Heckaman is Indiana Dairy Producer of the Year

Mike Heckaman

Mike Heckaman, owner of Argos Dairy in Argos, Indiana, was named the 2014 Indiana Outstanding Dairy Producer of the Year at the annual meeting of Indiana Dairy Producers (IDP). Mike, wife and partner, Jan, and daughter and son-in-law Carrie Jo and Max Bollenbacher, milk 600 Holsteins and 200 Jersey cows, and have experienced very high production and excellent quality due to their hard work and attention to detail. Argos Dairy is a member of Dairy Farmers of America cooperative. The Heckaman's opened their farm during the 2013 Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange, where participants could see firsthand the excellent condition of their cows and their operation. Mike has been active in the Indiana Dairy Producer organization as a past board member and he currently serves on the NorthStar Cooperative Board of Directors. Mike's commitment to producing excellent quality milk and improving genetic potential and production at his operation has earned him a place among the state's top dairy producers, and IDP is proud to recognize his achievements. Mike joins Derek Herrema, Leontien Van de Laar, Brian Rexing, Dave Forgey, Doug Leman, Tom Neuenschwander and Fred Beer as past winners. Read about Mike and Jan Heckaman in Hoosier Ag Today and Farmers Exchange. 

IDP welcomes Beacon Credit Union as a Silver Sponsor! Please read an important message below about how Beacon is positioned to serve our agriculture community.

 

Beacon Credit Union was formed by a group of 75 farmers from Wabash County in 1931 to provide member-borrowers with fair and competitive loan and deposit programs.  The Credit Union developed a variety of lending services such as line of credits, farm equipment, livestock, and mortgages options in order to assist members with their ag financing needs.  The Credit Union also offers a full suite of other services. Beacon CU holds over $1 billion in total assets, is the fourth largest credit union in the state of Indiana, and are proud to be the nation's largest ag lending credit union!

 

Our Board of Directors, consisting of several ag professionals, understand the risks that accompany farm loans. We have developed a team of highly experienced Ag/Commercial Lending Specialists who devote the necessary time with our members to help provide appropriate solutions to their financing needs.  Our Specialists are available to meet with members on the farm or at one of our 23 office locations.  Beacon has been honored to "Guide the Way" by assisting members with all of their ag needs over its 83 year history.  We keep all of our loans in-house, which means that we can offer our members flexible payment options and superior customer service.  For the past 8 years, Beacon CU has awarded members who handle their loans in a responsible manner with a 4% interest rebate at year end.  During that time frame, we have given back over $6.5 million in loan interest to our members!

 

Beacon prides itself with offering exceptional savings rates and having extremely low fees in comparison to the competition.  We have grown tremendously over the years, but still have the small hometown way of thinking that allows us to continue to give our member-owners that friendly personal touch they deserve.  Beacon CU's solid past brings an exciting future, as it is poised with new technology, facilities and personnel to continue its mission for  years to come.  The credit union is available to serve members with offices in 18 counties throughout north-central and north-eastern Indiana, although we also service farm families throughout the entire state.  The Beacon Credit Union looks forward to serving your financial needs.  Please visit our website  www.beaconcu.org, or contact us at 800-762-3136 Ext. 2639 and you will be connected to an Ag/Commercial Lending Specialist in your area. 

Lance Sommer, Indiana Young Dairy Producer of the Year

Lance Sommer

Lance Sommer of Berne, Indiana, was named the 2014 Indiana Outstanding Young Dairy Producer of the Year at the IDP annual meeting on March 13. Lance is 26 years old, and accepted the award along with his wife, Nan. Lance and Nan milk 200 Holstein cows, along with his parents, brother-in-law and cousin. They have recently installed 5 Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking machines. In fact, the system went live the day before the presentation, and Lance was running on very little sleep. Lance is passionate about the dairy industry, and he tries to learn from others and research all he can to increase his knowledge. IDP is grateful for the good example he has set at his young age. His nominators were very impressed with the Sommer's dairy farm and Lance's many contributions to its success. The Indiana Young Dairy Producer of the Year is awarded to a dairy producer, 35 years of age or younger, who is actively involved in a successful dairy farm and shows promise as a leading dairy producer for this industry's bright future in Indiana.  Past recipients were Lukas Hively (2007), Joe and Amy Kelsay (2008), Max and Carrie Jo Bollenbacher (2009), Nathan and Sarah Kuehnert (2010) Kerry and Christiana Estes (2011), Kelly MacKennon (2012) and Brian Houin (2013).   

 

Watch a video of Lance and Nan Sommer and read more about them at Hoosier Ag Today. 

Do you know a dairy youth aged 8-18? The State Dairy Youth Conference is a great hands-on learning opportunity for any youth who is interested in sharpening their dairy judging skills and strengthening dairy knowledge. The conference is being held at Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, IN and begins at 10 AM. You can download a conference brochure here or contact Kelly Heckaman at 574-372-2340. Registration is requested by April 3.

 

IDP Board Changes

At the IDP annual meeting, two new board members

Tom and Jackson Troxel surprised outgoing IDP President, LuAnn Troxel with flowers

were elected.
Brian Houin was elected to serve the north district, replacing LuAnn Troxel, who has completed six years on the board. Brian Houin operates Homestead Dairy in Plymouth, Indiana, along with other family members. Brian and his wife, Jill, live in Plymouth.  Brian and Jill have two children.

Henk Sevenhuysen was recognized for 6 years of IDP Board Service

Cory Craig was elected to serve as an at-large board member, replacing Henk Sevenhuysen, who has completed 6 years on the board, most recently as Vice President. Cory lives in Rensselaer, Indiana, along with his wife, Jenny, and two children. He has managed Herrema Dairy in Fair Oaks for the past 12 years.

Also, Brian Huber, St. Paul, IN, and Steve Obert, Fort Branch, IN, were re-elected to second terms on the IDP Board.




Following the IDP annual meeting, the board of directors met to hold election of officers. The 2014 officers are:

President: Steve Obert, Fort Branch, IN
Vice President: Liz Kelsay, Whiteland, IN
Treasurer: Dr. Mike Schutz, Purdue University
Secretary: Dr. Tamilee Nennich, Purdue University

IDP very much appreciates the excellent attendance at the IDP annual meeting, and we thank Henk and LuAnn for their volunteer board service. See additional photos of the IDP meeting here.

We would also like to thank Ted McKinney, director of ISDA, for giving a great talk on the future of Indiana agriculture, and specifically the Indiana dairy industry. In addition, Ted feels Indiana is in a good position to supply dairy products to a global export market and is focusing his attention on seeing that ISDA can help that process.

Dairy Producers are especially invited to attend the Indiana Milk Quality Conference in Fort Wayne at Don Hall's Guesthouse on April 15-16. The meeting includes a producer panel featuring Nathan Kuehnert, John Metzger and John and Cynthia Adam. Also, Ryan Rogers from Homestead Dairy will talk about setting up a digester. Special registration for each dairy farm is only $50 for all farm members. Visit their website for registration details, but if you are a dairy farmer, get special pricing and download the producer registration form here.

 

Better profits bring Opportunities
Jennifer Stewart, Purdue Ag Answers

Growing dairy profit margins on the heels of strong export demand are giving producers more opportunities to improve and repair farm equipment and facilities, a Purdue Extension dairy specialist says.

While Mexico continues to be the largest buyer of dairy products exported from the U.S., growing demand in Southeast Asia for powdered milk and whey has helped boost on-farm profits. That, coupled with lower feed prices, has put dairy farmers into better financial positions than what they've faced in recent years.

"These improved margins really provide an opportunity for producers to keep up on the things they've had to delay," Mike Schutz said. "That could mean doing facility or equipment repairs or even installing new and improved milking equipment that could ultimately lead to higher milk quality premiums - anything you can do to save on labor costs and improve operation efficiency."

 

Read the full article and listen to Dr. Mike Schutz here. 

University of Illinois Champaign's, FarmDoc, will hold an imformative webinar entitled, "Introduction and Strategic Implementation of the Dairy Producer Margin Protection Program" on Wednesday, March 26th beginning at 8 AM Eastern/9 AM Central time. Pre-registration is required and is limited to the first 1000 participants. Dr. John Newton will present this timely information. For full details and technical instructions, click here. Additionally, the webinar will be archived for viewing after the live event.

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.