By NANCY LYBARGER
Indiana Correspondent

BIRDSEYE, Ind. — Fred Schnell recently became a member of an elite corps of Hoosier ag producers. He was inducted into the ISDA Certified Livestock Producer Program during a presentation by Lt. Governor Becky Skillman.

Since the program was instituted in July 2008, only 30 Hoosier ag producers have earned the certification. Schnell, owner of Gobble Ridge Farms in Dubois County, said the procedure wasn’t complicated, just time consuming.

“A lot of the requirements fall in with IDEM (the Indiana Department of Environmental Management),” Schnell said.
As the owner of three flocks of turkeys and two beef herds, he is already in compliance with IDEM. For the certification, though, he had to complete an emergency escape plan and tweak his biosecurity program under the supervision of a veterinarian. He also had to provide the locations of his LP tanks, the electrical shut-off location and water sources to the local emergency management department. A company inspector had to submit a letter saying the operation complies with animal welfare and food safety standards. He had to prove water quality and provide a plan on cleaning up manure or feed spills.

“It took a lot of time, but if an accident happens, the time will have been well spent,” Schnell said.

He undertook the certification because he wants consumers to know they are getting a quality product from his farm. He said he decided to become certified in turkey production first because that is the larger part of his operation.

The state will only certify one species at a time, so the Angus will be next on his list, he said. He and his son, Ryan, are working to raise the cows without unnecessary chemicals – short of organic, but “natural.”

The herds, on two separate acreages, consist of 30 and 25 cows, respectively, each with their own bull. They sell the feeder calves.
Schnell said he grew up helping on farms in his native Schnellville, not far from the ridges, where he calls home now. When he launched on his own, at 30, he took on a 100-head feeder pig operation with Temple Genetics of Gentryville, Ind.

Then a friend of his suggested turkeys, so they formed a joint venture in 2001. Five years later, he bought out his partner and with Farbest Foods contracting for the turkeys, jumped his flocks to 54,000 birds. The best cuts from the birds are used in Boars Head deli products, Ryan said. Farbest has a processing facility just a few miles up the road in Huntingburg.

The Schnells receive 18,000 chicks every eight weeks and with every new batch, they start by hand feeding for the first week.
“It makes them more responsive and they are stronger for standing up,” Schnell said.

The turkeys are shipped out at 20 weeks old. The Schnells and their one employee are careful to follow their animal welfare list to make sure the birds stay healthy. Each problem is noted and addressed as soon as possible.

This summer was a long, extremely hot season, but the Schnells lost only a few turkeys, Ryan said. They use swamp coolers in their barns to keep the temperatures inside at tolerable levels and they only use side curtains in bad weather.

Safety of the birds is of paramount importance in the operation, according to Fred Schnell. An alarm system will send a signal to the security company in Louisville and he will get a call within seconds.
If the power fails, an emergency generator will kick on in less than a minute, Ryan said.

While working to get the certification, Schnell said he became aware of safety practices needed for his employee and family, such as providing grain loading safety training for his employee.