Company expanding solar unit, plans to add 120 jobs
Fort Recovery Construction & Equipment in Portland plans to invest $1.9 million to accommodate research, development
and production of solar thermal collector panels.
Agriculture/Farming
Articles
USDA expects record corn crop in Indiana
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Indiana farmers to produce more than 1 billion bushels of corn, compared with the
933 million bushels harvested last year. Officials also predict a record crop nationwide.
Summer is key time for those who raise Christmas trees
Christmas and July harmonize like a blizzard on Independence Day, but the summer months are perhaps the most vital for Tom
Dull and his wife, Kerry, who raise 23,000 Christmas trees on their peaceful farm in Thorntown.
Consumers facing record prices for bacon
The U.S. hog-breeding herd is near the smallest on record, and wholesale pork-belly prices are up 72 percent in the past year,
to the highest price since at least 1998.
Indiana State Fair’s ‘Year of Pigs’ begins Friday
The industry group Indiana Pork Farmers says the state is home to 3,000 pork producers who raise 8 million pigs and feed 25
million people annually. The industry employs 15,000 people.
Farm with 2 million chickens planned in eastern Indiana
An application with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management calls for a six-barn confined animal feeding operation
near the Jay County town of Bryant.
Indiana working on phosphorous limits for lakes
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says the rule would impact sewage treatment plants upstream of lakes.
Looking out for summer garden pests
Just because it’s summer, don’t expect tree and shrub pests to go on vacation.
State FFA leaves Education Department for ag agency
Beginning this summer, the Department of Agriculture will house Indiana FFA's executive offices.
Indiana’s biggest private companies majored in the basics in 2009
Health care, plastics, other fundamental consumer needs kept some companies on upswings.
Farmers say northwest Indiana airport costing wind power
Some farmers would like to see a small airport in rural northwestern Indiana closed in order to open up a large part of the
state's windiest area for electricity-producing wind turbines.
U.S., Indiana mint production wilts with foreign competition
Decades ago, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin were the top U.S. mint producers, but the heart of U.S. production is now in
the Pacific Northwest. Over time, as small mint farms shut down, Indiana has fallen to fourth.
Indiana farm fatalities down for 1st time in 3 years
An annual report by Purdue University shows that 20 Indiana residents died last year in farm-related accidents, down
from 28 in 2008 and 24 in 2007.
Urban farmer in Indianapolis hopes he’s the first of many
Matthew Jose figures that if enough people follow him into urban farming, vacant and abandoned property will flourish with
productivity, consumer diets will improve, and worn neighborhoods will get new life.
Hoosiers begin agriculture trade mission to China
A 26-member delegation of Hoosiers, including Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, arrived Wednesday in Hangzhou, Indiana’s Chinese
sister state since 1987, for an agriculture-focused economic development trade mission.
Becky Skillman’s blog from China
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman is traveling to China with a delegation of state officials and business and community leaders through
June 10. Skillman is blogging about their experiences as the group works to build relationships and attract Chinese investment
to Indiana.
Indiana farmers assessing frost damage to crops
Purdue corn specialist Bob Nielsen says recent frosts have caused mostly cosmetic damage to crops, but some fields experienced
damage serious enough that they must be replanted.
Christmas tree farms, nurseries can seek aid
Newly implemented provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill are opening the door to possible federal aid for Indiana Christmas tree
growers and tree nurseries hit by losses caused by severe weather.
Study: Growing more veggies could profit Midwest
The Midwest is known more for growing corn than cauliflower, but if its farmers raised the fruit and vegetables eaten in
the Heartland, they could create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in income, according to a recent study.
Indiana has millions to pass out for renewable energy projects
The federal money is for renewable energy systems, energy-efficiency improvements, energy audits and renewable-energy feasibility
studies.