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DFFS Team

Assistant Program Leader, Agriculture and Natural Resources

Purdue Extension
Tamara Benjamin works with small scale and beginning farmers helping them find ways to produce more sustainably through on farm planning tools.
Address:  625 Agricultural Mall. West Lafayette, IN 47906
Phone:  (765) 496-1930
Email:  tamara17@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Assistant Program Leader, Agriculture and Natural Resources

Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator

Purdue Extension, Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator
Michael O’Donnell works with farmers of all scales and enterprises looking to shift acres into certified organic production. He works closely with Indiana grain farmers transitioning acreage into organic grain production, and offers educational programs on organic field crop/grain production for farmers and other agricultural professionals. He is also passionate about the application of regenerative agriculture principles in all types of farming systems.
Address:  100 W. Main Street. Muncie, IN 47305
Phone:  (765) 284-8414
Email:  modonnel@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator Organic Agriculture Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator

Horticulture and Hydroponic Crop Specialist

Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Petrus Langenhoven is Horticulture and Hydroponics Crops Specialist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. His strong background in horticulture production research and Extension allows him to leverage research and Extension programming around new technologies and expertise in high tunnel and greenhouse management, and open field vegetable production. His skills propel him to engage in new crop development activities such as microgreens, personalized specialty cantaloupe, leafy amaranth, summer squash, sweet colored and chili pepper, and peppermint production.
Address:  625 Agriculture Mall Dr. West Lafayette, IN 47907
Phone:  (765) 496-7955
Email:  plangenh@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Horticulture and Hydroponic Crop Specialist

Aquaculture Research Lab Manager

Forestry and Natural Resources
Address:  5675 W 600 N. W. Lafayette IN 47906
Phone:  (765) 583-0351
Email:  rrode@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Aquaculture Research Lab Manager

Clinical Engagement Assistant Professors

Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Wenjing Guan is a horticultural specialist. Her research and extension programs focus on developing and delivering sustainable production practice for vegetable, melon, and strawberry production. She is an expert in vegetable grafting.
Address:  4369 North Purdue Road. Vincennes, IN
Phone:  (812) 886-0198
Email:  guan40@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Clinical Engagement Assistant Professor
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Liz Maynard works with vegetable farmers on production issues in the field and high tunnel, including stand establishment, transplant production, cultural practices, irrigation, soil fertility and plant mineral nutrition, and variety selection
Address:  1101 Glendale Blvd. Suite 101-A Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone:  (219) 548-3674
Email:  emaynard@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Clinical Engagement Assistant Professor

Extension Educators

Purdue Extension-Montgomery County
Ashley Adair is the Ag and Natural Resources Educator in Montgomery County. Her areas of interest include cover crops, small farms, local food, UAVs, and native plants. Recently she has been working on farm to school and school garden projects in the Crawfordsville area.
Address:  400 Parke Avenue. Crawfordsville, IN 47933
Phone:  (765) 364-6363
Email:  holmes9@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension–Marion County
Brooke Alford, She co-teaches the Urban Agriculture Certificate Program, Rainscaping and the Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing.
Address:  1202 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone:  (317) 275-9269
Email:  bmalford@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Hamilton County
Amanda Baird is based in Hamilton County. Her program areas includes farmers markets, small farms, backyard poultry, and gardening.  
Address:  2003 Pleasant Street Noblesville, IN 46060
Phone:  (317) 776-0854
Email:  amandabaird@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Vermillion County
Address:  703 W. Park St., Suite 1, Cayuga, IN 47928
Phone:  (765) 492-5330
Email:  cox119@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Perry County
Sara Dzimianski is the Purdue Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources based in Perry County, and serves statewide as a sheep and goat specialist. Her primary areas of interest are dairy goat management, and parasite management in sheep and goat production. She also coordinates programming that includes such topics as pesticide safety, beekeeping, beef production, invasive species management, and gardening.
Address:  65 Park Avenue,Tell City, IN 47586
Phone:  (812) 547-7084
Email:  sdzimian@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Harrison County
Miranda Edge, is an ANR Extension Educator and will have worked in Harrison County for 9 years this October (2019). I work with farmers markets and am considered an expert in market management and food safety.
Address:  247 Atwood St. Corydon, IN 47112
Phone:  (812) 738-4236
Email:  medge@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-LaGrange County
Address:  114 West Michigan Street. LaGrange, IN 46761
Phone:  (260) 499-6334
Email:  sengleking@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Vigo County
Dana Gadeken is based in Vigo County. She coordinates programming that includes such topics as field crops, backyard poultry, tree disease, and gardening.
Address:  275 Ohio Street, Terre Haute, IN 47807
Phone:  (812) 462-3371
Email:  dgadeken@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Johnson County
Address:  484 N. Morton St. Franklin, IN 46131
Phone:  (317) 736-3724
Email:  sspeedy@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Dearborn County
John Hawley is based in Dearborn County and serves statewide as a Farm to School specialist. He also coordinates programming that includes such topics as agricultural communications, backyard poultry, pest control, and gardening.
Address:  229 Main Street, Aurora, IN 47001
Phone:  (812) 926-3006
Email:  hawley4@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Howard County

Mathias Ingle is the Ag & Natural Recourses Extension Educator in Howard County (Kokomo, IN). Mathias is a newer educator to the group, starting in April of 2019. He coordinates the local programing on a local level to serve the community.

Address:  120 E. Mulberry St. Suite 105, Kokomo, IN 46901
Phone:  (765) 456-2313
Email:  rmingle@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Fulton County
Mark Kepler is the Extension Educator in Fulton County. He is involved in livestock production both personally and professionally. He does programming for beginning livestock farmers in the area of beef, swine, goats and general pasture management.
Address:  1009 W. Third Street. Rochester, IN 46975
Phone:  (574) 223-3397
Email:  mkepler@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Marion County
Amy Matthews,  is Urban Agriculture Program Assistant for Purdue Extension – Marion County. She has traveled far and wide to learn the craft of farming. Toggling back and forth between urban and rural, social service and for-profit.
Address:  1202 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone:  (317) 446-9448
Email:  matthe26@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Tippecanoe County
Karen Mitchell is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for Purdue Extension – Tippecanoe County. Karen is active in statewide extension programming for small farms, beginning farmers, farmers markets, community gardens, and home horticulture.
Address:  3150 Sagamore Pkwy S. Lafayette, IN 47905
Phone:  (765) 474-0793
Email:  mitcheka@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Warrick County
Amanda Mosiman, Amanda’s DFFS expertise is aiding farm market masters and direct marketing vendors to understand proper food safety protocols and state / county regulations. She also enjoys aiding small livestock producers.
Address:  107 W. Locust Street, Suite 111, Boonville, IN 47601
Phone:  (812) 897-6100
Email:  bailey1@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension–Hendricks County
Jeffery Pell is serving on the Exhibitors committee and the Content committee.  He is working on planning an animal marketing tour for the first day of the conference and assisting in recruiting presenters for the youth track.  In addition, He is  working on the logistics of the Exhibitors part of the conference and serve as the liason for non-stationed items for the booth.
Address:  1900 E. Main St. Danville, IN 46122
Phone:  (317) 745-9260
Email:  jpell@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Marion County
Alex Pettigrew, has a passion for urban agriculture and hopes to help more people see the different ways agriculture is used daily. She will focus on urban livestock, including poultry and bees.
Address:  1202 E 38TH Street. Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone:  (317) 275-9274
Email:  apettig@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension – Vanderburgh County
Andrew Smith works in Vanderburgh County and serves as a resource to urban, specialty crop, and non-traditional growers. He is also working to establish urban agriculture initiatives and provide more food access points in Evansville.
Address:  13301 Darmstadt Rd., Ste A Evansville, IN 47725
Phone:  (812) 867-4935
Email:  smit3744@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Allen County
Terri Theisen, is an Urban Agriculture Educator for Purdue Extension – Allen County. Terri has experience with a variety of small-scale, diversified farming operations in urban and rural environments and has a passion for local foods.
Address:  4001 Crescent Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Phone:  (260) 481-6826
Email:  ttheisen@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator Urban Agriculture
Purdue Extension–Monroe County
Address:  3400 South Walnut Street Bloomington, IN 47401
Phone:  (812) 349-2575
Email:  afthompson@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Lake County
Tony Van Gorp is an Urban Agriculture Educator for Purdue Extension – Lake County. He collaborates with the Gary Urban Farmer’s Initiative and volunteers at a farm located in Gary, IN as their Director of Community Engagement.
Address:  839 Broadway, Suite North 206, Gary IN 46402
Phone:  (219) 378-0359
Email:  avangorp@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Madison County
Beth Vansickle is based in Madison County.  She coordinates programming that includes such topics on gardening, beginning livestock and production livestock.
Address:  3424 Mounds Road, Anderson, IN 46017
Phone:  (765) 641-9514
Email:  bleonhar@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-White County
Andrew Westfall is the Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator in White County. He helps large and mid-sized farmers who are interested in diversifying their operation, as well as beginning farmers who are getting started with small scale production.
Address:  12 N 25 E. Reynolds, IN 47980
Phone:  (219) 984-5115
Email:  awestfal@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator
Purdue Extension-Allen County
James Wolff is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator in Allen County. He works with a variety of agricultural issues and focuses on beginning farmers, farmers markets, urban agriculture, site assessment, and hops production.
Address:  4001 Crescent Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Phone:  (260) 481-6826
Email:  jmwolff@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator

Organic Agriculture

Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator

Purdue Extension, Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator
Michael O’Donnell works with farmers of all scales and enterprises looking to shift acres into certified organic production. He works closely with Indiana grain farmers transitioning acreage into organic grain production, and offers educational programs on organic field crop/grain production for farmers and other agricultural professionals. He is also passionate about the application of regenerative agriculture principles in all types of farming systems.
Address:  100 W. Main Street. Muncie, IN 47305
Phone:  (765) 284-8414
Email:  modonnel@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator Organic Agriculture Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator

Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture State Coordinator
Nathan Shoaf, has worked on soil, groundwater and vapor intrusion contamination issues for remediation sites as a field technician, consultant and regulatory agency project manager. In addition, he has worked with community gardens and urban agricultural projects on improving soil health and safety using organic amendments such as composts, biosolids and biochar.
Address:  615 W. State Street, #228, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053
Phone:  (765) 496-3225
Email:  nlshoaf@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Urban Agriculture
Allen County
Terri Theisen, is an Urban Agriculture Educator for Purdue Extension – Allen County. Terri has experience with a variety of small-scale, diversified farming operations in urban and rural environments and has a passion for local foods.
Address:  4001 Crescent Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Phone:  (260) 481-6826
Email:  ttheisen@purdue.edu
DFFS Team Extension Educator Urban Agriculture

Purdue Extension, 615 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-8491

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