INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Before LuAnn Troxel was born, her father left farming behind for a tire business, but her grandfather, uncles and plenty others in her rural Indiana community made their living off crops and livestock.

Eventually, so did she, upon marrying Tom 29 years ago. He was a veterinarian and dairy farmer; it eventually became her life, too. “That’s how I started my connection to the dairy industry,” Troxel explained, talking about her love of it, “but, you know, there’s something about those cows; there’s something about this industry.”

Troxel, of Hanna, Ind., was this year’s recipient of the Leadership Award, and Tammi Unger of Carlisle, Ind., took home the Achievement Award from the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 15. Both titles are awarded annually as part of the Purdue University Women in Agriculture program.

“I feel like there’s a lot of women who go above and beyond and promote agriculture,” Unger said of her surprise at the award. “I do what I love to do.”

“It wasn’t me” doing it all, Troxel said of the activities earning her the award. “It’s a whole bunch of people doing amazing things” – including her family taking care of the cows when she has to be elsewhere.

She is co-owner of Troxel Dairy Farm, in LaPorte and Starke counties. She and Tom also run the South County Veterinary Service, where she is office manager, and they own the Heifer Hill neonatal heifer-raising facility, where they raise about 200 head of calves until six months of age.

Troxel, 52, has been president of the Indiana Professional Dairy Producers (IPDP) since 2009. Under her leadership, the group developed a website, hired its first executive director, developed leadership and organizational strategies, increased support levels by 500 percent and increased membership.

Her work has involved participating in AgrIInstitute’s Indiana Agricultural Leadership program, being on the Purdue Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council and a whole raft of other volunteer roles. But she didn’t always spend so much time doing things off the farm.

“When I had four little boys running around, I wasn’t in a fraction of the things I’m in now,” Troxel explained.

Their youngest, Jackson, is a senior at Purdue and plans to come back to the farm full-time like his eldest brother, Rudy, after graduation. Ned, an engineer, and Josh, in real estate, live elsewhere. All were 10-year 4-H members, and Troxel said it was natural to become involved in extension along the way.

As she gained more knowledge about dairy, she became more outspoken about the industry and involved in more related activities. She said she was part of helping coordinate an effort to bring ag education to LaPorte County schools, adding, “I’m not saying it was directly because of what we did, but I think it helped.”

Her involvement with the IDPD began when she was asked to make a presentation. Then, she was asked to be on the board, then made president. Troxel said she has good computer and communications skills, so she put them to use for an IDPD website, at www.indianadairy.org

The group is also doing more outreach. Last week, it hosted a drought strategies meeting at the state fair, in conjunction with Indiana Soybean and Corn and extension, to go over impacts of drought on the dairy industry – one Troxel believes may be affected more by the poor weather than any other livestock sector.

Though she’s a go-to for Indiana dairy now, Troxel remembers being an adult before she figured out something as basic as the fact a cow needs calves in order to be milked. She explained she was good at biology in school and knew about lactation – it was one of those things she just never thought about as a teenager because she didn’t live on a farm.

“That was me,” she said, referring to consumers who don’t know much about ag, some of whom have visited her farm on tours, explaining why her non-farm background actually comes in handy when trying to “bridge the disconnect” between farmers and the public.

Kosciusko County extension educator Kelly Heckaman, with Purdue Women in Ag, credited Troxel with taking the IPDP to “a new level.”

“I think if you tell LuAnn there’s an issue you want addressed, she will make it her mission to get it addressed,” she added.

Achievement in business
Unlike Troxel, Unger did grow up on a farm, in Rockville. She was a 4-H junior leader and learned from her father – including the fact that one has a responsibility to take care of themselves and work for success.

Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do, Unger studied ag economics at Purdue, where she met her husband, Del. They married after graduation and started farming immediately – his parents helped them start out, but Unger said she and Del were expected to invest in the acres they were working.

“It has a lasting effect on you if it’s your own money,” she said, pointing out while they have benefited from good decisions, “we paid for a few of our bad ones,” too.

Unger, 50, is a full partner and co-owner of Del Unger Farms. Since 1984, the operation has grown from 1,200 to 4,500 acres. This is the grain operation; Unger Farms, formed in 1990, is the 75-head beef cattle operation.

Just as Del’s parents helped them start out, Tammi and Del have included their children in the family farm, creating Unger Farms Precision with daughter, Adair, in 2008, and Unger Farms Grain with son, Lance, in 2011.

Tammi Unger is secretary-treasurer of each entity and an equal partner in all decisions.

She is also involved in Sullivan County 4-H and has served on the extension board.

She was a presenter for Annie’s Project in Sullivan County and took the lead in coordinating efforts for Unger Farms to be on the 2011 Farm Management Tour.