Conservation Legacy Award Winner

Hoosiers Honored as ASA Regional Conservation Legacy Award Winner

March 3, 2014
Andy Eubank

Mark and Phyllis Legan of Coatesville, Ind., received the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award for the Northeast Region at last week’s Commodity Classic in San Antonio. The program is sponsored by BASF, Monsanto, the United Soybean Board and Corn and Soybean Digest, and recognizes soybean farmers across the country for their outstanding environmental and conservation practices, while maintaining profitable farming operations.

“With an efficient livestock operation operating hand-in-hand with the farm’s soybean and barley operations, the Legans’ farm is a great case study in the variety and diversity of individual farms within our industry. Mark and Phyllis have done a wonderful job making use of the nutrients generated by their livestock and returning those to the soil in their fields,” said ASA President and Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser. “What’s more, the Legans are first generation farmers, and have brought a unique perspective to their work that will undoubtedly help other first generation operators do the same.”

The Legans’ operation is both 100 percent no-till and 100 percent cover cropped, which Phyllis says enhances soil biological activity and improves organic matter. The Legans also utilize the manure from their large-scale hog operation as a nutrient for integration into their soil. Through drainage tiling, cover cropping, man-made wetlands and other methods, the Legans are also invested in smart water management on their farm as well.

“Conservation means using our land and water resources, but leaving them in as good or better shape than when we were entrusted with them,” says Mark. “At the same time, we are living and working at a productive, sustainable farm and leaving it in good shape for future generations.”

ASA presented the award to the Legans on Friday during the association’s annual awards banquet at Commodity Classic in San Antonio. Nominations are open for the 2015 Conservation Legacy Awards Program online at www.SoyGrowers.com/Award-Programs.

Source: ASA

May sound fishy but that's what it's about.

Bell Aquaculture in East Central Indiana has made the announcement for a major expansion plan. The Jay County based business has plans for a 30 million dollar expansion which includes a feed mill in Albany that is the first of its kind to locally produce feed to service the aquaculture industry on a mass scale using local, Indiana ingredients. Norman McCowan, President and CEO of Bell Aquaculture, told Inside Indiana Business the opportunity is right to bring more seafood consumption to a local level.

“When we look at the seafood consumption across North America, we consume over $12 billion worth of seafood and we only raise about $1.5 billion of that. We import 91 percent of our seafood. So we see that there’s this large gap where this industry can continue to have growth.”

McCowan says Indiana is a prime spot to thrive in this expansion.

“With the corporate tax structure and with the natural resources and the laws that we have in Indiana, we believe this state is right for aquaculture and we see this spurring a billion dollar industry within the state.”

McCowan is hopeful that his project is an inspiration to others with an entrepreneurial spirit in the aquaculture industry.

“You know when you look at the 2014 Pence economic plan, he talks about how Indiana is ranked the 37^th state in entrepreneurial activity. I think that what we see in aquaculture is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch out into this fastest growing sector of agriculture and really see a lot of job creations for this state in the next couple of years.

The first phase of the project, a new feed mill in Delaware County, is expected to be operational in April. The next, larger phase is set to begin in January. The company is set for a zoning board hearing on Thursday that would allow for industrial operations on what is currently agricultural property.

The mill is expected to generate up to 25 new jobs over the next 36 months, while reducing the need for local aquaculture industry to source feed from remote locations, thereby completing a cycle of sustainable aquaculture for local supply and demand.

When asked how the mill would affect local soybean farmers, ISA President Dave Lowe commented, “The opportunity for aquaculture is immense. We have needed this mill in Indiana to have the ability to source feed locally for quite some time. There are thousands of tons of ingredients for feed within a very short distance of Bell. It is time that the general population, counties and state benefit from the tax base and revenue stream that this mill will provide.”

Engine safety with Ethanol

Specialists in the areas of auto, motorcycle and small engines presented their experience with ethanol fuels in the real world during the National Ethanol Conference.

The panel was moderated by radio host and automotive expert Bobby Likis of Bobby Likis Car Clinic in Pensacola. “In 43 years, more than 200,000 cars have rolled through the doors of my automotive service shop,” said Likis. “Not one of my customers has lost or damaged an engine due to ethanol.” 

The panel featured Dr. Andrew Randolph, Technical Director with Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines, Brian West, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Deputy Director Fuels, Engines and Emissions Research, and Bryan O’Neill, Auto Service Consultant and Vice President of the Iron Order International Motorcycle Club, Pensacola Chapter 

O’Neill related that his own ride, a 2012 Victory Cross Country that “runs like a scalded dog,” has run on only E10 “from day one.” Regarding the use of E15, O’Neill made it clear that the bikers he knows are well aware that it is illegal to use that in their rides and they are capable of reading labels at the pump. “We’re bikers and I admit we’ve been known to do some dumb things, but we’re not stupid,” he said. “We know what to pump. It’s that simple.”

O’Neill is the star of a Bobby Likis Car Clinic/RFA video on motorcycles and ethanol.

Putnam Co FB Annual Meeting

Putnam County Farm Bureau held it's annual meeting today 2-21-14.  Ted McKinney, new Director of the Indiana Department of Ag was our guest speaker discussing many items of interest to those in attendance.  Ted will also be speaking at this year's Ag Day on March 15.  Elections were conducted with Steve Cash being reelected President, Patti Cash, Secretary.  New to the board will be Heather Poynter as Promotion & Education Leader (Woman Leader), and Adam Dobson.  The group also approved 9 policy recommendations presented by Della Eastep, comm. chair.

Just Maybe a New Farm Bill will be passed.....

Congressional Ag Leaders announce farm bill agreement

January 27, 2014 By Bob Meyer Leave a Comment

House and Senate agriculture leaders announced a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a five-year farm bill on Monday. The Agricultural Act of 2014 contains major reforms including eliminating the direct payment program, streamlining and consolidating numerous programs to improve their effectiveness and reduce duplication, and cutting down on program misuse. The bill also strengthens our nation’s commitment to support farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters or significant economic losses, and renews a national commitment to protect land, water, and other natural resources.

“I am proud of our efforts to finish a farm bill conference report with significant savings and reforms,” said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. “We are putting in place sound policy that is good for farmers, ranchers, consumers, and those who have hit difficult times. I appreciate the work of everyone who helped in this process. We never lost sight of the goal, we never wavered in our commitment to enacting a five-year, comprehensive farm bill. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.”

“Today’s bipartisan agreement puts us on the verge of enacting a five-year Farm Bill that saves taxpayers billions, eliminates unnecessary subsidies, creates a more effective farm safety-net and helps farmers and businesses create jobs,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “This bill proves that by working across party lines we can reform programs to save taxpayer money while strengthening efforts to grow our economy. Agriculture is a bright spot in our economy and is helping to drive our recovery. It’s time for Congress to finish this Farm Bill and give the 16 million Americans working in agriculture the certainty they need and deserve.”

“This bill reflects a lot of hard work and conscientious effort to help strengthen American agriculture and assure consumers of food and fiber that it is nutritious and affordable,” said Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “The reforms, savings and other significant changes in this agreement will provide greater certainty to producers and rural communities, as well as American consumers. It deserves to be considered and enacted as soon as possible.”

“I am pleased that we were able to work together, putting aside partisanship to finally advance a five-year farm bill,” said Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Compromise is rare in Washington these days but it’s what is needed to actually get things done. While it’s no secret that I do not support some of the final bill’s provisions, I believe my reservations are outweighed by the need to provide long term certainty for agriculture and nutrition programs. This process has been going on far too long; I urge my colleagues to support this bill and the President to quickly sign it into law.”

The Agricultural Act of 2014 Overview

Enacting the Agricultural Act of 2014 will reform agriculture programs, reduce the deficit, and help farmers, ranchers and business owners grow the economy. The legislation:

• Repeals the direct payment program and strengthens risk management tools
• Repeals outdated programs and consolidates duplicative ones, eliminating nearly 100 programs or authorizations
• Helps farmers and ranchers create jobs and provides certainty for the 16 million Americans working in agriculture
• Strengthens conservation efforts to protect land, water and wildlife for future generations
• Maintains food assistance for families while addressing fraud and misuse in SNAP
•  Reduces the deficit by billions of dollars in mandatory spending

The House is expected to take up the measure this week.

Ends Direct Payments, Strengthens Risk Management

The Agricultural Act of 2014 reforms farm programs and saves taxpayer dollars by ending direct payments and other farm programs. The bill provides risk management tools that help American farmers and ranchers survive weather disasters and market volatility.

The bill also strengthens crop insurance, which is an essential cost-effective risk management tool. With crop insurance, farmers invest in their own risk management by purchasing insurance policies so they are protected in difficult times. Crop insurance also helps protect Americans from spikes in food prices. Without crop insurance farmers would have no way to recover from disaster unless the government steps in and provides unplanned disaster assistance. The effectiveness of crop insurance was underscored during the historic droughts of 2012, which impacted more than 80% of the country. Crop insurance protected farmers without the need for an emergency disaster relief bill.

Additionally, the bill provides a permanent livestock disaster assistance program for producers affected by natural disasters, and also covers producers who were affected by recent droughts, winter storms that hit the Northern Plains last year, and spring freezes that affected fruit growers in the Midwest.

Streamlines Programs, Strengthens Conservation

The Agricultural Act of 2014 consolidates 23 existing conservation programs into 13 programs while strengthening tools to protect and conserve land, water and wildlife. By streamlining programs, the farm bill provides added flexibility and ensures conservation programs are working for producers in the most effective and efficient way – an approach supported by nearly 650 conservation organizations from all 50 states.

Protects SNAP for Families, Reduces Fraud and Misuse

The bipartisan farm bill conference agreement maintains critical assistance for families while stopping fraud and misuse to achieve savings in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The farm bill agreement closes a loophole being used by some states to artificially inflate benefits for a small number of recipients. Additionally, the bipartisan agreement stops lottery winners from continuing to receive assistance, increases program efficiency, cracks down on trafficking, fraud and misuse, and invests in new pilot programs to help people secure employment through job training and other services. Savings in this section are reached without removing anyone from the SNAP program, and will ensure that every person receives the benefits they are intended to get under the current rules of the program.

Grows the Agricultural Economy

The Agricultural Act of 2014 reduces the deficit while strengthening top priorities that help to grow the agricultural economy. The bill:

•  Boosts export opportunities to help farmers find new global markets for their goods
•  Continues investments to meet growing consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, local foods and organics by helping family farmers sell locally, increasing support for farmers’ markets, and connecting farmers to schools and other community-based organizations
•  Supports beginning farmers and ranchers with training and access to capital
•  Increases assistance for food banks
•  Reduces regulatory barriers
•  Invests in state-run pilot projects to encourage and incentivize employment and training opportunities for families in need
•  Creates initiatives to help veterans start agriculture businesses
•  Grows American bio-based manufacturing (manufacturing processes using raw agricultural products grown in America)
•  Expands bio-energy production, supporting non-food based advanced biomass energy production such as cellulosic ethanol and woody biomass power
•  Invests in research to promote productivity and new agricultural innovations
•  Strengthens rural development initiatives to help rural communities upgrade infrastructure and create a better environment for small businesses

Farmers do care.

Do farmers care about their cows?

by JACKIE on JANUARY 24, 2014

Owning and working on a farm is business, and often it’s the business that supports an entire family and possibly extended family as well. With all that riding on the farm making money, do farmers have time to care about their cows?

Absolutely. Big farm or small, the whole reason dairy farmers enjoy their work is the cows. It might be hard for you or me to tell cows apart in a herd, but for the farmers who work with them every day, each cow is unique with her own special personality.

Many dairy farmers name some or all of their cows, but even if a cow doesn’t have a “name” she is still recognized as an individual in the herd by her ear tag number. The ear tag helps farmers keep data about how many calves a cow has had, how old she is, who her parents are, how much milk she normally gives, and more. Many farms use radio tags so each time a cow comes in to be milked, the farmer can collect data on her. Cows also sometimes were pedometers or activity monitors so the farmer will know if she’s feeling under the weather (maybe laying down more than normal and not walking around as much) or if she’s ready to be bred (maybe she’s very active and not resting as much).

Farmers who raise purebred cows even have registration papers for their animals, who usually have long, fancy names and even longer pedigrees.

The farmers I know all care deeply about their cows’ welfare. On many farms, each cow may be a part of the family’s history–the farmer will remember bottle feeding that cow’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. While dairy cows are not pets, they are the stars of the farm.

Purdue Animal Welfare Center

New Purdue Animal Welfare Center is about Science

January 22, 2014
Andy Eubank

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Purdue has announced the creation of the Purdue University Center for Animal Welfare Science, to be led beginning on February first by associate professor of animal sciences Candace Croney, described as a national voice on animal welfare.

The center will promote the welfare of animals through its research, education and outreach. Dean of Purdue College of Agriculture Jay Akridge says the “science” portion of the name is of key importance.

“We have a large and important research group from the College of Agriculture, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service) Livestock Behavior Research Unit, and one of the really key elements of this center is to bring that research into the dialogue on animal welfare issues.”

Croney says for many consumers there is a heightened awareness and concern for the treatment of animals, including those in food production.

“One of the things that we’re going to be able to do with the center is show very clearly that we as scientists and as members of the land grant university, really while we care about producing food and contributing to Indiana and the nation’s economy and expanding globally and so on, really, genuinely care about the animals and what they themselves are experiencing. That matters and from an ethical perspective as well as practical perspective it’s a major priority for us.”

Will this new endeavor put Purdue closer to the spotlight of organizations like HSUS?

“I think that’s certainly a possibility,” said Akridge. “And it may be a reality. We certainly have been doing work in these areas before. We have scientists in these two colleges and the Livestock Behavior Research Unit. That work is going to be more visible and may bring more controversy as a result, but I think it’s just essential that science find its way into these dialogues and debates.”

Akridge says Croney is well prepared for all aspects of the center’s directorship. Hear more in the HAT interview:

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Jay Akridge

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Her appointment as director was announced jointly this week by Akridge and Willie M. Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The center now hosts the largest collaborative group of scientists in the U.S. working in a variety of related fields and brings together diverse, cross-disciplinary approaches to animal well-being issues in animal and poultry science, veterinary medicine, psychology, philosophy, genetics, public health and zoology.

Croney’s responsibilities will include soliciting both traditional and nontraditional sources of extramural funding for the center’s research and outreach activities, serving as spokesperson and resource person on public policy welfare issues, and disseminating knowledge, guidance and expertise of animal welfare science through a variety of media.

She also will be charged with developing and maintaining national and international relationships with leaders in animal agriculture, animal welfare faculty at other universities and institutions, non-government organizations and the public.