2013 Putnam Co. Fair, Farm Bureau Pedal Pull

Putnam County's Karen Nelson Heavin -New FFA Foundation Leader

Karen Nelson Heavin

Karen Nelson Heavin of Greencastle was recently elected to serve a one-year term as President of the Board of Directors for the Indiana FFA Foundation. Heavin, a highly experienced community leader and effective FFA and agriculture education champion, currently serves as the Student Services Coordinator for the Area 30 Career Center, where she teaches career and college development, English ECA remediation and serves as the school’s Career Pathway Coordinator to high school juniors and seniors from Cloverdale, Eminence, Greencastle, North Putnam and  South Putnam.

Heavin is a former member of the South Putnam FFA Chapter in District VII, and served as Indiana FFA Association State President in 1991-92. She is a recipient of the Hoosier Farmer Degree and American FFA Degree.“I am honored to have been selected as President of the Indiana FFA Foundation and am looking forward to my year of service,” Heavin said. “Our board is committed to growing partnerships in effort to support the students of Indiana’s largest youth organization.”

Besides Heavin’s leadership role with Indiana FFA, she serves as a Warren Township Trustee in Putnam County, Director for the Putnam County Community Foundation Board and Chairman of the Putnam County Lilly Scholarship Selection Committee.Heavin is married to Anthony Heavin, M.D. They have two boys, Garrett and Brock. The Heavins also operate a 130-acre cattle farm with her father, Darywn Nelson, in Putnam County.  She is a graduate of Franklin College.

In addition to Heavin, other newly elected officers were John Bradley, Division Manager for CSX Transportation, and Raylee Honeycutt, Marketing Coordinator for CountryMark, as Vice President and Secretary, respectively. Bryan Webb, Accountant for Damping Technologies, Inc., was re-elected as Treasurer.

The Indiana FFA Foundation is the fundraising arm of the Indiana FFA Organization, which provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to over 10,000 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 200 local FFA chapters across Indiana.

Research Shows Antibiotic Concerns Unnecessary

August 18, 2013
Gary Truitt

Due to recent hype surrounding meat raised without antibiotics – Iowa State University’s authority on antibiotics in food production took a look at data to back up his own claims that it’s all antibiotic free. Dr. Scott Hurd says there’s not much difference between conventionally raised animals and antibiotic-free production when it comes to residues in meat. In fact – Hurd says because farmers follow appropriate withdrawal times – there are very few violations. In the last three years of USDA testing – he finds no broiler chickens have been found with violative residues for the scheduled sampling; only two out of 16-hundred were found in beef and for market hogs there were only three out of 22-hundred samples.

The bottom line is – the residue detection levels in beef cattle, market hogs and broilers reveal residue levels that are extremely small and well below the levels that would cause adverse effects to a human eating the meat. Hurd notes an animal that tests positive for residues does not enter the food supply – but adds that antibiotics are not toxins. He says they are useful and safe products used by everyone.

Source: NAFB New Service

The River Friendly Farmers award goes to Ron Sutherlin

The River Friendly Farmers awards ceremony dates back to 2000 and at the Indiana State Fair this week 46 more farmers were awarded for their efforts. Putnam County farmer Ron Sutherlin is a new recipient and the things he does on his farm are indicative of the others who are honored each year.

“From our no-till practices and cover crop and things that we’re doing to be environmentally friendly and river friendly, and being conservative with the nature that we’re working with and have been blessed to have,” he said. “Once the soil has been polluted or it’s actually eroded away and gone, it’s gone. It takes forever to replace that. It’s just a natural resource that we have to keep and protect because once it’s gone it’s gone.”

Sutherlin says they have no-till farmed since about 1991 and cover crops entered his mix 10 to 12 years ago, but today “We’re doing more with the cover crop, covering more acres, trying some different mixes of cover crop and just different ideas on how to plant into those cover crops. So it’s evolving.”

The River Friendly Farmer Award is sponsored by the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the 92 county Soil and Water Conservation Districts along with Indiana Farm Bureau.

What a great way to honor these folks who can demonstrate to their neighbors that these practices really pay off,” said IFB president Don Villwock. “We have some fragile land where I live in southwestern Indiana that’s had a lot of erosion and I can testify personally that those thinner soils don’t produce. They’re very susceptible if we don’t get a rain as often the deeper soils in northern Indiana where it’s a little flatter, so conservation is very critical and keeping soil in place is essential for long term sustainability of agriculture.”

Also sponsoring the awards is the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Division of Soil Conservation, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

New Scholarship Plans for Putnam Co. Farm Bureau Inc.

New Posts coming soon.

Sorry for the lack of Post's lately but my computer I had been using died and I have just discovered how to get to the page to do it.  I have pictures of the fair's pedal pull along with other pic's and Ag information to post soon.  After completing one of the best Putnam County fairs in history ( I've attended the last 51 fairs) I wish all the 4-Her's the best in their efforts at the State Fair.  If possible I may attempt to pull County winners from the state fair page to post here as results become available.  Also, I will be looking for Putnam County Farm Bureau family members accomplishments at both county and state fair.  Congrats begin for county fair winners Noah and Jonathon Poynter, Joe Mann's family, Chris Mann family, Ron Sutherlin family, Michael Nees family, along with my wife Patti's second place ribbon for her Afgan in the women's competition.
More to come,
Steve Cash
President