INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Three Hoosier soybean farmers are joining the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) board of directors this month to help direct programs that drive the success of the soybean industry within the state. In addition, five other soybean farmers will serve another three-year term on the board.

This year’s annual election featured no contested races. The election featured five current directors seeking reelection, as well as two vacant seats, which were filled through the election process. During its August board meeting, the ISA board of directors also voted to fill an additional seat that was left vacant earlier in the year.

Soybean farmers serving their first term on the board include Kendell Culp and David Rodibaugh of Jasper County and Josh Kirkpatrick of Fountain County. Culp and Rodibaugh will represent District 1, which includes Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, La Porte, Lake, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tipton, Wabash and White counties.

Kirkpatrick will represent District 3, which includes Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Warrick counties. Brad Burbrink of Vigo County was reelected to also represent District 3 for another term.

In District 2, Don Wyss of Wells County and Thomas Griffiths of Noble County will both serve a second term on the board. District 2 includes Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Huntington, Jay, La Grange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells and Whitley counties.

In District 4, Terry Vissing of Clark County and Trevor Glick of Bartholomew County will continue into their third terms. District 4 includes Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington counties.

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Bane Equipment and North Central Agri-Power have combined forces to become one company called Bane-Welker Equipment, LLC.  The new partnership ensures Bane-Welker customers will experience the best the brand has to offer.

Bane Equipment had an impressive 46-year history of providing for customers in Crawfordsville, Wingate, Lebanon, Remington, Pendleton and Terre Haute. North Central Agri-Power boasted a 42-year history and served the Plymouth and Winamac markets in northern Indiana.

Customers can count on the same great service including daily parts trucks deliveries, on-farm signature service and deliveries, the addition of MacDon products and a dedicated spray center. Customers can also count on several new benefits, such as the Bane Select brand; Bane Select offers low prices on necessary items like DEF, batteries and oil.

Bane-Welker will begin to hold open house events soon at all locations. For more information, contact one of its nine locations.

Developer meets deadline on central Indiana wind farm

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — The developer of a large central Indiana wind farm says the project’s first phase is now complete, with 125 turbines being built.

The company had faced a Dec. 31 deadline to have the turbines built in order to qualify for federal tax credits. The Wildcat Wind Farm is planned to eventually reach into four Indiana counties. The farm now has 101 turbines in operation, and the remaining 24 are expected to start up soon, said Andy Melka, project manager for E-on Climate & Renewables.

Melka told the Kokomo Tribune the wind farm’s maintenance and operations facility near the Tipton County town of Windfall also has been completed. The current turbines are in eastern Tipton County and northern Madison County, in the area about 40 miles north of Indianapolis. Nearly 200 more turbines are planned in neighboring Howard and Grant counties in later phases.

WINNIPEG — Ag Growth International, Inc. (AGI) has entered into an agreement to acquire a manufacturing facility in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, from UFR Urban Forest Recyclers, Inc. as the future site for Batco Manufacturing.

Batco started in 1992 and was the founding company of AGI. Batco went from making two-wheel handcarts to manufacturing an extensive line of portable belt conveyors used in storage and handling facilities for grain, seed and fertilizer.

Since its inception Batco has grown sales exponentially through innovative products and a strong focus on customers that has enabled the current facility to reach capacity. Batco has a staff of more than 70 employees and operates out of a 33,500 square-foot facility.

The new facility is located on 8.5 acres with approximately 114,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The additional space will allow AGI to install a new powder coat paint line and set up lean processes which will increase quality and productivity with the potential to double capacity. Total project costs will be approximately $8.7M and will be funded from the sale of the current Batco facility and other properties owned by AGI not currently in use.

The facility move will happen in stages in order to ensure that there is no interruption in Batco sales and will be operational in the fourth quarter of 2013.