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Save the date! We have just been notified by Professional Dairy Producers Foundation that we were selected to receive a sponsorship from them that will enable us to take a busload of IDP members to Madison WI to attend the 2015 Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Business Conference. As we get the program put together we will get the details on our website and in the next e-newsletter.   We will be leaving very early on March 18th and returning late on the 19th. It is going to be another great opportunity for all that are able to attend. You can get your spot reserved by calling Doug at 317-695-8228, and stay tuned for more details as they become available. In the meantime, click here to download the PDPW Business Conference brochure for speakers and agenda of the conference.

Indiana Dairy Producers along with Purdue Extension and the Indiana Forage Council have put a lot of planning into bringing you the 2015 Regional Dairy Meetings! This year, the meeting dates and locations are as follows:

Jan. 27, Columbus, Bartholomew County Fairgrounds
Jan. 28, Evansville, Hornville Tavern
Jan. 29, Rockville, Byron Seeds Headquarters
Feb. 4, Middlebury, Essenhaus Conference Center
Feb. 5, Shipshewana, The Farmstead Inn
Feb. 6, Decatur, Back 40 Junction Restaurant

This year, you can preregister for the regional dairy meeting of your choice online by clicking here.

If you prefer, you can pre-register by emailing Doug Leman at dougleman@IndianaDairy.org or calling him at 317-695-8228.

Download the 2015 Regional Meeting Brochure here.

Registration for all meetings begins at 9 AM except the Middlebury meeting registration begins at 10. All meetings are on Eastern time, except the Evansville meeting is on Central Time. The meetings are scheduled to end around 2:30 PM. A delicious lunch is included at all meetings, and there is no cost to producers to attend the meetings. This is possible because of generous sponsorship, including meeting hosts and sponsors Hubbard Feeds, NorthStar Cooperative, Belstra Milling and Byron Seeds.

Hickman

Dave Hickman, co-founder of Avancos, will be our keynote speaker at the Columbus and Evansville meetings on January 27, 28. Avancos is a global Talent Solutions firm specializing in Talent Intelligence, Talent Pipelining, Talent Acquisition, and Consulting. Dave is an expert on hiring the right person for the job, and he will discuss team-building, employer-employee relations, and much more.

Townsend

Dr. Jon Townsend will speak at the Rockville meeting on Jan. 29. Jon Townsend, Assistant Professor of Dairy Production Medicine at Purdue University, will talk about managing and preventing environmental mastitis.

Funnell

Dr. Bethany Funnell, Clinical Assistant Professor of Bovine Theriogenology at Purdue, will discuss reproductive technologies at the Columbus, Evansville and Decatur meetings. Dr. Funnell is an expert in IVF and embryo transfer. She will also be speaking about bull management at the Rockville meeting.

Fuhrmann

Tom Fuhrmann 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 consider attending one of these valuable meetings. You and members of your dairy farming operation are welcome and encouraged to attend. Again, click here to preregister online.

IDP is very pleased to welcome new Silver Sponsor, Maurer-Stutz, an engineering firm that has recently opened an office in Muncie. Please give a hearty IDP welcome to Maurer-Stutz and read below for info on the services they offer.

Maurer-Stutz, Inc., a Midwestern provider of engineering services, is pleased to announce the official opening of its new office in Muncie, Indiana. Aaron Orebaugh, PE, leads the Muncie office which will initially focus primarily on agricultural and general civil/infrastructure projects including permit assistance and site design for livestock production facilities, livestock waste storage and treatment system design, and nutrient management planning (including CNMPs). This new office is located at 5830 West Kilgore Avenue in Muncie, Indiana.

Sommer, 2014 Young Dairy 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. 

 

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Indiana's animal identification rules changed to comply with USDA's Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) program. You can read the specifics of the rule for dairy here.

 

In addition to the new rule, public auctions and markets around the state may require specific types of ID for cattle sold by them in order to accommodate their management systems. For example, Rochester sale barn requires RFID scanable tags with HDX technology. This does NOT apply to dairy butcher cows, but it Does apply to bull calves, springers and milking cows for dairy. Animals without their specific approved tagging system will be tagged at the auction, and the seller will be assessed a tagging fee and a scanning fee.

All dairy cattle and sexually intact beef cattle 18 months and older need official ID whenever there is a change of ownership. Records on these transactions must be retained for 5 years by the sellers and buyers.
 
All of these changes will take some time to work through. Please contact your local auction to learn their specific requirements, and you can also contact the Indiana State Board of Animal Health with questions at 317-544-2400.

   Hoosier students have the chance to give their thoughts on how agriculture helps the state in an essay contest sponsored by Indiana's Family of Farmers.

"What are the benefits of Indiana agriculture?" is the essay theme. Students are encouraged to look at how farming plays a positive role in the environment and economy of the state.

   The contest is open to any Indiana student in grades 4-12. Entrants are divided into groups by grade, 4th-6th, 7th-9th and 10th-12th. The word limit for 4th-6th graders is 250; 7th-9th graders are limited to 450 words and 10th-12th graders may write up to 600 words. Entries are evaluated against the Indiana Department of Education's ISTEP writing rubric.

   All entries must be made electronically through a link on the IFoF website, www.indianafamilyoffarmers.com. The deadline is Feb. 6.

One student per grade group will be recognized as the winner and receive $250. IFoF will recognize winners at the Statehouse during the organization's Ag Day Celebration, March 18, 2015. 

IDP will be voting for a new director for the Central region of Indiana at the annual meeting on March 16. Dave Forgey will be completing his sixth and final year of service on the board for this term. If you are currently a dairy producer in the Central division (area code 765 or 317) of Indiana and are interested in serving, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact Steve Obert or Doug Leman.

 

It's been an exciting year at your Indiana dairy checkoff. We've been working hard to protect your freedom to operate, promote the nutritional necessity of drinking milk and eating dairy foods, and share the stories of Indiana dairy farm families with the public. For more information, check out this Year in Review video. This video is intended for farmer and dairy industry audiences only-please do not share with the general public.

2014 ADAI Annual Report

If you have any questions about your checkoff investment, want to order farm tour materials, or would like assistance communicating about dairy with public, please contact Jackie at barber@winnersdrinkmilk.com or 317-842-3060. Don't forget your opportunity to join us for our dairy farmer lunch at the Fort Wayne Farm Show on Jan. 14 from 11-1. RSVP to Jackie please. 

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.