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ISDA honored 14 farms that completed the Certified Livestock Program between August 2015 and August 2016 at the annual awards luncheon at the Indiana State Fair.
“This is a huge honor for these producers,” said Kimmi Devaney, manager of the Certified Livestock Program. “Several producers mentioned how the emergency planning component was the most beneficial, especially developing contingency plans for all those situations like fires and tornados that we would all rather not think about, and meeting with their local fire departments to improve farm safety.”
Besides emergency planning, these producers worked with their veterinarians to create biosecurity plans, participated in their industry’s quality assurance program, and completed self-assessments for environmental stewardship, biosecurity, emergency planning and public relations.
Congratulations to the following farms:
- Jim Michalke, Lebanon
- Steve Schwieterman (2 farms), Portland
- Darryl & Karlanea Brown, Fowler
- Mel Egolf, Churubusco
- Lukus Hively, Kimmell
- Tina Dirksen, Berne
- Thomas Burgett, Trafalgar
- Trent Bowman, Hagerstown
- Monty Moss, Burnettsville
- Ashton Metzger, Kimmell
- Joe Mills, Crawfordsville
- Bill Louck, Wabash
- Jan Willem Vandelaar, Geneva
Several trainings will be held this winter for livestock producers interested in joining the program. Those interested in attending a training should contact Kimmi Devaney at KDevaney@isda.in.gov.
In June, the Indiana
State Department of Health (ISDH), in partnership with Purdue University and ISDA, submitted an application to the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to receive funding for implementation of the Produce
Safety Rule. The rule, which is one of seven, was promulgated by FDA under the
Food Safety Modernization Act and must now be implemented by the states. Indiana’s
total award from the FDA is $500,000 (2016-2017) and is the full amount for which
the state was eligible. The dollars will be used for education, outreach,
training, strategic planning, and statutory self-assessment.
ISDH will distribute a portion of the funds to Purdue to
conduct technical training for producers and regulators based upon an FDA
approved curriculum. ISDA will receive a portion of the funding to conduct
outreach to producers which will be designed to promote learning and compliance
with the law. The department is now in the process of developing an outreach plan that
will account for the size of an operation, diverse commodity groups and different farming practices.
By applying for the grant and developing a state program for implementation, Indiana is currently ahead of the curve. Furthermore, Indiana will be
allowed to conduct the regulatory components of the rule rather than the
federal government. This award for first year dollars does not include funding
for inspection or enforcement programs. Those dollars will come in second year
funding once a program is adequately developed.
Funding eligibility
for the Produce Rule is divided into five tiers based on an estimated number of
farms covered by the rule in each state. FDA used data gathered by USDA
National Agriculture Statistics Service to make this estimation. Additional
funding for the rule will be available for states in 2018, 2019, 2020, and
2021. A full account of which states applied and how much they were awarded can
be found here.
The 89th National FFA Convention & Expo is rapidly approaching and that means blue jackets from across the
country will soon be descending on Indianapolis. This year, the convention takes place Oct. 19-22 and is a valuable, educational and
enriching experience for our more than 60,000 FFA attendees! While in
Indianapolis, FFA members and other supporters from around the country will
learn about careers in agriculture, compete for scholarships and awards, meet
with industry leaders, volunteer in the Indianapolis community and learn skills
they can take back to their home FFA chapter.
Housed at the Indiana Convention Center, the Expo portion of convention will span more than 230,000 square feet and showcase more than 400 exhibitors from business, industry, colleges and universities.
While at convention, FFA members will attend general sessions complete with elaborate sets, lighting and music. Sessions will include keynote speakers delivering messages on premier leadership, personal growth and career success.
On stage throughout sessions, select FFA members will receive national awards and recognitions. The National FFA Band, Chorus and Talent groups will perform throughout convention, and the National FFA officers will deliver motivational speeches.
During most of the week, FFA members will compete in career development events and participate in hands-on activities that they can apply later in life.
To follow all of the excitement, please visit: www.ffa.org/convention
Harvest season is a busy time of the year for ISDA's
Division of Soil Conservation, as many resource specialists and staff members
are out in the field taking cornstalk nitrate samples for the nutrient
management program, INfield Advantage.
This program is a proactive, collaborative opportunity for farmers to collect and understand personalized, on-farm data to optimize their management practices to, ultimately, improve their bottom line and benefit the environment. Cornstalk nitrate testing is a critical component of the program and allows growers to better determine their nitrogen use efficiency at the end of the growing period.
So, what do cornstalk nitrate samples tell growers about their nitrogen usage? How can this information help growers improve soil health as well as their bottom-line? These questions and many more were answered during an INfield Advantage Workshop, organized by ISDA and hosted by Mike and Adam McCain.
Congressional staff members, farmers, partners of the program, and ISDA staff all attended the workshop and were able to learn about some of the benefits of INfield Advantage, as well as see firsthand how cornstalk nitrate samples are taken. It was also a great opportunity to learn about the success and recent growth of the program.
In 2010, the program had one group, with 15 producers,
who enrolled 39 fields. Today, there are more than 400 producers, involved in 34
groups, who have enrolled 1,000+ fields. Right now, over 70,000 acres in Indiana are enrolled in the program, and growers are realizing the benefits.
Based on a survey of those who attended the winter grower meetings in February, an incredible 95 percent of attendees considered the winter grower meeting discussion satisfactory to highly satisfactory. Additionally, Purdue University conducted a survey of participants in 2014 and discovered:
- 64% Changed nitrogen management
- 59% Changed nitrogen rates
- 44% believe they increased their profitability
Ultimately, INfield Advantage is a great way for growers to assess numerous farm variables and inputs, including crop nutrients, and the program is expected to continue to grow. To read success stories, please visit: infieldadvantage.org.
INfield Advantage is funded by Indiana corn and soybean, as well as Indiana Pork, checkoff dollars and is brought to you by: Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Pork, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Purdue Extension, Indiana Conservation Partnership and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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