Hat Chat

Hoosier Ag Today was proud to participate in the sale, helping to purchase the Champion 4-H Yorkshire Barrow, exhibited by Holly Hopkins of Parke County. Her animal sold for $14,500. Money from the sale helps 4-H members attend college, purchase future 4-H livestock projects, and develop careers. In addition, the Indiana 4-H Foundation also receives a portion of the proceeds.

Courtney Maxwell, a 13-year-old Porter County 4-Her, sold the Grand Champion 4-H Steer for a record $42,000. “Indiana 4-H is my life, and completing my life goal at my age is amazing,” a teary-eyed Maxwell said. “I’d like to thank my supporters and my family for helping me throughout this journey.”

Dan Baker attributed the increase in bidding to a growing appreciation of the value of the 4-H program and a willingness to invest in the future of rural Indiana. Baker told H AT moving the sale to Saturday night also helped, “We had one of the largest crowds tonight we have ever had for this sale.”

HAT talks with dan Ba ker after the sale

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Farming is what Louise Beaman and Carolyn Hegel know and love, and Friday Purdue Extension honored the women for their lifetime of contributions to Indiana farming and Purdue University. Beaman received the Purdue Women in Agriculture Achievement Award, and Hegel received the Leadership Award.

“I’m just so happy with this,” Hegel told HAT. “I thought as I was accepting it I was accepting it for all the many, many farm women in our state who are advocates for agriculture every day.”

Hegel is the former Indiana Farm Bureau 2nd Vice President. She says women in ag are being taken a lot more seriously, largely because they are so well prepared when speaking to the public. “One of the first meetings I ever spoke to a group for Farm Bureau I looked out and saw someone writing down what I was saying. I made a commitment at that time to always be sure I had accurate information. And our farm organizations are so adept at providing information for people, for farmers, to go out and be the spokespeople for agriculture.”

Beaman is on the executive committee of the National Council forAgriculture Research, Extension and Teaching, known as CARET. That position has made her quite familiar with Washington DC.

“We have 2-day meetings bringing us up to date on the budget and the climate in DC, and then we visit all of the senate and representative offices all in one day. We tell them why we think it’s so important that we get proper funding for the research, the extension, and the teaching, the three components for all of the land grant system. Of course here it is Purdue University.”

Learn more about this year’s winners:

Carolyn Hegel

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Louise Beaman

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Indiana has joined the billion bushel corn production club. For the first time in history, the Hoosier State is set to harvest over 1 billion bushels of corn. In the August crop report which was released Thursday by USDA, Indiana corn production was pegged at 1.03BB, an 11% jump from 2009. This was made possible by a 5 bushel per acre yield increase to 171 bpa. Purdue Ag Economist Dr. Chris Hurt said this is good news for agriculture and good news for Indiana farmers, “When you are a producer, you want to produce; and, if you like to eat and drive your car, this is also good news.” Corn production nationally was put at 13.4BB, a 2% increase over last year. Other major corn producing states including IL, OH and NE also set new yield records. “We’re going to have a lot of corn out there,” said Greg Preston, director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Indiana.

Hurt’s advice for marketing this crop: store it. He stated, “I would suggest producers start looking for storage space now.” According to Hurt, with a billion bushels likely to be harvested, storage space will be tight. Hurt predicted the harvest may begin as early as late August in some areas and that most of the crop should be ready by mid-September. This will give farmers the chance to stretch out the harvest if they want to, which would help in managing the storage and transportation of the crop.
He says Indiana farmers could expect about a 35 cents per bushel carry on corn stored this year.

Soybean production nationally is expected to hit a record 3.4 billion bushels - an increase of 2 percent from 2009 - on yields of 44 bushels per acre, which is unchanged from last year’s record. “Records are just popping up all over the place,” Preston said. The report forecasts Indiana’s soybean crop to drop to 259 million bushels from 266 million last year, and soybean farmers did not benefit from early spring planting as much as did farmers who planted corn. The expected yield is unchanged from last year at 49 bushels per acre. But soybean crops could improve, depending on how they develop into early September, Hurt said.

The production numbers were close to market expectations, but an increase by USDA in exports, feed use, and ethanol demand sparked a rally in prices Thursday at the CBOT. Hurt sees a year of good yields and good prices, “In Indiana, I think we will see corn prices above $4.00.” He sees a harvest low of $3.80 with prices moving up to $4.25 or $4.50 if China would increase corn purchases next year.

Hurt says demand will keep soybean prices strong, “I think there will be the opportunity to sell soybeans above $10.00.” He said increased sales to China or a drop in production in South America, could add $1 to $2 to soybean prices this winter.

Listen to the entire interview with Chris Hurt

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For the 5th consecutive year, Indiana dairy farmers have brought cheese artist Sarah Kauffmann to the State Fair to create a masterpiece in cheese. Kauffmann, who has been sculpting cheese since 1995, said this year’s sculpture was a challenging one, “It took me 89 hours and two all nighters. but it is finally finished.” She told HAT this is a happy sculpture with everyone smiling. Depicted in the 1500 pounds of cheese is a cow and a pig playing football. On the sidelines are cheerleaders, spectators, and the Indianapolis Colts’ mascot.

The sports theme is part of the “Fuel Up and Play 60” promotion the American Dairy Association has with the NFL. Kauffmann said she used many different types of these in the sculpture to help consumers understand more about cheese, “It shows them the variety of cheeses available.” While carving the sculpture, she answers consumers’ questions about cheese and dairy products.

Deb Osza, with Milk Promotion Services of Indiana, says the sculpture is a subtle way to educate consumers about dairy products and dairy farmers, “The medium of cheese represents the hard work of Indiana dairy farm families who provide the milk to make cheese every single day.”

Interview with Deb Osza

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Located in the Our Land Pavilion, the sculpture will remain on display until the end of the Fair and then it will be processed into pet foods.

Interview with Sarah Kauffmann

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The 2010 Grand Champion 4-H Drive in the Pepsi Coliseum Monday had everything from previous champions winning again to an eleven year old second year 4-H member taking the crown.

The Grand Champion Gilt was shown by Carson Henderson of Tipton County. “I wanted to get this far real bad because a lot of other people have been trying and trying, and I have finally achieved my goal.”

Listen to the Carson Henderson interview:

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Courtney Maxwell from Porter County drew upon five years of showing cattle to take the Grand Champion Steer honors. “I know every inch of his body because I’ve worked on him for so long. The judge kept saying he was sounder and I always knew he walked good. That’s one of the main reasons why we bought him.”

Listen to the interview with Courtney Maxwell:

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The Grand Champion Barrow was exhibited by 9-year 4-H’er and high school senior Matt Gaughan of Johnson County. And how does it feel having a grand champion? “Uh, really good!” he told HAT. “I just wanted to come up and win a class. I didn’t really expect to win the whole show.”

Hear what Matt had to say:

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Katie Barnett of Whitley County won the market lamb shows in 2005 and 2009, but in her first year showing goats she was very surprised that her goat Weezy is the Grand Champion Meat Goat Whether.

“Did I think this was going to happen? No, never in a million years,” she said. “I’m on a livestock judging team but working with the goats and looking at them from one point is different than actually stepping off to the side and looking at them, so I had no idea this was going to happen tonight.”

Listen to Katie Barnett:

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The Grand Champion Market Lamb honor went to Jordan Parker of Noble County who was anxious for his fortunes to change. He laughed when he explained, “The last few years I’ve been out on the Grand Drive and left standing. It’s about time I get first.”

Jordan is pictured on the right with fans and family. Hear his interview:

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Prior to the Grand Drive the Supreme Champion 4-H Beef Heifer went to Samantha Brooke of Noble County.

Here is what Samantha had to say:

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Purdue Extension Director Dr. Chuck Hibberd said the 4-H animals at the Indiana State Fair are being well cared for during the excessive heat, and a change in the hog weigh-in procedure has helped ensure they get the feed and water they need to stay happy and comfortable.

“In the past the exhibitor would declare a weight and if the animal didn’t make that weight then they would have to maybe withhold feed or those kinds of things to try and make sure they made the weight,” he told HAT. “This year we’ve changed it and when they come in they weigh the animal, they declare a weight that they want this animal to be. So if the animal came in maybe a little bit hungry because it hadn’t eaten that day, they can add a little to the weight. So the point is they don’t have to withhold anything to help these animals make weight.”

Hibberd credits positive changes made, and the emphasis on animal care to the new animal care committee. He said the 4-H’ers are also doing a good job with the animals in air conditioned areas. Listen to the full interview here:

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The “God Bless American” statue is hard to miss at the Indiana State Fair. But what it is doing there is a bit of a controversy. Fair officials say it is to start a conversation about agriculture. “This piece of public art is a great opportunity for our visitors to capture a unique moment at the fair,” Cindy Hoye, the State Fair’s Executive Director, said. “We’re also hopeful that it will inspire conversation about the evolution of contemporary production agriculture.”

“One key purpose for public art is to initiate dialogue within communities,” said The Sculpture Foundation’s Director Paula Stoeke. “Seward Johnson’s work is provocative in its very presence, and should turn heads as well as start conversations.” This statement was released after HAT published a story that criticized the statue and its placement at the fair.

Around the base of the statue are plaques with facts about agriculture and food production. While this is very nice, I am not sure it really sparks a conversation about agriculture. While I have no problem with the statue being one of many novelties at the Fair, to hang an agricultural tag on it and suggest it will help consumers understand modern agriculture and the contribution it makes to our state, is ludicrous.

State Fair Statue Not Good for Agriculture

By Gary Truitt

In just a matter of days, the Indiana State Fair will open its gates and hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers will pour into the fairground eager to see the animals, ride the rides, and eat the fair food. Continuing a tradition started 4 years ago, the fair has chosen pigs as the theme of the fair. Corn, hardwoods, and tomatoes have also shared the spotlight. Indiana pork producers are hopeful that the year of pigs will not only give Hoosiers a hankering for pork but may help them understand the pork industry and the contribution it makes to the Indiana economy a little better. However, the decision by the State Fair to bring in a statue may undermine efforts to improve the image of agriculture.

A 25 foot statue has been placed just outside the 4H complex on the Northwest corner of the fairgrounds. The traveling sculpture was inspired by Grant Wood’s famous 1930 “American Gothic” painting. J. Seward Johnson gave his “God Bless America” work to the Sculpture Foundation, a private, California-based organization that has displayed it in several cities. And, what is the point of having this at the Indiana State Fair? According to fair publicity director Andy Klotz, “It will remind visitors of the importance of agriculture in Indiana.” Oh, please - give me a break. The American Gothic image gets trotted out every time someone wants to depict agriculture or rural life. The truth is that this image has nothing to do with agriculture or rural life. The man and woman in the original were not farmers or even husband and wife. They were a dentist and his sister. The artist chose these figures and the setting to represent a rural reality in 1930. In fact, he was not trying to represent agriculture but instead architecture. Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the Carpenter Gothic architectural style in Eldon, Iowa. While this painting is one of the most recognized images of the 20th Century, it is not a representation of agriculture either then or now.

What made the folks at the Indiana State Fair think that bringing this piece of art to the fair was going to make people understand the importance of agriculture, I cannot fathom. In fact, I would like to suggest this statue does more harm than good when it comes to helping consumers understand food, fiber, and fuel production today. Furthermore, it reinforces a stereotype of rural residents that is outdated and unrealistic.

Research recently conducted by the Center for Food Integrity revealed that one of the reasons many consumers are opposed to GMOs, CAFOs, and housing animals indoors is because they do not see that as farming. Most consumers picture a farmer in bib overalls riding on a small tractor across his 50 acre farm. They see him milking cows by hand and his wife throwing grain on the ground to chickens that scamper around a barnyard. So when they see images of large confinement operations or 2000 acre fields with a large GPS guided combine harvesting a crop, they think, “That isn’t farming.”

One of the recommendations of the Food Integrity research was that we need to make agriculture more transparent. We need to let people see what we do. This way they will begin to trust what we do. The American Gothic image is not what we need.

I am not the first person to complain about the misrepresentation the image gives to agriculture and rural life. When photos of the painting were published in 1930 in Iowa newspapers, Iowans were furious at their depiction as “pinched, grim-faced, puritanical Bible-thumpers.” One farmwife threatened to bite Wood‘s ear off. The opening ceremonies of the fair are scheduled to be held in front of this thing. That will guarantee lots of TV coverage and lots of newspaper photos. If the fair had really wanted to show the important role agriculture plays in the lives of Hoosiers, in keeping with the theme of the year they should have bought in a 25 foot piggy bank. That is the message we want to send to Hoosier consumers: that not only do farmers feed and fuel us, they create jobs and pump billions of dollars into the economy. In uncertain economic times with high unemployment, that would be a much timelier message than an image from the last great depression.

The Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association will again be actively involved in the Indiana State Fair, which begins Friday. IHLA is excited for fairgoers to see the brand new Boy Scouts of America Bridge. The groupcoordinated the donation of all of the Indiana hardwood lumber used to construct the bridge, and Ray Moistner, Executive Director of IHLA, loves the results, “thanks to the coming together of a lot of people. It’s just an absolutely beautiful bridge, and it well serve as a lasting dedication to the Boy Scouts and another great example of premium Indiana hardwoods.”

The 71-foot long bridge commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts and marks the new, year-round gathering site for Scout Groups.  The dedication of the bridge will take place north of the Speed Barns on August 15th at 2 p.m.

IHLA will again be promoting Premium Indiana Forest Products and the indianawoodisgood.com website at their Pioneer Our Land Pavilion booth, and they are also a participant in the Habitat for Humanity Ag House Build.

Moistner said, “You know there are some things you do for yourselves and some things you do for the benefit of other organizations, but I don’t think that anything that we’ve been involved in as a group has been more fulfilling than our work here this year than our work building the house for Tamika Allen and her family out there at the fairgrounds. The neat thing about that is it’s not just hardwoods. It’s all of agriculture coming together to do this.”

Indiana’s hardwood industry is the state’s largest agricultural industry. Moistner said the membership has taken a bit of a hit from the current economic state of affairs. What they would like to see is a real life stimulus in the form of consumers taking advantage of low interest rates to help get housing back on its feet. He said the industry looks forward to a time when hardwood production levels can return to 2006/07 levels.

Listen to the Moistner interview here:

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Becknology Days at the Beck’s Hybrids headquarters in Atlanta, Indiana is one month away, and the scene there for the company president will be quite different than what he was seeing a little over a month ago.

Sonny Beck was part of the Indiana agriculture trade mission to China in early June, and though there probably is no seed market there for Beck’s products, he felt it was important to support the mission.

“We’re interested in building markets for our corn and soybeans,” he told HAT. “We sell seed and our customers buy seed and need to do something with their product so we like to help build additional sales for them. We already export 25 percent of Indiana soybeans to China, and sometimes visiting your largest customer is not a bad thing to do and let them know that you’re here. The Chinese people are a lot about relationship, and so I think it was very important that the state organized this trade mission to go and talk with them and see if there is additional sales possible.”

Click the audio player to hear the complete interview at Newark Airport as the Indiana delegation returned to the United States on 6/10/2010:

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In the words of a Hoosier bison producer, bison are back in Indiana. Bison production is increasing in the state and demand for the product continues to grow.

Brian Shafer and his wife Gina started Walnut Valley Bison in Logansport about eight years ago because of the health benefits of the meat. “When we tasted it, it was excellent, very flavorful, and it was good for us, so we thought why not? My family farm is situated here in Cass County and we had the opportunity to move back to the farm and get started with raising the animals. And it came at a great time with livestock prices at a very reasonable price. We started with four animals and today we have 43 head.”

Shafer explained that bison is a heart healthy meat because the animals are typically grass fed and grass finished. “So that helps them to be lower in fat, but a lot of people don’t realize the 4 to 1 omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids is a perfect ratio and can actually lower cholesterol. The animals are lower in fat, but they are higher in protein, iron and vitamin B12 than other meats.”

Listen to the interview for more about the operation and their open house July 31st:

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