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Purdue assistant ag dean to keynote Century of Extension
The Putnam County Extension Advisory Council invites all residents to its annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. The meal will be a smoked pork chop dinner with desserts prepared by the ladies of the Extension Board.
Jason Henderson, associate dean in the College of Agriculture and director of Purdue Extension, will be the featured speaker for the evening.
A celebration and recognition of Extension staff past and presently living in Putnam County will honored. Extension is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 that established Extension nationally at land grant universities.
In his role, Henderson leads the statewide public engagement and research-based education in Agricultural and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development, Health and Human Sciences, and Economic and Community Development.
As assistant vice president for engagement, Henderson provides leadership in university-wide initiatives designed to connect Purdue expertise and resources to statewide needs and forming effective partnerships to grow the state economy and improve the quality of life for Indiana residents.
Prior to being named director of extension, Henderson served as vice president and Omaha branch executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In that role, he served as the bank's regional economist and representative in the state of Nebraska, and briefed the Kansas City Fed's president -- a member of the Federal Open Market Committee -- on economic and business activity in the state.
In addition, he led several Federal Reserve efforts to track agricultural and rural economies, including the quarterly publication of the 10th District Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions and the Federal Reserve System's Agricultural Finance Databook. He also managed the Main Street Economist, a bi-monthly publication covering economic issues affecting rural areas, and the Nebraska Economist, a quarterly publication providing insights into the Nebraska economy. Previously, he served as economist and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
A nationally recognized expert in agricultural and rural issues, Henderson has published more than 60 research articles in academic and Federal Reserve publications on topics such as land values, entrepreneurship, demographics, the growth of knowledge-based activity in rural America, the use of electronic commerce in agricultural industries, and the growth of value-added food manufacturing activity.
A short business meeting will also occur for Extension Board elections. Kerry Williams and John Scamahorn comprise the Nominating Committee and anyone interested in running for the Extension Board is encouraged to call the Extension office 653-8411 and ask for Mark Evans for more information.
An RSVP by noon Monday, Oct. 27 is asked so an accurate meal count may be obtained. Tickets are available from any Extension Board member or the Purdue Extension Putnam County Office. The Extension Office is located at 12 Central Square (street address 152 E. Columbia St.) in the Pershing Accounting and PNC Bank Building.
Co-Alliance LLP, Farm Credit Services, Hendricks Power Cooperative, Parke County REMC, Poet Biofuels, Teacher's Credit Union and Tri-County Bank & Trust are sponsoring the annual event.