First Farmers Financial Corp. declares record dividend

CONVERSE, Ind. — First Farmers Financial Corp., the parent company of First Farmers Bank & Trust Co., announced that on March 9 the board of directors approved a record quarterly cash dividend for the first quarter of 2018 of 41 cents per share, payable on April 13 to shareholders of record as of March 30.

This quarterly dividend represents a 24.2 percent increase over the quarterly dividend declared in March 2017.

First Farmers Financial Corp. is a $1.7 billion financial holding company headquartered in Converse. First Farmers Bank & Trust has 27 offices throughout Carroll, Cass, Clay, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Starke, Sullivan, Tipton, Vigo and Wabash counties in Indiana and seven offices in Illinois.

Indiana’s Family of Farmers present $10,000 to Gleaners

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — In celebration of National Ag Week 2018, Indiana’s Family of Farmers (IFoF) donated $10,000 worth of meals to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana in March.

IFoF agreed to donate one meal, up to $10,000, each time someone posted to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the tag #FarmersProvide. “Farmers in Indiana and across the country play a vital role in providing the food that we rely on to feed our families,” said Jeanette Merritt, chair of the IFOF operations committee and director of checkoff programs at Indiana Pork.

“But for many Hoosiers, hunger is a real problem they face every day. We’re thrilled to be able to help feed some of Indiana’s hungry with the help of Gleaners and everyone who participated in our Ag Day social media campaign.”

IFoF is made up of many agriculture organizations in Indiana that have rallied around the group’s mission to raise the awareness of Indiana’s quality farmers and quality foods.

Select Kroger stores now selling Kentucky-sourced beef

FRANKFORT, Ky. — In May 2017, Beef Solutions, LLC received a grant from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF) to establish a Kentucky ground beef supply management project with Kroger. One-pound packages, as well as 2-pound (four patties) packages, are now available at 85 select stores across the state.

Beef Solutions works in conjunction with KADF-funded projects, The Chop Shop in Hazel Green and Creation Gardens, Inc., in Louisville, to produce the fresh and natural 80/20 ground beef product from Kentucky-sourced cattle. It is expected that every Kentucky farm family producing beef will be impacted by this project.

Produced by local farmers, processed and packaged in Kentucky facilities and distributed to local Kroger stores, this product is available for purchase by Kentucky families all across the state.

Koenig Equipment acquires Buchanan Power Equipment

BOTKINS, Ohio – Koenig Equipment, Inc., a John Deere dealer based in Botkins, is acquiring the assets and operations of Buchanan Power Equipment, Inc. With the addition of the Buchanan location in Lebanon, Ohio, Koenig will have 14 dealership facilities serving customers in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana.

“Koenig shareholders and family are honored that Buchanan would choose us to serve the customers, geography and employees they have developed over the last 70 years,” said Koenig CEO Aaron Koenig. “In addition, we appreciate the confidence John Deere has shown in Koenig by choosing our dealership to represent their product in the Dayton and Cincinnati markets.

“Most importantly, we could not have reached this point without our fantastic customers and employees, both past and present.” The first day of business for the combined operation was on April 2.

Tennessee Agriculture announces sensitive crop registry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Jai Templeton is encouraging those in the state with apiaries and commercially grown crops sensitive to pesticides to register their locations using the online program, FieldWatch, Inc.

Purdue University developed FieldWatch in collaboration with agricultural stakeholders. The registry streamlines communication between producers and pesticide applicators to help protect sensitive crops and apiaries from unintended pesticide exposure.

In October, the U.S. EPA announced new label requirements for the pesticides Engenia, XtendiMax and FeXapan, which included the provision that pesticide applicators consult a sensitive crop registry prior to applying these new formulations of dicamba products.

The FieldWatch registry offers two online platforms. DriftWatch is for producers of commercially grown crops sensitive to pesticides and includes the ability to map boundaries around production fields. BeeCheck is a registry site for beekeepers that designates 1-mile radius boundaries around apiaries.

Producers of commercially grown sensitive crops who also manage apiaries may enter hive locations using either DriftWatch or BeeCheck. The registry will be offered at no cost to participating farmers. The registry also includes commercial vineyards of a half-acre or larger, orchards, fruit and vegetable grow sites, nursery tobacco and Christmas tree production sites and certified organic crops.

To access DriftWatch and BeeCheck, visit www.fieldwatch.com

Family farms receive Hoosier Homestead Award

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — At the Indiana Statehouse in late March, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Bruce Kettler presented 65 families with the Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year. Indiana farms may qualify for three honors: Centennial Award for 100 years of ownership, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or the Bicentennial Award for 200 years.

Since the program's inception in 1976, more than 5,000 families have received the Hoosier Homestead Award. Below is a list of the recipients (preceded by their county of residence, and with establishment year) honored during the spring 2018 ceremony:

Centennial Farms

Allen County, Van Horn farm 1911; Carroll, Reiff farm 1918; Clinton, Bradburn-Strain-Ceo farm 1895; Decatur, The Oesterling Homestead farm 1909; Dubois, Merkel farm 1885; Elkhart, Cobb Family Farm 1909; Fountain, Thomas farm 1918; Franklin, Kolb farm 1917; Fulton, Hendrickson farm 1900; Fulton, Walters-Duffey farm 1904; Grant, King farm 1878;

Hamilton, Marion E. House Farms, Inc. 1917; Huntington, Hosler farm 1906; Huntington, Killen farm 1918; Jackson, Tape Family farm 1863; Kosciusko, Waldbeser farm 1906; Lake, Huseman farm 1883; Madison, Wright farm 1917; Marshall, Motz Family Farm 1915; Montgomery, Oppy farm 1898; Parke, Wilkey farm 1872; Pulaski, Westphal farm 1915;

Putnam, Kenneth Wayne Mason farm 1882; Randolph, Hobson farm 1917; Randolph, The Huffman Family Farm 1918; Ripley, Timke farm 1888; Shelby, Linville farm 1911; Shelby, Dake farm 1918; Spencer, Singer/Scott farm 1918; Steuben, Sugar Grove Farm 1913;

Switzerland, Crandell farm 1908; Switzerland, Romerill farm 1917; Tippecanoe, Claude, Harold, & Ruth Boesch farm 1917; Tipton, Leisure farm 1907; Wabash, Swihart Long farm 1907; Wabash, Walters-Duffey farm 1888 and 1915; Warren, Andrews farm 1907; Warren, Inez F. McDermond farm 1904; and Wells, Laymon farm 1918

Sesquicentennial Farms

Carroll County, Mills farm 1861; Daviess, Ryan farm 1867; Decatur, William S. Emly farm 1837; DeKalb, Hook farm 1848; Dubois, Schroeder farm 1845; Franklin, Rosfeld farm 1855; Franklin, Meyer Family Farm 1867; Gibson, Kennedy Hill Farm 1865;

Howard, Schafer/Gingerich 1865; Howard, Hollingsworth farm 1853; Jay, Hutchens farm 1861; Jennings, Funke farm 1867; LaPorte, Brooks-Bartmessfarm 1860; LaPorte, Lloyd & Helen Steinke farm 1855; Marshall, John Gibson farm 1851; Miami, Kendall farm 1862; Pulaski, Christensen farm 1867;

Ripley, Crum farm 1868; Ripley, Kohlman farm 1867; Ripley, Huber farm 1867; Rush, Francis Graham Farms, Inc. 1846; Spencer, Lee farm 1855; Union, Gavin-Beck Family Homestead farm 1823; Wabash, Merrick farm 1835; and Whitley, Kerch farm 1853

FSA makes administrative change to Livestock Indemnity

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Agricultural producers who have lost livestock to disease resulting from a weather disaster have an additional way to become eligible for a key USDA disaster assistance program.

Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey announced an administrative clarification nationwide to the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). In the event of disease, this change by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) authorizes local FSA county committees to accept veterinarian certifications that livestock deaths were directly related to adverse weather and unpreventable through good animal husbandry and management.

The committees may then use this certification to allow eligibility for producers on a case-by-case basis for LIP, which provides benefits to producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather, disease or by attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government. Eligible weather events include earthquakes, hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, storms, blizzard and flooding.

Platform will streamline tracking of Illinois 4R nutrient practices

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Documenting 4R nutrient application practices for environmental and regulatory purposes is about to get much easier for agricultural retailers in Illinois. The program is being developed by a partnership between the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assoc. (IFCA) and Champaign-based Agrible, Inc.

Once implemented, the program will capture and document the metrics of all nutrient applications made to meet 4R practices, including the right source, right rate, right time to apply and the right placement.

By 2025, the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (INLRS) will require a reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus losses by 15 and 25 percent, respectively, to improve water quality in Illinois and in the water that leaves Illinois and reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Launched in 2015, the INLRS was jointly developed by state and federal agencies, agricultural groups, water treatment and water supply officials, environmental groups and university scientists.

Thurman Scale in Ohio celebrates a century of success

GROVEPORT, Ohio — Thurman Scale, the leader in the off-road vehicle weighing industry and specialist in scales for ultra-heavy capacity off-road vehicles, announces it is celebrating 100 successful years of product and industry innovation.

On top of highlighting last century’s achievements, Thurman proudly continues to drive innovation in the off-road vehicle and weighing industries. From a machining company founded in 1918 in Columbus, Ohio, Thurman grew quickly by taking advantage of easy access to major transportation routes, such as the Ohio and Erie canals and nearby highways.

Thurman was purchased in 1940 by engineer and entrepreneur Millard M. Cummins, who expanded the business to include scale production. It added a batching scale in 1946, followed by the first Thurman motor vehicle scale in 1948. These rugged, high-quality scale designs proved a perfect fit for the weighing needs of the interstate highway building program of the 1960s, and the coal industry “boom years” from the early 1970s into the 1980s.

By 1960, Thurman had diversified to produce portable, aboveground and pit-type motor truck scales, axle load scales, beam and dial scales and scales specifically designed for hoppers and tanks, livestock, warehousing and forklifts.

For decades, Thurman produced scale products from its manufacturing facility in Columbus, continuously improving its standard scale offerings and its custom designed off-road vehicle scales. In 1995, the Cummins family sold Thurman Scale to the Nordens of Kansas City, owners of Fairbanks Scales.

Under the ownership of Bill Norden and the management of longtime Thurman salesman Neil Copley, Thurman headquarters remained in Columbus.

CattleFax looks back on 50 years of providing market info

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Challenges to profitability in the cattle industry have been relentless throughout its history. Over the past 50 years, however, an organization created by cattle producers has helped effectively address those challenges.

Started in 1968, CattleFax is a member-owned organization that serves producers in all segments of the cattle and beef business. For half a century, it has been a global leader in beef industry research, analysis and information. Its exclusive industry database has set the standard for market information and analysis.

Increasingly it wasn’t just cattle markets that were getting the attention of CattleFax, its staff and customers. Grain, weather, beef demand and competing proteins – not just domestically but globally – were carefully monitored. Keeping up with the times to make sure producers had quality information on a timely basis, allowing them to make informed marketing decisions, has been a daily test for the staff.

Dow AgroSciences donates $10,000 to Feeding America

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — To encourage farmer usage of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program practices and to support finding solutions for nationwide hunger issues, Dow AgroSciences has donated $10,000 to Feeding America.

The donation was made possible thanks to farmer pledges made at this year’s Commodity Classic. At the Dow AgroSciences booth, farmers were asked to pin the location of their farm on an oversized map of the United States, expressing their 4R commitment.

For each pin on the map, Dow donated $100 to Feeding America, the show’s official charity partner. With 100 total farmer commitments, Dow AgroSciences donated $10,000.

Dow AgroSciences’s donation to Feeding America helps solve hunger issues across the nation via food banks, disaster food assistance and senior-, school- and children-specific programs. Currently, a $10,000 donation would provide 100,000 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of member food banks.

USPOULTRY accepting applications for 2018 Clean Water Awards

TUCKER, Ga. — The U.S. Poultry & Egg Assoc. (USPOULTRY) is accepting applications for the 2018 Clean Water Awards. The awards recognize outstanding performance of wastewater treatment plants that operate at poultry or egg processing facilities.

Winners will be announced at USPOULTRY’s 2018 Environmental Management Seminar Sept. 20-21, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Fla. Awards are presented in two categories – full treatment and pretreatment. Any USPOULTRY member company is eligible to submit three nominees in each category. Facilities which have previously won the award may not be re-nominated for five years. The deadline for submitting applications is June 29.

Award recipients will receive a trophy, be profiled on the USPOULTRY website and receive assistance from USPOULTRY in publicizing the award on local, regional and national levels. For an application form, go to www.uspoultry.org/environment

Farmers Mutual Hail celebrates 125 years of insuring farmers

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. of Iowa (FMH) is celebrating 125 years as an American-based, family-run insurance provider. One of the oldest crop insurers in the United States, FMH was founded by farmers for farmers, based on the need to protect each other's livelihood from the devastation of severe weather to crops.

Current operations include private and federal crop insurance, reinsurance products and services, as well as farm and ranch insurance. The company serves a national writing area of 41 states. In an environment of increasing foreign buyouts, FMH champions its mutual company structure as an asset that will preserve its legacy as an American-owned and operated business.

The 2015 acquisition of John Deere Insurance Co. also allowed FMH to enter the precision ag space by offering Precision Crop Insurance Solutions, which provide farmers the ability to use precision data for crop insurance claims adjustments and required reporting.

Herbruck's wins Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award

SARANAC, Mich. — Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, the largest egg producer in Michigan, is proud to accept a 2018 U.S. Poultry & Egg Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award. The award recognizes exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production.

The Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award recognizes the fourth-generation family-owned farm for its exemplary dedication toward environmental stewardship, due to the farm's environmental management techniques, including those unique to the Herbruck family's operations.

Herbruck's Poultry Ranch has long been known in the U.S. egg industry as an innovative family farm, and this award highlights just a few of the practices Herbruck's uses to ensure a responsible environmental footprint. To ensure the farm is a good neighbor and strong steward of the air, land and water, Herbruck's strives to maintain strong partnerships with local and state officials and first responders.

In 1992, Herbruck's Poultry Ranch became a franchisee and distributor of Eggland's Best. Herbruck's produces all varieties of EB eggs, including classic, cage-free and organic.

Granular, Planet sign agreement to deliver satellite imagery

WILMINGTON, Del. — Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, through its software business, Granular, announced with Planet – an integrated aerospace and data analytics company – a significantly expanded global partnership to deliver digital agriculture software solutions for farmers.

The three-year agreement will integrate Planet’s industry-leading daily global satellite imagery data into Granular’s farm-management software suite – powering enhanced analytics tools that will help farmers manage risk and increase yields. Under the expanded partnership, Granular will directly license and integrate Planet’s daily feed of satellite imagery into its farm-management software, beginning with its industry-leading agronomy offering, Encirca Services.

Tractor Supply Co. celebrates 1,700th store opening

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Tractor Supply Co. announced in April the opening of its 1,700th store. The new store is located in Mocksville, N.C., at 1029 Yadkinville Road, Suite 101.

In celebration, the Mocksville store hosted several grand opening events on April 7 with participation from a variety of community groups. Festivities included a pet adoption event with the Davie County Humane Society, antique trailer viewings with the Piedmont Antique Power Assoc., product and driving demos with Cub Cadet and introductory meetings with the Davie County FFA.

Tractor Supply Company was founded 80 years ago and has grown from its early days as a tractor parts catalog company to become the largest retail store chain of rural lifestyle products, with 1,700 stores in 49 states, a robust e-commerce website and 28,000 team members across the country. The company opened 101 new Tractor Supply stores in 2017 and expects to continue its strategic expansion plans with 80 new store openings in 2018.

Illinois Grape Growers announce Bicentennial Wine

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Grape Growers & Vintners Alliance (IGGVA), in partnership with the Illinois Bicentennial Commission and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, is proud to announce that Illinois-grown rosé is the official wine of the Illinois Bicentennial.

Rather than have a single wine represent the entire industry, the IGGVA has curated a quality-assured wine style for Illinois’ 200th birthday: dry to semi-dry rosé. Rosé was chosen because Illinois’ producers are making world-class wines in this style from a variety of grapes, including those grown in both northern and southern Illinois.

The first round of rosé selections went to the following wineries: Alto Vineyards, August Hill Winery, Blue Sky Winery, Danenberger Family Vineyards, Galena Cellars Winery, Hidden Lake Winery, Kite Hill Winery, Massbach Winery, Prairie State Winery, Spirit Knob, StarView Winery, Twelve Oaks Winery and West of Wise Winery.

Wines will be on sale at each of the selected wineries. More information can be found at https://illinois200.com

Smithfield, Anuvia to develop and market biobased fertilizer

SMITHFIELD, Va. — Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Anuvia Plant Nutrients are pleased to announce a new partnership to create sustainable fertilizer from renewable biological materials collected from manure treatment systems at Smithfield’s hog farms. This project is part of Smithfield Renewables, the company’s new platform dedicated to unifying and accelerating its carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts.

The project reuses organic matter found in hog manure to create a commercial-grade fertilizer that is higher in nutrient concentration than the original organic materials. Farmers are able to better manage nutrient ratios while using less fertilizer by applying precisely what they need for optimal plant growth. Because Anuvia’s products contain organic matter, nutrient release is more controlled, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller environmental footprint.

Anuvia will utilize remnant solids from Smithfield that accumulate over time at the bottom of the anaerobic lagoons, basins designed and certified to treat and store the manure on hog farms. Anuvia, which specializes in the transformation of organic materials into enhanced efficiency fertilizer products, will manufacture and sell these commercial-grade fertilizer products to farmers nationwide.

NCGA grant supports state educational events in beef

DENVER, Colo. — The National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) is stepping up to support the education of U.S. beef producers in states around the country. The assistance is being provided through a grant program offered to state affiliates of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA) that conduct Cattlemen’s Education Series events.

The Cattlemen’s Education Series is a collaborative effort to advance grassroots education on topics that improve cattle production efficiency, profitability and sustainability. The partnership builds on other successful programs currently in NCBA’s Producer Education portfolio, such as Stockmanship & Stewardship, Cattlemen’s College and the Cattlemen’s Webinar Series.

NCBA state affiliates will be eligible to apply for grants ranging in value from $2,000-$4,000, depending on a variety of factors, including event participation and membership numbers. Topics eligible for grants will be developed as a partnership between NCBA and NCGA.

Lowe and Young recognized by Krone for retail sales volume

(photo in 6415)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Krone NA announced that Lowe & Young of Wooster, Ohio, has been recognized as its highest Retail Sales Volume Dealer in the U.S. for fiscal year 2017. Krone is a global leader in the manufacture and sales of hay and forage equipment, doing business in 40 countries.

Earning this prestigious recognition as a retail sales leader for Krone takes significant effort, as each year more than 200 equipment dealers compete for this distinctive recognition. To be considered for this award, the dealerships must have exceptional sales, service and parts departments.

Lowe and Young carries the Krone forage equipment product line, including the BiG X forage harvesters, BiG M mower conditioners, BiG Pack large square balers, Comprima Round Balers, Disc Mowers and Mower Conditioners, KW Tedders and Swadro Rakes.

FROM LEFT ARE Jason Steiner and Craig Forrer of Lowe & Young; Brent Raines, Krone Hay and Forage Equipment; and Bill Hartzler and Bill Boreman, Lowe & Young.

(Photo provided)

Aggressively Organic takes home Food+City Challenge Prize

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Aggressively Organic, Inc., a public benefits corporation and intellectual property company focused on agricultural bioscience technology, was named both a Challenge Prize Session winner and People’s Choice winner at the Food+City Challenge Prize competition during South by Southwest (SXSW), winning $10,000 and top recognition among supply chain startup companies.

The Food+City Challenge Prize is an international competition among early-stage startups that encourages innovation in the urban food system. For the first time, the fourth annual Challenge Prize competition took place at SXSW 2018 as part of the Startups and Tech track.

Nearly 100 applicants from 14 countries applied – including Aggressively Organic – with only 15 finalist spots available to deliver a four-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges. Of the three sessions, Indiana’s own Aggressively Organic earned the Food+City Challenge Prize for Session Two as well as the People’s Choice Award, making the agricultural bioscience company the first finalist ever to take home both awards.

AGCO's brands win Red Dot Design Award for 2018

DULUTH, Ga. — AGCO has been awarded two Red Dot Design Awards for its IDEAL Combine and the Valtra A4 Series Tractors. The Red Dot Design competition is one of the largest and most respected design competitions in the world. More than 6,300 submissions from 59 countries entered this year's contest and were evaluated by a jury consisting of 40 independent design experts from around the globe.

The IDEAL combine and the Valtra A4 Series were both recognized in the category “Commercial Vehicles.” IDEAL is a newly developed combine that unites brand-new designs and cutting-edge technologies to empower farmers across the world to be more productive and to feed a growing world population. Valtra’s 4th generation A Series is a completely newly designed tractor featuring a new technical design, a brand-new cab design and multiple chassis options.

The Red Dot Design Competition was launched in the 1950s and awards are given in three categories: Product Design, Communication Design and Design Concept.

Cattle producers host successful 2018 Michigan Beef Expo

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — High-quality cattle, friendly competition and rapid bidding made the 29th annual Michigan Beef Expo a success for Michigan’s cattle industry. The Expo included seedstock shows and sales for the Angus, Hereford, Chianina, Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn, Simmental and all other registered breeds (AORB’s).

The MSU Block & Bridle Club hosted a youth livestock judging competition with 100 youth participating along with the MSU livestock judging team, and a Junior Steer and Heifer show with over 500 cattle entered. MI Shows sponsored a youth education contest with over 40 individuals competing in essay, photograph, graphic design, stockman or salesmanship contests.

Breeders consigned 148 lots, including bulls, females, embryos and semen from breeders in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio. The 2018 Supreme Champion Female is Angus Lot 112, KB Forever Lady E19, an open Angus heifer consigned by KB Angus of Merritt, Mich.

The 2018 Supreme Champion Bull – AORB Lot 705, 3G Double Booked 6116D, a Limousin Flex October 2016 bull – was consigned by 3G Ranch of Kendallville, Ind. Exhibitors of the Supreme Champion bull and female receive $500 courtesy of Rupp Seeds.

The high-selling female was Angus Lot 112, the Supreme Champion; she sold for $7,000 to Craig Pollington of Marion, Mich. The high-selling bull was Simmental Lot 443, JDCC MS In Dew Time 219B, consigned by DeLong Cattle Co. of Cass City, Mich., and purchased by William Pardee of Concord, Mich., for $6,000.

Total consignments at the Michigan Beef Expo grossed $299,750. The bulls averaged $2,425 on 48 lots and 85 females averaged $2,016, embryo lots averaged $925 and semen lots averaged $300.

Breed champions

Angus: Lot 112 was the Champion Angus female. The Champion Angus bull was awarded to Lot 117 of Hutchings Angus Farm of Bellevue, Mich.

Chianina: The Champion Chi female lot 203 was consigned by Brunke Chiangus Farm of St. Joseph, Mich., and the Champion bull, Lot 202, was exhibited by KVO Chiangus of Hamilton, Mich.

Hereford: Lot 304, exhibited by TCG Cattle Co. of Niles, Mich., was the Champion Hereford female and Sunnyside Stock Farms of Edgerton, Ohio, exhibited Lot 321, the Champion Hereford bull.

Maine-Anjou: Fox Shorthorns of Kanawha, Iowa, exhibited the Champion Maine-Anjou female Lot 607, and Muir Cattle Co. of Waynesfield, Ohio, exhibited the Champion Maine-Anjou bull Lot 603.

Shorthorn: Lot 509, Champion Shorthorn purebred female, was consigned by Dingman Farms of Bellevue, Mich. The Champion Shorthorn Plus Lot 518 was exhibited by Woodland Farms of Deckerville, Mich., and Champion Low Plus female Lot 515 was consigned by Holbrook Show Cattle of Hastings, Mich.

The Champion Shorthorn bull Lot 504 was exhibited by Woodland Farms of Deckerville, Mich. Dingman Farms of Bellevue, Mich., exhibited Champion Shorthorn Plus bull Lot 505.

Simmental: The Champion Simmental female Lot 443 was consigned by DeLong Cattle Co. of Cass City, Mich., and Champion Simmental bull Lot 420 was consigned by WXC Cattle Co. of Delton, Mich.

All Other Registered Breeds: Lot 712, consigned by Sugarbush Limousin of Allen, Wis., was the Champion Limousin and Champion AORB female. Champion Red Angus Lot 718 and Champion Charolais Lot 717 were both consigned by Walnut Springs Farms of Hopkins, Mich.

Champion Simmental female Lot 720 was consigned by JMR Show Stock of Hastings, Mich. The Champion AORB bull was Lot 705.

SUPREME CHAMPION FEMALE KB Forever Lady E19, an open Angus heifer, was consigned by KB Angus of Merritt, Mich.

SUPREME CHAMPION BULL 3G Double Booked 6116D, a Limousin Flex, was consigned by 3G Ranch of Kendallville, Ind.

(Photos provided)

Diamond V at 75: New manufacturing facility springing up

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — As the structural steel rises at Diamond V’s South Plant 2, the company’s vision of global growth brings greatly expanded manufacturing capacity.

Construction on Diamond V’s 97,000 square-foot plant expansion resumed with the spring weather at the corporate campus and global headquarters on 60th Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids. The initial investment in the expansion – announced in 2016 – is $30 million. When all phases of the expansion are complete, the total cost is expected to exceed $70 million.

All the structural steel for the expansion is expected to be in place by the end of June and the new plant will be enclosed by the end of September. Machinery will be brought in around February and March of 2019 with the goal of being operational starting in May 2019.

When all systems are installed, the expansion is expected to double the current production capacity at Diamond V’s south manufacturing facilities, which includes the current 126,000 square-foot plant. The plant expansion is expected to create nine new jobs initially with the potential for 26 new jobs in the next five years. Diamond V also operates its north plant on G Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids.

Indiana FB helps launch new county agriculture programs

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) issued five county development grants to support new or expanded county Farm Bureau programs, activities or events that enhance the promotion or provide education about agriculture. The county Farm Bureaus that will receive financial assistance for programming this year are Rush, Jay, Decatur, Clinton and Pulaski.

Each recognized county Farm Bureau presented a new or expanded programming idea to INFB. The grant committee reviewed and approved the funds based on financial need and the potential impact of the program in reaching organizational goals.

Rush County was awarded $1,500 to launch the Benefit Dinner in Memory of Roger Cain, who died in a farm accident in 2016. The event, organized by the county’s young farmers, will be held to fund safety trainings or grain bin extraction equipment for Rush County.

Jay County was awarded $1,500 to launch the After School Cooking Club for elementary students. The cooking club program will take place at General Shanks Elementary. Students will learn the basics of healthy cooking and information about where their food comes from.

Decatur County was awarded $840 to launch its Ag Breakfast and Fundraiser. Proceeds from the breakfast will go to Farmers Feeding the Flock, an annual program in which the proceeds from 34 acres of soybeans fields are donated to the community’s meal center for the hungry.

Clinton County was awarded $750 for the Clinton County 4-H Goat Club. The grant will assist with revitalization efforts for the youth club, including necessary grooming supplies and educational resources for 4-H participants to ensure proper fitting and grooming of the goats.

Pulaski County was awarded $600 to launch its Life Cycle of a Chicken program. The program will be created for local school children to learn about animal agriculture by seeing the life cycle of a chicken in real time – starting with the egg incubation and ending with the chick being hatched.

INFB’s program development grants are issued annually. All county Farm Bureaus are eligible to apply for up to $1,500 in funding each year.