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Indiana continues to rank high nationally in row crops and
livestock production, but did you know the Hoosier State also leads the nation
in the production of wooden office furniture?
Forests cover 4.7 million acres and have increased over the
years despite the growing population and development. Eighty-four percent of
Indiana’s forest land is privately owned and is heavily populated with oaks and
hickories (71.7 percent) and cherry, ash, tulip poplar and other hardwood trees
(13.6 percent). In 2011, approximately 85 billion board feet were harvested from
Indiana’s forests despite a slump in prices in the past few years.
More than 35,500 jobs are linked to logging, sawmill
manufacturers and furniture production establishments throughout the state.
With nearly 95 percent of the world’s consumers and two
thirds of the purchasing power located outside of the United States, expanding
into the global market place provides Indiana hardwood manufacturers with more
opportunities to increase their markets.
Mike Seidl, ISDA’s hardwood program manager, has a strong
focus on international markets and can help Indiana businesses navigate the
exporting process. Working in conjunction with the American Hardwood Export
Council (AHEC) and the Hardwood States Export Group (HSEG), Mike attends
various international trade shows in China, the Middle East, Brazil, India and
Turkey. Trade leads are collected and directed to the hardwood export companies
that include logs, lumber and veneer. More than 800 qualified trade leads were
collected between 2011 and 2015 and have resulted in an overall increase in
business for the hardwood community with approximately $800,000 of new business
in veneer, lumber and log sales in 2015.
ISDA’s focus on international markets and the economic
development of various agricultural industries remains strong and the economic
development team is a great resource available to assist companies and
individuals interested in expanding their businesses.
 Mike Seidl working with importers at the Sylva Wood Show in Shanghai, China.
The Indiana Grown initiative had a very exciting month by participating in the Fantastic Food Fest, Indiana's largest food and beverage
event that took place Jan. 16 and 17 at the Indiana State
Fairgrounds. Over 50 Indiana Grown members participated in the event and were able to showcase their great products in front of roughly 8,500 consumers!
Open from 11am to 6pm, the aisles were packed both days with happy consumers who were able to sample a variety of delicious treats. The Fest also featured demonstrations, shopping, cooking classes, workshops and presentations from local and celebrity chefs like Ted Allen and Hugh Acheson. In addition, Marsh and Kroger both had buyers and representatives on hand to make connections with Indiana Grown members for potential purchasing for their stores.
 This was also a big weekend for the media, and reporters from WTHR, RTV6 and Fox59, to name a few, attended the event and conducted interviews with several members of Indiana Grown.
ISDA staff members were also on hand both days and met with the Indiana Grown producers as well as members of the public to share information about the program. On many occasions, the producers told the staff members how great the turnout was and that they enjoyed participating in the event. Ultimately, we're calling the first-ever Fantastic Food Fest a huge success.
Further information about the show itself and specific exhibitors is available on the show’s website at FantasticFoodFest.com.
In
today’s 21st century economy, social media has become a business and
communications necessity, especially in the agriculture industry. It is a great
way to share information, tell your story, develop a community and build
relationships with a more diverse audience instantaneously. In fact, by its
definition alone, social media is: a form of electronic communication through
which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal
messages and other content, according to Marriam-Webster. So, why is social
media so important?
First, social media lets
people know who you are. Before Facebook and Twitter started growing in
popularity, people would just visit company’s website to learn about their
organization. If people had questions, for example, like where is their food is
being processed or grown, they would just call the producer or email them using
the contact information listed on their site. Nowadays, it’s becoming more
common for people to check social media first, before ever visiting a website.
If they want to learn about a company or their history, through social media,
they can just read what they have posted and develop their opinions based off
of that.
Next, social media gives you a
voice and can be used as an educational tool. Many misconceptions exist today
that not only impact the agriculture industry, but every industry. Social media
provides an excellent platform to clarify any misinformation that exist as well
as keep the public informed about important industry updates, reaching a broad
audience within seconds. Basically, it allows you to tell your side of the
story.
Lastly, and most importantly,
social media is a great way to interact with your audience, your community and
develop relationships with the public. Recently, ISDA Press Secretary DyNishia
Miller attended the Soil Water Conservation District Annual Conference and gave
a presentation about the importance of using social media in agriculture. She discussed some of the
basics of using social media, best practices, pitfalls to avoid, analytics,
tips and tricks and why it’s so important to agriculture today. One of the key
takeaways from her presentation was that social media is one of the easiest and
most inexpensive ways to market your organization as well as an excellent tool
to keep the public informed and to tell your story.
National FFA Week is an opportunity for individual chapters
and state associations to amplify their impact in their schools and communities, and this year is celebrated from February 21 – 27th. During the
weeklong festivities, chapters host a variety of different events that highlight
program successes, promote FFA within their school, and provide social
recreation. These activities might range from a Greenhand Degree Ceremony and
teacher appreciation breakfast to euchre tournaments and school-wide dress up
days.
 The Indiana FFA Association will kick-off this year’s FFA week by hosting a Page Day on Monday, February 22nd, at the Statehouse. Members from around the state will be paired up with their senator or representative to experience the legislative process. Additionally, during that day a joint resolution will be passed recognizing FFA Week throughout Indiana.
The seven Indiana FFA State Officers will commemorate the week by traveling around the state and participating in various events with local chapters. Each officer has been assigned a specific region of the state and will focus their attention to the schools within that area. In total, the state officers should be able to visit over 100 of Indiana’s 204 chapters. Additionally, the officers have a goal to spread the mission of FFA through nearly 30 TV, Radio, and Newspaper interviews around the state.
 The Indiana FFA 2014-2015 State Officer Team on the House Floor for FFA Page Day 2015.
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