Purdue News

November 18, 1998 Purdue Extension specialists honored at conference WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Six Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service specialists received awards for outstanding contributions to Indiana Extension from the Purdue Cooperative Extension Specialist Association at the annual Extension conference Nov. 17-19. Otto C. Doering, a public policy specialist, received the Career Award, which goes to a specialist with more than 20 years of service. Doering began his career in the Department of Agricultural Economics in 1972, and throughout his career has helped farm and commodity organizations, public interest groups, and government officials define policy problems, outline policy alternatives and analyze the social and economic consequences of each alternative. On a national level, Doering has provided analytical support for several farm bills, especially the 1977, 1990 and 1996 legislation. He also has focused his efforts on energy-related issues, such as ethanol fuels and public utilities, and from 1985 to 1990 he led a statewide effort on utility reform as director of the Indiana State Utility Forecasting Group. Doering also has helped countless citizens and students gain insights into many difficult public policy issues. Gail E. Ruhl, of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, received the Senior Award, which goes to a specialist with 11 to 20 years of service. Hired in 1979 as the first director of the Plant Disease and Weed Identification Clinic, she served as the sole diagnostician for disease and weed identifications and has made more than 10,000 diagnoses. Because of her program's success, an integrated diagnostic clinic was created in 1990, the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. In addition to her diagnostic work in the clinic and laboratory, Ruhl has reached more than 30,000 individuals through presentations and workshops to Extension educators, grower groups and agribusiness personnel. Ruhl also has been a member of two teams that received the PUCESA Team Award: Garden Center Personnel Training and Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. W. Alan Miller, farm management specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, received the Junior Award. Since joining the department in February 1995, Miller's primary focus has been providing training and educational materials for county Extension educators and farmers in business analysis, business planning, business strategies, personnel utilization and record keeping. Miller has worked with the Top Crop Farmer Workshop, Indiana Farm Management Tour, Fall Economic Outlook campaign, and many other programs designed to reach farmers. Additionally, he has published more than 10 applied research and Extension articles, developed Web-based software on crop leasing, prepared more than 20 press releases, and made about 50 Extension presentations. Barry Delks, who came to Purdue's Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 1992 as a staff member of the Breaking New Ground Resource Center and became the center's director in 1995, received the 1998 Special Award. As director, he helped carry out a national Extension initiative resulting in USDA AgrAbility projects being established in 22 other states, and he has been responsible for the day-to-day coordination of both the national and Indiana AgrAbility projects. Recently, Delks has raised funds for the development and production of an award-winning educational resource on working with rural caregivers, which has been purchased by approximately 250 Extension programs and community organizations throughout the county, with an additional 250 kits currently in production to meet the demand. Since 1992, Delks has participated in more than 100 county-level Extension activities, has made more than 100 farm visits to provide direct services, and has been invited to present at events in at least 14 states. Manure Management Plan Winter Schools received the Team Award. Don Jones in agricultural engineering and Alan Sutton in animal sciences led this team effort, which included 26 field educators assisting Indiana livestock producers who must develop manure management plans to meet the state's new confined feeding regulations. The program was conducted 28 times during the first four months of this year and reached more than 1,200 of the 3,200 registered confined feeding operations in Indiana with timely information on environmental issues relating to water and air quality. The team effort involved the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Pork Producers Association and the Purdue Extension staff. Extension educators involved in the project were: Dan Baugh, Dearborn County; Ralph Booker, Marshall County; Greg Bossaer, White County; Andy Boston, Orange County; Harold Brown, Delaware County; Jeff Burbrink, Elkhart County; Kelly Easterday, Kosciusko County; Steve Engleking, Lagrange County; Vince Harrell, Wabash County; Jeff Hash, Martin County; Gary Horner, Miami County; Carl Hylton, Rush County; Don Kelso, Pulaski County; Mark Kepler, Fulton County; Dan Kirtley, Randolph County; John Knipp, Jay County; Jim Luzar, Putnam/Montgomery counties; Mike Manning, Jasper County; Bob McCormick, Howard County; Steve Nichols, Carroll County; Jim Peter, Dubois County; Ken Salkeld, Pike County; Larry Watson, Sullivan County; Craig Williams, Cass County; Wayne Williams, Clinton County; and Karen Witt, Franklin County. Source: Floyd Branson, assistant director, Cooperative Extension Service, (765) 494-8490; e-mail, Floyd_Branson@ces.purdue.edu Writer: Jane Houin, (765) 494-2722; e-mail, news_students@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page