State of Indiana sent this bulletin at 08/30/2019 05:26 PM EDT
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced that Indiana farmers are eligible for assistance under a secretarial natural disaster designation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This was in response to a letter Gov. Holcomb sent to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in July, requesting assistance due to the excessive rain and flooding farmers experienced during planting season.
Seventy-four counties were designated as primary natural disaster areas. USDA deferred its decision on the remaining 18 counties. However, since they border one or more of the primary disaster areas, they are considered contiguous disaster counties – allowing farm operators in those areas to be eligible for the same assistance.
Under a secretarial natural disaster designation, farm operators in primary and contiguous counties are eligible for assistance from the Farm Service Agency, provided certain requirements are met. This includes access to low-interest FSA emergency loans, which may be used to: restore or replace essential property, pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation, and refinance certain debts.
In order to qualify, farm operators must show at least a 30 percent loss in crop production or a physical loss to livestock, livestock products, real estate or chattel property. Farmers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses to a maximum amount of $500,000, according to USDA.
In addition to emergency loans, farmers with existing FSA loans, who are unable to make their payments, may be eligible to have certain payments deferred. Farmers are encouraged to work with their local FSA office for assistance regarding payment forbearance or emergency disaster loans.
For a list of Farm Service Agency offices in Indiana, click here or visit www.fsa.usda.gov, or click here for more information about FSA’s Emergency Farm Loans. Deadline to apply for emergency loans is April 29, 2020.
Click here to read the letter from the USDA, which includes the list of counties.
At the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler presented 96 farming families with the Hoosier Homestead Award, setting a new record in the program's 40-year history. To be named a Hoosier Homestead, the farm had to be kept in the family for at least 100 consecutive years, and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year. Families were eligible for three different award distinctions. Based on the age of the farm, they received the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.
Since the program was established in 1976, more than 5,600 families have received the award.
Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch presented the Stan Poe family, of Poe Hamps, and Terry L. Tucker, of Maple Leaf Farms, with the state’s highest agricultural honor, the AgriVision Award.
Now in its 13th year, the award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the agriculture industry and their communities.
Poe’s passion for the sheep industry dates back to a 4-H project in 1945, when two Hampshire ewes and one ram arrived on the family farm in Franklin, Indiana. He continued to work on the farm while attending Purdue University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. He would later go on to earn his master’s from Purdue and a doctorate from the University of Kentucky in the same field.
After college, Poe worked on the farm part-time and for companies like Elanco Animal Health, Indiana Farm Bureau and as an Extension 4-H educator. His experiences at Elanco took him all over the world. However, it wasn’t until his son, Stanley II, returned to the farm in 1988 that the operation would really start to take off.
Today, the third-generation family farm has more than 500 Hampshire ewes. Along with his wife, Carol, and two sons and their families, the Poes sell breeding stock, 4-H club animals and also market lambs for meat, but this didn’t happen overnight. They were early adopters of some of the newest data analytics, direct consumer marketing techniques and livestock technologies available at the time, most significantly in artificial insemination and embryo transplant.
Working with a veterinarian, they developed an efficient and effective process for artificial insemination of sheep, a major benefit for the industry. To perform the procedures, Poe, alongside Stanley II, self-engineered a state-of-the-art facility on the farm, which allowed them to artificially inseminate 100 head of sheep in a day. This facility continues to be used by the family and other breeders today.
While working in the sheep industry kept Poe busy, he managed to find time to give back to his community. He served as past president of the Indiana State Fair Board, Indiana Sheep Association and Indiana 4-H Foundation, as well as a member of the Indiana FFA Foundation, Franklin Community School Board and American Sheep Industry. For his efforts, he’s earned the Governor’s Distinguished Hoosier Award, Master Farmer Award and made it in the Indiana Livestock Breeders Hall of Fame, to name a few.
Now retired, Poe continues to serve his community and pass on his knowledge to other sheep farmers and the youth. He can be found meeting with FFA chapters and 4-H clubs, or judging at some of the nation's most prestigious sheep exhibitions and fairs.
Tucker grew up in Mentone, Indiana, where his family raised hogs and ran a local dairy. While he had a passion for agriculture, he did not envision working on his family’s dairy business, so he got a job at a local feed company and farm, owned by Donald Wentzel, founder of Maple Leaf Farms.
Tucker went on to study agricultural economics at Purdue University, and while at school, married Sandra Wentzel, Donald’s daughter. Upon graduation in 1963, he joined his father-in-law full time at Maple Leaf Farms, starting as a field service technician. Working his way up the ranks, he went on to manage the processing operations and was later promoted to controller.
With the passing of Donald in 1968, Tucker was named CEO of Maple Leaf Farms. Over the next 30 years, he would revolutionize the business overseeing changes towards vertical integration, the construction of Serenade Foods and the building of a specialized duck feed mill and diagnostic lab – all to improve the production processes and grow the business. He also prioritized animal health and food safety, and oversaw the construction of a biosecure hatchery and breeding farm in Indiana.
In 2001, Tucker announced that his sons, Scott and John, would begin leading the company as co-presidents. They formed MLF Biotech in 2004 to market the company’s natural animal health products and began selling duck breeding stock to international duck producers six years later.
Under their leadership, Maple Leaf Farms has continued to expand and recently introduced the INDUX® System, which is an integrated duck production system that offers nutrition, diagnostics, research, management and other services to international duck breeding stock customers. Maple Leaf Farms was also the first duck company in North America to implement a comprehensive animal well-being program and be certified through the global food safety initiative.
Along with providing jobs for over 1,000 employees, the Tuckers continue to give back to agriculture and their community. Each year, the company donates thousands of pounds of poultry products to hunger relief agencies and supports local agricultural, culinary, education and community development organizations. Most recently, the family was honored for its $1 million gift to the Purdue University’s College of Agriculture to establish the first-ever endowed chair in poultry science.
For more information about the AgriVision Award, please click here or visit www.isda.in.gov. Click here to see photos from the 2019 Celebration of Agriculture.
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture announced today the winners of the 2019 Indiana Agriculture photo contest. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and ISDA Director Bruce Kettler recognized the ten photographers at the Indiana State Fair, who will have their photos featured in the Lt. Governor's business offices throughout the year. Hundreds of Indiana photographers competed in four categories of the contest: Agritourism, Conservation, Faces of Agriculture and On the Farm. Photos were evaluated by a panel of independent judges based on creativity, composition and category representation.
In total, ten winners were selected: two from each category and two overall.
Six livestock producers were honored at the Indiana State Fair for going above and beyond in their farm management in the areas of environmental stewardship, animal well-being, biosecurity, emergency planning and community relations.
As the newest members of the Certified Livestock Producer program, they were recognized by Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler during an awards ceremony at the Indiana State Fair.
To complete the certification, the producers had to work with their veterinarian to develop a biosecurity plan, meet with their local fire department to create an emergency plan and participate in their industry’s quality assurance program, such as Beef Quality Assurance or Pork Quality Assurance. They also had to demonstrate their commitment to conserving the environment, as well as being a good neighbor in the community.
Since the program’s launch in 2008, nearly 150 producers have earned the certification.
The following list includes the Certified Livestock Producers that were recognized at the fairgrounds.
Brent Emerick of Columbia City
David Lesko Family of Sunman
Dave Mathers (Walton Farm LLC) of Campbellsburg
Leon and Mark Schmitt (Oakdale Partners) of Jasper
Mitchell and Jennifer Stauffer of Trafalgar
Tom and Sarah Jones of Hartford City
Click here or visit isda.in.gov to learn more about the Certified Livestock Producer program.
