want to make sure they have the right plants for their site and for their needs and that they plant them in a way the plants will thrive," Ballard said. "It's important that growers appreciate not only the many joys of home fruit production, but also the occasional challenges, limitations and responsibilities."

Ballard said the school also will provide information for more experienced growers, such as varieties of fruit available for Indiana culture and pest control considerations. Private applicator and commercial pesticide applicator credits will be available.

The school is sponsored by Purdue Extension and North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.

Registration is $50 per person for all sessions or $15 per person for an individual session. The fee includes all handouts and resource materials. A $10 per person late fee will be added after Feb. 26.

For more information regarding program content, available viewing sites or how to register, contact your county Purdue Extension office or Ballard at (317) 462-1113, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

West Lafayette, Ind. — Although dairy producers can expect less milk when switching from conventional to organic production, they may be able to cut some costs on expensive feed, according to Purdue University studies.

Using U.S. Department of Agriculture data that includes information specific to organic dairy producers, a team led by Joseph Balagtas, an assistant professor of agricultural economics, found that organic dairy producers produce about 13 percent less milk compared to peers using conventional production methods. He said that knowledge is critical for dairy producers who might be interested in going organic.

"It's important to know that if you adopt organic technology, you're going to produce less milk," said Balagtas, whose results were published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. "Our research provides producers with a baseline measure of the production loss from switching to organic."

Dairy producers must meet stringent protocols to be certified organic. Cows cannot receive antibiotics or hormones, feed must be certified organic and herds must have access to certified organic pastures.

"Those production restrictions decrease yields," Balagtas said. "Organic farmers have to milk their cows less frequently, for example, to prevent mastitis because they can't treat it with antibiotics. That results in less milk."

The information on reduced yields on organic dairy farms also is important to the ongoing debate about alternative production systems.

"Organic production methods are currently less productive than conventional methods," Balagtas said. "A dramatic shift toward organic production would result in higher prices for milk."

In another study published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, Balagtas' team found that those organic producers could cut as much as 22 percent of production costs if they grow their own feed, though the same isn't true for conventional producers.

"Conventional farms are increasingly purchasing their feed. Modern conventional dairy farms save costs by purchasing key inputs and focusing on milk production," Balagtas said. "It's relatively easy to find conventional feed. With organic, that's not the case. There are fewer people doing that, and that means the price is higher."

Organic dairy producers cannot use feedstock that has been grown with pesticides and other chemicals, making it more expensive. And since there are fewer organic growers than conventional, sourcing organic feed typically means increased transportation costs for dairy producers.

"If you're located in a climate that permits it, you can reduce costs by growing your own organic feed," Balagtas said. "Establishing organic crop production is costly, but this research says that over time you would pay off that investment."

The studies used data from the USDA's 2005 "Agricultural Resource Management Survey on Dairy Costs and Returns Report" in which dairies in 24 states were surveyed. Nearly 300 organic farms and 1,200 conventional farms were used for the analysis.

"Organic is a fairly new industry, and we're still learning about the production and marketing challenges. But it's the fastest growing segment of the dairy industry," Balagtas said. "For the first time, we have a good picture of the organic dairy industry."

Balagtas said comparisons were based on producers of a similar size in the same region using similar technology and management practices.
The research was supported by funding from the USDA Economic Research Service as well as Purdue. Balagtas said further research would focus on ways organic dairy producers could lower their costs.

Corinne Alexander, a Purdue associate professor of agricultural economics, and Carlos Mayen, a former Purdue doctoral student, collaborated with Balagtas on the study.

Indianapolis — The Friends of Broad Ripple Park is a newly-founded organization with a passion and appreciation for the park and its many amenities. Its members are dedicating themselves to providing support for the park, its programs, its facilities and its future.

To better guide its activities, the friends' group is asking Broad Ripple neighbors to complete a brief survey about how they already use the park and what they'd like to see in the there in the future. You can take the survey online or download a PDF version, or visit the park office to complete a survey on paper.

Green living invitations offered in each city

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – The Hoosier Environmental Council, headquartered in Indianapolis, and Global Green USA, founded by Indianapolis native Diane Meyer Simon, which has helped lead the way in the green rebuilding of New Orleans, have expanded the Super Bowl challenges between the two cities to include a “green” wager.

In the unlikely event that the Saints win the big game Sunday night, a Saints fan will enjoy a stay at Anne Laker and Joe Merrick’s Indianapolis home. Built in 2003 as a showcase for green products, it features a geothermal heating system, which most often cuts the couple’s heating bills in half. The interior for the home was selected by Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis students and utilizes numerous green materials such as bamboo floors, granite countertops, carpets made with recycled contents and recycled glass tile.

“We’re happy to have two New Orleans natives, Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne, leading the way to a Colts Super Bowl victory,” said Jesse Kharbanda, the HEC’s executive director. “We’ve been fortunate to be the beneficiaries of funding from the team’s aluminum can program, and we are proud to stand with the Colts as they take on this ‘super’ challenge.

“Global Green is doing so many good things on behalf of the environment and the people of New Orleans, it’s sad that they’ll be crying in their biodegradable cups at the end of the game on Sunday night,” added Kharbanda.

In addition to the overnight stay at an extraordinary green living space in Indiana, the HEC is offering its New Orleans counterparts a trip for two up and down the Indy Wine Trail, featuring local wineries that are all within driving distance of the capitol city. And R bistro, a renowned Indianapolis restaurant that uses ingredients fresh from the farm, has donated dinner for two, if the Colts happen to come up short.

“Indiana boasts a number of small farms that produce exceptional products that are not just delicious, but environmentally friendly,” said Regina Mehallick, chef and owner of R bistro. “I'm so pleased that after 8 years of serving them, so many Hoosiers are familiar with the benefits of eating local and sharing that practice with their friends and neighbors

When the Colts win, a Colts fan will be hosted by Global Green’s New Orleans office and spend a glorious Jazz Fest Weekend in one of the nation’s greenest houses, built as part of Global Green’s Holy Cross Project village of homes, community center and multi-family housing in the Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower 9^th Ward. Fine New Orleans dining for two at New Orleans legendary Galatoire’s restaurant in the French Quarter is also included in the New Orleans weekend.

“New Orleans, now the increasingly famous home of the Who Dat Nation, is also becoming one of the world’s leading centers for green building. Both the Saints and the city’s neighborhoods fought to come back better than before Katrina,” said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green, a non-profit organization that advocates for sustainable, energy-saving building practices. “Along with this wager, we are asking people to help continue the green rebuilding of New Orleans by – at the end of the 1st quarter – texting GREENDAT to 85944. All of the money from these texts will help low-income families move into energy efficient, healthy homes in New Orleans.

“As the Saints improved their scores, New Orleanians have been working to improve their energy bills, and the safety of their homes, schools and neighborhoods from the onslaught of future storms,” said Beth Galante, director of Global Green’s New Orleans office.

Over 10,000 visitors have experienced green living first hand on tours of Global Green’s LEED Platinum house that presently also serves as a visitor center, located at 409 Andry St., adjacent to the levee in Holy Cross. Two additional houses – whose energy bills will be 70 percent below average – have been completed and are for sale.

Thousands have also benefited from forums presenting important advice on green building, and the New Orleans public schools are now opening newly renovated schools that are offering green features recommended by Global Green as part of its Green Schools programs

“I’m so proud of Global Green’s work to rebuild New Orleans, but on Super Bowl Sunday, my entire family and I will be rooting for the Colts. I look forward to welcoming a lucky Indy fan to New Orleans,” said Diane Meyer Simon.

The Hoosier Environmental Council is Indiana’s leading educator and advocate for environmental issues and policies. HEC works to raise awareness and stimulate discussion about environmental issues in Indiana – and ultimately help change laws, create jobs, protect and improve the environment, and make Indiana a healthier, better place to live and do business. Find out more at www.hecweb.org.

San Francisco — Action For Nature, a San-Francisco-based non-profit, is now taking applications for the 2010 International Young Eco-Hero Awards, which honor youth ages 8 to 16 for their outstanding accomplishments in environmental advocacy, environmental health, research and protection of the natural world.

Award recipients will receive up to $500 cash, an award certificate, and other forms of recognition. The application deadline is February 28, 2010.

Action For Nature‚s mission is to encourage young people to take personal action to nurture and protect a healthy environment on which all life depends. Now in its eighth year of the International Young Eco-Hero Awards, the organization has honored 90 young people from 13 countries and 24 states in America.

Previous award winners have continued to receive other prestigious leadership, environmental and science awards, such as the Brower Youth and Intel Science awards. They‚ve also taken part in local, national and international media interviews.

Alec Loorz, a 2008 award winner, has continued to educate youth and adults about global warming and has spoken to more than 20,000 people. Alec, who is now 15, is the youngest member of Al Gore‚s speaking panel, and was recently asked to assist with a presentation before the U.S. Senate.

Former award winner Otana Jakpor, 16, researched air purifiers and ozone emissions and successfully advocated for change in California. Her findings resulted in the first-ever state regulation of ozone-generators. She has since been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency and has become an official spokesperson for the American Lung Association. She has also had her work published by several science journals.

Indianapolis —  The Design Build Institute of America Great Lakes Region has named the following officers: Pat Miller, Baker & Daniels, president; Wes Nicholson, CPM Construction, vice president; John Voigt, Brownsburg Community Schools, treasurer; Pam McNealy, Hunt Construction Group, secretary; Lewie Wallace, Purdue University, past president.

The Design-Build Institute of America was founded in 1993 as a non-profit membership-based organization dedicated to single-source design and construction contracting. Members perform design and construction work in all non-residential market sectors, including buildings, industrial process facilities and civil infrastructure projects.