WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As rain-soaked soils begin to dry in Indiana, farmers with soybean acreage left to plant should now be planting mid-season soybean varieties, said a Purdue University expert.

“In general, total rainfall across the southern third of the state is running as much as 10 to 15 inches above normal for the year with extensive flooding,” said Purdue agronomist Ellsworth Christmas. “Soybean planting has obviously been delayed and has now been delayed long enough for farmers to consider changing maturity groups.”

But because mid-season soybean varieties tend to yield lower than full-season varieties, Christmas suggests planting a few extra.

“Seeding rates should be increased by 15 to 20 percent to promote shading, taller plants, and increased pod height and number of nodes per acre,” he said. “This will help offset the reduced yields caused by delayed planting.”

Planting later than normal does mean that farmers will be harvesting crops a little bit later, but Christmas said harvest shouldn’t be delayed the same amount of time as planting.

“Unlike corn, which requires a certain number of growing degree days to mature, soybeans are more sensitive to day length,” he said. “As the day length shortens later in the growing season, soybean maturity speeds up. In general, for each three days planting is delayed, harvest is delayed only one day.”

While there is still time for farmers to get their soybeans into the ground, Christmas warned that there does come a point when late becomes too late.

“A commonly used rule of thumb to stop planting soybeans is 90 days prior to the first 32 degree frost for a given area within the state,” Christmas said. “This means that the cutoff date for the Bluffton area in northeastern Indiana is June 30, while in the Lafayette area it is July 5. Soybean planting should cease in most of the southern half of Indiana by July 10, except for the southwest corner, where planting can occur up until July 15.”

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas L. Friedman, the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, will speak at Purdue University on Sept. 19 about his upcoming book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America.”

Thomas Friedman

Friedman, whose talk will begin at 7 p.m. in the Elliot Hall of Music, has reported on the current Middle East conflicts, the end of the Cold War, U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy, international economics, and the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat. The College of Engineering – including its Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Global Engineering Program, and School of Mechanical Engineering – has partnered with the Center for the Environment, Energy Center, Office of the Provost and Purdue Climate Change Research Center in sponsoring his speech and related activities that week.

The speech is free and open to the public, but tickets are required in order to reserve a seat. Tickets can be picked up at the Elliott Hall of Music after Aug. 25.

“Tom Friedman has won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work with the New York Times and is one of our country’s foremost journalists on energy and how that has affected our foreign policy,” said event organizer E. Dan Hirleman, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering. “He is one of the world’s preeminent commentators on international affairs.”

In 2005 Friedman’s book “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century” was an international bestseller and given the first Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and Friedman was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S.News & World Report.

His book “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” was one of the best-selling books in 1999 and winner of the 2000 Overseas Press Club Award for the best nonfiction book on foreign policy. It’s now available in 20 languages. Friedman’s 2002 book “Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11″ consists of columns Friedman wrote about Sept. 11, as well as a diary of his private experiences and reflections during his reporting on the post-September world as he traveled in 2005 from Afghanistan to Israel, Europe, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Friedman is author of “From Beirut to Jerusalem,” which won both the National Book Award and the Overseas Press Club Award in 1989 and was on the New York Times’ bestseller list for nearly a year. It is now used as a basic textbook on the Middle East in many high schools and universities and has been published in 27 languages.

Friedman graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University with a bachelor’s degree in Mediterranean studies and received a master’s degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford University. He has served as a visiting professor at Harvard University and has been awarded honorary degrees from several U.S. universities. He lives in Bethesda, Md., with his wife Ann and their two daughters.

The College of Engineering serves more than 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students with a wide range of academic programs and interdisciplinary projects, including many related to environment, energy and global issues. The Center for the Environment, Energy Center and Purdue Climate Change Research Center coordinate campuswide activities involving the colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Science, Technology and the Krannert School of Management.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Alumni Association board of directors has selected new regional directors.

Teresa Fay, Larry E. Marks, Jeff Webster and James Brooks will serve two-year terms as regional alumni directors in different parts of the country. They will represent the interests of Purdue Alumni Association members who reside in the respective areas.

Fay, of Sammamish, Wash., will direct Region 16, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Fay is an independent contractor with Baby’s Away Inc., an equipment rental company. A 1981 Purdue graduate, she currently serves as president of the Purdue Club of Puget Sound, Wash.

Marks, of Poquoson, Va., will direct Region 10, which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

A 1974 graduate, Marks is a senior operations analyst for Lockheed Martin in Hampton, Va. He is president of the Purdue Club of Hampton Roads and participates in Purdue Alumni Recruiting for Tomorrow (PART), a network of volunteers that represents Purdue at college fairs across the country. In addition to his Purdue alumni club activities, Marks is a member of the Air Force Association and Order of Daedalians Military Pilot Fraternity.

Webster, of Pendleton, Ind., will direct Region 4, which includes the following Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Grant, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jay, Madison, Miami, Randolph, Tipton, Union, Wabash, Wayne, Wells and Whitley.

A 1976 graduate, Webster is a teacher and administrator at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility. He serves as president of the Purdue Club of Anderson and Madison County.

Brooks, of Ramrod Key, Fla., will direct Region 12, which includes Florida and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Brooks is a public affairs officer at the Naval Air Station in Key West, Fla. A 1984 graduate, he has been a member of both the Purdue Club of Washington, D.C., and the Purdue Club of South Florida.

In addition to his Purdue alumni club activities, Brooks is a member of the Rotary Club of Key West, the Key West Ambassador Club, the Public Relations Society of America, the U.S. Navy League and the Military Officers Association of America.

The Purdue Alumni Association, an independent organization that serves as a gateway for alumni and friends to build relationships with each other and Purdue, is the ninth largest society of its kind in the United States.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — More than 220 applications have been completed for the inaugural Indiana Companies to Watch awards program, which seeks to recognize the state’s 50 most promising second-stage companies this summer.

Purdue University is collaborating with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. through its Small Business Development Centers and the Edward Lowe Foundation for the 2008 program.

“Indiana Companies to Watch will celebrate high-performing, second-stage companies from all across the state,” said Sam Cordes, associate vice provost for engagement and co-director for Purdue’s Center for Regional Development in Discovery Park’s Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. “Known for their performance in the marketplace, innovative products, unique processes and other special strengths, these nominated companies represent a wide range of industries and a key segment of what makes Indiana’s economy globally competitive and strong.”

More than 420 nominations were received from companies in 66 Indiana counties by the April 25 deadline. Nominees and those applying directly had until May 9 to complete the initial application. The 133 finalists were selected in late May from the 222 completed applications.

Finalists completed a second-round application and are being reviewed by a panel of judges selected by Purdue, the IEDC and the Edward Lowe Foundation. The 2008 class of Indiana Companies to Watch will be recognized Aug. 27 during a banquet at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.

“Awardees are chosen based on past growth and projected success, special strengths centered on innovative products and business practices, special use of technology, and work within their local communities,” said Gary Hentschel, president of KeyBank of Central Indiana. “These companies are making a significant impact on Indiana’s economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars of revenue.”

The top sponsor for the inaugural program is KeyBank of Indiana, along with Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Katz, Sapper & Miller. Other sponsors include Duke Energy Corp., Premier Capital Corp., Stuart & Branigin LLP, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Vectren Corp., Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Indiana Business Magazine, and media partner Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick.

“The response to this inaugural effort from all regions of the state has been outstanding,” said Jeff Heinzmann, director of the Indiana Small Business Development Centers. “The impressive list of applicants represents Indiana’s future economic growth in the life sciences, manufacturing, services and other sectors. We have a terrific story to tell about the dynamic future of Indiana’s economy and the essential role that second-stage companies play in building such an economy.”

Edward Lowe Foundation, based in Cassopolis, Mich., conducts research, educational and recognition programs for entrepreneurs and entrepreneur support organizations, with a focus on second-stage companies. Similar recognition programs are under way in Michigan and Arizona.

“Indiana has really raised the bar on the number of nominations and applications submitted from around the state,” said Penny Lewandowski, the foundation’s director of entrepreneurship. “This is concrete proof of the excitement that is being created statewide for their inaugural Companies to Watch program.”

To be eligible, companies must be based in Indiana, privately held, advanced beyond the start-up phase, employ six to 150 full-time employees, including the owner, and have $750,000 to $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place from investors or grants. For more information, go to http://Indiana.CompaniesToWatch.org.

The Purdue team supporting the program includes representatives from the Center for Regional Development and the Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, the College of Agriculture, Krannert School of Management, Purdue Alumni Association, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and Purdue Research Park.

The Indiana Small Business Development Centers offer free and low-cost information, management counseling and educational services to support the state’s small-business owners and potential entrepreneurs, boosting economic development and creating jobs within the state.

Edward Lowe, the inventor of Kitty Litter, and his wife Darlene established the Edward Lowe Foundation in 1985. They envisioned an organization that would leverage entrepreneurship as a strategy for economic growth and community development.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute at the Center for the Environment will offer free workshops to teach Indiana businesses ways to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

The workshops are offered through a program funded by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The workshops, offered June 25 through Aug. 6 at locations throughout the state, focus on Lean and Clean manufacturing methods. More information including locations is available online at https://engineering.purdue.edu/CMTI or by calling (765) 463-4749.

“Lean manufacturing methods remove waste, including wasted time, motion and raw materials,” said Lynn A. Corson, director of Purdue’s Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute. “Clean manufacturing methods also improve cost and efficiency, but add the examination of environmental impact. These workshops will help businesses save money and the environment.”

Members of the Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute have helped facilities throughout Indiana with pollution prevention assistance since 1994, environmental management system services to businesses and governments since 2001 and energy audits since 2006. The institute pulls from Purdue’s strengths in engineering, science and business.

Companies participating in the workshop will be eligible for a free one-day Lean and Clean assessment at their facility. Ten facilities will be selected to receive three days of in-depth technical assistance.

Ann Piechota, environmental specialist for the Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute, said manufacturers have been evaluating ways to reduce energy use due to the increasing utility prices.

“Because of the current energy situation there is a great deal of interest in re-evaluating the way a company operates to find ways to reduce consumption,” she said. “The increasing costs of electricity and natural gas have had a significant impact on manufacturers.”

Companies that have worked with CMTI in the past to improve production methods are interested in revisiting proposed ideas and exploring new methods to reduce waste and improve efficiency, Piechota said.

“This is an opportunity for improvement,” she said. “Many companies have examined their process from a Lean perspective and this is a chance to take the next step toward optimal performance by focusing on environmental wastes using the Clean methods.”

The concepts of Lean manufacturing focus on the use of manpower, raw materials and time, while Clean manufacturing adds “green” parameters into the cost-benefit analysis. Clean manufacturing methods take into account factors such as the use of water, electricity or hazardous materials, time and costs needed to manage them to comply with the regulations, Piechota said.

“Some of the solutions involve engineering, some use cutting-edge technologies, but some solutions are really simple,” she said. “It is a different way of evaluating a problem and framing a solution. For example, instead of putting resources into building bigger pretreatment operations for wastewater, a company could use the resources to implement practices that reduce the wastewater produced. Some could be easy such as shutting a valve off, or adding a filter to make water last longer, and some could be more complex.”

Clean manufacturing offers a rational basis for choosing the most cost-effective methods of reduction of environmental impact at each step in a process. The methods identify key elements of the processes that use or generate materials harmful to the environment, waste raw materials or produce significant hazardous waste.

In addition, steps are identified that pose significant occupational health risks to workers, require raw materials that are environmentally undesirable to manufacture, and use large quantities of raw materials or energy.

“The idea is to change a process and go beyond just the substitution of a material,” she said. “Environmentally-friendly practices intrinsically focus on materials and energy, and these save money and time. It all overlaps with efficiency.”

In addition to expert advice, the Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute maintains a coating applications research laboratory for examination of different surface coatings, curing equipment and ovens.

“If a company wants to try a new, less toxic paint, they can’t shut a production line down,” Piechota said. “We run tests for them to see if a new material meets their needs. In the lab we are able to mimic the conditions of a particular manufacturing facility.”

The Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute was formerly the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute.