May 2023, Part 2

• Veronica Bullock, Franklin County Educator, was awarded the Growing Together grant to start two community gardens in Franklin County, one in Brookville and the other in Laurel (with CWC Becky Marvel). In addition, Veronica is also part of the Area VII ANR team who submitted a full proposal for a SARE research and education grant.
• Kenny Eck, Dubois County Educator, is receiving the Indiana Forage Council Maurice E. Heath Click Here for the Qualtrics Form Kenny Eck, Dubois County Educator, is receiving the Indiana Forage Council Maurice E. Heath Award for your outstanding contributions to helping develop and conduct forage educational events in southern Indiana.
• Ann Kline, Noble County Extension Director, has been selected to receive funding through the College of Agriculture Professional Development Grant
• Eileen Kladivko, Professor in the Agronomy Department, is being presented with the Spirit of the Land­Grant Mission award.
• Courtney Schmidt, Miami County Educator, has been awarded funding from Arrow Head Country RC&D to support Junior Master Gardener programming
• Hans Schmitz is a CoPi on a proposal that has been awarded by NIFA OWHO. The title of the proposal is: Accelerating the Transition to Climate­smart Strategies by Bolstering the Extension to Midwest Climate Hub Connection

• Christian Butzke and Darrin Karcher, both have been selected recipients of the North Central Region Excellence in Extension Award.
• Darcy Telenko, Assistant Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, just received the Engagement Scholar Award Darcy Telenko and her team were awarded the following research grants:  A Purdue Rice Grant for “Evaluate and demonstrate the functionality of aerial drone applicators for use in Indiana agriculture”. This grant also included Nikky Witkowski, Bill Johnson, and Gary Tragesser;  A Soybean Phenotyping Endowment Grant for “Developing Novel Vegetation Indices for Early Detection and Classification of Soybean Diseases” in collaboration with Yang Yang.
• Patrick Williams, ANR Extension Educator in Tippecanoe County, received the following awards the past month: 2022 ANREP GOLD AWARD for Newsletters or Series or Articles: Panhandle Outdoors e-Newsletter. Rick O’Connor, Dr. Andrea Albertin, Jennifer Bearden, Ray Bodrey, Shelia Dunning, Scott Jackson, Molly Jameson, Daniel Leonard, Erik Lovestrand, Mark Mauldin, Danielle 8 Sprague, Carrie Stevenson, Mark Tancig, Dr. Laura Tiu, Chris Verlinde, Kaylen Waters, and Dr. Patrick Williams.
• 2022 FANREP 1st Place in Newsletters or Series or Articles: Panhandle Outdoors e-Newsletter, Rick O’Connor, Contributors: Dr. Andrea Albertin, Jennifer Bearden, Ray Bodrey, Sheila Dunning, Scott Jackson, Molly Jameson, Daniel Leonard, Erik Lovestrand, Mark Mauldin, Danielle Sprague, Carrie Stevenson, Mark Tancig, Dr. Laura Tiu, Chris Verlinde, Kaylen Waters, Dr. Patrick Williams.

• Tom Creswell, Director, Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab. 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award by National Plant Diagnostic Network.
• Marisa Erasmus, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences. Marisa received the received the National Turkey Federation Research Award through the Poultry Science Association (PSA). 
• Amanda Deering, Associate professor of Department of Food Science. Amanda is part of a group that received a $15 million grant from USAID for the project PERU-HUB. As a CO-PI, Amanda received just under $2 million to support her work in this project.
• Lais McCartney, Extension Educator/Hancock County. Lais received her Masters from Science, Technology, Leadership and Innovation with a Biometrics concentration from Purdue Polytechnic on May 16, 2022.

• Eva Haviarova, Professor and Extension Specialist at the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and Henry Quesada, ANR Program Leader, received a grant from the USDA program Wood Innovations to investigate the potential of using low value hardwoods for the manufacturing of school furniture
• Brian Bond, Professor and Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, and Chad Niman, Extension Specialist at the University of Kentucky, and Henry Quesada, ANR Program Leader at Purdue University, received a grant from the USDA program Wood Innovations to investigate the potential of economically producing structural grade hardwood lumber.

• Bryan Overstreet has been elected to vice president of the North American Manure Expo Board for 2023.
• Elkhart County was recognized recently by the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau for 15 years of service in support of the Elkhart County Quilt Gardens. Two awards were given: one to the Michiana Master Gardeners Association, and one to the Purdue Extension Office. Jeff Burbrink, Purdue Extension ANR, has provided training for the garden workers and coordinators on many topics including soil fertility, disease management, insect control and design of the gardens, as well as troubleshooting during the growing season.
• The National AgrAbility Project awarded Paul Jones and Dr. Bill Field two Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers: AgrAbility Virtual State Fair (in the High Impact Extension Methods category); AgrAbility: Restoring Hope, Renewing Productivity with Doug VerHoeven (in the Electronic Delivery category)
• Gary Steinhardt received the Honorary Master Farmer Award from Indiana Prairie Farmer and Purdue College of Agriculture.
• Henry Quesada, ANR Program Leader, just transitioned from President-Elect to President of the Society of Wood Science and Technology for the 2022-2023 period.
• Agronomy Grad Student: Riley Seavers along with Dan Quinn and Shalamar Armstrong received a North Central Region SARE graduate student grant this month which will provide funding toward Riley’s corn and rye cover crop field research trials.
• Amanda Dickson, International Extension Specialist, was elected Chairperson for the Globalizing Extension Innovation Network (GEIN).

• Dr. Kathryn Orvis, Dr. Theoneste Nzaranyimana, Nathan Shoaf, Nick Schwaberow, and Aster Bekele have been awarded a USDA-SARE grant titled "Providing minority youth entrepreneurship training to increase employment and food access." The total awarded amount is $256,1116.
• Darcy Telenko, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialists in the Botany and Plant Pathology Department, has received funding for her Extension efforts to encourage on-farm testing of Soybean Cyst Nematado (SCN) for the last couple of years. The SCN Coalition recently won a Silver Anvil award (Public Relations Society of America) early this summer.
• Rod Williams and Nick Burgmeier have a project Farmers Helping Hellbenders which has been funded with a $2.7 million grant from USDA.
• Rebekah Barger just became a County Extension Director in Jennings County

• Dr. Songlin Fei, Professor in the Forestry and Natural Resources Department and Dean’s Chair of Remote Sensing, and his group just received funding through the USDA Smart-Climate Commodities grant as partner of the American Forest Foundation. The total amount is $35 million for this grant and the portion for Dr. Fei’s group is $12 million.

• Phillip Cox, ANR Educator in Vermillion County, received the Ouabache Land Conservancy’s Marion T. Jackson Conservationist of the Year award at the OLC Annual Celebration on September 15.
• Rebekah Barger, ANR Educator in Jennings County, became CED in Jennings County. She started on September 1 in this new role.
• John Woodmansee, ANR Educator in Whitley County, was recently elected to president of Epsilon Sigma Phi in Indiana (Alpha Lambda Chapter), the Extension Professionals’ Association.
• Gina Anders, ANR Educators, just received the Achievement Award from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents. The award was presented during the 2022 Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. Gina was one of several honorees who represent the top one percent of the membership selected by their peers. Many of the programs Gina does focus on home horticulture questions, pollinators, and beekeeping. She serves on the Purdue Extension Master Gardener Advisory Committee as well as the Indiana Master Naturalist Advisory Council.

• Robby Kelly, 4-H/ANR Educator, and Stehele Greybar, 4-H Educator, both working in Elkhart County, have recently received the National Team Periodical Publication Award. The team was honored at the National Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals Meeting.
• Eva Haviarova, Professor and Extension Specialist at the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, is part of a Purdue team led by Tian Li, Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, that has been awarded a ARPA-E grant for $958,000 to develop transformational living wood with the strength of steel, self-healing capabilities, and combined carbon-sequestering benefits from wood and microbes.
• The Youth Summer Nature Series: Warrick County Conservation Crusaders won the state District Showcase Award from the Indiana Association of Soil and Water District. This is a joint program between Purdue Extension and the SWCD.
• Jon Charlesworth, ANR Educator in Benton and Warren Counties, traveled with fellow members of the Big Pine Creek Watershed Group to the Indiana Statehouse where they met with Governor Holcomb and received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. This is Indiana’s highest environmental recognition and is reserved for the most innovative, sustainable, and exemplary projects that positively impact Indiana’s environment and demonstrate measurable environmental, economic, and social benefits.
• The 2022 Midwest Vegetable Production Guide website, book and online app, received a national award from the American Society of Horticultural Science in the multimedia category of the Extension Division 2022 Educational Materials Awards. Lead editors: Purdue Extension Specialists Dan Egel, Laura Ingwell, Liz Maynard, and Stephen Meyers. Additional contributors from Purdue: John Bonkowski, Tom Creswell, Amanda Deering, Rick Foster, Wenjing Guan, Elizabeth Long, Scott Monroe, and Ed White.

• Help the Hellbender team, led by Rod Williams, professor of wildlife science, has been honored by the Hoosier Outdoor Writers group with its 2022 Bayou Bill Conservation Award.
• The Midwest Cover Crops Council won the 2022 Educational Outreach Material Award for Short Publication at the American Society of Agronomy conference. This award is for the MCCC series of Cover Crop Recipe publications, intended to provide a starting point for farmers who are new to growing cover crops. Purdue collaborators involved with Indiana recipes include Eileen Kladivko, Shalamar Armstrong, Bill Johnson, Keith Johnson, Dan Quinn, and Ana Morrow.  
• Amanda Deering, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Food Science, has received the Leadership in Action Aware from the Butler Center.
• The Purdue Extension Succession Planning Team has been selected for the 2022 Purdue Agriculture TEAM Award.
• Dr. Christian Butzke has been recognized with the North Central Region Excellence in Extension Award for an individual for his exceptional Extension leadership serving the wine industry.

• Sarah Hanson, ANR Educator in Johnson Co., and Jarred Brooke, Extension Specialist in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources were selected along with Tanya Hall, Kyli Penrod, Christie Jacob, and Cindy Barber for the National Extension Leadership Development (NELD) program in 2023.
• Timothy Gibb received the Lifetime Achievement Award from IPLLA (Indiana Professional Lawn and Landscape Association.)
• Renee Wiatt received the PUCESA’s Early Career Award during the Professional Development Conference
• Tom Creswell received the PUCESA’s Leadership Award

• Veronica Bullock, Franklin County ANR Educator, has been selected as an awardee of the 2022 Team Unsung Diversity Hero! Award. This award recognizes accomplishments in the field and contributions in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Dr. Keith Johnson was recognized as the Allen Award of Illumination awardee from the American Forage and Grassland Council. This award recognizes those who through innovative approaches, have illuminated in others a greater depth of understanding and appreciation for the many values that forages and grasslands provide to mankind.
• Darcy Telenko, Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, received the 2022 Eric G. Sharvelle Distinguished Extension Specialist Award.
• North Central Integrated Pest Management Center Working Group proposal by the North Central Great Lakes Urban Agriculture IPM, has been awarded $19,945 under the USDA-NIFA prime award 2022-70006-38001. Laura Ingwell, Rebecca Koetz, Nathan Shoaf, and Brooke Alford are the members of the team representing Purdue Extension.
• Purdue Extension Succession Planning Team has been awarded the Purdue Agriculture 2022 TEAM award by the College of Agriculture. The members of the team are: Heather Caldwell, Linda Curley, Miranda Edge, Ed Farris, Kelly Heckaman, Nicholas Held, Michael Langemeier, Maria Marshall, Jenna Nees, Jeff Pell, Krista Pullen, Denise Schroeder, Kyle Weaver, and Renee Wiatt.

• Outstanding Producer Award is given to individuals or farms that show great work in managing their forages to best suit their livestock needs. This year’s award goes to Aaron and Danielle Walker (ANR Educator, Washington County) of Salem, IN for their pasture improvement and management of their sheep flock.

• The Maurice E. Health Award is given to recognize those whose contributions to soil conservation and/or forage research and educational endeavors. This year’s recipient is Past-President Elysia Rodgers, ANR Educator in DeKalb County, for her endeavors in promoting the forage industry through educational efforts.
• Help the Hellbender Extension program received two awards. The program is led by Nick Burgmeier, Researcher and Wildlife Specialist and Rod Williams, Professor and Extension Specialists.

• Budd Denneman Partners in Conservation Excellence Award, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife
• Friends of Conservation Award, Washington County Soil and Water

• Brooke Jared was part of a team that won the Gold Award for Podcasts from ANREP. Megan Gunn from FNR and Mitch Zischke (former FNR Specialist) were also on the team.
• CWC Becky Marvel and Veronika Bullock received the $1,500 Growing Together Grant for the Franklin County Community Gardens.
• Dr. Keith Johnson was awarded the American Forage & Grassland Council 2023 Allen Illumination Award.

• Jeff Hermesch, ANR Educator in Dearborn County, was awarded the Dearborn County SWCD Friend of Conservation award.
• Purdue Extension Annual Impact Report received the bronze award in the printed annual report category from the American Advertising Federation of North Central Indiana. Agricultural Communication team members were: Abby Leeds, Jessica Kerkhoff, Nancy Alexander, Jillian Ellison, and Ashvini Malshe.
• Purdue Apple Crunch Team: PK-12 Team Impact Engagement Award - Laura Dodds, Kristen Fitzgerald, Corinne Chatterton, Dr. Peter Hirst, Dr. Perry Kirkham, Dr. Kathryn Orvis