Purdue Ag Week Serves Up Burgers and Vital Ag Education

Annual celebration brings students and industry together to learn, network, and have fun

Apr. 9, 2026 at 1:18am

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic hamburger patty repeated in a tight grid pattern, turning the everyday burger into modern pop art with flat, vibrant neon colors and heavy black outlines.Purdue's annual Ag Week celebration serves up more than just burgers, providing vital agricultural education and industry connections for the next generation.Miami Today

Each year, a team of Purdue students organize Ag Week on the West Lafayette campus, an annual celebration of agriculture that brings together students and industry professionals. On Wednesday, the annual Burger Bash was held on Purdue's Memorial Mall, where the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and Indiana Pork provided 1,900 burgers and interactive educational exhibits to teach students about different cuts of beef and pork production.

Why it matters

Ag Week at Purdue is an important event that helps bridge the gap between students and the agriculture industry, providing vital education about where our food comes from and how it is produced. As the number of Americans with direct ties to farming continues to decline, events like this become increasingly important to maintain agricultural literacy.

The details

At the Indiana Beef Cattle Association booth, students were able to interactively 'pin the brisket on the cow' by identifying different beef cuts and their origins on a cow diagram. Many students struggled with this, highlighting their lack of basic knowledge about beef production. Similarly, the Indiana Pork booth fielded questions from students who were surprised to learn that one of the booth representatives was an actual pork producer, challenging their preconceptions about farmers.

  • Purdue Ag Week takes place annually on the West Lafayette campus.
  • The Burger Bash event was held on Wednesday, April 9, 2026.

The players

Hannah Gee

Education and industry relations director for the Indiana Beef Cattle Association.

Jeanette Merritt

Director of communications for Indiana Pork and a pork producer from Miami County.

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What they’re saying

“This year we provided 1,900 burgers for this event to be handed out to students and while we're here at the Expo, we get to interact with all of them who come through to get their burgers.”

— Hannah Gee, Education and industry relations director, Indiana Beef Cattle Association

“They've asked me, 'What's your tie to pork?' So, when I tell them I actually do raise pigs, they're completely blown away by that, partly because I don't think that's what they picture a farmer to be.”

— Jeanette Merritt, Director of communications, Indiana Pork

The takeaway

Purdue's annual Ag Week celebration serves as an important educational platform, helping to bridge the growing divide between students and the realities of modern agriculture. By providing hands-on learning opportunities and direct interaction with industry professionals, the event helps foster agricultural literacy and challenge misconceptions about farming.