Alumni Spotlights
Remembering our dairy days
Just in time for Purdue’s 150th anniversary, John Cleland (BS ’73, animal sciences) has published a history of the Purdue Creamery and Smith Hall, where students and faculty snacked on ice cream and other dairy treats from the 1910s to 1969.
Smith Hall was dedicated to teaching students the principles of modern dairying, and funds from the creamery paid for building repairs and new equipment. Next up? Cleland’s working on the book When Cows Were on Campus, a history of the Purdue dairy farms, cattle barns and the people who worked there.
A model for sustainable agriculture
Harborview Farms, the fourth-generation Maryland farm operated by Trey Hill (BS ’09, agricultural economics), was named the first Bayer ForwardFarm in North America. ForwardFarms are a global network of innovative, independent farms representative of their unique environments and dedicated to practicing and promoting sustainable agriculture. Harborview employs precision agriculture, extensive cover cropping, solar power, integrated pest management, wildlife habitats and other techniques to meet this goal. “Harborview Farms is working towards achieving ecological farming through technology,” Hill says. He’s now working on measuring and managing the carbon footprint for each of the farm’s fields — but you can check out the osprey cam now.
Alumna cultivates gardening gold
Carol Michel (BS ’81, horticulture and landscape architecture), was awarded a 2018 Media Awards Gold Medal of Achievement for Best Overall Book from GWA: The Association of Garden Communicators. Michel writes humorous and lighthearted essays about her lifelong avocation in Potted and Pruned: Living a Gardening Life (her award-winning first book) and Homegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening Life. She blogs at maydreamsgardens.com, where she started a fun tradition with garden bloggers around the world, who post what’s blooming in their gardens on the 15th of every month.
A forestry pioneer celebrates 100
Harold Winger (BS ’41, forestry and natural resources) celebrated his 100th birthday on August 13. He held more than a dozen positions at International Paper from 1945 until his retirement in 1980. Winger was a pioneer in establishing a Landowner Assistance Program (LAP) for the company, which became a model for other industries. In forest LAPs, private landowners with forest stands partnered with businesses for a management plan with professional recommendations, receiving technical assistance in growing and harvesting their timber. The partner company received first right of refusal on the timber to be harvested and assisted in a sale for market value. Such programs were part of a post-World War II conservation effort concerned with fire protection, seed for natural regeneration and self-regulation of the cutting practices of the pulp and paper industry.
Tell us about someone you know
Do you know a Purdue Agriculture alumna/alumnus who’s been in the news recently – or done something quirky or interesting? We’d love to hear about it!