2008-07 PAER: The Future of Indiana Agriculture, Spring 2008

July 15, 2008

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The Future of Indiana Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities

In April, 2008, faculty members in the Department of Agricultural Economics were asked to provide input to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture as they prepare the next strategic plan for Indiana agriculture. The results of this input are summarized in this special issue of the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report. The introductory paper below outlines the key factors that will influence future opportunities for Indiana agriculture. The remainder of this special issue of the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report consists of six articles addressing six key sectors of the Indiana agricultural industry.

The six papers in this issue address the following topics:

  • Key Factors Influencing Opportunities for Indiana Agriculture: The Long View
  • Trends in Indiana Food Processing
  • The Indiana Livestock Sector: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Indiana Grain Production Sector
  • Energy and Biofuels
  • Indiana’s Hardwood Industry – Retaining Market Share
  • Trends in Indiana Specialty Agriculture

Articles in this Publication:

Key Factors Influencing Opportunities for Indiana Agriculture: The Long View

Sally Thompson, Professor and Department Head; Allan Gray, Professor and Mike Boehlje, Distinguished Professor

Trends in Indiana Food Processing

John M. Connor, Professor

Indiana Grain Production Sector

Chris Hurt, Professor; Corinne Alexander, Assistant Professor; Craig Dobbins, Professor and Sally Thompson, Professor and Department Head

Energy and Biofuels

Wallace Tyner, Professor; Frank Dooley, Professor; Allan Gray, Professor; Paul Preckel, Professor and Faculty Director of the State Utility Forecasting Group and Otto Doering, Professor

Indiana’s Hardwood Industry – Retaining Market Share

Rado Gazo, Professor and William L. Hoover, Professor, both in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Trends in Indiana Specialty Agriculture

Maria Marshall, Assistant Professor; Corrine Alexander, Assistant Professor; Jennifer Dennis, Assistant Professor; Roberto Lopez, Assistant Professor and Floriculture Extension Specialist, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Kwamena Quagrainie, Aquaculture Marketing Specialist

The Indiana Livestock Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

Michael Boehlje, Distinguished Professor; Ken Foster, Professor and Brian Richert, Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science

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