Farmers do what it takes for their animals.

Indiana farmer uses hot tub to save baby cow

Sarah Swiss

8:47 PM, Mar 6, 2015

1 min ago

 

 

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ROSSVILLE, Ind. - A Carroll County farmer took matters into his own hands to help save the life of a baby cow.

Dean Gangwer discovered a newborn calf in a snowbank this week. The third-generation farmer said he must have missed one of his cow's give birth.

"She decided to go off by herself, which a lot of cows do, they want to be alone, big old pile of snow, I found this calf laying in there," Gangwer explained.

He could tell the animal was in danger -- the calf’s body temperature was extremely low, he was barely breathing and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Gangwer managed to get the calf -- now named Leroy -- in the back of his truck and took him home. Once home, the pair sat together in a hot tub. Although it was unconventional, Gangwer hoped it would help bring Leroy's body temperature back up to normal.

"I jumped in fully dressed, held Leroy up so he didn't drown, and him and I had a nice bath for an hour, so we both came out warm and I think the end story's gonna be great for him," Gangwer said.

After getting out of the hot tub, Gangwer took Leroy inside his home to dry him off. Then he wrapped the animal in electric blankets to help warm him up even more.

A day and a half later, Leroy's body temperature was back to normal and he even nursed for the first time Friday morning.

"Leroy's officially done hot-tubbing. Some sunbathing is definitely in his future out in the grass, but definitely his hot tub days are done," Gangwer said.

Gangwer said Leroy was getting stronger by the minute and he should be joining the rest of the herd soon.

Dates to Remember

Putnam County Farm Bureau is preparing for an active March.  This week we will have our second Legislative Update session, Saturday morning at 8 am.  In March we will be holding our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 10th.  Newsletters and cards are on the way.  March 14th is AG DAY in Putnam County starting with breakfast, a program, and the mini farm fest open to all.

New Crop Management Tool

Crop Management Tool Helps to Control Inputs

February 2, 2015
Cayla McLeland

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360 Yield Center – Logan Welker at Trupointe Cooperative

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Crop management just got a little easier as a new precision agriculture tool has hit the Indiana market. Using big data to make on-farm decisions is quickly becoming the status quo in agriculture. The 360 Yield Center, a new precision agriculture tool, is designed to deliver those decisions says Trupointe Cooperative’s Logan Welker.

“It helps them out with nitrogen utilization and efficiency. Ensuring it with the  weather patterns that they’ve experienced on their farms, it helps them judge what actual nitrogen rates they need to be using right at that moment.”

Welker says growers tend to question the rate of nitrogen they should be applying to their fields.

“This will help us to determine, judging by that farmer’s field, their location, their soil types, how much nitrogen to put out there as well as their seeding populations based on what type of hybrid they’re using.”

The math just works for growers: when you effectively apply nitrogen, you save on your bottom line.

“This will help them maintain their yields as well as help them save on nitrogen application. I mean, maintaining yields and increasing yields is where we want to be; but if we can do it more efficiently, I think that’s where this tool can really help out.”

Welker says for farmers who do invest in precision agriculture, they get paid back.

“A lot of it is determining how it functions and how it best functions on their farm. It’s something that’s real and it’s something that needs to be helped with. Growers needs to understand it’s not just spending money on things, it can also save them money on their inputs. That’s kind of a big discussion piece and understanding we have to go through.”

The 360 Yield Center has four different components:

360 SOILSCAN – provides you with zone-specific soil nitrate analysis results right in your field in as little as 5 minutes, with accuracy that’s comparable to lab results

360 COMMANDER – generates optimized, actionable seed, nitrogen and irrigation recommendations based on real-time information

360 UNDERCOVER – mounts easily to your 360 Y-DROP riser and glides smoothly through the field for targeted fungicide, insecticide and nutrient applications. It also gives you multiple nozzle choices, which allow you adjust your application speed and pressure accordingly

360 Y-DROP – gives you more control over when and where you apply nitrogen to your crops – now even up to tassel. And since corn uses 75 percent of nitrogen after the V10 stage, a late season nitrogen application can help improve yield in ways you haven’t been able to before

Get more information on the 360 Yield Center.

Farmland Property taxes

Purdue Ag Economist Deboer Outlines Farmland Tax Issues

January 27, 2015
Gary Truitt

Purdue University agricultural economist Larry DeBoer has outlined the major issues involved in the current legislative discussion of farmland taxes. “It seems likely that something will be done about farmland property taxes,” DeBoer writes in his latest “Capital Comments” column for Purdue Extension. “How it will be done, and who will foot the bill are the big questions.”

Among the possible options the legislature could consider is changing the formula used to calculate farmland assessments to better reflect current market conditions, DeBoer writes. The current formula calculates the taxable value of farmland based on four-to-nine-year-old data, including commodity prices, yields, rents, interest rates and other costs.

But calculating this year’s taxes based on more recent data could increase tax bills in the short term, according to DeBoer, because market conditions have been generally favorable to farmers over the past few years, resulting in higher land values.

Another option could be introducing new deductions for farmland owners, DeBoer writes.

DeBoer’s column appears monthly in the “News Columns” section on the Extension homepage, https://extension.purdue.edu. DeBoer and Tamara Ogle, an Extension educator in Cass County, also have an active Twitter account, @INTaxRockstars, focusing on farmland tax and assessment issues.

Isabella Chism elected as vice chair of AFBF

Chism elected vice chair of NWLC

Posted January 12, 2015 by Meghan Grebner

Indiana Farm Bureau second vice-president Isabella Chism will serve the American Farm Bureau Federation in a new role. Chism was elected as vice chair of the National Women’s Leadership Committee.

Her election to vice chair left an opening on the NWLC board for the Midwest representative. Deb Walsh, of Indiana’s District 1, was elected to fill that role.

farmland taxes

Fighting the increase in farmland taxes

Posted January 9, 2015 by Meghan Grebner

The 2015 Legislative Session is underway.  Katrina Hall, Indiana Farm Bureau’s director of state government relations says the biggest issue facing farmers in 2015 is farmland taxes.  “The increase in farmland taxes is simply escalating at a point where they are going to be consuming the profits that farmers will be making,” she says.

Between 2007 and 2013, farmers paid an additional $100 million in property taxes – or a 33 percent increase.  “Beyond this year – and even taxes that they will pay in 2015 most farmers will see their assessments have gone up 16.5 percent,” she says.  “It may not be a 1 to 1 ration as to how much their bills will go up, but we have to stop the bleeding.”

And with the significant drop in commodity prices and farm incomes, Hall tells Brownfield the issue becomes even more critical.

With issues like farmland taxes, she says it is important for farmers to be in regular communication with their legislators.  “They need to understand the issues of the folks that are affected by the things they are passing and working on,” she says.  “That’s really is the best way for our members to have the chance to get policies implemented that impact them in the best way.”

And not hinder farmers’ ability to business.

Senator Donnelly supports the Hoosier farmers on the proposed rules on clean water

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December 4, 2014 Dear Steven, We all know the importance of clean water, especially our farming families, whose work is so dependent on an adequate supply of one of our most important natural resources. That’s why so many Hoosier farmers have voluntarily taken the initiative and proactively implemented conservation practices to improve water quality throughout the state. As a result, our state’s waters get cleaner each year. While challenges remain and we need to keep improving, we also need to ensure the Hoosier agriculture community is not overly burdened with rules and regulations or we risk inadvertently inhibiting future progress. During a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to raise the concerns and frustrations of Hoosier farmers and producers related to the “Waters of the United States.” I questioned Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Jason Weller of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on voluntary conservation efforts by Hoosier farmers and the troublesome rule defining “Waters of the United States” within the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the interpretive rule on exemptions for certain agricultural practices. You may watch my questions and Weller’s answers here. Watch Senator Donnelly’s questions and Chief Weller’s responses here. During the hearing, I expressed the frustration I have heard from many agricultural, manufacturing, property development, and conservation stakeholders regarding the confusing attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Army Corps of Engineers, and the NRCS to update the rules defining waters protected by the CWA. The regulations as currently written may have harmful and unintended consequences on the economy and the environment and I urged the agencies to work more effectively with the agriculture community to solve the problem without additional, burdensome regulation. As you know, the EPA and Army Corps proposed a rule earlier this year defining the “Waters of the United States” that are protected by the CWA. Like many of you, I wanted the agencies to develop a rule that is narrowly tailored, consistent, and provides the certainty businesses need to plan for the future, while also balancing the need to protect our health and environment. I am concerned, however, that the proposed rule as currently written does not meet this goal. In October, I wrote a letter to the EPA and Army Corps requesting that the agencies revise and clarify the proposed “Waters of the United States” rule. I asked that the agencies continue to work with stakeholders to address their valid concerns, consider input from those on the local level, and fulfill the requirements to study the proposed rule’s impact on small businesses and manufacturers before proposing the rule for another round of public comment. For more information and to see a copy of the letter, click here. We will keep you updated on this issue and our work on the Senate Agriculture Committee. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions either by emailing or calling our Washington D.C. office at 202-224-4814.  Sincerely, Senator Joe Donnelly Please do not reply to this email. To contact my office, please click here. Senator Joe Donnelly Office Locations  Washington, D.C. SH-720 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4814 Fax: (202) 224-5011 Indianapolis, IN 115 N. Pennsylvania Street, Suite 100 Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: (317) 226-5555 Fax: (855) 772-7518 For a full list of office locations, please click here.