It has come to our attention that Gmail and some other email services, see a "clipped" version of our e-update. For best results and to view all the articles and pictures on our e-update, please click the online link at the top of the newsletter.

Plans are underway to bring you some excellent information at the 2015 Regional Dairy Meetings! Many of you have shared that you want to learn more about employee and management issues. We are working to bring you information about these and other important subjects. More information will be forthcoming, but please check the date for the most convenient meeting for you on our 2015 Upcoming Events block below.

Tom Fuhrmann, DVM

We are very pleased that Tom Fuhrmann from Tempe, Arizona will be our keynote speaker at the Middlebury, Shipshewana and Decatur meetings on February 4, 5 and 6. Tom is a dairy cattle veterinarian; a practitioner with over 25 years of experience working exclusively with dairy herds. Born and raised on a Wisconsin dairy, Tom dedicated his veterinary career to the dairy industry and dairy cows. Tom understands the job and "connects" with herdsmen, dairy owners, managers and workers. Having worked with some of the largest and highest producing dairies in the U.S. and around the world, Tom knows what it takes to be successful. Years of hands-on cowside experience have taught Tom about practical application. He can explain principles and facts and demonstrate how to put these into practice for better results.

Please stay tuned for more information!

If you are a dairy farmer and you haven't yet signed up for the Margin Protection Program, we would encourage you to visit your local FSA office by Dec. 5. This is the deadline to sign up for the 2015 coverage. Signing up in subsequent years will be available starting in September 2015. However, if you sign up by Dec. 5, you will inherit a production "bump up" as well as a 25% discount in some of the premium rates.

The MPP Program is a safety net for catastrophic risk protection and should not be used as a profit-making tool. Enrollment for 2014 and 2015 is from Sept. 2, 2014 through December 5, 2014. Once a farm is enrolled, the operation is committed through 2018 for at least the $100 program fee, which includes minimum coverage.

All dairy operations who work through a cooperative should have received a statement of milk production, which is very helpful in using the online decision support tool. Click here and then look to the upper right corner for the decision tool link. There are also instructions for use if you have questions.

Please contact Doug Leman at 317-695-8228 if you wish to discuss this program, need further information, or have any questions about it.

Dairy farmers should not miss the opportunity for minimum protection for 2015, but producers must sign up with FSA by December 5th!

JBS United is an Animal Nutrition and Health Company, with a rapidly growing Dairy Nutrition and Forage Solution team with a dedicated focus. Over the past several years, we have continually been building a highly-skilled and respected team to support both technical sales and production research. Our company mission is guided by the principle of enduring customer service that earns trust and develops lasting relationships as a means to enhance on-farm production and profitability. In addition to typical consultative nutrition services, we provide additional value to our customers through both feed and forage evaluations as a foundation for enacting solutions to enhance nutrient utilization, efficiency, and production by the animal. The JBS United Calf Program is designed to accelerate heifer development with the goal of reaching production at 22 months of age. Our newly redesigned dry cow program was specifically developed and formulated to reduce metabolic issues associated with the transition phase of lactation. With increasing costs affecting your bottom line, JBS United has adapted ration formulation strategies that will benefit you by significantly reducing out-of-pocket feed input costs without sacrificing milk yield. Most recently, our newly developed Feed Additive and Forage Solutions Team within the Dairy Group offers in depth experience, knowledge, and products as it relates to forage management and preservation.

 

For the past several years we have been sharing our quarterly newsletter with a great many dairy producers in Indiana. We hope that you have noticed the value of the content as well as the marked absence of commercial advertisement. During this time JBS United and key industry partners also have been conducting dairy management conferences designed to address the most currently pressing concerns within the dairy industry. We certainly welcome the opportunity to have you join us at our next conference. Our company is firmly focused on the future with our customers' needs in mind; and the production-oriented research, the hallmark of JBS United, is now being strategically directed with the driving goal to provide that same level of integrity, trust, and value to the dairy industry. Please click  the conference website to learn more and register for our upcoming conferences being held on January 13th in East Lansing, MI, and on January 14th in Archbold, OH.

 

If you are in need of additional information, contact one of these JBS United dairy nutrition specialists in the Indiana area.

Kenny Alwine         330-749-4986

Dr. Dave Carey      317-460-4930

Dwight Mansfield   517-403-1208

Brent Moss            419-799-0725

Dr. Chris Peter      217-257-0042

Heckaman, 2014 Producer of the Year

IDP is seeking nominations for the Dairy Producer of the Year and Young Dairy Producer of the Year awards. These awards are to recognize outstanding accomplishment, professionalism, and leadership among Indiana's dairy producers. Award recipients will be announced at the IDP annual meeting on Monday, March 16, 2015, which will be held in the afternoon after the Indiana Livestock Forage and Grain Forum in Indianapolis.

 

The Indiana Dairy Producer of the Year is awarded to a dairy producer who has portrayed the dairy industry in a positive light and has been successful in the dairy industry over a period of time. Past recipients were Fred Beer (2007), Tom Neuenschwander (2008), Doug Leman (2009), Dave Forgey (2010), Brian Rexing (2011), Leontien Van de Laar (2012), Derek Herrema (2013) and Mike Heckaman (2014).

 

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), Brian Houin (2013), and Lance Sommer (2014).

 

Click here to download a nomination form. Advisers of IDP will select the award winners based on submitted nominations. The deadline to submit a nomination to Dr. Mike Schutz is February 17, 2015. 

 

JBS United is hosting the Seventh Annual Technical Conference for Dairy Producers in the Midwest.  The previous conferences have been great successes, providing the critical education that dairy producers need to remain productive and profitable.

 

This year's conference will be focused on... Management Challenges in Today's Dairy Industry: People, Productivity, and Profitability.  The featured speakers will be Mr. Doug Erla, Director of Human Resources for JBS United Animal Nutrition & Health; Dr. Adam Lock, Associate Professor of Dairy Nutrition in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University; and Dr. Mike Hutjens, a respected Animal Sciences Professor with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Producers need this type of education brought to them on a regular basis.  It both helps them become more profitable as well as advance the state of the dairy industry.

 

The conference is FREE to attend and runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Eastern Time, with lunch included (registration opens at 9:00 am).  The dates and locations are:

January 13th
The James B. Henry Center at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

January 14th
Sauder Village, Archbold, OH

 

Those invited to attend include anyone in the dairy production industry with an interest in animal nutrition, including dairy farmers, feed mill customers, industry professionals, etc. Click here for more information. 

Registration is now open for the 2015 Women in Agriculture Conference to be held in Merrillville on Feb. 18-19. Early registration (available until Feb. 3) is discounted to only $90. Featured speakers include Dr. Jay Akridge, Carrie Chestnut Mess (Dairy Carrie) and Matt Lohr. Click here for registration details.