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.

NMPF has learned that this Thursday (March 5), the Food and Drug Administration will release the findings of its three-year-old sampling project to test the milk of certain farms for drug residues. While the details will not be public for several more days, the FDA said the results will indicate that our milk supply remains safe, and that the collaborative effort between state and federal regulators, and farms and companies in the industry, continues to protect the public health. We are confident that the efforts expended by NMPF and its members during the past several years to help develop the most effective FDA residue survey will be rewarded by affirmation from the government that our current system is working.

By way of background, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine collected approximately 950 samples of raw milk from farms that, between 2006 and 2009, had a tissue residue violation in culled dairy animals, and screened those samples for 31 different pharmaceutical compounds, mostly antibiotics. The CVM also collected 950 random samples, in order to determine whether the first group of farms with tissue violations had a greater incidence of residues than a random population of other farms. All the samples were blinded, meaning they cannot be linked to a specific farm, co-op or plant. All samples were collected and analyzed in 2012. 

We expect that there may be some response to these findings that could generate media attention. If you are contacted, please speak to Jenni at ADAI first. You can call her at 765-623-1739.

Indiana Dairy Producers Annual Meeting will be Monday, March 16 at the Indianapolis Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave. There is no cost to attend this meeting. The Livestock Forage and Grain Forum will also be held this day in the morning, beginning at 9 AM Eastern Time, and there is a $25 cost to attend the Forum, which includes lunch. Register here for the Forum. There is no need to register if you are attending only the IDP annual meeting.

The IDP Annual Meeting will include voting on new directors, the announcements of the Indiana Dairy Producer of the Year and Young Dairy Producer of the Year, an update on the IDP Strategic Plan, and a Crisis Preparedness Workshop with ADAI. Please plan to join us on March 16 at 1:30 EST.

We would love to have you join us for our Farm & Conference Tour to Madison! How does it sound to take 3 days away from the farm, travel on a chartered bus with dairy farming friends to Madison, Wisconsin, hear a tremendous assortment of timely information at the PDPW Business Conference, network with hundreds of other dairy farmers and industry folks, and top it off with a visit to 2 dairy farms that are considered some of the best in the country! All of this can be yours for $250 per person plus lodging.

We will be visiting the  PDPW Business Conference at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on March 18-19, staying at the brand new Holiday Inn Express & Suites at special nightly rate of $109+tax, which is walking distance from the conference. The conference features an incredible variety of topics from learning the anatomy of the udder to updates on conflict management, understanding your milk check, learning your cows' risk for disease and lameness and much more...just a great line-up of education and motivation!

On Friday, we will visit Crave Brothers dairy. Charlie, Tom, Mark and George Crave currently milk 1500 Holsteins with a RHA over 30,000. They have a digester and use composted bedding. In 2001, they started a cheese processing plant, although we will not be touring that facility. Charlie Crave will personally be giving the IDP tour.

Next, we will visit Rosy-Lane Holsteins where Lloyd and Daphne Holterman milk 925 Holsteins with a 30,000+ RHA. They have sold 90 bulls to US and foreign AI studs. (Read more about Rosy-Lane here.)

This trip is a $600 value, but because we have received grants from the PDP Foundation and Indiana State Department of Agriculture, as well as other industry support, we are able to offer this trip to you for a huge discount.

This is what's included: transportation from Lafayette, Fair Oaks or Merrillville, all meals except for Friday's quick lunch, and conference registration (normally $400 alone) ALL for $250! Because of obligations that we must meet, we are requiring non-refundable pre-payment for this trip. Your IDP membership dues must be up-to-date, and we will accept cash, check and credit cards. 

Download a registration form with more information and a tour agenda here. If you prefer to pay by credit card, call LuAnn Troxel at 219-508-3433 to make credit card payment and registration over the phone. This is an opportunity that you do not want to miss!
DEADLINE IS MARCH 6, FIRM!

As you know, agriculture has been a part of our Indiana culture for centuries and we are confident the industry and our farmers will thrive in the future.  However, we have to bring others to the table and engage them in a conversation about how agriculture is building a better Indiana. This forum is brought to you by Indiana Soybean Alliance and other key stakeholders.
 
For this year's Forum, we invite you to "pull up a seat" and join us in a conversation about the dollars and sense of agriculture.  As we all know, our local communities are looking for economic development opportunities and Indiana agriculture is the partnership that has always been the foundation for success in the local community.

-and the Beyond the Fence Awards brought to you by Beck's Hybrids.

The Indiana Dairy Producer's annual meeting then begins at 1:30 PM. This includes announcing the dairy producer of the year awards, a short business meeting and crisis preparedness training (read more below).
 
Please visit www.indianasoybean.com/forum to register for the forum and the IDP annual meeting or just click here.

 

"There's no harm in hoping for the best, as long as you are prepared for the worst." -Stephen King

 

Are you prepared to handle a manure spill on your farm? A natural disaster? An activist protest or undercover video? An INS raid?

 

Indiana Dairy Producers is partnering with the American Dairy Association Indiana Inc, your Indiana dairy checkoff, to help producers prepare and recover from a potential on-farm crisis.  

 

The training will take place immediately following the business portion of the IDP annual meeting on March 16th at 1:30 PM at the Indianapolis Convention Center downtown. This meeting follows the Livestock Forage & Grain Forum.  

 

The dairy industry has an extensive, industry-wide crisis plan for a variety of potential farm crises, from foreign animal diseases to radiation leaks to undercover videos.

 

After attending this crisis training you will:

 

�Have a written crisis plan

�Have a list of emergency contacts

�Have a crisis PR plan

�Know which crisis events are most likely on your farm

�Have an understanding of the dairy industry's overall crisis plan

�Understand the role of the dairy checkoff in a crisis situation

�Know how to call upon your support system for aid during a crisis

 

Whether a crisis occurs on your farm, a neighbor's farm, or in the media, you will be prepared to respond and recover. The dairy industry crisis plan will allow all farmers, processors, and industry groups to speak with one voice to support each other. Being able to survive a crisis situation is part of what makes a dairy farm a sustainable family business in this information age.

 

For more information on the training, contact Jackie Barber (barber@winnersdrinkmilk.com or 317-842-3060).

 

To register for the Livestock Forum and IDP Annual Meeting, click here. Make sure you check the box indicating you are attending the "optional dairy meeting" during registration.

The 2016 Indiana Milk Quality Conference is jammed with good information. There's something for everyone in the dairy industry at this conference.

The conference will take place at Don Hall's Guesthouse in Fort Wayne beginning at 8 AM on Tuesday, April 7. Come on Monday evening and tour Kuehnert's Dairy. Farm tours begin at 4:30 and a picnic starts at 5:30, weather permitting.

Featured in this year's conference is a farmer panel including Indiana dairy producers Tejo Willemsen and Orville Haney, as well as Doug Westendorp of Mooville Creamery in Michigan.

Click the picture above to see a preview!

Starting Jan. 1, 2015, the rules changed for all employers covered by OSHA. Specifically, an employer must call within 8 hours for a fatality or in-patient hospitalization of any employee. An employer must call within 24 hours for any amputations or loss of an eye. An employer must talk to a live person and cannot leave a voice message. The OSHA central telephone number is 1-800-321-6742.

While employers with 10 or less employees are exempt from maintaining an OSHA 300 Log, there are no exemptions for the new reporting rule. All employers must report applicable injuries. For more information, click here.