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district 10 director got into Farm Bureau early


—By Kathleen M. Dutro PuBlic relations teaM


District Director Robert L.


Schickel represents District 10 on the IFB board of di- rectors and oversees the 12 counties in his district: Clark, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzer- land and Washington. He became active in Farm


Bureau pretty early – through his township Farm Bureau’s pet & hobby program. He helped start a county rural youth club. He’s also served as Franklin Township Farm Bureau president and on the State Young Farmer Com- mittee, and was eventually elected president of the Har- rison County Farm Bureau. “After serving as county


president, I applied for a Farm Bureau District 10 fieldman’s position (the title is now “regional manager”) and worked in that position for 21 years,” Schickel said. He farms with his par-


ents, raising grain, cattle, hay and straw. He and his


wife, Teresa, also own and operate Hay Day Inc., a commercial hay and straw brokerage business sup- plying thoroughbred horse trainers at Churchill Downs, horse farms and other train- ing facilities in the Louisville metro area. They also spe- cialize in hay equipment, in addition to selling other farm and construction equipment, and are a regional distributor for Steffen Hay Equipment and a dealer for Vicon and other small lines. He said his favorite part


of being a Farm Bureau dis- trict director is working with people and helping them become actively involved members. “It is very rewarding to see


farmers of all ages become involved in Farm Bureau,” he said. “I sincerely appreci- ate the efforts of volunteers who present the Farming in the Classroom curriculum to the children in their local schools and who influence positive change in agricul- ture and public policy in their communities by work-


FARm BuReAu neWs Who’s Who at Farm Indiana Farm Bureau Auction facility


expects a profitable year the revenue from a $2-per- head checkoff. “We’re estimating another


—By Kathleen M. Dutro PuBlic relations teaM


The United Producers


livestock auction facility in Little York, Ind., has ex- perienced both challenges and opportunities in recent years, but according to a company spokesman, it’s still operating in the black and anticipating a success- ful year in 2011. “We anticipate another


Robert and Teresa Schickel


ing with local school and county officials and state and national legislators.” He and Teresa live in his


hometown of Lanesville, and he has three children and five grandsons. His volunteer résumé includes serving on the Lanesville School Board for 11 years, as a Sunday school teacher for 23 years, and on the FFA advisory board, Lanesville Heritage Festival Committee, commu- nity council and Lanesville Athletic Club. He is also a lector and an usher at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lanesville.


good year there and hope- fully we’re providing the services that the members want there,” said Jeff Hard- ing, senior vice president of livestock marketing. Indiana Farm Bureau has


a stake in the facility’s suc- cess because when a group of local livestock producers first came to United Pro- ducers Inc. and asked the co-op to build a facility in their area, UPI thought the project too expensive. “When we looked into


Farm Bureau has opened doors for district 8 director mark Bacon


mittees and serving as Rush County president for eight years.


“Linda and I got our start


with the Young Farmers,” Bacon said. “We started on the county level and then in 1984 we were asked to serve on the State YF&R Committee.”


As a district director,


—By MinDy reeF PuBlic relations teaM


IFB District 10 Director Mark Bacon has farmed since 1975, when he gradu- ated from Rushville High School. He and his wife, Linda, live in Rush County near Milroy, Ind., where they have a corn and soybean farm and a small trucking business.


He has a long history with


Farm Bureau and has served in many leadership positions in his county and at the state level, including acting as chairman of numerous com-


April 4, 2011


he oversees activities, promotes agriculture and brings the state organiza- tion information from the grassroots members from the nine counties in his dis- trict: Brown, Bartholomew, Decatur, Fayette, Franklin, Johnson, Rush, Shelby and Union. “Farm Bureau has opened


many doors in our lives and has given us an opportu- nity to promote agriculture, which is near to our hearts,” Bacon said. Bacon’s favorite part of being a director is meeting new people. “People like Anne Ha-


zlett, Julia Wickard and Joe Pearson, who I consider close friends; Lt. Gov. Becky


Skillman; and Gov. Mitch Daniels,” he said. “Through Farm Bureau I have become closer friends with Congress- man Mike Pence. “My grandpa once said that he knew someone in each county in the state be- cause of his involvement in Farm Bureau. I can say that I have meet people in almost every state because of Farm Bureau. This is something that I consider an honor and a privilege to be a part of.” He is also active in his community. He and Linda are members of the New Point Christian Church, where he is an elder and a Sunday school teacher. Ba- con also serves as a director of the Indiana Corn Market- ing Council.


He lists his hobbies as spending time with Linda and daughters Marla Steele (husband Shaun) and Marci Kunz (husband Mike); play- ing with his grandkids, Ella Kunz, 5, Mitchell Steele, 4, and Mason Kunz, 3; and riding his Harley Davidson Ultra Classic.


the cost of putting one there, did the homework, we came back and said, ‘This is too expensive to be justified,’” Harding said. “At that point Indiana Farm Bureau came to our rescue – basically came to the rescue of producers – and were willing to pledge some dollars for this proj- ect.” IFB provided around


$600,000 for the proj- ect. Local producers also pledged around $100,000, according to an article in the Jan. 15, 2001, issue of The IFBulletin. The rest came from United Produc- ers Inc., a farmer-owned co-op headquartered in Co- lumbus, Ohio. The facility officially opened for busi- ness in January 2001. Farm Bureau is receiving for its support of the facility


LEGAL FAQ


This should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only. You are urged to consult your own lawyer on any specific legal questions you may have concern- ing your situation.


Can my neighbor channel surface water and send it onto my property?


Under the common enemy doctrine, surface water that is not “channelized” may be diverted, accelerated, walled in, or walled out. However, one may not con- centrate or collect the water and cast it in a body onto your neighbor’s property.


www.infarmbureau.org


four years and that money will be returned to Farm Bu- reau,” Harding said. “IFB was proud to step up


and help establish the Little York facility. Helping our members is what FB is all about,” said President Don Villwock. “UPI has been a great partner. I truly believe they have been an impor- tant factor in increasing the value of our members’ live- stock in that region.” The Little York has expe-


rienced some major chal- lenges, most recently the collapse of Eastern Livestock Co., a major livestock buyer operating in the South, the Midwest and the West and one of Little York’s most im- portant buyers. When East- ern was forced into bank- ruptcy, two of its checks to UPI bounced. “That cost us around


$250,000, which is a lot of money,” Harding said, but added that it could have been much worse. The de- parture of Eastern, though, did have some positive ef- fects, according to Harding. “Historically when a


large buyer like that is a regular at the auction, some of the smaller guys kind of evolve out of there. Some of the farmer-buyers aren’t comfortable buying out of there,” he explained. Now that Eastern is gone, he said, the smaller buyers are re- turning. “We don’t feel as though


we’ve lost any ground at all; in fact, we’ve gained ground with regard to buyers in that market,” he said. In 2010, 27,000 cattle were sold through Little York, along with 500 hogs and around 700 sheep.


Photo by Kathleen M. Dutro


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