Purdue’s fruit and vegetable Extension team members are following Governor Holcomb’s Stay-at-Home Order and Purdue University policies to slow the spread of COVID-19. Extension is considered part of the critical industry of agriculture in Indiana and so specialists and educators continue to work. Most of us are working from home.
There are lots of ways to stay in touch. In addition to those listed below, Purdue Extension educators in counties across Indiana are at work and ready to help you get information you need. Find an office near you at this site: extension.purdue.edu/about#counties
Newsletters
- Vegetable Crops Hotline vegcropshotline.org
Sign up for email notification of new issues,and/or subscribe to a print version sent by U.S. mail - Facts for Fancy Fruit fff.hort.purdue.edu
Sign up for email notifications of new issues, and/or subscribe to a print version sent by U.S. mail
- Purdue Horticulture Extension
- Southwest Purdue Ag Center
- Purdue Diversified Farming and Food Systems
- Safe Produce Indiana
- Purdue Horticulture Business
- Purdue Fruit & Veg IPM
- Your County Extension Office – look for Purdue Extension [XXXCounty]
- @PurdueHortExt
- @SWPurdueAg
- @PurdueDFFS
- @SafeProduceIN
- @HortBizPurdue
- @nwch
Email Listservs
In addition to the email lists for Vegetable Crops Hotline and Facts for Fancy Fruit, Purdue Horticulture has two other listservs. They were set up to allow easy communication within the fruit and vegetable farming community in Indiana. Anyone who joins these listservs is permitted to send messages. Extension staff also use these lists to share information.
- Fruit and Vegetable mail list, currently about 143 members purdue.edu/hla/fruitveg/Pages/fvmaillist.aspx
- Winegrape mail list, , currently has about 250 members purdue.edu/hla/fruitveg/Pages/wgmaillist.aspx
Text Messages: Veggie Texts
To sign up for the veggie text program, please contact Dan Egel (below) or Barb Joyner (812-886-0198) with:
- Your mobile phone number.
- The name of your phone carrier. Common names of phone carriers include: AT&T; Verizon; T-Mobile, Sprint PCS; Virgin Mobile; US Cellular; Nextel; Boost; Alltel.
Alternatively, if you would rather receive the veggie text information via email, just contact us with your email address and we will add you to the list.
Individual Contacts (alphabetical by last name)
Name: Janna Beckerman
Email: janna@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 492-4628 (please leave a message)
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Disease management in fruit; greenhouse, nursery, landscape ornamentals
Name: Bruce Bordelon
Email: bordelon@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-8212 (will transfer to my cell phone)
Phone2: (765) 427-0209 (texts and calls)
URL: ag.purdue.edu/winegrapeteam
Twitter: @PurdueVineGuy
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Viticulture and small fruit (berry crops)
Name: Amanda Deering
Email: adeering@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-0512 (office, forwards to my cell phone)
Phone2: (765) 586-7544 (texts and calls)
URL: www.safeproducein.com
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Fresh produce food safety
Name: Dan Egel
Email: egel@purdue.edu
Phone1: (812) 886-0198 (office)
Phone2: (812) 890-2704 (mobile)
Physical location: Vincennes, IN
Expertise: Vegetable Diseases
Name: Betty Feng
Email: yhfeng@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-0331 (office, please leave a message)
Phone2: (530) 574-2267 (cell, text)
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Consumer Food Safety, Home-Based Vendor
Name: Wenjing Guan
Email: guan40@purdue.edu
Phone1: (812) 886-0198 (office, please leave a message)
Phone2: (352) 870-4696 (cell, text)
Twitter:@VeggieGuan
Physical location: Vincennes, IN
Expertise: Vegetable and strawberry production, general
Name: Peter Hirst
Email: hirst@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-1323 (office, please leave a message)
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Tree fruit
Name: Petrus Langenhoven
Email: plangenh@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 496-7955 (office, please leave a message)
Phone2: (765) 409-8620 (cell, text)
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Vegetable crop production in a controlled environment and the open field
Name: Laura Ingwell
Email: lingwell@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-6167 (Office, please leave a message)
Twitter: @Ingwell_vegIPM
Facebook: @PurdueFruitVegIPM
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Vegetable insect pest management, controlled environment pest management, biological control
Name: Elizabeth Long
Email: eylong@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 496-1918 (office, please leave a message)
Twitter: @DrEliLong
Facebook: @PurdueFruitVegIPM, @OhioGrapeIPM
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Insect management in field vegetable production, grapes, and tree fruit
Name: Liz Maynard
Email: emaynard@purdue.edu
Phone1: (219) 508-1644 (cell, text)
Phone2: (219) 508-1429 (cell, no texts)
Phone3: (219) 548-3674 (office, please leave a message)
Physical location: Valparaiso, IN
Expertise: Vegetable production, general
Stephen Meyers
Email: slmeyers@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 496-6540
Twitter: @stephenlmeyers
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Weed management in vegetable and fruit crops, and landscape nurseries
Name: Scott Monroe
Email: jsmonroe@purdue.edu
Phone1: (812) 888-7401 (office)
Phone2: (765) 427-9910 (cell)
Physical location: Vincennes, IN
Expertise: Produce Food Safety
Name: Michael O’Donnell
Email: modonnel@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 284-8414 (cell)
Physical location: Muncie, IN
Expertise: Organic crop production, diversified vegetable production, food safety
Name: Ariana Torres
Email: torres2@purdue.edu
Phone1: (765) 494-8781
Phone2: (765) 430-7585 (cell)
Physical location: West Lafayette, IN
Expertise: Marketing and Economics
We are adjusting to work in the new environment, doing what we normally do: responding to individual questions; writing newsletter articles, Extension bulletins, research papers, and grant proposals; planning and analyzing data from research projects. In addition, we are staying informed about COVID-19 and implications for fruit and vegetable farming in Indiana so that we can serve you. In-person events have been cancelled, but online educational programs are continuing and new ones are being added. We are still allowed to do on-farm visits if we follow social distancing guidance and if it is absolutely necessary.
At this time of year many of us would be beginning research in the field. Purdue has stopped all field and lab research that is not considered critical, and critical research may be conducted only if it is possible to abide by social distancing regulations. Among the fruit and vegetable team, some research may be continuing and some may not; a Purdue freeze on recruiting and hiring may prevent much research that relies on seasonal help.
All of us are committed to doing our part to stop COVID-19 while continuing to support fruit and vegetable farmers doing the important work of growing food and getting it to consumers.