Indiana Pork honors meritorious service award winners

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana Pork recently presented three awards to individuals who have dedicated much time to advancing the pig industry.

Joe Baldwin, recipient of a Meritorious Service award, joined Maxwell Farms of Indiana in 2006. As operations manager, he oversees all aspects of Maxwell Farm's wean-to-finish operation in east-central Indiana with 15,000 sows and contract finishing space to market more than 800,000 hogs annually.

Baldwin is a native of Randolph County. He graduated from Purdue University School of Agriculture with a degree in animal science. He is immediate past president of the Indiana Pork Board of Directors and serves the National Pork Producers Council as a member of the Nominating Committee. He and his wife, Stephanie, own a small sheep and cattle operation on their 115-acre farm near Winchester.

Indiana Pork awarded its second Meritorious Service award to former state Rep. Bill Friend, who was first elected to House District 23 in 1992. During his tenure at the Statehouse, he served as the ranking member of the House Republican Leadership, Majority Floor Leader, and was the Republican Speaker Pro Tempore for the 119th General Assembly.

Throughout his tenure, he served on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. As owner and operator of Friend Farms and President of Green Acres Ham LLC, he is a strong advocate for advancing rural communities across the state of Indiana.

During the 2005 session, Representative Friend authored legislation that collected money from Indiana's cigarette tax to be dedicated to the Clean Water Fund within the Department of Natural Resources DNR budget. This will ensure productivity of Indiana soil and reduce the cost to taxpayers for cleaning ditches and waterways.

Friend is a graduate of North Miami High School and the University of Indianapolis.

Jason Oyler of Double J Farms in Carroll County received the Contract Grower award. He and his father started raising pigs for Co-Alliance/Excel Co-op in 2001. Over the past 18 years he has grown his contract business to 20,000 spaces for Co-Alliance.

His farming operation includes many conservation practices and he is currently farming 2,400 acres in the Carroll County area. Oyler and his team excel on many levels, but his key focus is on being a good neighbor and using good environmental practices.

Indiana Pork also recognized retiring board member Valerie Duttlinger of Gentryville. The board elected Nick Maple, a hog farmer from Amboy, and Brian Martin, a hog farmer from Williamsport, as president and vice president, respectively.

DNR director announces Natural Areas and Preserves chief

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Mary Mertz named Jeff Johnson as chief of the DNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves on March 20. Johnson brings nearly 25 years of experience working for the department.

He began his career with DNR as a seasonal maintenance worker for the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves after college. Johnson takes on the task of guiding the division through a rebuilding process and returning it and its programs to national prominence. He will also oversee the return of the Scenic Rivers Program and increase the state's efforts on managing invasive species.

Johnson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio University. He resides with his wife on a small farm in Fairfield County.

Intelinair expands team with hires Tudor and Arthur

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Intelinair, Inc. announced the expansion of its team with the addition of Adrian Tudor as chief product officer. In this role, Tudor leads the overall product vision, strategy, design, and development for the next-gen agricultural artificial intelligence (AI) platform known as AgMRI.

He will drive continued enhancements to AgMRI to help farmers boost the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of their farming operations. He has more than 20 years of experience with machine learning, analytics, and mobile technology.

Pat Arthur has also joined Inteliair’s team as director of marketing to support the continued sales growth of AgMRI. He is responsible for marketing AgMRI to farmers and retailers. His depth of experience across the ag industry will help ensure more farmers and retailers understand these benefits.

Arthur has more than 20 years of experience in ag marketing, communications, sales, and agronomy and has held a variety of management roles in the seed industry, advertising agencies, and ag retail.

DNR Fish & Wildlife awards top-performing employees

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Each year, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish & Wildlife awards its top-performing employees for their contributions to conservation, mentoring, and teamwork. 2019 winners were Josh Griffin, Andrew Fairchild, Olivia Vaught, and the walleye crew.

Griffin was awarded the Fish & Wildlife Mentor Award. He serves as the private lands program manager. He played an integral role in developing programs such as the Indiana Community Hunting Access Program and the Grasslands for Gamebirds and Songbirds Initiative.

Fairchild was awarded the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Cornerstone Award. He is a member of the Roush Lake Fish & Wildlife Area team. He stepped up when positions were left vacant and helped train new employees. He aided management by being flexible, sometimes working the shooting range during holidays.

Vaught was named the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Champion. During her three years as the assistant deer biologist, she has provided outstanding service to wildlife and the public. In 2018, Vaught helped establish CWD surveillance programs, took on a leadership role with the Conservation Appreciation event committee, and authored several sections of the new comprehensive deer report.

This year’s Director Team of the Year Award went to the walleye crew. Walleye broodstock collection is an annual event at Brookville Lake that supports the statewide walleye and saugeye stocking program. The team aims to collect 35 million walleye eggs, which normally takes at least 15 consecutive days with four crews. This year, staff managed to take just under 38 million eggs in only eight days.

AgGrad announces first 30 Under 30 Class for agriculture

BOISE, Idaho — AgGrad announced winners of the first AgGrad 30 Under 30 Awards, a program created to celebrate the young professionals shaping the future of agriculture.

Fourteen judges selected winners from peer and self nominations based on contributions in their career, community, and the industry at large. Winners are featured on AgGrad's social media channels and in a special print and online publication.

AgGrad 30 Under 30 2019 Winners in this region include:

•In the Production category, Griffin Huelsman, in farm management at Mulberry Orchard/Gajdzik Farms

•In the Innovation & Technology category, Bo Harstine, director of research with Select Sires, Inc.; and Lynn Wischmeyer-Moore, innovation specialist with Nestle

•In the Entrepreneurship category, Colin Hurd, founder CEO of Smart Ag; Matthew Rooda, CEO of SwineTech, Inc.; and Steven Brockshus, founder and CEO of FarmlandFinder

•In the Education & Advocacy category, Elizabeth Burns-Thompson in Corporate Affairs for Renewable Energy Group

•In the Agribusiness category, Andrew Lauver, Industry Relations manager for North America – Syngenta; Lucas Fuess, director of Market Intelligence for HighGround Dairy; Mackenzie Dierks, sustainable ag consultant with KCoe Isom; and Meg Becker, marketing specialist with Cargill Animal Nutrition

For more information, visit 30under30.ag

Naig honors Oshels with Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to Rick and Beth Oshel, livestock farmers in Clarke County.

The Oshels pasture their cattle in a rotational system. Since they moved to the farm in 1987, the family has invested in terraces, waterways and have built seven ponds with the goal of improving water quality. As leaders in their community, the couple support many youth organizations and serve in numerous leadership roles.

The Oshels were nominated by a neighbor and friend, Darwin Downing.

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award is made possible thanks to financial support of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. It recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment, their livestock, and being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a longtime WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

Fish & Wildlife employee receives Hoosier Wildlife Award

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society recently honored Scott Johnson, wildlife science program manager for the Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish & Wildlife, with the Hoosier Wildlife Award.

The award recognizes an individual who has made, or is making, a significant contribution to professional wildlife conservation in Indiana through research, management, law enforcement, education, or administration. Johnson’s contributions include species restoration, population monitoring and management, and, most recently, administration.

He serves as Indiana’s state endangered species coordinator. He has led efforts for the River Otter Restoration Program, studied Allegheny woodrat populations, and managed efforts on winter bat counts and management/protection of their hibernation habitat. He also designed and implemented many studies to inform bat management efforts and served as the state expert on white-nose syndrome monitoring.

AgriNovus adds to board of directors, Innovation Council

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — AgriNovus Indiana has added two new members to its board of directors: Gene Miles, president and CEO of First Farmers Bank & Trust, and Melissa Proffitt, partner-in-charge of client relations and chair of the Food and Agribusiness Group and Energy Group, Ice Miller LLP.

Miles oversees the general management of the bank and also manages stockholder and director relations. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial management from Purdue University and his graduate degree in banking from the University of Wisconsin.

Proffitt is responsible for business development initiatives for Ice Miller. She received her bachelor’s degree with distinction from Indiana University and her juris doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

EnviroKure, a Pennsylvania-based producer of biologic amendments and organic fertilizers, also joins AgriNovus as an Innovation Council member. In September 2018, the company announced plans to build a full-scale manufacturing plant in Bluffton, Ind.

Naig appoints Kozak Soil Conservation and Water Quality director

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) has hired Susan Kozak as division director for Soil Conservation and Water Quality. The appointment follows a recommendation from the State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee.

Kozak joined IDALS as an environmental specialist in the Mines and Minerals Bureau in 2008. She was appointed its chief in 2014, and has been serving as the acting division director for Soil Conservation and Water Quality since January 2018. Since then, she has provided leadership for the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) and other soil conservation programs.

WIA seeking nominations for Demeter Award of Excellence

TOPSFIELD, Mass. — The Women In Agribusiness (WIA) Demeter Award of Excellence recognizes women who have achieved excellence in their field and/or who have demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the agribusiness industry.

Nominations for these individuals demonstrate the following criteria: minimum of 10 years of experience in the ag and/or food industry; notable professional achievements; a positive example to other women in the industry; breaks down barriers, helps create opportunities, and serves as a resource for others; and consistently exemplifies professionalism.

Award recipients will be honored onstage at the WIA Summit in Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 25-27. Nominations are due by July 12; learn more at www.womeninag.com/demeter-award-nominations

Knoth joins Farm Credit Mid-America board of directors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The board of directors of Farm Credit Mid-America (FCMA) has selected Laura Knoth of Grand Rivers, Ky., as an appointed director to the board.

Knoth, who earned a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky, is an owner/partner in M&L Farms in Grand Rivers, a 750-acre operation, and manages another 250 acres for family. The farm produces corn and/or soybeans and hay and has 100 head of cows, Quarter Horses, and draft horses.

She’s currently executive director of the Kentucky Corn Growers Assoc. and Kentucky Small Grain Growers Assoc. She was recruited to the role from Kentucky Farm Bureau, where she held positions in public affairs, state and national lobbying, policy development, education, natural resources, and commodity activities.

Vestaron hires Peck as field development biologist

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Daniel Peck, Ph.D., is the most recent team member to join Vestaron Corp. As a field development biologist, Peck began orientation by meeting the R&D team in Kalamazoo the week of April 15.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology and entomology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and his doctorate in entomology from Cornell University. He is a board certified entomologist with the Entomological Society of America and a certified senior ecologist with the Ecological Society of America.

Peck brings to Vestaron 25 years of prior experience in insect pest management. This most recently includes working as a product development manager and then biological program manager at BioWorks, Inc. He also has prior experience in the areas of turfgrass entomology, soil insect ecology, and integrated pest management.

Pollock awarded Indiana Dairy Service honor

PLYMOUTH, Ind. — The 2019 Steve Atkisson Indiana Dairy Service Award was presented to Edward “Ed” Pollock on April 9 at the Indiana Milk Quality Conference, held at the Swan Lake Resort and Conference Center in Plymouth.

The prodigious award is presented annually at the Indiana Milk Quality Conference Awards Banquet to a representative of the dairy industry who has made a significant positive impact on Indiana’s dairy industry over a number of years.

Pollock is currently employed by Smith Dairy Foods in Rochester, where he has been a field person working with the farmers who supply Smith Dairy with milk for 27 years. Prior to that, he served in the Army for 27 years and in agriculture extension for in several counties throughout Indiana over a period of 30 years.

The award sponsored by the Indiana Milk Quality Professionals, Inc., is named in honor of the late Steve Atkisson, a well-respected milk quality specialist as well as dairy farm and plant survey inspector with Indiana State Board of Animal Health.

NCR-SARE program announces 2019 Farmer Rancher Grants

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Program is pleased to announce the projects selected for funding for the 2019 Farmer Rancher Grant Program.

Forty-eight grant projects were selected to receive a total of more than $663,000 through this program, which offers competitive grants for farmers and ranchers who are exploring sustainable agriculture in the Midwest.

The Farmer Rancher Grant Program is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects. Those selected to receive funding and descriptions of their projects are online at www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Recent-Grant-Projects

Since 1988, the SARE program has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound, and good for communities and designed to improve agricultural systems.

Cattlemen host successful 2019 Michigan Beef Expo

EAST LANSING, Mich. — High-quality cattle, friendly competition, and rapid bidding made the 30th annual Michigan Beef Expo a success for the state’s cattle industry.

The March 29-31 Expo included seedstock shows and sales for Angus, Hereford, Chianina, Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn, Simmental, and all other registered breeds (AORBs). Breeders consigned 136 lots, including bulls, females, embryos, and semen from breeders in Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

The 2019 Supreme Champion Female was Simmental Lot 418, JDCC Loaded Up 44E, a heifer consigned by DeLong Cattle Co. in Cass City, Mich. She was the Michigan Beef Expo high-selling female, selling for $4,900 to Jennifer Swope.

The 2019 Supreme Champion Bull was Hereford Lot 308, MLF Free Style 303F ET, a March 2018 bull consigned by Maple Lane Farm Group LLC of Caledonia. Exhibitors of the Supreme Champion bull and female each received $500 courtesy of Quality Ag Services and Michigan Farm Bureau.

The high-selling bull was Hereford Lot 312, PSC What A Catch 302F, consigned by Parks Show Cattle of Metamora and purchased by John Roorda for $4,000.

Total consignments at the Michigan Beef Expo grossed $224,295. The bulls averaged $2,287 on 30 lots and 70 females averaged $2,399. Embryo lots averaged $301, and semen lots averaged $122.

Breed Champions

Angus – Lot 106 consigned by KB Angus of Merritt was the Champion Angus female. The Champion Angus bull was awarded to Lot 118, consigned by Vaassen Angus Farm of Ann Arbor.

Chianina – The Champion Chi female, Lot 202, was consigned by KVO Chiangus of Hamilton.

Hereford – Lot 301, exhibited by Breasbois Farms of Merrill was the Champion Hereford female, and Maple Lane Farm Group, LLC exhibited Lot 308, the Champion Hereford bull.

Maine-Anjou – Tom Elliott and Steve Fitzner of Charlotte exhibited Lot 610, the Champion Maine-Anjou female. Pickard Farm & Cattle of Hastings exhibited Lot 603, the Champion Maine-Anjou bull.

Shorthorn – Lot 507, Champion Purebred Shorthorn female, was consigned by Hidden Drive Cattle Co. of Ithaca. The Champion Shorthorn Plus female was Lot 511, was exhibited by Cool Cattle Co. of Mendon. The Champion Purebred Shorthorn bull, Lot 501, was exhibited by Pickard Farms.

Simmental – The Champion Simmental female, Lot 418, was consigned by DeLong Cattle Co., and the Champion Simmental bull, Lot 408, was consigned by Wohlfert Cattle Co. of Westphalia.

All Other Registered Breeds – Lot 703, consigned by Sugarbush Limousin of Allen, was the Champion Limousin female. The Champion Limousin bull was Lot 715, exhibited by Red Rock Limousin of Ionia. The Champion Red Angus female was Lot 705, and the Champion Red Angus bull was Lot 718, both consigned by Walnut Springs Farms of Hopkins. The Champion Charolais female was Lot 708, consigned by Steve Fitzner of Bellevue.

The 2020 Michigan Beef Expo is scheduled for April 3-5, 2020. Additional details are available at www.MICattlemen.org

AFIA names Cullman as new CEO

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Feed Industry Assoc. (AFIA) board of directors has selected Constance Cullman, current president of Farm Foundation, to succeed Joel G. Newman as president and CEO upon his retirement later this year.

She will also become the president of the industry’s public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research. Cullman will officially join AFIA on July 29.

Cullman has served as president and CEO of Farm Foundation for the past three years. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis on international trade and agricultural policy from The Ohio State University. She hails from Marysville, Ohio, where her family owned and operated a cow/calf farm.

The Farm Foundation board of directors has appointed a search committee to begin the process of finding a successor.

Vestaron hires Vanhoy as new chief financial officer

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Vestaron is pleased to announce Jessica Vanhoy will be joining the company as chief financial officer. Most recently director of Financial Planning and Analysis for Dova Pharmaceuticals, she has 20 years’ experience in accounting and finance, fostering teamwork through company growth.

Vanhoy holds a BSBA in accounting from Appalachian State University, an MBA from Campbell University, and is a certified public accountant in the state of North Carolina.

Vestaron is a company dedicated to improving the safety, efficacy, and sustainability of crop protection through displacement of chemical pesticides with biological peptides. Vestaron is initially focused on a class of peptides that kills insect pests efficiently, but is safe for humans, birds, fish, and the environment.