Indiana Dairy Producers Logo
Indiana Dairy Producers E-Newsletter
   October 15, 2012     www.IndianaDairy.org              Issue 42

"An organized voice for Hoosier Dairy Farmers"

 

Mission Statement
To promote a profitable, positive, professional image of
dairy producers while providing educational opportunities
for interchange of ideas and to speak as a proactive voice
for Indiana dairy producers.   


World Dairy Expo 2012 Supreme Champion
World Dairy Expo 2012 Supreme Champion, RF Goldwyn Haley
Photo by Caylei Arnold


In This Issue
Resource Center
Dairy Memorabilia Auction
Managing Moldy Corn
IDP Agency Updates
Undercover Video Delivers Dairy Black Eye
Connecting Students and Potential Employers
Silo Gas: Deadly Threat
Doug's Animal Care Advice
Mike Yoder to Speak
Milk Quality Workshop
Mycotoxin Prevention Checklist
Livestock's Achilles Heel
Cat 14 Training Module
Support Indiana Dairy Producers
 

Platinum

Sponsors 

Click on any logo to reach company website

Kaeb-Lely Logo
Hubbard Feeds Logo

Indiana Corn Marketing Council Logo


Byron Seeds


PSRB Logo

MPSI Logo
winnersdrinkmilk.com

Indiana Soybean Alliance
RESOURCE CENTER
Click on each picture or logo to learn more

Indiana Grazing & Forages NRCS Website
Cows on Grass

Calf Notes and Links
Newborn Calf


 LGM Dairy Education Info
LGM Dairy

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Innovation Center
"WORKING TOGETHER FROM FARM TO FRIDGE"

 NMPF Resource Manual

Residue Prevention

Visit the Residue Prevention Page at NMPF by clicking the photo above.


 Purdue

 

Check out the resources available to you on the Purdue University Dairy Extension site. Topics on nutrition, business management, animal health and many more topics related to our dairy industry and animal care.

 

National Milk Logo  

 

NEW! Click to read the
August 2012

 Dairy Market Report 

 

Click to read  

Projected MILC Payments 

 

 

Gold Sponsors

Dairy Farmers of America  

Stewart-Peterson  

Milk Specialties Global  

ZFS Official 

 

DeLaval Logo  

 

BI Logo


Indiana Farm Bureau

Kalmbach Logo

Dairy Memorabilia Auction at Beck Ag Center benefits Purdue Dairy Judging Team
For the dairy farm family that doesn't have enough dairy memorabilia, there is an auction opportunity to add to your collection on Saturday, October 20 at 10 AM at Purdue's Beck Ag Building. This sale will benefit the Purdue Dairy Judging Team. Some items for sale include over 250 milk bottles from numerous Indiana dairies, and Purdue University milk crates, butter and cottage cheese containers. Visit the sale bill information page here. Robert Jones, seller. Price-Leffler, Auctioneer.
 
2012 Indiana Dairy Producers
Board of Directors
Indiana Dairy Producers Logo 
Indiana Dairy Producers

IDP Executive Board

Click on a name below to email an
Executive Board Member  

Executive Director

Doug Leman 

317-695-8228

 

President

LuAnn Troxel

219-508-3433

 

Vice President

Henk Sevenhuysen 


Secretary

Tamilee Nennich Ph.D. 

 

Treasurer
Mike Schutz Ph.D
765-494-9478  

 

Dave Forgey 

574-652-2461  

 

Kelly Heckaman 


Board Members
 Joe Hibshman
Sarah Wagler
Julie Bommer
Steve Obert

Ranell Rexing 

Brian Huber

  

Industry Advisers

Liz Kelsay

Dr. Ken McGuffey
Todd Janzen, Attorney 

 


More good info on managing moldy corn!
Aspergillus Aflatoxin The mycotoxin and aspergillus challenges of moldy corn are probably going to be around throughout the winter and beyond. Here's a great, concise website that Purdue has put together to help manage through the moldy stuff!

Silver Sponsors

Click on the logo to visit sponsor's

website

 

  Venture Milling

Merck

BMO Harris Bank 

 

RP Feed Components 

 

Prince Agri Logo

 

Diamond V

 

ABS Global Logo 

 

 Arm & Hammer Logo

 

 Koetter & Smith

 

 MacAllister 

 

 Michigan Milk Producers Logo

 

Castongia's

Specialty Hybrids  

 

Rubbersidewalks
.
Prairie Farms

Alltech

Fair Oaks Farms Logo

Pfizer

Cargill

Farm Credit Logo 2012

ForemostFarms



Click

on the Archive button to access previous issues of our 

E-Updates

and important information for your dairy operation, industry issues and trends.


 

Visit Our Bronze Sponsors 

Bronze Level
Click on above button!

 

IDP Corporate Sponsors
Indiana Dairy Transparent There is a growing list of companies that recognize IDP's value to Indiana's dairy industry. Please visit our list of companies that have become Corporate Sponsors for only $100. If you know of a company that may have an interest in supporting IDP at some level, please download a brochure here.

 

Greetings!

Fall is here! What a beautiful time of year; we are certainly blessed here in Indiana as we enjoy the contrasts of all four seasons. A quick reminder: please take a little extra time to be safe during this busy time of year. Saving a couple of minutes with a "short-cut" can change a family forever.

 

I was able to spend some time at the World Dairy Expo. It was also a good time to meet and visit with several of our sponsors, learning and sharing what is going on in the dairy industry.

 

I had the opportunity to meet with our colleagues from several other states, along with IDP President, LuAnn Troxel, when we attended the US Dairy Leaders Coalition meeting at dairy expo. One of the main topics we discussed was the meat and milk residue issue. Here are a few thoughts I would like you to consider:

  • How do you want treatment given in your name in your absence?
  • Residues are not a drug problem, they are a people problem!
  • Don't neglect the importance of employee training and then retraining!

We were also reminded how challenging it has been for California and Ohio and other ballot initiative states, and the continuous need to educate the consumer.

 

On a personal note, I will be "out of the office" from Oct. 18th thru the 26th as I have the privilege to travel to Haiti with a mission group. We will begin to look into the possibility of helping Haitian families start their own dairies so that they will have something nutritious to eat and perhaps earn some money besides. In Haiti, we have several meetings scheduled with high level government officials and community leaders. I look forward to learning as we begin looking into the opportunity before us.

 

Since our name has now changed from IPDP to IDP, we have changed our logo and are in the process of creating new brochures. We would invite any producer or sponsor to share a brief quote of how belonging to IDP has been a benefit to you personally. I will only use a first name initial and will not identify you by name. Call me at 317-695-8228 or email me at [email protected] with your quote or any other dairy need. I sure appreciate hearing from you!

 

Again, be careful, and God bless!

Doug Leman 

Executive Director

Indiana Dairy Producers 

 
Agency Updates from September IDP board meeting
At every regular IDP board meeting, we have the opportunity to get updates from the key agencies in Indiana that have an effect on livestock in general and the dairy industry specifically. Please click here to read the updates from the September 24th meeting. Since that meeting, we have learned that Terry Philibeck from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and Kimmi Devaney from Milk Promotion Services of Indiana are moving on to other career paths. We will miss seeing them at our board meetings, and we certainly wish them well.
Undercover Video Delivers Dairy Black Eye
Bettencourt Dairy An animal rights group has video taped multiple events of animal abuse taken on Bettencourt Dairy in Idaho in August. This investigation is still ongoing, but the reality for this dairy is that their world has probably changed forever. They have lost their reputation, their social license to operate and they have lost market access to major suppliers. Even though they had solid animal care policies in place, they found that they still needed to make immediate changes once they became aware of the abuse. So what must WE learn from this animal care and public relations nightmare?

Dr. Candace Croney
Dr. Croney
We asked Dr. Candace Croney to comment on this situation. Dr. Croney is a world renowned animal care expert at Purdue University. Dr. Croney, along with Drs. Temple Grandin and Jim Reynolds, forms an expert panel at Center for Food Integrity. Please read her insightful words below:

Cultivating Change and Improving Animal Welfare on Dairy Farms by Dr. Candace Croney

The recent undercover video taken by Mercy for Animals at Bettencourt Dairies in Idaho which depicted horrific abuses of cows will no doubt heighten scrutiny and suspicion about what really goes on at dairy farms across Indiana and the US. As the animal industries continue to face numerous challenges, including diminishing profits in the face of one of the worst droughts in history, this recent scandal is one that US dairy production literally cannot afford. Public backlash has been swift, with Mercy for Animals urging retailers (such as Kraft Foods, Burger King) to immediately stop purchasing milk from Bettencourt Dairies.

 

In light of these events, it is important for Indiana dairy producers to understand what went wrong at the Bettencourt facility and how to avoid these problems on their own farms. It is clear that the workers in the video, who were shown beating, dragging, and kicking healthy and non-ambulatory cattle did not have the proper attitude, training or supervision to do the jobs for which they were employed. It is also clear that the design of the facilities contributed to animals repeatedly getting hung up or slipping and falling. Pro-active dairy farmers and owner/operators can avoid these problems by adopting a few key strategies.  

 

Begin by looking at your hiring practices. Although it is increasingly difficult to recruit people with good animal handling skills to work on farms, it is critical to select workers carefully. When interviewing, pay attention to how prospective employees talk about, think about, and interact with animals. If people dislike animals or are indifferent towards them, they are much more likely to demonstrate behaviors to animals that are inappropriate, unethical and literally counter-productive. Whenever possible, identify workers who like cows and want to work with them.

 

Create a culture that truly fosters an ethic of care and the highest level of responsibility toward animals, toward all people working at the facility, and toward your customers.   Make employees aware that there is a zero tolerance policy regarding animal mistreatment of any kind and enforce it. More importantly, convey why it is important to take the best possible care of the animals. Certainly profit matters, but the idea that we have obligations to do right by the animals under our care is just as or even more critical. Some facilities have employees read and sign that they have been informed of this. Ensure that animal caretakers know that they are the most important people on the farm because they have their hands on the animals and reinforce this message at every level of your operation. Read more. 

 

 

Connecting Students and Potential Employers in the Dairy Industry

Do you need an intern, a full time employee, someone interested in being involved in the dairy industry? Doug Leman had the opportunity to attend the Dairy Career Networking Day in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University. He met several students (even some IDP member's children) at different stages of their education who have various skills and educational backgrounds. All of these students are enrolled in the animal sciences program at Purdue. They are looking for shadowing and summer intern opportunities, all the way up to full-time employment. Doug is now collecting a number of interesting resumes and foresees a wonderful  opportunity to bring employer/employee together, whether it is farm or industry. Here's another service IDP can offer you! Don't hesitate to call Doug at 317-695-8228 or send an email at  [email protected].

 

Silo gas: A threat to farmers

Silo Silo-filler's disease, caused by exposure to silo gas, is a real risk to farmers this year due to the dry weather.  Increased nitrates in corn provides a greater potential for silo gas to form from fresh stored silage.

 

Workers can be exposed to silo gas around horizontal silos and bagged silage as well as in upright silos. Inhaling even a small amount can result in serious, permanent or fatal lung injury. Luckily, the disease can be prevented through proper work practices.

 

What is Silo Gas?

In a dry year, there will be increased nitrates in the corn. Within a few hours of ensiling, fermentation begins. Some bacteria use the nitrates in the corn instead of oxygen for fermentation, forming nitric oxide, a non-lethal gas.

 

This gas combines with oxygen in the air, producing nitrogen dioxide (N02), which is heavier than air and toxic to humans and animals. It has a yellowish-reddish-brown color and a bleach-like smell. However, with so many odors around the farm, farmers should not rely on odor alone to alert them to its presence.  

 

Silo-filler's disease results from exposure to silo gas. The NO2 combines with water in the lungs and forms nitric acid, which is very corrosive. Once exposed to the gas, a person can become helpless in as little as two to three minutes.

 

Symptoms of silo-filler's disease include coughing, burning, shortness of breath, chills, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms may take from three to 30 hours to develop after mild exposure to silo gas. The slow, progressive inflammation of the lungs causes a buildup of fluid in the lungs, which often is fatal. 

Read more.

In addition, we have received a sober warning about using gypsum products in animal bedding and resulting toxic manure pit gas. Please read this safety memo, generated after a tragic accident in Pennsylvania.
Some animal care advice from a former dairy farmer
by Doug Leman

Another undercover video has hit the airwaves! We cannot make excuses for mistreatment of animals. I know there is no "pretty" way to portray moving a down cow. I have been there! How do we prevent becoming the subject of an undercover video? Here are a few ideas that seemed to work for us over the years.

  • I believe it starts with training our employees; they need to fully understand the importance of caring for our animals, how we want them handled and moved.  
  • One of our first rules was no "weapons" allowed in the barn or parlor (pipes, whips, broom handles) which takes away the first line of offence when someone becomes frustrated and loses their cool.
  • Another important rule which everyone understood was that you do not scream at the cows. Only use a calm voice, just talking them along. I personally do not care for whistling, but a few seemed to get along fine with an easy whistle.
  • One final thing that worked wonders for us was the installation of a camera with the ability to record. With today's technology, you can view it from anywhere-even your phone. With strategically placed cameras, it is very easy to keep everyone honest.

But things don't always go right, things happen, a cow goes down in the parlor stall and she needs to be moved.   You can't make it look pretty, but you do need to treat her as gently as possible, have the right equipment, halters, lifts, and plenty of help by people who know what to do. Sometimes when a cow goes down, she gets scared and doesn't realize she can get up but with some coaxing she stands and walks away. Beating and screaming will not work and that needs to be understood by all involved. After you lift or work her out of the stall, you need to let her relax and get her senses and most of the time she will finally stand and walk away. When one doesn't get up, that is when you need to get your skid, roll her on and get her into a treatment pen or preferably on dirt where you can care for her.

 

One final thought I have when these situations occur is about the person behind the camera. If they really cared for the animal as they try to portray, and didn't have an agenda they were trying to promote, they would put the camera down, step in, and stop the abuse.

 

Yoder to Speak at Partners in Success Luncheon November 9
The invitations were emailed today (October 15)! Our 3rd Annual Partners in Success Luncheon will be held on Friday, November 9th at the Corn/Soybean offices in Indianapolis. We are excited to have Mike Yoder as our keynote speaker. Mike is an Elkhart County Commissioner, a dairy farmer, and the very first IDP president. He also knows a little bit about dairy stories in the media. His farm was recently featured in a story that went viral world-wide!

The Partners in Success luncheon is a great way to thank our many industry supporters and also introduce ourselves to new potential sponsors. If you didn't see your invitation but would like to attend, email Doug Leman at [email protected].
Milk Quality Workshop November 6 in Madison
dairy farm worker The National Mastitis Council and the Dairy Practices Council have joined together to provide an excellent continuing education opportunity for dairy producers and other professionals who wish to sharpen their milk quality skills. This workshop will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, November 6 from 2-5 PM Central Time at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Registration is only $45 if you register soon. Full details can be found here.
Mycotoxin Prevention Checklist

How are you doing in assuring yourself that mycotoxin contamination will not be an issue on your farm? Our friends at Alltech compiled this informative checklist: 

  1. Purchase corn and other feed varieties resistant to foliar, ear rot, and stalk rot diseases
  2. Purchase varieties resistant to ear and stalk boring insects.
  3. Harvest corn and haylage at the recommended maturity and moisture level for your     storage system. DO NOT let corn stand in the field after reaching maturity or killing frost.
  4. Be sure chopper knives are sharp and cut at the correct length to improve packing
  5. Harvest forages as quickly as possible and pack tightly with the proper weight of tractor matched to the right number of packing hours and filling rate.
  6. Be sure the silo is sealed to exclude oxygen. Use plastic covers secured by tires on bunkers.
  7. Patch any holes in plastic covers, bags, or wrapped bails as soon as possible
  8. Discard obviously spoiled feed or layers of feed.
  9. Since mycotoxins are highly soluble in water, do not allow rain to wash through upper layers of spoiled feed.
  10. Clean out leftover feed from feeding bunks regularly.
  11. Consider the use of an inoculant in silage or acid additive in high moisture corn to enhance fermentation and control during storage.
  12. Match the rate of feed removal from the silo face to the size of the herd. For example bunker silo faces should be removed at four to six inches and upright silo face at three to four inches per day. Use the higher rate during the warm seasons.
  13. When confronted with a toxicity problem, stop feeding the contaminated feed.

If problematic levels of mycotoxins still occur despite preventative measures being taken in both field and silo, the only safe solutions are dilution or, preferably, complete removal of the contaminated ingredient. It must be remembered that dilution of contaminated ingredients is illegal in some markets and it is often not practical to completely remove certain ingredients due to associated cost.

 

Animal abuse is livestock industry's Achilles heel
Greg Henderson, Editor, Drovers Cattle Network

Somewhere in America today an animal rights activist lurks on a farm with a hidden camera. It's hardly a secret. Indeed, the activists groups have repeatedly told us hidden cameras are their most successful tactic and they'll continue to use them.

 

Yet, even with the knowledge of our foe's battle plan, our industry continues to fall into their ambush.

 

By now you've all seen the memo: animal abuse cannot be tolerated. It's a public relations disaster, a detriment to animal performance and business profitability, and creates a poor environment for all employees. But most important, animal abuse is simply wrong.

 

This week's news of the release of an undercover video by the group Mercy For Animals underscores the need for America's livestock industries to redouble their efforts to end animal abuse. Organizations representing every domestic livestock species have animal well-being programs in place. And over the past several years those programs have helped foster dramatic improvements in animal care.

 

All of those industry implemented programs express a "zero tolerance" for animal abuse. Under such guidelines the only possible grades our industries can achieve are pass or fail. Therefore, when it comes to issuing a grade on animal abuse our collective industries are failing. Read more. 

 

 

The tale of 2 Jerry's on dairy policy
The World Dairy Expo provided a perfect backdrop for a dairy policy discussion. National Milk Producers Jerry Kozak flew in from Washington DC to voice his opinion on the Dairy Policy portion of the stalled Farm Bill, and Wisconsin's Dairy Business Association also sponsored a press conference for dairy farmers from many states to speak their opinion about supply management and the Goodlatte/Scott amendment. You can listen to Jerry Meissner, president of Wisconsin DBA, and Jerry Kozak discuss their differing opinions here.

You can also read more about the DBA press conference here.
Website Assistance for Cat 14 Fertilizer Compliance and CFO rules
There's a lot of information on the Indiana Soybean Alliance website that supports livestock farmers. The new Cat. 14 fertilizer rule goes into effect on February 1, 2013. Please familiarize yourself with this rule! Many farmers will find that they need to become certified to apply manure. There is a free learning module, a video and other assistance available to help Indiana farmers stay in compliance with changing regulations.
 

Support IDP  

Indiana Dairy Producers Logo

Individual membership in the Indiana Dairy Producers is $20. Encourage your dairy farming friends to join IDP! Also, anyone who is not a dairy producer but would still like to support IDP can join as an associate member. Download a membership/associate brochure here.   

 

We appreciate our industry supporters. They make it possible for IDP to support the dairy industry in many ways. If your organization would like to support IDP's efforts in Indiana, download an information sheet here.
Upcoming 2012 Events   

 

NOVEMBER

November 7, 8  Certified Livestock Producer Training at SIPAC contact John Nagle for more information. 

November 9 3rd Annual Partners in Success Luncheon, 11 AM - 2 PM at the Indiana Corn/Indiana Soybean Offices in Indianapolis   

 

DECEMBER

December 7-8 Indiana Farm Bureau State Convention, JW Marriott Hotel, Indianapolis preliminary info here. 

 

FEBRUARY

February 11 Indiana Dairy Producers Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Forum 

February 11 Livestock Forage & Grain Forum (more info coming as it becomes available, but save the date!)

February 12 Rockville Regional Dairy Meeting

February 13 Warrenton Regional Dairy Meeting

February 14 Columbus Regional Dairy Meeting

 

March

March 4 LaGrange Regional Dairy Meeting

March 5 Goshen Regional Dairy Meeting

March 6 Decatur Regional Dairy Meeting