Professor Hurt joined the department in 1981. He teaches an undergraduate course in livestock and meat marketing. Professor Hurt's areas of specialty include examination of family farm market problems, pricing strategies, and livestock futures market problems, pricing strategies, and livestock futures market performance.

In extension education, he provides analysis for participation in government programs, teaches marketing principles and alternatives, evaluates the livestock industry structure, and provides price analysis and outlook of live cattle and live hogs. Recently he has examined the factors influencing the structural changes in the pork industry, and evaluated the adoption of new technologies in moderate size midwestern farms.

Professor Hurt helps coordinate a fee-based market newsletter and report service published jointly with the University of Illinois. He serves as editor of the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report. Professor Hurt has received the USDA Superior Service Group Award, an American Agricultural Economics Group award, as well as two Indiana Extension Service Awards.