IDP is very pleased to welcome a new gold level sponsor: Dairyland Seed! Please read an important message below, including a July 7 invitation to get current information on alfalfa and silage management! 

 

Dairyland Seed has an operation like most of yours-one that stretches across multiple generations. Ours dates back to 1907, making this our 107^th year in business! Here at Dairyland Seed, we have an extremely diverse portfolio of corn, soybeans, silage corn, and alfalfa products. These products are a result of our world class research and genetics. Locally, David Peebles (317-777-0028) and Nathan Hrnicek (219-863-6828) bring passion, expertise, and excitement to the great state of Indiana. Both of us are very excited to be supporting Indiana's hard working dairy operations through IDP. We also would like to let you know about an opportunity to experience one of our unique alfalfa research locations. On July 7^th, we are giving producers an inside look at our program, click here for more details. Please, let us know how we can serve you and your operation as you continue to labor each and every day to provide us with safe and sustainable meals.  

IDP's Immigration Letter, Please Give Your Feedback!

June is National Dairy Month and the American Dairy Association Indiana is celebrating with a social media campaign called "30 Dairies in 30 Days" that will allow consumers to meet their local dairy farmers. Follow @INDairy on Twitter, Indiana Dairy on Facebook, INDairy on Instagram, or click here to see the featured farms! ADAI is also hosting a "Just Say Cheese" blogger event to help show influential bloggers the value of cheese for entertaining.

Are you hosting an event or participating in any community outreach during June Dairy Month (speeches, farm tours, school visits, etc)? If so, please email Jackie Barber at  barber@winnersdrinkmilk.com or call 317-842-6060 with a brief description of your event. Thank you very much!

Schutz to Lead Purdue Extension ANR Program

Beginning June 1, Dr. Mike Schutz will wear a slightly different hat at Purdue University. He has been named the new director of Extension's agriculture and natural resources programs in Indiana, succeeding Jim Mintert. As announced by Extension Director, Jason Henderson, Schutz will oversee Purdue Extension programs in such areas as farm management and safety, livestock, crops, energy, youth in agriculture, environmental stewardship and wildlife. Dr. Schutz still expects to be involved with IDP, but he admits that time constraints may occasionally cause challenges. Read Purdue's announcement here.

Indiana's laws that designate what types of identification and documentation are needed for livestock will soon be changing. Hoosier livestock producers and others have the opportunity to give their input on the proposed changes in a virtual public hearing, hosted by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. One change for dairy producers is that if this rule goes forward, bull calves will be required to have permanent ID when they leave the farm, even though beef calves do not have the same requirement. This is your opportunity to comment on this and any issue concerning Indiana's livestock ID and health paper requirements. Comments will be reviewed and a vote will be taken at the July 10 BOAH board meeting.

To view the proposed rules and find a comment opportunity, livestock owners, dealers, veterinarians and others should visit the BOAH website here.

Zeeland Feed Update (Corrected)

(866) 888 7082

Canola

Cottonseed

Hominy

Soy hulls

Wheat midds

Corn Gluten feed

USDA released up to $70 million in grants and loan guarantees through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The funding will help farmers and small rural businesses install renewable energy and energy efficiency projects including biogas systems.

USDA said that about $12.4 million will be available for grants and $57.8 available for loan guarantees. The funding comes from the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill), which was signed into law on February 7 and was supported by the federal advocacy efforts of the American Biogas Council.

USDA uses REAP to fund a variety of energy projects on farms and at rural businesses including biogas systems. In 2013, USDA funded 2,400 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in rural areas.

"This funding will help farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners incorporate renewable energy and energy efficiency technology into their operations, create jobs and help America become more energy independent," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

• Deadline for submission of a Grant application is July 7, 2014
• Deadline for submission of a Guarantee application is July 31, 2014

Additional information about this program is available here.

Are You "Marginally Satisfied?"
by Mike Rusch, Stewart-Peterson, Inc.

If you've ever been up in the middle of the night, you've seen one of the infomercial world's biggest stars on late-night TV, Ron Popeil with his Ronco Rotisserie oven.  Perhaps his famous line is ringing in your ears: "Set it and forget it!" While this feature may be attractive for selling his brand of convenience cooking, it should not be the way you approach price risk management.

 

You may be among the producers who locked in what you believed to be a good margin back in November and December of 2013. Perhaps you sold 50-75 percent of your milk production for all of 2014 through your milk plant or in your hedge account, with the mentality of "lock in a good margin and move on." 

 

Now as the milk rally has picked up steam, each month brings new regret and frustration about the prices you are missing. That's understandable. That's why our team encourages an active management approach rather than locking in margins for the sake of getting it done. Read more 

 

National Milk Website for Dairy Policy Info

With the new farm bill having been signed into law, attention has shifted to how the Agriculture Department will implement the groundbreaking margin insurance program for dairy farmers.

The program-the most significant rewrite of federal dairy policy in a generation-refocuses the dairy safety net from propping up prices, to protecting margins. In that way, it will help address the volatility of both milk prices and feed costs, which have become a major problem in recent years.

 

NMPF has refashioned its Future for Dairy website into a hub for information on the margin insurance program and its implementation.