Indiana Dairy Producers Logo
Indiana Dairy Producers E-Newsletter
www.IndianaDairy.org
August 6, 2013                                                              Issue 54

"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.   


Homestead Parlor
Homestead Dairy Milking Parlor during Kentuckiana 2013

In This Issue
Kentuckiana Pictures
Precision Dairy Technology
ZFS Feed Update
Scouting Palmer Ameranth
Reviewing Kentuckiana Farms (Part 1)
Indiana Dairy Picture Gallery
 

Diamond 

Sponsors 

Click on any logo to reach company website
Stewart-Peterson Diamond JPG
MPSI Diamond PNG
Indiana Corn Diamond PNG
Indiana Soybean Diamond PNG

 

Platinum

Sponsors 

Click on any logo to reach company website

 

Kaeb-Lely Logo
Hubbard Feeds Logo
Byron Seeds
PSRB


RESOURCE CENTER
Click on each picture or logo to learn more

"WORKING TOGETHER FROM FARM TO FRIDGE"

Cows on Grass
Indiana Grazing & Forages NRCS Website

Newborn Calf
Calf Notes and Links

LGM Dairy
LGM Dairy Education Info

Innovation Center
Innovation Center for U.S.
Dairy


"WORKING TOGETHER FORM FARM TO FRIDGE"

Residue Prevention
 New 2013 Manual!
NMPF Resource Manual
also Animal Care Training Videos
and Johnes Assessment Info
 
 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  

 

Click to read the
June 2013    

Dairy Market Report

 

Projected MILC Payments 

 

 

 

Gold Sponsors
Agri-King

Bernardin Lochmueller
Farm Credit Logo 2012
Pioneer logo
Dairy Farmers of America  

Milk Specialties Global  

NorthStar
Kalmbach
DeLaval Logo
BI Logo
Indiana Farm Bureau
ZFS Official


2013 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

Brian Huber

  

Industry Advisers

Andy Tauer

Dr. Ken McGuffey
Todd Janzen, Attorney 

 


Silver Sponsors

Click on the logo to visit sponsor's

website

  NPC Bovamine Logo

  Perdue Ag Solutions  

Merck

BMO Harris Bank 

RP Feed Components 

Prince Agri Logo

 

Diamond V

ABS Global Logo 

 Arm & Hammer Logo

 Michigan Milk Producers Logo

 

Castongia's

JBS United  Bunge Logo  
  GEA Logo Specialty Hybrids  
Prairie Farms    Alltech 
  Fair Oaks Farms Logo Zoetis, formerly Pfizer  
Cargill  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.


 
IDP Legal Hotline
Greetings!

We just completed a very successful Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange, a special thanks to our six host farms: Argos Holstein Farms, Homestead Dairy, Nor-Bert Farms, Hesters Jersey Dairy, YonEd Farms, and Minich Dairy, each of you did a wonderful job of presenting your farms and sharing information about your operations.  What a tremendous turnout! Besides KY and IN, we had folks from at least six other states and two countries!  Also, without the support of our sponsors, we would not be able to put on events such as this. Thank you.

 

Now, we move right on to the Indiana State Fair where we will have opportunities to meet and discuss the dairy industry in Indiana with many in our state government leadership, consumers, and the livestock industry. Be sure to visit the Glass Barn! This is a terrific way to share our industry with the consumer.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions that affect our industry to pass on.

Dairy Bar 2013
Craig and Christy Coon volunteered at the dairy bar.
I hope to see many of you at the state fair or in the dairy barn.We completed one dairy bar shift on August 2nd and had a great time! I also still have a need for some volunteers for the dairy bar on Aug. 16th in the evening and a few slots left for the rib-eye stand on the 17th --just give me a call.

We are so pleased to welcome our new Bronze sponsor, Channel, along with some new regular, associate, and corporate sponsors. You can visit Channel's website and see all of our Bronze level sponsors here.

Please visit our many sponsors' websites and support them when you can.  Enjoy the state fair and let me know if I can help with any dairy need.  Contact me at 317-695-8228 or email at [email protected].  Be careful and God bless!

  

Doug Leman 

Executive Director

Indiana Dairy Producers 

 
Successful Kentuckiana Tour
Argos Dairy
A view from Heckaman's Argos Dairy
The Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange was a wonderful event once again! Well over 100 people visited each of the 6 well-managed dairy farms on the tour, and nearly 200 visited at least some portion of the event. This year, the farms had a lot of diversity, ranging from 140 cows to more than 3500. Production systems varied from pastured organic, robotic milking systems, multiple farm freestall systems, a manure digester, and much more. Click  here to see the Kentuckiana pictures on the IDP Flickr page.
Precision Dairy Technologies
by Sherry Bunting
Dr. Jeffrey Bewley
Six northern Indiana farms of differing sizes with varied dairy management styles and technologies offered

learning opportunities during the 6th annual Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange. While the farms toured over the two days - July 30 and 31 - were all in northern Indiana, the educational program on Tuesday night at the Best Western in LaPorte was the work of Dr. Jeffrey Bewley and graduate student Amanda Sterrett of the University of Kentucky. The discussion focused on precision dairy technologies, which are an exciting new phase in dairy management. However, the take home message was to keep things simple and monitor the data you will use.

Agela Sterritt  

Sterrett talked about the many precision dairy management technologies being evaluated at the UK Coldsprings Dairy and Bewley followed up with these recommendations:

 

1)      Keep it simple

2)      Recognize what the technology is doing

3)      Don't overcomplicate the information picture

4)      Work toward integrating information to make it more meaningful

5)      Remember that if you don't do anything with the information you have collected, then the information is worthless.

6)      Have an action plan for introducing new technology to the farm and be prepared for the little things to go wrong

7)      Realize that the effect will take time

8)      Focus on technologies where both the cows and the people benefit most

9)      Remember not to lose sight of the cow.

 

Of all the precision technologies out there, Sterrett and Bewley agreed that heat detection is the biggest opportunity and that there are many really good options available in the market right now. Other precision technologies may need more time and evaluation and thought toward the future.

 

As one Indiana Dairy attendee observed, "It's exciting that UK is involved in dairy technology to this level. It's wonderful that our neighbor to the south is taking on this innovative role."

 
ZFS Feed Update
ZFS Official
Call 866-888-7082

   

As Fall gets closer with new harvest, Fall has also been the operative word in the feed commodity markets  giving way to very high protein, fiber and corn prices over the last year. This is a welcome activity to all in the dairy industry.  

Thankfully canola as an option over the last year that most experienced a little relief instead of fully using soybean meal. The spread continues to be wide and beneficial to the rations and shows to continue through 2014. Contracts are available as a basis or flat pricing. Beans are said to be a later harvest than normal, though no shortage on canola seed after all, is bringing the wider basis right thru September if you have needs yet. Canola new crop will be arriving about the same time, October.

Cottonseed is looking good with continued moisture pounding the Carolinas and Georgia, though the lower acreage in the mid-south region of AL to Texas will be a shorter player for northern plains users.

We look for prices to remain steady to lower on old crop with the protein and oil markets, and new crop seed giving the crushers more tonnage with less acreage. Be ready with your tonnage as time to book arises for your needs.

Soyhulls are getting tighter again as processors take maintenance down time Aug-Sept. New crop hulls bids are being accepted, get with your merchandiser for your needs.

Corn gluten feed, wet, has found a lower price than we have seen over last 6-8 months and new crop offers are available for booking thru March or Clock Sept. 2014. Quality seems to continue to be good and with new corn looking good we look forward to good supply and quality. Pellets are steady as processors slow down the plants, but new crop offers are available for contracts in a good price range.

Hominy continues to be a big player in diets with corn supply shorter, and high moisture supplies depleted this time of year. Supply is better this month than has been, giving users their needs without much hiccup.  Contracts are open for Oct-Mar 2014 vs. corn board they're looking quite good as a few years back showing $150-160 per ton, depending on freight to you.

Citrus pulp pellets remain steady for new crop offers as continued tree disease plays havoc and export demand remains strong.

Beet pulp pellets Oct-Aug 2014 and wet pulp Oct - Mar 2014 shipment time offers are available. Fiber and sugar source. Let us know your needs as prices are competitive.

Enjoy the month and cooler temps!

 

Scouting Palmer Ameranth
Hoosier Ag Today
Palmer Amaranth Weed Palmer amaranth is popping up in new locations around Indiana this summer and for farmers scouting the weed, Purdue Extension weed scientists are offering a new video to identify it. Bill Johnson and Travis Legleiter are in a Cass County field with a heavy infestation of the weed and are able to show it at various growth stages.

Johnson says this weed's prevalence is expanding and that's a concern.

"It has become somewhat widespread, particularly across the northern one-third of the state, and we feel like we need to do all that we can to continue to raise awareness of this weed because it does present arguably the most serious agronomic weed challenge that we've had in Indiana in quite some time."

Palmer amaranth resembles other related weeds in the pigweed family so Legleiter says the first thing to look for when scouting is whether there are hairs on the plant.

 

Click here to read more and view a video from Purdue to help identify this noxious weed. 

 

 
Reviewing Kentuckiana Farms (Part 1)
by Sherry Bunting

Argos Dairy

Mike and Jan Heckaman and their daughter and son-in-law Max and Carrie Jo Bollenbacher welcomed the Kentuckiana tour to their 800-cow dairy farm near Argos. After years of growing the original Holstein herd from 70 to 150 cows, it was the addition of Max Bollenbacher's Jersey cows that helped propel the LLC to 280 cows. Today 660 cows are milked in a double-12 parlor, and they are housed in 440 Heckaman-Bollenbacher Familiesfreestalls.   

   

"They seem to be able to work it out," Mike says of the cows. The herd includes 150 head having over 150,000 of lifetime milk and some 10-year-old cows with over 200,000 lifetime. Over 40 of the cows are more than six years old. Dry cows are housed at another location.  Read more about Argos Dairy. 

 

Homestead Dairy


Digester at Homestead 

At Homestead Dairy, LLC, owned by the Houin family, tour goers were treated to a preview of the complete mix (vs. plug flow) anaerobic digester that is wired up and ready to go as soon as the details of connecting to the grid are finalized for electricity generation. Ryan Rogers explained that digestate from a digester in Michigan was used to start the process with "all the right balance of anaerobic bugs."

 

In fact, post-tour interviews revealed that the digester was a major item of interest among producers attending the tour. That, and the manure press where additional liquid fraction is squeezed from the manure solids so the solids can be re-used as bedding. The digester setup includes a 45,000 gallon receiver pit, and manure is pumped 1700 feet up hill due to the location of the dairy complex on the border of two different electricity providers. Once they are generating, they expect to produce 1000 Kw per hour from the two 500-Kw genarators. The average home uses 17 Kw per hour.

 

The digester itself consists of two 900,000 gallon tanks. Once they are generating electricity, consumers will be able to designate their source as green energy on their electric bill. The project has been a two-year process to this point and was made possible via matching grants.

 

Homestead Dairy, Plymouth, Ind., encompasses 3500 cows at four locations. The dairy is owned and operated by the Houin family. Brian Houin explained how they use data and technology to improve management via methods like the in-line Afi-milk system, which monitors health, repro and performance by reading and recording information -- such as hour-by-hour activity -- for each cow as she comes through the computerized milking parlor.

 

Click here to read more about Homestead Dairy.  

 

Nor-Bert Dairy

 

Dankert and Freeman Families

Norbert Farms was started in northern Indiana with six cows in 1935. Deb Dankert's parents Norman and Bertrice christened the herd Nor-Bert Farms. Today, the partnership includes Deb and her husband Roger (Dankert) and their son Jeremy and daughter Jennifer and her husband Monty (Freeman). Grandchildren Dalton, Dillon and Breanne are also at various stages of helping with chores, even though the chores look a little different here due to robotics.

 

In 2010, the 1969 parlor was abandoned in favor of the Lely robotic milking system consisting of three units. A Delaval automatic feeder is also used to feed grouped calves after they receive individual bottles for the first 10 days of life. The automatic feeder generated questions and discussions among tour goers. With the automatic feeder, Deb Dankert explained that calves can suckle as often as six times a day to receive up to eight liters of milk per day.

"It lets me know if a calf is down on milk consumption so I can figure out what may be wrong," she said.  

Click here to read more about Nor-Bert's Dairy. 

 

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.

 

Support IDP  

Indiana Dairy Producers Logo

Individual membership in the Indiana Dairy Producers is $50. Encourage your dairy farming friends to join IDP! Also, any individual 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 company is interested in finding ways to join IDP, download an information sheet here.
Indiana Dairy Picture Gallery
Flickr Over the years we have organized many tours and events, and we have tried to take pictures at all of them. We frequently invite you to watch a picture slideshow, but if you want to see our albums on our flickr page, click here.
 
Upcoming 2013 Events   

 

August 2-18 Indiana State Fair

August 2, 9, 16 Work an IDP shift at dairy bar! Call Doug at 317-695-8228 to schedule! (7-11PM EDT)  

August 9 IDP Dairy Bar shift at state fair, 7-11 PM. 

August 10 Dairy Skillathon, Indiana State Fair 10 AM 

August 11 4-H Dairy Show, State Fair 8 AM 

August 14 Open Class Dairy Show, State Fair 8 AM 

August 16 IDP Board Meeting 12-3PM, Indiana State Fairgrounds, (abbreviated, no agency reports),  

August 16 IDP dairy bar shift from 7-11 PM.  

August 17 Work an IDP shift at the IBCA Beef tent at Indiana State Fair. Call Dave Forgey  574-652-2461. Shift times are from 1-5:30 PM and 5:30-10:30 PM. 

August 27-29 Farm Progress Show, Decatur, IL  

 

OCTOBER

Oct. 1-5 World Dairy Expo,  Seminar & Virtual Tour Info, Dane County Expo Center, Madison, WI