Purdue News

March 24, 2000 Survey to gauge importance of specialty grains WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Growing specialty crops such as waxy corn, tofu soybeans and high-oil corn is a rising trend in Indiana farming, given persistently low prices farmers have been getting for traditional corn and soybeans. The Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics and the Gibson County Plot Committee hope to learn how big a trend it is by sending surveys to 8,000 Indiana farms mainly in southwestern Indiana, where the highest concentration of specialty grains are grown. The plot committee is an ad hoc group made up of Purdue Extension educators, farmers and agribusiness people who promote the specialty grains industry. "We hope to learn what's being grown, how much, under what kind of contractual conditions and how the crops are managed," said Purdue Extension agricultural economist James Pritchett. "What we find out will create a benchmark for the specialty grains industry in Indiana. Then we can share what we learn with farmers throughout the state to help them determine how they might diversify or become more profitable with the value-added grains they grow now. "The questionnaire also asks farmers to let us know what services, research activities and educational programs related to specialty grains they would like Purdue to offer. We hope farmers will see that as an attractive incentive to participate in the survey." The survey, sponsored by the National Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana's Value-Added Grants Program and Purdue University, will be mailed March 29. CONTACT: Pritchett, (765) 496-6262, pritchett@agecon.purdue.edu Compiled by Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page