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Gold Sponsors
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2011 IPDP Board
of Directors
 | | Indiana Professional Dairy Producers |
IPDP Executive Board
Executive Director
Doug Leman
317-695-8228
President
LuAnn Troxel
Hanna
219-508-3433
Vice President
Ron Fuhrmann
Hoagland
260-438-4940
Secretary
Kelly Heckaman
Kosciusko
574-527-3445
Treasurer
Mike Schutz
765- 494-9478
Dave Forgey
Logansport
574-652-2461
Click on a name above to email an Executive Board Member
Board Members
Joe Hibshman
Syracuse
Sarah Wagler
Morgantown
Ben Rothert
Seymour
Henk Sevenhuysen
Goodland
Steve Obert Fort Branch Brian Huber St. Paul Industry Liz Kelsay ICMC/ISA J.J. Degan
Cargill Animal Nutrition
Dr. Ken McGuffey
McGuffey Dairy Consulting Todd Janzen, JD PSRB, LLP Tamilee Nennich Ph.D.
Purdue University
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Tell Your Farm Story and enter Dairy Photo Contest
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Boeringer-Ingelheim, IPDP Gold Sponsor, is helping dairy farmers tell their stories. The Dairy Life Photo Contest was created to celebrate the family dairy operation, and your participation will help them do just that.
To participate, here's what you need to do:
- Submit a photo that illustrates life on your dairy farm.
- Write 200 words or less about your operation and the photo you are submitting. You don't have to write poetry, but spend a little time thinking about the words you'd like to accompany your photo. Although your photo is most important, judges will also take the accompanying story into account.
- Entries are limited to one per family dairy operation.
- Entrants must agree to allow their photos and stories to be used as stated in the official rules.
- Photo contest submission deadline is May 31, 2011.
For complete details, click here.
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Click on the Archive button to access previous issues of our E-Updates and important information for your dairy operation, industry issues and trends.
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Support IPDP
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We appreciate our industry supporters. They make it possible for IPDP to support the dairy industry in many ways. If your organization would like to be a corporate sponsor of IPDP, download an information sheet here.
Individual membership in IPDP is $20. Encourage your dairy farming friends to join IPDP! Also, anyone who is not a dairy producer but would still like to support IPDP can join as an associate member. Download a membership/associate brochure here.
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Greetings!
I would like to welcome you and thank you for spending some time reading the IPDP e-update. This is our way of getting information out to our members and supporters. I started my new position as Executive Director on April 1, and as I learn my new role I would welcome any input or ideas on how we can help to strengthen the great dairy industry in Indiana. My initial goal is to build up our membership of dairy farmers and companies serving our farms. If you know someone who is not yet a member, please give them some encouragement to become part of this growing organization. I am really looking forward to meeting many of you on your farm, at your business, or at various meetings around the state. My cell phone is (317) 695-8228 and my e-mail is dougleman@indianadairy.org. I look forward to hearing from you! Also as you become very busy this spring, take a little extra time and please be careful--your family needs you!
Doug Leman
IPDP Executive Director
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| IPDP Welcomes New Silver Sponsor |  | |
IPDP is very excited to welcome a new dairy co-operative to our Silver Sponsor list. Now over 700 farms strong, Prairie Farms is recognized throughout the Midwest for its array of superior dairy products and exceptional service. From their beginning in 1938, Prairie Farms Dairy has always kept a few bedrock principles in mind: quality, reliability, and faithfulness to their customers and consumers. Visit their website by clicking the logo above, or just visit www.prairiefarms.com.
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Dairy Policy Meetings Provide Information, Education
Informational meetings on dairy policy were held on March 25th and 26th in Columbus and Goshen.
 | | Chuck Courtade and Doug Leman in Goshen |
The subject of dairy policy is complicated and polarizing at times. Every major milk cooperative has endorsed National Milk Producers Federation plan, Foundation For The Future. Although the details of this plan are still being finalized, and the legislative version of the plan is not yet available, extensive work has been done to bring a coalition of dairy interests together to present a workable and winnable solution to dairy volatility that could be approved either before or in the 2012 Farm Bill. A good resource for keeping up with this plan can be found by visiting FutureForDairy.com.
Other organizations are challenging certain parts of the NMPF plan. One of these organizations is Dairy Policy Action Coalition. They are in favor of reducing the four current milk classes to two, which the NMPF plan does, but they don't completely agree on how that is accomplished. They also have some differences on market stabilization strategies and strongly support daily electronic price reporting of dairy products and development of a viable export market. Read more
View the Farmer's Exchange article on the meeting here.
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Milk Policy Info Given to Federal Legislators
 A representative from Congressman Joe Donnelly's office attended the IPDP Dairy Policy meeting in Goshen last week. When we asked where they get their policy information, they indicated that they received a white paper on dairy policy from the Congressional Research Service (click on their logo above to view the CRS website). We thought some of our IPDP members might be interested in seeing that white paper. To read or download "Previewing Dairy Policy Options for the Next Farm Bill" by Dennis Shields at the Congressional Research Service, click here.
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Promotion Checkoff Will Finally Be Applied to Dairy Product Imports
 After many years of delay, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is poised to finally apply the long-delayed promotion checkoff on dairy imports, a development hailed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). NMPF first worked with Congress to include a provision in the 2002 Farm Bill to expand the promotion checkoff to imports, but the expansion was blocked due to objections that the domestic checkoff was not applied to farmers in all 50 states, only the continental 48. So, NMPF again worked with Congress as it wrote the 2008 Farm Bill to ensure that the checkoff was applied in every state. However, implementation of the measure has languished for the past three years in regulatory limbo - until now. On March 18, a final rule was released by USDA. It will extend the checkoff to all 50 states and Puerto Rico as of April 1st, and starting on August 1st, it assesses the equivalent of 7.5 cents per hundredweight on all dairy-based imports, including cheese and butter products, as well as dry ingredients such as casein and milk protein concentrates. Read the full article here.
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Dairy Youth Conference to be held April 9th in Boone County
Indiana youth involved in the dairy industry have the opportunity to learn more about the animals and their products and to brush up on their showmanship skills at Purdue Extension's 2011 Indiana Dairy Youth Conference. "The youth should be ready for a conference filled with activities related to dairy foods, marketing, flip video, showmanship, fitting and more," said Kelly Heckaman, Purdue Extension educator in Kosciusko County. "Everyone will get to practice with live heifers for showmanship, too." The conference will take place on Saturday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1300 E. 100 S., Lebanon. Full conference details, registration information, and an application for Dairy Ambassador can be found here.
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Good Educational Opportunities at Indiana Milk Quality Conference and Tri State Dairy Nutrition Conference
This month, there are two Fort Wayne area conferences that will provide dairy farmers and dairy industry professionals good opportunities for continuing education.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12-13, the Indiana Milk Quality Conference will take place at Don Hall's Guesthouse in Fort Wayne. Click here for conference information. Dr. Bret Marsh, Indiana State Veterinarian, is the keynote speaker. A great opportunity exists to visit the Metzger Dairy Farm near Wolf Lake, Indiana, for a picnic and farm tour on Monday evening before the conference. Contact the conference coordinator, Robin Fuhrman, for full details or questions about the conference.
On April 19-20, the Tri State Dairy Nutrition Conference will be held at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne. Registration for the 2-day conference is $165 and can be completed online by clicking here.
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USDA: Somatic Cell Count in DHI Herds Averaged 228,000 in 2010
 Test-day data from all herds enrolled in Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) somatic cell testing during 2010 (95% of all DHI herds) were examined to assess the status of national milk quality. Nationally, average test-day herd SCC during 2010 was 228,000 cells/mL, which was lower (by 5,000 cells/mL) than last year's average. Thirty-two States and Puerto Rico had lower average SCC than reported last year; 14 States had higher averages. A few large Mexican herds tested through the U.S. system were included for the first time. Variation among States remains large. State average SCC generally was lower than the national average for mountain and western States and often higher for southeastern States. Although climatic conditions (temperature and humidity) surely contributed to regional SCC differences, differences between adjacent States were substantial, which suggests that herd size and mastitis-control practices, including genetic selection, are impacting State differences as well. Read the full USDA report, including tables and maps, by clicking here.
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Drug Residues: What's the Issue and What's Your Plan?
Free Webinar Opportunity April 5&6
AFACT, the American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, is offering free webinars to help dairy producers and veterinarians be informed on this developing issue. Dr. Mike Lormore from Pfizer will lead the webinars with assistance from AFACT leadership team members. More information and registration info for April 5 & 6th webinars can be found
here.
A new notice from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) indicates that it is going to take a harder look at slaughter plants that continue to accept animals from livestock suppliers that have had repeated violative residues. Read more.
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Can Cows Eat $8 Corn?
From American Dairyman By J.W. Sch  roeder, Dairy Specialist: In recent years, feed costs have represented more than 60 percent of the cost of producing milk, and feed prices have been high relative to the sale price of milk. Now that milk prices are finally on the rise, so are inputs, especially corn, which is not good news for dairy farmers. When you consider dairy enterprises have had incomes below the cost of production for the last couple of years, no wonder dairy producers are asking, "What can I do to keep feed costs down in the upcoming year?" So the fact that escalating feed costs are changing how dairy managers are feeding their cows and heifers, or at least they are stepping back and re-evaluating their feeding programs, is no surprise. Read the full article.
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Fertile Ground
IPDP Industry Advisor and legal consultant, Todd Janzen, has created an interesting blog discussing legal challenges that involve agriculture. Click here to visit Todd's blog.
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Upcoming Events
2011
April 9, Dairy Youth Conference, Boone County Fairgrounds
April 26 Next regular IPDP Board Meeting, MPSI Office 10 AM
April 30, Purdue Dairy Club Spring Calf Sale, Animal Sciences Research and Education Center; Calf and heifer sale.Contact: Steve Hendress (765-583-2526).MAYMay 21, Indiana State 4-H and FFA Dairy Judging Contest, Purdue University. Contact: Carl Broady (765-494-8435).JUNEJune 8-10, Purdue 4-H Animal Sciences Workshop for Youth, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; Hands-on workshop for 4-H dairy project members featuring basic dairy management skills and up-to-date technology. Contact: Colleen Brady (765-494-8433) or Mike Schutz (765-494-9478).June 12-15 American Forage & Grassland Council Conference at French Lick Springs Hotel & Conference Center, French Lick, Indiana June 28-29 79th Annual Indiana Farm Management tour Daviess, Knox and Sullivan Counties AUGUSTAugust 2-3, Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange, Northeastern, IN;Event designed to bring dairy producers and industry professionals together to learn more about the many facets of the dairy industry. Contact: Tamilee Nennich (765-494-4823) or Mike Schutz (765-494-9478).August 5-22, Indiana State Fair, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, INAugust 13, Indiana 4-H Young Dairy Producer Contest and 4-H Junior Dairy Skillathon
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Contacting Your Indiana Legislator 
Now that the House Democrats are back in Indiana, there is a flurry of activity at the statehouse. Keeping up with all the changes may be tough. Click here to get information on current committee meetings, legislation, and contact information of our Indiana State legislative public servants.
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