2 news bites


—comPileD By KAthleen m. Dutro PuBlic relAtions teAm Farm Bureau sup-


port oF FeedINg amerIca Breaks records—The farm and ranch families of Farm Bureau last year raised more than $273,000 and donated more than 18 million pounds of food to hungry Americans as part of Farm Bureau’s Harvest for All program through Feed- ing America. Combined, the monetary and food dona- tions provided the equiva- lent of more than 16 million meals.


neWs In brIeF


everywhere, nowhere is it more important than in rural America,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “Groundwater is the life- blood of our rural families and our agricultural econo- my.”


National Ground Water


The money raised, food donated and meal equiva- lents in 2010 all shattered program records. The Har- vest for All program was es- tablished in 2003. In fact, the 18 million pounds of food donated by Farm Bureau families in 2010 is nearly three times as great as the 6.7 million pounds donated in 2008, the previous record. The $273,000 in funds donated in 2010 surpasses the 2009 level of $213,000, which was also a record. And the number of meal equivalents served at 16 million bests the previous record of 6.4 million also set in 2008 by nearly 10 million meal equivalents. “I know Farm Bureau members and YF&R lead- ers can make 2011 another record-breaking year for feeding America’s hungry, and that is my challenge to them,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. (AFBF 2/16/11)


sNapshot oF INdIaNa horse INdustry—Purdue University hopes to learn more about the Indiana horse industry through three public surveys. The Equine Economic Impact and Health Study


ADMINISTRATIVE/FINANCE TEAM President ....................................Don Villwock Vice President ...............................Randy Kron Second Vice President ................Isabella Chism Chief Operating Officer/Treasurer ..Mark Sigler Executive Secretary ....................Beverly Torpe Administrative Assistant .................. Jill Shanley Receptionist .....................................Kim Duke Office Manager & Meeting Planner ..Kay Keown Controller ..................................... Elaine Rueff General Fund Accountant .............Tiffanie Ellis Outreach Projects Coordinator .... Courtney Rude


DISTRICT DIRECTORS Larry Jernas (1) Kerry Goshert (2) Kendell Culp (3) Steve Maple (4) Dave Wyeth (5)


March 7, 2011


Scott Trennepohl (6) Jeff Gormong (7) Mark Bacon (8)


Philip Springstun (9) Robert Schickel (10)


survey wIll provIde


survey is open to all horse owners and breeders, those in the horse racing industry and anyone who sells horse products or services, said Purdue Extension equine specialist Mark Russell. The online survey is a joint re- search project of the Purdue School of Veterinary Medi- cine and Purdue Calumet Equine Business Manage- ment. The last survey of the In- diana horse industry was in 2001. “We need this survey to


give us input and an ac- curate representation of the current industry,” Russell said.


In addition to determin- ing economic impact, the survey will identify equine health issues, which will di- rect future Purdue research, education and treatment. The survey also will quantify the number of people in- volved in the horse industry, animals by breed and com- mon use of horses within the industry, Russell said. The survey is confidential, and information from re- spondents will be used only for equine industry research. All survey participants must be at least 18 years of age. To take the survey, visit http://som.purduecal.edu/ survey/. Deadline for com- pletion is May 1. (IASS 2/17/11)


water awareNess week set For march 6-12— Groundwater is important to every person, and there is something every person can do to be a good groundwa- ter steward. That’s the core message of the 2011 Nation- al Ground Water Awareness Week, March 6-12. “Although groundwa- ter is critically important


LEGAL AFFAIRS TEAM Director & General Counsel ..Mark Tornburg Administrative Assistant ...........Maria Spellman Staff Attorney ....................... Sara MacLaughlin Staff Attorney .......................... Justin Schneider


PUBLIC POLICY TEAM Director .........................................Kent Yeager Administrative Assistant ...................B.J. Fields Administrative Assistant ...........Wanda Hunter State Government Relations ..............Bob Kraft Strategic Issues Coordinator ............Mike Baise Livestock Development Specialist ....Greg Slipher Government Finance & Tax Specialist .....Katrina Hall Industry Relations ..........................Bob Cherry Political Education Specialist ......Pete Hanebutt Policy Specialist .......................Tiffany Obrecht


NatIoNal grouNd


Awareness Week is spon- sored each year by the National Ground Water As- sociation. NGWA’s National Ground Water Awareness Week Web page provides action steps people can take in two categories: groundwater protection and groundwater conservation. (AFBF 2/24/11)


14th aNNual alp BeN- eFIt auctIoN—AgrIInstitute will hold its 14th


annual Ag-


riculture Leadership Program benefit auction on March 26. The auction is the organi-


zation’s primary networking and fundraising event of the year. The auction will benefit AgrIInstitute’s Agriculture Leadership Program, which is dedicated to providing individuals in the agriculture industry with leadership skills and professional devel- opment.


All members of the agriculture industry are encouraged to attend this event. The auction will take place at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis, home of the Indianapolis Colts. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and the live auction to follow. Registrations will be ac- cepted until March 15, 2011. The admission price is $75 per person (meal value $25). Table sponsor price is $2,000, which in- cludes eight dinner seats. To register online visit www. tfaforms.com/193185. Registration will also be accepted by Beth Archer at 317-745-0947 (phone), 317-745-0956 (fax), beth@ agriinstitute.org (email), or agriinstitute.org (online). (ALP 2/15/11)


vey: grocery speNdINg up—The world of grocery


‘power oF meat’ sur- agrIINstItute to host spring conference slated


for March 11, 12 while Jamison is the keynote speaker at the closing ses- sion Saturday afternoon. Breakout sessions begin at 5 p.m. on March 11 with topics ranging from how to talk to non-farmers about agriculture, estate issues, and the value of herbs. Din- ner, which will be followed by the awards ceremony for the Lugar Essay Awards and Vincent’s speech, begins at 6 p.m. March 12’s activities begin


—By Kathleen M. Dutro Public Relations Team


While the deadline for hotel reservations is past, Farm Bureau members can still make plans to attend the 2011 Spring Conference, March 11 and 12 at the In- dianapolis Marriott East. Attendance at any of the sessions is free, but various charges for meals do apply. For a detailed list, visit IFB’s website, www.infarmbureau. org, and click on the link for the Spring Conference found on the site’s front page. Child care will be avail- able both days. Among the speakers will


be logger and motivational speaker Bruce Vincent; Wes Jamison, a University of Flor- ida professor who speaks on animal rights issues; and Chris Chinn, a Missouri hog farmer and social media advocate. Chinn will be speaking at


two of the Saturday break- out sessions and also during the Saturday breakfast ses- sion. Vincent is the keynote speaker Friday evening


shopping appears to be reach- ing a new balance, with net spend- ing rising for the first time in three years, ac- cording to the sixth annual “The Power of Meat” survey, commissioned jointly by the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Insti- tute. The report shows that average grocery spending is increasing faster than infla- tion and has reached $96 per week.


While some shoppers still spent less on groceries than they did a year ago, the share of shoppers who


PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM Director & Editor .....................Andy Dietrick Administrative Assistant .................Charla Buis Publications Managing Editor ....Kathleen Dutro Multi-Media Specialist ..............Mike Anthony Marketing & PR Specialist .............Mindy Reef


ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM Director ............................................. Kim Vail Program Assistant .....................Kathryn Rogers Program Assistant ..........................Tina Nunez Administrative Assistant ..........Bridget Johnson Women’s Program Coordinator ... Joni Wallman Member Services Coordinator .........Anna Todd Leadership Development Coordinator .....Chris Fenner Training & Dev. Specialist .......Julie Volbers-Klarich


REGIONAL MANAGERS Wayne Belden (1 & 3) Greg Bohlander (6) Jennifer Chandler Gish (9) Andrew Cleveland (4 & 6) Janice Deno (3) David Gottbrath (10) Amy Hutson (5) Susan Lawrence (2) John Newsom (1 & 2) Steve Palmer (4) Kermit Paris (8) Keegan Poe (5 & 8) Brad Ponsler (10) E.B. Rawles (7) Bryan Whistler (7 & 9)


with breakfast and Chinn’s talk and then continue with more breakout sessions, in- cluding Chinn’s discussion of social media and “Coffee with Don,” a question-and- answer session with IFB Pres- ident Don Villwock. Several other breakout sessions are also planned on a wide range of topics, including more sessions on how farmers can learn to tell their story to the non-farm public, agritourism, and making the most out of your county fair display. For a full agenda, visit


IFB’s website, www.infarm- bureau.org.


have made changes to their meat and poultry purchases as a result of the economy declined for the second year in a row, down from 51 per- cent in 2009 to 36 percent today. Overall, the share of shoppers who cut their total food spending (restau- rant and grocery spending combined) compared to 12 months prior is down by 17 percent. (AMI 2/22/11)


Address Letters & Questions To:


Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. Box 1290, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1290. Phone: 1-800-327-6287 or (317) 692-7776 E-Mail Address: askus@infarmbureau.org


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Te Hoosier Farmer is published 14 times per year by Indiana Farm Bureau Inc., P.O. Box 1290, Indianapolis, IN 46206, and is furnished as a service to voting members and others. Controlled circulation.


POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Te Hoosier Farmer P.O. Box 1290 Indianapolis, IN 46206-1290.


Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. www.infarmbureau.org


U.S. Department of Agriculture


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