This coming September the Indiana Soybean
Alliance is taking Legislators, Senators, Mommy
Bloggers and other participants on a tour on large
farms in Indiana. We are proud to tell you that our farm
will represent the dairy industry. Below you can find some
information and/or register for the tour:
Indiana Soybean Alliance Now Accepting Applications
for 2010 Farm Tour Sept. 8-9
Has anyone ever asked you why sows are in gestation
stalls; why egg layers are in cages; or other questions
about the way we raise livestock today?
This two-day trip, starting in Wabash, Indiana, will
allow you to experience modern farrow-to-finish, dairy,
egg-laying, and aquaculture operations first hand. You will
get an in-depth look at what techniques are being used on
modern livestock farms. The goal of the farm tours is that you
come away with a better understanding of the livestock
industry and be able to share what you learn with others.
Space is limited, register soon!
Applications must be completed and returned by
August 23. Applications will be reviewed and those
accepted on the tour will be contacted. Expenses are
covered for the tour.
Download form, complete application and either
send via mail, fax or e-mail to
Shelia Lingle, Indiana Soybean Alliance
5730 W 74th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
Slingle@indianasoybean.com
Fax: 317-347-3626
Find more information at:
http://www.indianasoybean.com/farmtours
Download Application at:
http://www.indianasoybean.com/application_hb.pdf
The tour includes visits to:
Four Leaf Clover Dairy -
http://www.fourleafcloverdairy.com/
Four Leaf Clover Dairy is a family dairy operation
located in Geneva, Indiana. The family is owned and
operated by members of the van de Laar - Oostdijck family,
who are originally from the Netherlands and moved to the United
States to start the operation. The dairy opened in 2007,
and has since produced approximately 130,000 pounds of milk a
day since. The herd consists of 2,000 cows and 72 cows can be
milked at a time. The dairy is located on 80 acres and currently has
21 employees on staff. The family is committed to running the dairy
operation in the right way. The company is the first dairy in the
state to operate using the Direct Load system, or pumping all
milk from the cows' udders directly to a tanker trailer. Four Leaf
Clover Dairy also uses computers to regulate the milking and
provide medical history for each of the animals.
Liberty Swine Farms -
http://www.libertyswinefarms.com/
Liberty Farms is a 1,000 sow, farrow-to-finish, swine operation
located in North Central Indiana. They produce about 22,000
pigs each year, primarily Landrace and Yorkshire breeds.
Although swine production is their primary business venture, the
farm also works 800 acres of row crops and alfalfa. Much of
the farm ground has been in the family for six generations. Over
the years, the farm has gone from a multi species farm of dairy
cows, chickens, sheep, hogs, and beef cattle, to the current
specialization in farrow to finish swine production. Currently,
eight workers are employed by Liberty Swine. The farm sits
amid 190 acres of crop land and woods. Buildings are sited
well off the road and planned in order to up-draft the majority
of odors. The farm uses all of the manure as fertilizer for the
crops raised, which becomes feed for hogs, and creates a
cycle of renewable resources that helps to keep production
costs downand raise protein for consumers in an environmentally-
friendly way.
Midwest Poultry Services
Midwest Poultry was formed in 1968 and operates as a fully
integrated producer of shell eggs. Originally started as a water
-powered mill, this family owned agricultural business has
been operating continuously in North Manchester by the
Strauss family since 1875. The family entered the egg business
with the construction of five hen houses in Indiana holding
30,000 birds each. Over its time in production, it expanded its
operations to farms in Fort Recovery, Ohio, North
Manchester and Mentone, Indiana, and Loda, Illinois.
Today, Midwest Poultry Services continues to operate as a
family owned farm with more than 300 employees. These
farms currently have six million hens in production with an
annual capacity of approximately 120 million dozen eggs.
With annual sales in excess of $73 million, Midwest Poultry
is one of the largest egg farmers in the nation. Midwest
Poultry's facilities represent the state-of-the-art for integrated
shell egg farming. Midwest Poultry's various entities
service the entire egg farming cycle, from the raising of pullets,
feed production and shell egg production, to processing and
cartoning. With its primary facilities located in the central
Midwest, the Company has developed longstanding
relationships with its customers. These relationships allow
Midwest Poultry to compete on the basis of service and
quality rather than relying on price alone.
Bell Aquaculture - http://www.bellaquaculture.com/
Bell Aquaculture is a yellow perch farm located in Albany,
Indiana. Sitting adjacent to land that has been family owned
for more than 100 years, the farm is the largest of its kind in
the United States and is a leading aquaculture facility. The
vision for the farm began when Chairman Michael Miller
became interested in the subject of aquaculture in 1994; he
dreamed of bringing the personal and local favorite yellow
perch back to prominence. In business since 2005, Bell
recently surpassed the milestone of selling 10,000 lbs of
Bell Perch. Although the focus has moved from terrestrial
agriculture to aquaculture on the land, the sense of loyalty
to the community shown by its first owners is the
foundation of the Bell's business today.
