Farm Indiana | October 2017

Cow connoisseurs

October 2017

Focus on nature Annual contest seeks photos from public land Staff Reports

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Belgian-born Hulsbosch family makes mark on Hoosier dairy industry

By Jon Shoulders Photography by April Knox

Family photo below:

From left, Kuyhlia and Vital Hulsbosch, Mary and Dominique Hulsbosch, Kirsten, Lorelai, 4 months, and Wim Hulsbosch, Roel Hulsbosch.

3,200 cows produce 230,000 pounds of milk every day on the Hulsbosch Dairy Farm.

When Dominique and Mary Hulsbosch were running a relatively small, 80-cow dairy farm in their native Belgium, they had little expectation that they would eventually be producing 230,000 pounds of milk daily in another country more than 4,000 miles away.

However, that’s exactly what happened after the Hulsbosches, now in their early 50s, and their three children moved from the Limburg province of Belgium to Decatur County in December 2005. The family had realized they would need to relocate in order to scale up their dairy operation.

“The dairy farm in Belgium had grown to about 80 cows, and then there was just not the opportunity

Hulsbosch Dairy Farm

Farm Indiana is a monthly publication of AIM Media Indiana.

Publisher Chuck Wells Editor Doug Showalter

to grow any further,” says Wim, 27, oldest of the three Hulsbosch children. “It’s very limited over there in the northeastern part of Belgium.

My parents saw that us three boys were interested in agriculture, and the area there just wasn’t big enough to support multiple families living off a farm. So Mom and Dad started looking elsewhere.”

The family began searching throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio for the right spot to make their agricultural mark and was struck by the sense of community and support for the livestock industry in Greensburg.

“It was a big move, especially for Mom and Dad to basically sell everything they had at that time and move across the world,” Wim recalls.

“The reason we ended up in Indiana was because of the community. We really enjoyed the people we talked to, and they were very livestock friendly and understood what we were doing. We wanted a good spot for the dairy business, but we also wanted a nice community to be able to live in because we’ll be here for the rest of our lives.”

By August 2008 the staff at Hulsbosch Dairy Farm was milking its first cows, and the family has steadily grown its operation since then to include 2,600 cows that are milked 72 at a time, three times per day, in a semi-automated milking parlor.

As the cows line up for milking inside the facility, each is attached directly to a sensor unit that detaches automatically when milking is complete. The milk then runs through a filter and a chiller, and samples of every batch are inspected to safeguard against contamination.

Wim says the family’s Limburg dairy operated in much the same (Continues on page 3)

You don’t have to travel far to find beauty. That’s the message of this year’s photo contest sponsored by Oak Heritage Conservancy and George Rogers Clark Land Trust. The two groups are co-hosting their second annual photo contest for amateurs in southern Indiana.

“This year we have a special challenge,” says Oak Heritage Conservancy Executive Director Liz Brownlee. “We want people to go to parks, nature preserves and other places where nature is protected for the public good to take their photos. We want to show everyone that nature is all around us, right here in southern Indiana, and that there are lots of parks and places to enjoy nature, nearby.”

Photographers of all ages can enter the contest in one of four categories: forests, creeks and wetlands; people in nature; wildlife and wildflowers; or farms.

“We’re keeping the farm category for two reasons,” says Brownlee, “First, it was a hit last year. Second, our farms include a lot of natural areas.”

Pat Larr, a farmer and board member for George Rogers Clark Land Trust, explains that “Southern Indiana is unique because our family farms include row crops but also beautiful scenery, old barns, woods, creeks, livestock and pasture, and, of course, our farm families. Our farms are photogenic and worth protecting.”

If area residents want to enter the photo contest but don’t know of natural areas to visit, Oak Heritage Conservancy has created an online, interactive map showing the natural areas in our region.

The guide lists all types of natural areas, from state parks to national forest to nature preserves, and tells people what they can do (hike, canoe, bird watch, fish, etc.) at each park.

The guide was a joint effort with Hanover College, the McManaman Internship Program at Hanover, and Steve Higgs, who recently released the first comprehensive print guide to parks and preserves for the area. Higgs’ guide, ‘A Guide to Natural Areas of Southern Indiana’ is available for purchase online, or Oak Heritage Conservancy’s online, more basic guide is available free.

The contest is open now through Oct. 24. Judges will select about 30 photos for their online exhibit and 12 “Best of Show” winners, which will be printed, mounted and exhibited around the community this winter. The public will be invited to vote for a winner online and at the in-person exhibits. The photo contest and exhibit are supported by the Indiana Arts Commission.

Comments, story ideas, events and suggestions should be sent to Doug Showalter, The Republic, 2980 N. National Road, Columbus, IN 47201, call 812-379-5625 or email dshowalter@therepublic.com.

To advertise, contact Kathy Burnett at 812-379-5655 or kburnett@aimmediaindiana.com

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Farm Indiana | october 2017

The Bolte family farmhouse.

“One hard thing for small farmers is that most folks are done working for the week when you have things to do.”

—Craig Bolte Dawn and Craig Bolte and their children, Nicholas, 7 months, Anthony, 5, and Brooklyn, 3.

Keep growing and carry on

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Boltes still learning as they nurture farm and family

By Barney Quick | Photography by April Knox

When Farm Indiana last checked in with the Bolte family, in the fall of 2012, there was one child and 200 acres to farm. The family has grown to three children now, and the acreage of the operation has grown to around 600.

As was the case five years ago, both Craig and Dawn have their day jobs, aircraft armament qualification engineer and physical therapist respectively.

Craig’s work still requires an hour commute to and from Indianapolis.

Life keeps getting busier in all its facets. Their children — Anthony, 6, Brooklyn, 3, and Nicholas, younger than a year — have different needs.

Anthony, who was already on the scene in 2012, is now involved in soccer.

The Boltes are an example of the modern phenomenon of professionals in established careers deciding to go into part-time farming. On Craig’s side of the family, it’s true that he comes from a long line of full-time Bartholomew County farmers, going back to the 1840s. (Since the 2012 article, he’s discovered yet an earlier generation that was here.) His father, Tony,

did break from the pattern, plying the tool-and-die-making trade. Craig’s exposure to farming came early and was ample. As a teen, he also got a handson look at his father’s line of work.

“I actually worked at PECO, where my father worked, myself for a while.

It was on a co-op basis through the C4 program at school.”

Craig earned a mechanical engineering bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and then went to work for Raytheon, a defense contractor. He was selected from 20 people in his business unit at the company to participate in a remote Johns Hopkins master’s degree program in systems engineering.

“Raytheon would fly Johns Hopkins instructors out to Indianapolis,” he says. “There was a lot of videoconferencing as well.”

He was still a single man when, in 2003, he decided to add farming to his work life.

“I bought 13 acres with my parents, and a couple of tractors. I considered it just a hobby with potential as a side business.”

He and Dawn had slightly known each other as students at Columbus East High School, but it wasn’t until 2007, when a mutual friend put them together on a date, that they became better acquainted.

Dawn characterizes herself as a small-city girl. Her parents had whitecollar positions with Milestone, the contracting firm. She was not familiar with the farming life.

“Some of our first dates involved tractors,” recalls Craig. “After about three months, one day we were in the combine, and I got off. When I got back on, she was doing OK.” Their current 600 acres are spread from Elizabethtown to the land north of West Hill shopping center to Freetown.

They raise wheat, corn and soybeans.

“Our family owns most of the fields,” says Craig, noting that, on his scale, it makes more sense than renting. “It’s more challenging to be competitive with the renters when they do it full time.”

The Boltes have a good working relationship with Richards Elevator, north of Columbus.

“One hard thing for small farmers is that most folks are done working for the week when you have things to do,” Craig observes. “It’s so good that we have Richards Elevator, which is willing to work with us.”

They feel similarly about their main seed dealer, Beck’s Hybrids. Beck’s held a customer appreciation event one weekend in August, and the Boltes attended, along with Dawn’s parents.

“They treat you the way they do farmers with thousands of acres,” says Dawn.

Both sets of parents help in a number of ways, including children’s logistical considerations. Tony is valuable in the area of equipment maintenance.

“He’s the lead mechanic, for sure,” says Craig. “Actually, he’s a full partner in the operation.”

Craig says the aspect of farming he’s learned the most about since 2012 is marketing.

“Knowing when to sell is really important,” he says. “A lot of my lessons in that area have been the result of 20/20 hindsight, though. The old adage that if you can hit singles and doubles, it’s sometimes better than holding out for a home run applies to marketing crops.”

He also says that staying on top of technology advances, and the sheer volume of data the technology exists to manage, is another area in which he’s grown as a farmer in the last five years.

The search for ever greater efficiency drives the way he approaches much of his farming activity. He devised his own program for the accounting and administration side of it.

He gets to talk shop about agriculture a bit with his Raytheon colleagues.

“Being engineers, they’re naturally curious,” he notes. “A lot of them are fairly serious gardeners, and they ask me questions about that.”

While it’s been a challenging five years, the latest chapter of the Bolte story is a positive one. The family keeps expanding and getting evermore cohesive, the farm itself grows in physical size, and Craig and Dawn feel an ever-greater sense of mastery over their own destiny.

Farm Indiana | october 2017

The cattle on the Hulsbosch Dairy Farm are raised in Free Stall Barns. The stalls are cleaned, beds groomed and drinkers cleaned three times a day, when the cows are taken to the milk parlor.

A direct loader fills a waiting tanker parked outside.

Hulsbosch

(Continued from page 1)

manner with similar technology, and the family’s primary challenge since relocating has been applying the methods that worked back in Belgium on a markedly larger scale.

“It’s technically not robotic milking; the automation part is when the units get attached,” Wim says. “There is full automatic robotic milking out there, but we rely heavily on people to do the prepping and load the cows. Everything we do, we want to do

A sample collection in the milk chiller.

with the cow in mind. The more comfortable we make the cows’ lives, the happier they are and the more they’ll produce.”

The 30 employees at the farm, including the Hulsbosch family, make sure the parlor is operating 24 hours a day, and that 27,000 gallons of milk leave the farm every day bound for Dean Foods plants in Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee.

“About 75 to 90 percent of the milk on a daily basis goes to Louisville, and the rest goes to Nashville,” Wim says. “If you buy the TruMoo brand or a lot of other milk brands in the local stores, it comes from this dairy. So it goes to Louisville, but a lot of it gets distributed back into this area.”

Construction of a second milking parlor is underway, and the family plans to expand to about 5,000 cows by next year, which will nearly double their production output.

As harvest season rolls around each year, Dominique says his family relies on neighboring farms for the majority of the approximately 2,500 acres of crops required to feed their cows.

“We farm about 350 acres ourselves,” he says. “That’s a small percentage of the 2,500 acres that we buy, and 40 people from around here help harvest that 2,500 acres in three weeks. This community has been great to us.”

Wim and his siblings, Vital, 25, and Roel, 22, knew at an early age they would likely have careers in agriculture and continue the family dairy business Dominique and Mary started 30 years ago with a mere 15 cows and a rented barn in Belgium. As co-owner with his parents, Wim handles day-to-day operations and employee management, while Vital serves as farm herdsman and Roel handles equipment maintenance and harvest manager duties. Wim’s wife, Kirsten, does payroll, and Vital’s wife, Kuyhlia, feeds the calves.

“America is really the land of opportunity,” Wim says, “especially in the ag industry here. When you come from Europe, it’s a huge difference. If you really put your mind to something, you can get it accomplished here. We’re very driven as a family and very goal-oriented, so we usually set the goal high and enjoy being able to reach it.”

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Farm Indiana | october 2017

A round-table discussion hosted

by Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition.

Having a say

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Visitors to Nightfall Farm listen to a discussion about issues facing young farmers.

Young farmers express opinions for Washington lawmakers Story and photos by Marcia Walker

Don’t overlook us.

That was the underlying message that a small group of young Indiana farmers recently sent to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. The farmers had gathered for a round-table discussion in the barnyard of Nightfall Farm, near Crothersville, with Kent Yeager, agricultural liaison for Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind. The discussion was organized by the Hoosier Chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition; Andrew

Raridon served as moderator. Raridon explained that a purpose of the coalition is to encourage networking and communication among members, who are mostly young, beginning farmers using sustainable farming methods and who market crops locally through farmers markets as well as directly to their own base of customers.

“There is strength in numbers when getting our voices heard,” Raridon said of the coalition.

Coalition members had been invited to share information with Yeager, who was seeking input that could be used when putting together the next version of the farm bill. The bill, which allocates federal dollars to programs intended to help farmers, is rewritten approximately every five years.

“As we get ready to write the farm bill, (the time) to make serious suggestions is early in the process,” Yeager explained. “Since January, we have done lots of listening sessions around the state. We are looking for the ideas you have.”

Donnelly sits on the agriculture committee and has a passion for farming, although Yeager said the senator has no farming background. Yeager, however, has farmed all his life on property near Mauckport

in Harrison County, property that touches the Ohio River. He said the farm has been in his family since 1873 and that he has lived in the same house, built that same year, since he was 8 months old.

The new farm bill isn’t in the works yet, Yeager said, but the time to plan for the process is now.

Liz Brownlee, who with her husband, Nate, operates Nightfall Farm where the discussion took place, suggested making sure that federal dollars are available for small, sustainable farmers. She mentioned a program called EQUIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) available through the Natural Resource Conservation Service. It’s a voluntary incentive program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers who want to implement certain conservation practices.

The Brownlees are raising animals on pasture ground that initially was farmed by her parents, Lloyd and Carol Otte, during the 1970s and ’80s. They are using sustainable farming practices, such as rotational grazing. She said EQUIP helped the couple with the cost of “bringing the land back to life.”

Brownlee also suggested that programs under the farm bill be structured so “small farmers are only competing against small farmers.”

And she suggested that Indiana initiate a young farmers program, as do several neighboring states.

John Small raises pork, beef, duck and lamb on 100 acres in southeastern Indiana and said he is making ends meet, although barely. Small said his big challenge is marketing.

Kent Yeager, right, takes notes during the meeting.

He is an agricultural liaison for Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly.

Farm Indiana | october 2017

“We have to be salesmen in addition to growing stuff; that’s our biggest struggle,” he said.

Small said he participated in a water shed improvement program.

It was easy to get into, he said, but then he applied for EQUIP dollars and discovered that was not so easy. Small said he was turned down the first time he applied, although he was successful the second time around. Meanwhile, the ravine on his property he hopes to stabilize continues to erode.

Dennis Bowers, who farms near Cortland, talked of the difficulty of getting insurance for one of his crops, popcorn. One requirement is crop history.

“If you’re just starting out, you don’t really have a history,” Bowers said, adding insurers then want to look at history in neighboring counties, which doesn’t work well if a particular crop has not been grown in those counties either.

Genesis McKiernan-Allen, who with her husband, Eli Robb, grows about 40 different vegetables in hoop houses on a farm near Noblesville, said she and her husband have no farming background. She said they got into farming for selfish reasons: They wanted to do something together. For the first three years, she explained, the two had to work offfarm to make ends meet. They sell through farmers markets in the Indianapolis area and to 15 different restaurants. They are now feeding people every week, providing nutrient dense food, and have also added three employees.

“It feels a valuable thing we’re contributing ... as well as providing good food for people. That’s the driving factor of why we farm,” McKiernanAllen said.

Several farmers mentioned the benefits of selling through farmers markets, where they can interact with the customer, and that sustainable farming keeps dollars in the community.

“Our sales are based on relationships,” Brownlee said. “When (we are) at a farmers market, we’re educators. It’s about building up my community.”

Raridon said sometimes young, beginning farmers feel at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for programs funded through the farm bill, but there are programs in the bill that could be important to them.

“As we get ready to write the farm bill, (the time) to make serious suggestions is early in the process. Since January, we have done lots of listening sessions around the state. We are looking for the ideas you have.”

— Kent Yeager

Yeager said he doesn’t know when the new farm bill will be written.

He noted that Congress hasn’t been able to agree on much recently, using health care as an example. He suggested that the farm bill could offer a place where legislators find some common ground.

“We could end up with a farm bill by the end of year since we can’t agree on anything else,” he said.

And he also indicated that there is room for farmers with large, conventional operations as well as farmers who are just starting out, focused on sustainable practices.

“I think it takes agriculture of all kinds,” he said. “There is a terrific demand for what you are trying to do.”

An aptitude for agriculture

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Local FFA students will gather in Indianapolis with their counterparts from other states

By Bob Bromley

For four days in late October, central Indiana will be the center of the agriculture universe, as Indianapolis hosts the 90th National FFA Convention and Expo. From Oct. 25 to 28, downtown Indianapolis will be teeming with over 60,000 visitors attending activities at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center and the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Local chapters will be well-represented, as the FFAs from Columbus, Hope, Seymour and Brownstown plan on sending a contingent of students.

Columbus FFA will be attending the convention Wednesday through Friday, with the first stop being the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The group’s 12 students will tour the facility and learn about the racing industry, said Allison Korb, FFA adviser and agriculture teacher.

After a day of workshops, exhibits and other activities, the group will take in a concert. On Thursday, they will tour Falling Waters Farm, an urban aquaponic farm, and in the evening, go to the rodeo. The FFA group will also be treating its students to dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse.

“It is a sit-down, very fancy meal. We like to treat them to something they might not or would not experience on their own,” Korb said.

Friday’s highlights will include a visit to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point and a hypnotist show.

“We try to pack in as much activity as possible, to make it a great experience for the kids that is fun-filled and educational,” Korb said.

Besides those 12 students, the Columbus FFA will be bringing about 40 students for the day on Thursday, giving more students a chance to experience a national convention.

Seymour FFA will also attend Wednesday through Friday with 14 students, said Jeanna Eppley, FFA adviser and agriculture teacher. Different students will attend each day, to ensure an individual student isn’t away from school too long and missing other commitments.

On Wednesday, the Seymour group will tour an agriculture-related business. Specific plans have not been finalized, but the group goes to a different one each year and students always find them interesting, Eppley said. Later Wednesday, they will go to the Career Fair, where businesses, industries and colleges set up booths throughout the Convention Center. The day concludes with a student favorite, the rodeo.

The Brownstown FFA has extended invitations to nine students to attend the national convention, and they will also be attending events Wednesday through Friday, said Blake Hackman, the FFA adviser and an agriculture teacher in the school district for the past 27 years. Only seniors are invited to attend the convention, and this tradition ensures that students see

the trip as special and a reward for their hard work, Hackman said.

Brownstown’s schedule for Wednesday is similar to Seymour’s. The group also has not finalized its plans for which agriculture-related business to visit. In the past, the group has gone to a Kroger dairy, to watch milk turned into ice cream, and to Indiana Veneers, to see the veneer process up close.

Thursday will be a jam-packed day for the groups, with various workshops to choose from. Topics in the past have included how to be an advocate for agriculture, how to interview and tips for performing in contests, Eppley said.

On Friday, some of the groups will be participating in a community service project in the greater Indianapolis area.

In the past, Hackman says, his group has worked at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and has weeded and planted as part of a beautification project.

Eppley says the convention is a great experience for students and one that can be life-changing as well. “I have had a lot of kids go there and find the college they wanted to attend or decide on the career they wanted,” she said.

The Hope FFA chapter will bring its seven member officer team to the convention from Wednesday through Friday, said Aleesa Dickerson, FFA adviser and agriculture teacher. In addition, the chapter will bus about 40 students up on Friday for a day of activity. Also, all students who have been FFA members for four years or more will be treated to lunch downtown.

One of the best things about attending a national convention is that students really enjoy meeting new people from across the country, Eppley said. Hackman emphasized that point as well.

“It is great to see the kids from all over the country. They are different in many ways – the kids from Maine look a lot different than the kids from Texas – but in many ways they are very similar, too,” Hackman said.

The Hope chapter is reaching out to other parts of the country even outside the convention, as it will host students from the Enterprise, Oregon, FFA chapter in members’ homes, Dickerson said.

The national FFA is a youth leadership organization with more than 610,000 members in over 7,600 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. According to its website, the FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

The National FFA Convention and Expo was held in Indianapolis from 2006 to 2012, then returned to the city last year. The event is slated to remain in Indianapolis through 2024, according to an agreement between the state and the organization.

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Farm Indiana | october 2017

Irma devastates Florida orange crop

By TAMARA LUSH and STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

LAKE WALES, Fla. — Hurricane Irma dealt Florida’s iconic orange crop a devastating blow, destroying nearly all the fruit in some Southwest Florida groves and seriously damaging groves in Central Florida.

U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio toured groves in Lake Wales and heard from growers, who pleaded for federal assistance. In Lake Wales, the senators saw young fruit on the ground and trees split by wind.

Growers talked of trees standing in 3 feet of water, which is a death sentence for a crop already under a decade-long siege by citrus greening disease.

“Citrus is the crop that Florida’s associated with, and it’s already facing significant challenges,” said Rubio. “Economically, it’s an enormous priority for the state. We wanted to make sure this didn’t get lost in this broader relief effort.”

Much of the fruit was young, and it’s too late in the season to grow a new crop.

“We’ve had many hurricanes, we’ve had freezes, but this one is widespread,” said Harold Browning with the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. “We’re seeing the kind of

damage we haven’t seen, ever.”

Statewide, fruit growers and farmers have just begun to assess Irma’s impact on the state’s citrus, sugar cane and vegetable crops, but they expect it will be significant. Still unknown: How much damage the crops suffered, how much producers might recover from crop insurance and how much more people might pay for their morning orange juice.

Florida’s orange harvest usually begins around Thanksgiving, and about 90 percent of it becomes juice. Projections for the 2016-2017 growing season had called for 68.5 million boxes of oranges and 7.8 million boxes of grapefruit. The orange crop was worth over $886 million, according to USDA figures, while the grapefruit crop was worth nearly $110 million.

“Before Hurricane Irma, there was a good chance we would have more than 75 million boxes of oranges on the trees this season; we now have much less,” said Shannon Stepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. Initial reports indicate Irma’s winds knocked a lot of fruit to the ground but uprooted relatively few trees.

Lisa Lochridge, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, said reports indicate a 50 percent to 70 percent crop loss in South Florida, depending on the region, with losses “only slightly less going north.” Joel Widenor, cofounder of Commodity Weather Group, forecast the overall orange crop loss at 10 percent and the grapefruit loss at 20 percent to 30 percent. He estimated sugar cane losses at 10 percent.

The sugar cane harvest was expected to begin Oct. 1. Producers had anticipated a “very good” crop of around 2.1 million tons, said Ryan Weston, CEO of the Florida Sugar Cane League. Aerial observations this week should start showing how much was knocked down, he said.

Florida is a key source of fresh fruits and vegetables for the nation in the winter. Lochridge said the tomato crop is expected to be light in early November, though officials expect a solid December. Strawberry growers expect to recover quickly and harvest on time, she said.

“A big concern for growers is finding available workers to help them in their recovery efforts,” Lochridge said. “The labor

supply was already very tight.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue its first forecast for Florida’s 2017-18 citrus crop Oct. 12. Citrus greening disease, which cuts yields and turns fruit bitter, has blighted the crop in past years. The harvest has fallen by more than 70 percent since the disease was discovered in Florida in 2005, Lochridge said, and the resulting higher prices for consumers haven’t made up for the losses to growers.

Browning said the hurricane is like “an accelerant” on top of the devastating greening disease.

Frozen orange juice concentrate futures provide a glimpse at what might happen to consumer prices. They spiked as Irma bore down but slipped afterward. Coca-Cola, whose brands include Minute Maid and Simply juices, said its juice operations are already back up and running.

Chet Townsend is editor of the Citrus Daily newsletter and also owns a five-acre grove near Fort Denaud in southwestern Florida. He got his first good look at the damage driving around his area. “I’ve never seen so much fruit down, even after a freeze,” he said.

Dairy farmers seek end to ‘fear-based’ food labeling

By Rick Barrett | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (TNS) MILWAUKEE — A national group is urging food companies to stop using labels such as “GMO-free” for marketing purposes.

The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, Va., says food manufacturers have turned to “fear-based” labeling that plays on the fear of things like genetically modified organism products, synthetic animalgrowth hormones and high fructose corn syrup.

In its “Peel Back the Label” campaign, the dairy industry trade group says nearly 70 percent of American consumers look to food labels when making purchase decisions, but that some of the information is misleading. For instance, one company has labeled its table salt as “GMO-free,” when it could never have been GMO in the first place because salt has no genes to modify.

Similar marketing practices have taken place with dairy products, according to the National Milk Producers Federation, which represents about 70 percent of Wisconsin’s dairy farms through farm cooperatives and individual memberships.

“The deceptive labels and fear-based marketing increasingly used by some food manufacturers damage consumer

trust and jeopardize the safe, sustainable farming practices that have enhanced farm productivity over the last 20 years,” said Jim Mulhern, federation president. “Consumers have a right to both truth and transparency in food labeling.

We launched this campaign to help consumers peel back the label on deceptive food marketing in the name of profits.”

The campaign’s website, peelbackthelabel.org, cites examples of what the federation calls fear-based food labels.

The website targets yogurt maker Dannon for advertising non-GMO ingredients. It also takes aim at Dean Foods for a “No GMOs” label on TruMoo chocolate milk.

“Our goal is to see brands step away from these tactics and to see them embrace a more honest and transparent way of talking about food production,” said Emily Meredith, chief of staff for the federation.

Dannon says it’s offering more products made without GMO ingredients and that the changes have been driven by consumer demand. “We continue to be surprised that we are on the receiving end of criticism about our providing choices that consumers are looking for,” the company said in a statement.

It’s not that Dannon is

necessarily opposed to GMO ingredients, said company spokesman Michael Neuwirth. “But consumers can go to the store and make choices based on their preferences, not ours,” he said.

It’s disappointing to see the National Milk Producers Federation use dairy farmer money to “blast companies selling dairy foods,” Dean Foods said in a statement.

“NMPF is doing harm, including to its own members, by attacking the No. 1 chocolate milk brand. An expensive campaign, website and press release attempting to spread incorrect information is an oddly aggressive way to voice concern to a company that supports farmers by buying and marketing … milk,” Dean Foods said.

The National Milk Producers Federation did not reveal its budget for the campaign, but Meredith said it was a “fairly hefty” amount of money being spent and that some cooperatives had pledged dollars “over and above” their normal membership dues.

“We are not letting up on this. It’s going to be something that we continue to push, and it’s something that our farmers feel strongly enough about to dedicate a significant number

of resources,” Meredith said.

The Dairy Business Association, based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, says it believes in having an “open and honest” discussion about how food is produced, but that some labels are misleading.

“It is understandable that food companies want to differentiate their products in the store. But purposely confusing customers, as some marketing campaigns do, is not right. The end doesn’t justify the means,” said Dairy Business Association spokesman Jamie Mara.

It’s a “slippery slope” when marketers attempt to push one type of milk over another based on how it was produced, said George Crave, president of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

“We are very proud in the dairy industry that we have a very clean label, and that’s ‘Grade-A milk.’ I don’t know how much cleaner it could get,” Crave said.

Genetically modified foods are derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that doesn’t occur naturally.

Most genetically modified crops, sometimes called biotech crops, have been developed to improve yields through resistance to disease and insects.

Some of the marketing claims against GMOs are “frustrating” to deal with, said Nancy Kavazanjian, a grain farmer from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and former chairwoman of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.

“And claims like ‘gluten-free water’ are just silly,” Kavazanjian said.

Still, consumers will vote with their spending based on what they’ve learned over the years, said Mark Kastel, co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based group that studies food policy issues.

It’s no coincidence that the growth in natural foods has soared as people have learned more about the use of biotechnology and chemicals in agriculture, he said. “It was the arrogance of the dairy industry, including the NMPF, that fostered the launch and aggressive growth of organic milk,” Kastel said.

Farm Indiana | october 2017

she had seen cows for the first time.

The farmer went to move some gates, and we stayed behind to watch him.

I wanted to grab my phone for some quick pictures, so I sat Mae down in the pasture as far away from a cow pie as possible – which was quite impossible – and turned around for the truck.

I hadn’t taken five steps before I heard the toddler babble begin. When I turned around, there she was, babbling away with her arms stretched out toward her dad and her hands in all directions. She was either telling him how to move gates or that she was ready to move the cows.

Whatever she was telling him, it was full of passion and expression. She is never one to shy away from letting us know how she feels or what she thinks, and we make sure to listen every time – including this time in the cow pasture.

By Katie Glick As he was walking back toward the truck, the farmer laughed and scooped up his daughter to head down the ridge Our daughter is constantly tow walking up the driveway when to call the cows. She joined in the task telling us about her day and what she’s my husband asked if we wanted to and they came – quicker than usual so been up to. She gives commentary check the cows. I was exhausted. I just I’m guessing they listened to her. about what she observes, sees in the wanted to sit and watch “Mary PopWhen we came home I noticed dust newspaper and how we treat her. And pins” with my 1-year-old. on my black pants and cow she always lets us know when we aren’t Our daughter, on the other manure on my daughter’s paying attention to her. hand, instantly perked up to shoes, but I didn’t care. I had My daughter is 14 months old, and the word “cows” and started listened to her and to the we hear a lot from her and learn a lot, making her moo noise. I defarmer. In the hustle and bustoo, for that matter. “How?” you may cided to go because it was a tle of life, we forget to stop ask. Well, I stop and listen. I’m still nice and cool summer day, and and listen. We forget to do it Katie Glick lives with for a few moments, not quiet moments I hadn’t been to check cows in between generations and even her husband and but moments that are filled with toda while, which is really a shame with our own family somedaughter on their dler babble. They really are the best as it’s one of those things that times. family farm near moments because I actually listen to eases my soul.

As we head into the fall Columbus, where they grow corn, soybeans, her. Not only am I trying to decipher I changed my daughter into with cooler nights and wheat and raise cattle what she says, but I’m taking a moment farm clothes and kept my work shorter days, I hope you take and have a private away from my own thoughts to listen clothes on (child before you, ala moment to listen — to your seed company. to someone else’s. ways). I slipped on my boots kids, the wind, the cows or One summer Friday night recently, and off we went. just the person next to you.

I got home from a long week at work As soon as we arrived to the pasture, You never know what you may learn or with toddler, purse and diaper bag in she was staring out the window like how it may be good for your soul.

Are you listening?

O

Calendar Oct. 13-15 — Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Awareness/ Operations course. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Johnson County Fairgrounds, Franklin. $450 for operations level; $175 for awareness.

Topics covered include water, trench and confined space considerations, hazard and fire mitigation and animal containment.

Information: Denise Fletcher at 765-342-7925 or Brandon Shireman at 812-360-1258.

Oct. 25-28 — 90th annual FFA Convention and Expo. Indiana Convention Center and other locations, Indianapolis. Information: www.ffa.org/events/ conventionandexpo.

Oct. 30 — Bartholomew County Small/Beginning Farmer session.

Tree farm visit.

Nov. 7 — Beginning Farmer Regional Workshop with Nathan Boone, Bartholomew County Fairgrounds, all day.

Nov. 28 — Pesticide Applicator Training, crops edition, plus farm succession bonus topic, Hauser Junior/Senior High School, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 7-9 — Indiana Farm Bureau State Convention, French Lick.

BRIEFS McKinney goes to Washington

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that Ted McKinney has been selected as the new undersecretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs. McKinney has been director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture since early in the Pence administration.

In a statement, Perdue said, “For our new undersecretary position emphasizing international trade, I have always said that I want someone who wakes up every morning asking how we can sell more American agricultural products in foreign markets. Ted McKinney is that person. His longstanding background in agriculture, economic development, and global issues will make him an unapologetic advocate for U.S. products in the world marketplace.”

The position that McKinney will assume is a newly created post as part of the USDA reorganization. As state director, he has overseen the redevelopment of the Indiana Grown program and, most recently, directed the creation of a strategic plan for the growth of Indiana agriculture over the next decade.

Farm Bureau Insurance hires sales manager

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance has named Jeff Huelson as new district sales manager for the southern Indiana district.

His district includes 37 southern Indiana counties.

Huelson has been with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance since 1991 as an agent in Jennings County. In 2008, he became district sales manager and was promoted in 2014 to agency manager in Vigo County. During his time with the company, he has become a Lifetime President’s Club member and holds 13 Top Ten finishes and three Governor titles.

Wire Reports

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Farm Indiana | october 2017

Woodland Management, 10 a.m. Oct. 30

Our small/diversified farm programming will include a visit to a managed woodland in western Bartholomew County and a chance to hear from a consulting forester on goals for woodland management and how the work gets done. Contact our office to sign up.

Regional Farm Viability Workshop, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 7

Nathan Boone, a farmer and farm business consultant with experience in commercial vegetable, herb and flower production, will present a wide range of issues facing Indiana’s small farmers. From the personal dimensions of farm life to market development and planning, from vision to enterprise budgets and cash flow, Boone will cover the nuts and bolts.

The Purdue Extension Taking place at the Bartholomew County office Bartholomew County Fairgrounds will move to 785 S. Marr Family Arts Building, this Road, Columbus, on Oct. 9. workshop can help you take a diversified farm operation to the Phone numbers and email next level. The cost is $10; go to addresses will stay the same, https://tinyurl.com/kzbb48n for along with the important more information or to register.

»

Agriculture Ahead at Purdue Extension

By Kris Medic

Extension is part of a 100-plus year tradition of technical transfer and support to people making a living in agriculture.

Critical to this mission is getting input from local producers on topics or services that can help their operation or quality of life. I’m proud to report that our Agriculture/Natural Resources Advisory Committee met last month and gave me this direction:

Fall Crops Session with PARP Credits/Farm Succession Topics, Nov. 28

fact-based information and services you can expect from Purdue and our Land Grant University system. See you at the Marr Road location.

Hauser High School will be the location for our Fall Crops Session. Peter Goldsborough will address GMOs, my colleague Hans Schmitz will demonstrate a tool called U2U for corn nitrogen decisions, and a state chemist investigator will talk about what happened this season with dicamba and DT soybeans. PARP credits will be available.

Following the crops session and some food, Maria Marshall, ag economist, will give a session on farm succession issues and tasks. Don’t miss it.

» “Yes,”

to suggestions that it’s time for some programming on ponds, homesteading and family forests. » Run another Twilight Pasture Walk. » Ideas for annual programming offered to emergency personnel include best practices for incidents involving anhydrous or pesticides. » Current offerings of grain programming are about right. No additional programming on grain needed or desired at this time.

Since our programming year has a September start, I’m setting dates for those items, and planning to continue other programs that have had good attendance and impact.

I also want you to know about programs coming up soon.

Contact our office if you want more information, or if you wish to get on a mailing list for a certain category of agriculture.

We’d like to hear from you.

More

Interested folks will have a chance to explore the Purdue Extension Beginning Farmer Planning Manual with me at 10 a.m. Dec. 4 at the office, and our annual Sheep and Goat Webcast will likely be offered on the evening of Dec. 7.

Kris Medic is Purdue Extension Bartholomew County’s educator for agriculture, natural resources and community development. She can be reached at 812-379-1665 or kmedic@purdue.edu.

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