New Silver Sponsor
   

IPDP would like to give a big welcome to our newest Silver Sponsor, Rubbersidewalks, Inc. They have a unique system that will surely prove to be an invaluable service to Indiana's dairy farmers! Read on:

From Piles of Used Dairy Plastic 

to Miles of Sidewalks

"Our company is the pioneer of non concrete sidewalks. Founded in 2001, our first modular sidewalks were made of recycled waste tires. Now we make sidewalks from waste plastics-agricultural dairy wrap and silage plastic to be exact. Our proprietary manufacturing process allows us to use this material which cannot be used by other recycled plastic producers.

The plastic which we collect from dairy farms goes to Lehman & Sons recycling facility located in Bristol, IN where it is processed for fabrication into product.

Thanks to IPDP, we are reaching out to all of you who use dairy wrap and silage film (and other ag plastics such as twine and supersacks)-and don't know how to get rid of it at the end of its use.

We will collect your used plastics and take it away at no cost to you.

We are in the early stages of figuring out collection routes, centralized drop off zones, and even baling services. Our goal is to see all your plastic collected and used.

Please call Ora Lehman or Willie Lehman (574 522 9700) to discuss getting involved. We are counting on your ideas and suggestions and we look forward to your participation. Please visit our website.

Our thanks to Doug Leman who has helped us spearhead this project, and to all members of the IPDP. We are proud to be a new sponsor and look forward to our relationship with the farmers of Indiana."

Over 170 people attended some part of the 2-day Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange event held in the Fort Wayne area on August 2 & 3. We think you will enjoy a picture slideshow of the tours. To see the pictures, click here. We were very grateful for the excellent turnout and the positive response we had from attendees. It helps us in planning future events if we get some feedback. If you participated, please tell us about your experience with Kentuckiana and download an evaluation form.  

 

IPDP has three new sponsors that are supporting the organization at the bronze ($500) level. These companies realize the importance of investing in the Indiana dairy industry, and we sincerely appreciate their support. You can visit the bronze sponsorship page on our website here. 

Our new sponsors are:

Elanco Animal Health  

IBEC Ethanol

Merck Animal Health

Please click on the logos below to visit their websites and learn about their products and services.  

Dr. Jack McAllister Speaks:

Dairy Management Advice from Kentucky

Dr. Jack McAllister presented his "Swan Song" during the Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange evening program since he will be retiring at the end of the year. In 

Dr. Jack McAllister

his many years supporting the dairy farmer through Kentucky Cooperative Extension at the University of Kentucky, Dr. McAllister has observed certain insights that he shared.

He mentioned that top managers are voracious record keepers. They are innovative and adaptive to change. He quoted Emory Austin "Change will come when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change."

Dr. McAllister uses this management pyramid (Pro-Dairy, Cornell University):

 

 

Some have questioned why "tactics" is the smallest item on the triangle when that's what actually accomplishes the work. But Dr. McAllister counters that if you don't know your mission or your goals, tactics may not be effective.

Ten Traits of Top Managers  

(Dr. Steve Isaacs, University of Kentucky)

1. They know their costs of production
2. They set goals based on a clearly defined mission
3. They have good people skills (leadership, communication, empowerment)
4. They access, assess and use information (again, voracious record keepers)
5. They are innovative and adaptive to change
6. They are dissatisfied with the status quo
7. They can organize, focus and prioritize
8. They view the future aggressively
9. They are willing to assess and take risks
10. They take time to recharge

Dr. McAllister strongly recommends focusing on the following key dairy management areas:

• Determine your profitable milk production level
• Emphasize forage quality-maximize energy grown, harvested, and stored per acre
• Cow comfort-remember, the cow is queen
• Production and financial records-look at financial records and think of the cows that generate the revenue, look at the cows and think of the financial implications of their production (if you can't measure it, you can't manage it)

IPDP is especially grateful to Dr. McAllister for sharing his insight and expertise with the Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange. The dairy industry in Kentucky and beyond has benefitted greatly from his dedication to the industry.