Purdue Prof gets $1M for Rapid Test for African Swine Fever

Mar 08, 2022

A Purdue University researcher has landed a $1 million grant to boost his work on a rapid test for detecting African swine fever.

The funding for Mohit Verma, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, was included in the U.S. Farm Bill to help enhance the nation’s ability to develop rapid tests for high-consequence diseases, the Journal & Courier reported.

Verma is collaborating with two other Purdue researchers to develop a portable paper-strip test for African swine fever, which he calls “a devastating disease.”

Verma said that when an outbreak of African swine fever hit farms in China a few years ago “it wiped out 50% of the country’s pig population."

Developing a rapid test that can be done in the field for the virus that causes the fever is important because “hours, even minutes, matter in containing it,” he said.

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Video: Brand New Fendt Vario & Momentum 31... German Engineering Is Here!!

Planting Season Wrap-Up with a Fendt Demo!

we kick things off with a brand-new Fendt tractor and planter sitting in our shop! While we’ve had some experience running a Fendt tractor a few years ago, this is our first time ever running a Fendt planter. We were given the opportunity to demo both the tractor and planter, and we put them to work during the final stretch of our 2026 soybean planting season.

To see how the Fendt setup compares, we also ran it side-by-side with our own planting rig: a Case IH 470 Quadtrac pulling our Case IH 1240 planter. It’s a great chance to compare two different planting setups and see how they perform in the field.

By the end of the video, we officially finish soybean planting for 2026! While planting season may be wrapped up, there’s still plenty of farming content coming your way, so stay tuned for future videos.

My name is Michael Wendling, and I am proud to be a 6th-generation farmer carrying forward a family legacy that began in 1879 here in East Central Illinois.

Today, our operation focuses on raising food-grade corn for Frito-Lay and also soybeans. While the tools and technology have evolved, our core values remain the same: hard work, integrity, and a deep respect for the land we steward. Thank you for following along and supporting the journey.