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Ethanol Takes A Hit Amid Falling Oil Prices
A plant in Plainview, Neb., announced a temporary shutdown this week, and other ethanol companies have put plans to build new plants on hold. Chris Hurt, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University, attributes the downturn in the formerly booming ethanol industry to excess capacity and low fuel prices.

Gluten-Free Child’s Play
A professor at Purdue University mentioned that she couldn’t drink beer because of intolerance to wheat gluten. So Sawyer Sparks and two other students in the agricultural economics program there started experimenting in their off-hours to see if they could make a gluten-free beer. The result didn’t look anything like beer (link to website). “It looks like Play-Doh!” one of them said. But Play-Doh, that squishy staple of preschool years, can be a problem for children who are intolerant to wheat.

Economist: 'Blending wall' stands in way of ethanol growth
Ethanol production opened the door to the renewable fuels industry. The industry now must get past an imposing wall of federal regulations and market conditions if it hopes to grow, said a Purdue University agricultural economist.

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