Business

USDA Sec. Perdue Implores FFA Members To Be 'Advocates For Truth'

By Nick Janzen • Oct 26, 2017
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue addresses reporters Wednesday flanked by FFA members. (Nick Janzen/IPB News)

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue stressed the importance of agricultural education and the need for more young people to get involved in agriculture policy.

“These young people are the ones I will exhort and implore to communicate and be aggressive advocates for truth,” he said.

FFA member Tess Seibel, from Virginia, agreed with Perdue. She says misconceptions around the food production process is one of the biggest challenges facing farmers today.

Jeffersonville Port Invests In Infrastructure, Seeks New Tenants

By Annie Ropeik • Oct 26, 2017
The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville is a manufacturing and distribution hub for trains, trucks and barges on the Ohio River. (Annie Ropeik/IPB News)

The first stop in our series on the Ports of Indiana was Burns Harbor, an international maritime facility in the heart of steel country. Four hours down Interstate 65, the Port of Jeffersonville is less a port and more a manufacturing hub that happens to be on the Ohio River.

For the next part of our series, Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Annie Ropeik reports Jeffersonville is pushing ahead with expansions to cement its place in the Midwest industrial corridor.

Hoosier Farmers Toil As Corn Harvest Drags On

By Annie Ropeik • Oct 24, 2017
A Mann family farmer dumps freshly harvested corn kernels from a hopper truck into underground conveyor belts that feed storage bins at White Oak Farms in Cloverdale. (Annie Ropeik/IPB News)

Indiana grain farmers are hustling to keep up with harvest as fall progresses.

The soybean crop is on pace with the five-year average as of this week, according to the USDA. But corn is less than half harvested, which is well below average for this time of year.

That’s put large operations like White Oak Farms in Putnam County under the gun to get their corn out of the field before it spoils.

Unemployment Rate Makes Biggest Two-Month Jump Since Recession

By Brandon Smith • Oct 20, 2017
The rise in the Indiana unemployment rate over the last two months is the biggest jump since the recession. (Lauren Chapman/IPB News)

Indiana’s unemployment rate increased to 3.8 percent in September, its highest level in six months. And the rise in the unemployment rate over the last two months is the biggest jump since the recession.

The unemployment rate jumped 0.3 percent last month, up from 3.5 percent. That’s after a 0.4 percent increase in August. The state hasn’t seen a two-month increase that big since April of 2009.

Workers' Compensation Rates Likely To Keep Dropping In 2018

By Annie Ropeik • Oct 19, 2017
A worker controls a steel coil in a Northwest Indiana factory, near an open pit protected by a fence. (Annie Ropeik/IPB News)

Indiana’s recommended rates for workers compensation insurance will continue a multi-year decline in 2018. Officials say the nearly 13 percent drop in their benchmark rate for insurers is due to fewer workers’ comp claims and on-the-job injuries.

Indiana companies have to carry workers’ comp insurance to cover medical bills and lost wages for employees who get hurt on the job. But different jobs have different risks – you’re more likely to get hurt at a factory than behind a desk.

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