Back in 1927 coming from the completely flat and almost treeless plains of Hoopeston, Illinois, Clark Sennett’s grandparents, Clarence and Blanche, first saw the soft rolling grasslands interspersed with woodland outcroppings that now make up the holdings of Sennett Cattle Company near Waynetown. Could it be that they found their future farm, one that now spans five generation, a welcome change of scenery or just the new opportunity they sought? Whatever their reasons, the roots they set have been well care for by Merle and Izetta Sennett, and now Clark and Nancy Sennett, who along with their son Lance and his wife Margaret, are the current keepers of the family legacy. Truly many children and cows have been raised up on this property. Clark raised his son and daughter Jill (now married to a farmer and cattle producer and living in nearby Wingate) here, and Lance raises his two children, Ellie and Emily on the farm.

Clark Sennett is a full-time farmer and cattleman who has seen the ups and downs of the livestock business and, through determination and strong work ethic, has continued to prosper on his land. In fact, many farmers of Clark’s generation have decided to forgo animals and have gone strictly to raising crops. Clark, raised with beef, hogs, and dairy as a youngster, thinks differently. “We feel livestock adds to our income, and it takes up the slack during the times when we’re not busy in the field,” he began. Then he thoughtfully added; “It also creates the opportunity for future generations to come back.” Lance Sennett is an example of future generations coming back to the farm due to the influence of livestock. “Lance went to Western Kentucky (University), then he chose to raise cattle and farm,” Clark says of his son’s time at college.

The operation today consists of crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and alfalfa) and also boasts some 250 cows. The Sennetts contract feed hogs, as well, which means they do not own the hogs, they are simply paid to conduct labor and grow the pigs housed in their buildings. The cattle operation is focused heavily on the Limosin and Angus breeds and the resulting cross between the two called Limflex. By combining two distinctly different breeds, Limflex cattke can be black or a russet red color and are known for the characteristics of both maternal ability and good carcass merit such as leanness and marbling. The Sennetts market all of their cattle private treaty, meaning that buyers come to their farm and select bulls and females for purchase father than the Sennetts consigning their cattle to sales or other venues. One market they see a demand for is yearling bulls. “Believe it or not, we could sell a lot more than we do, but we sell about 20 – 25 bulls a year,” Clark explains to his strategy.

Besides raising calves and selling breeding stock, the Sennetts see many animals through to their end point as they operate one of the largest feed lots in Indiana. Around 1,500 – 2,000 head of cattle are fed out each year between two sites. Keeping current on both maternal and carcass traits keeps Clark and Lance at the top of their game. The family also exhibits cattle. “Lance really looks after the showing,” Clark proudly adds, “He had Reserve Grand Champion Limflex Female at Denver this year!”

Winning at a big show is supremely important for merchandising stock from breeder to breeder and national-level shows allow breeders to see and evaluate animals from all over the country. However, while the show ring helps promote a farm’s animals among fellow breeders, it is putting a quality beef product out to the consumer that occupies much of Clark’s time. For the past 12 years, Clark has served in some capacity with the Indiana Beef Cattleman’s Association (IBCA), a 1,500-member group serving Indiana’s beef producers. He is a Past President of the IBCA and is currently membership chairman. Clark is also nationally as well and serves as a Director on the National Cattkeman’s Beef Association. Lance is also heavily involved in industry work and is currently on the national board for the North American Limosin Foundation. While both Sennetts enjoy these commitments, it takes a lot of time away from the farm. “When you believe in something, you do it,” says Clark of his dedication to industry involvement through time and travel. “It’s a belief that you’re helping not just the present but the future and you can manage your way around the time.” While it is difficult to allocate the time, Clark is proponent of all producers taking every opportunity to not only educate consumers about beef, but also help allay consumers’ concerns about meat, animal welfare, and the environment. “Every time we get a chance, we need to get involved and provide a positive (experience) to the public.”

Though always involved in consumer education, recently the IBCA has reached out to include a website where producers can access (by zip code or county) beef producers that retail product directly off the farm; the Sennetts are one of the beef producers listed on this site. The site is located at: www.farmfreshbeef.org. Clark has also aided in the creation of Heartland Premium Aged Beef (www.heartlandbeefonline.com) a consortium of Indiana producers that supply beef directly to retail outlets and restaurants. Marketing directly to the consumer is something new for many beef producers, but Clark believes that consumers’ surging interest in local foods is important. “It’s good to know where your food is raised and to buy locally grown,” Clark explains. “Knowing where your food comes from gives you satisfaction,” he adds. As consumers continue to drive an increased interest in all things local, Clark feels that is a benefit for both consumers and producers. “This will add value to our product and when consumers understand where their beef, or any food comes from, they’ll just feel more secure,” he says confidently. “In general it’s good for both entitles.”

When generations occupy the same land for years and years, true stewardship becomes evident. That is why Clark feels so strongly that urban dwellers and beef consumers realize that livestock producers want what is best for the environment. “We are stewards of the land and take very good care of it; we want people to know that we’re honest, hard working people that care for the environment as much as anyone,” Clark says. What many people may not realize is that keeping land in grass for use in grazing and hay production is sustainable agriculture. “Grass and hay production is friendlier to the soil and keeps the soil from eroding. It’s a good management practice to rotate hay and grass into production.” While the Sennetts have quite a bit of grass and pasture, they still move cattle around to allow the land to rest and naturally grow back. This is called rotational grazing and is employed by most cattle producers.

No matter the work of the weather, the actual opportunity to live on the farm is something that seems to universally be held in high regard among beef producers. Clark Sennett is no different. “Naturally our values are faith, family, and work - and teaching the younger generation that. Working on the farm, making it your career, it’s an every day event for making that happen; and we feel very fortunate to be in that situation.” Future generations are already beginning to enjoy their life on the farm as Lance’s two daughters have begun to work with the calves. “They’re six and eight, and the eight-year-old is showing at national shows already,” Clark chuckles fondly. “They seem to be really interested in the farm.”

As they say, what goes around comes around; then again it is all just part of the cycle of the seasons when you live on a farm.

Listen to Clark Sennett

One of the best by-products of living in the country is that the old adage still rings true – the more things change the more they stay the same. Since 1902, the Jordan family of Rensselaer, Indiana, has occupied their land and been involved in raising the Shorthorn breed of cattle. While different generations have tried different breeds such as Angus and Hereford, the one constant has been Shorthorn. Today with the sixth generation of Jordans just being born, the family honors tradition and yet is known around the industry as being especially progressive and innovative in their breeding and management techniques.

“My great grandfather acquired land in this area, and my grandfather, Walter Jordan, also helped dredge the first ditches in this flood plain,” begins Barry Jordan as the family history in cattle and crop farming comes easily from memory. “My dad Carl lives next door and at age 87 is still very active,” he adds proudly.

Today the operation is mostly run by Barry and his wife Anita, a hospice nurse for Jasper County Hospital Home Care Hospice, and Toby and his wife Jodi who have two children and are expecting a third in July 2008. They are aided by full-time non-family staffer, Jeremy Lemming, who has worked with the Jordans for over a year. Like so many young farmers of his generation, Toby left the farm not only for four years of college – he graduated from Oklahoma State University – but also for a practical education in hands-on work. “I managed an Angus outfit in Western Oklahoma before I came back home,” Toby explains, saying that the experience with cattle in another area has aided his growth and capabilities now that he has been back home for six years.

About 250 cows roam rather freely around the Waukaru lands as they are near the end of a country road. The farm’s name “Waukaru” is a story in itself. Waukaru was shortened from the word “Waukarusa” which originated from historic landmarks in the area. “This farm is referred to in the earliest land abstracts as ‘that which lies along the Waukarusa Run’ and it was decided that it be used as the surname of our registered cattle,” Barry comments. His grandfather, Walter Jordan, named the farm around the turn of the 20^th 

century. Barry grew up thinking Waukaru was an Indian word for something like “stream wandering through the trees” but more recently learned it meant “knee deep in mud.”

“Sometimes the road out front is a corral, sometimes it’s a grazing paddock, and sometimes it’s a road,” laughs Toby about the fact that their home place is off the beaten path. Because the Jordans do not want to over manage their pastures, about 50 heifers, or young females that have not yet has their first calf, are transported to Southern Indiana for the summer. The Jordans also farm about 1,400 acres of row crops including corn and beans. “We’re heavy on corn, though,” Barry says. “We have to be, because the heifers come back in the fall and graze the (corn) stalks.”

While they retain many females and some bulls in the herd each year, the Jordans make their living with production sales each year, where customers come literally from all over the country to bid on the Jordan’s Shorthorn genetics in a live auction format. “Our production sale in the fall focuses on females; we sell mostly bred cows and also a few bred heifers and embryos,” Barry explains. The sale, in its 30^th year, is the longest running Shorthorn sale of its kind in the breed. The Jordans also host a spring bull sale at the farm.

Through the years, the Shorthorn breed has undergone changes, experienced challenges, and made improvements. The Jordans, true to their roots, have ridden out the storms and triumphs for 106 years. “My grandfather had Shorthorn, in fact, we have some pedigrees of bulls in his name from 1902,” Barry recalls. “My dad expanded the cattle. When I came back from college in 1967, we did even more expansion and did a few herd acquisitions out of the Dakotas, and we starting showing extensively.”

With this dedication also comes dedication to customer preferences. While Shorthorn cattle have a variety of hair coat patterns including red, white, and red roan, many of Barry and Toby’s customers, especially bull buyers looking to keep a solid color on their cattle, prefer a red hide and are willing to pay for it. Genetic selection and breed improvement is something Barry takes very seriously. “It’s my belief that the only reason to be a purebred breeder is to produce genetics to improve the commercial industry’s profitability,” he says. Most beef that consumers purchase in stores comes from larger commercial producers, or producers that don’t focus on one breed exclusively but try to optimize the positive traits of several breeds. Barry says there are lots of ways to work on genetics improvement including evaluating animals by visual appraisal, using basic performance measurement such as weaning weights, and finally doing carcass testing for things such as tenderness. “Genetics are the basis of what a purebred breeder can contribute to the industry,” Barry intones.

Always one to put his money, time, and energy where his mouth is, Barry and his family have been very involved in the beef industry. He is a past president of the Indiana Shorthorn Association and served two terms on the board of the American Shorthorn Association where he led the breed’s development as both President and Vice-President. “Through this I’ve actively gotten involved in the World Shorthorn Congress and been able to travel to several countries.” Barry has not just traveled for pleasure; he has forged strong customer relationships and now exports his genetics to over eight countries on five continents.

Barry believes in the industry for the sake of raising a good beef product, not just for networking with his fellow cattle producers. Thus, he and his family are actively engaged in educating consumers about beef. “The beef business started our naturally. We were enjoying our own beef in the freezer and so were a few neighbors. We started selling direct (to consumers) in the 1970’s, and it’s been growing ever since,” Barry explains. It is through selling Waukaru Farms beef that Barry’s other children remain connected to the farm more often than when they “come home” to visit. Son Mark and his wife Heidi live in Lafayette where Mark is an agricultural engineer for Caterpillar. Son Jeff and his wife Lisa live in a Northern suburb of Indianapolis; and daughter Ann Burge and her husband Paul live south of Indianapolis. All three “off farm” family members sell Jordan beef co-workers, church members, and peers. “They’re all still really active in the farm from this standpoint,” Barry says, adding that he know his kids enjoy working with urban neighbors and helping them feel comfortable about Indiana beef. “The person to person contact has a lot to do with it,” he says of the massive growth in the local beef business. “People want to know how their beef is grown and feel good about it.”

There is one more area of beef production and farming that the Jordans take seriously – the environment and stewardship of their land and their community. For the last four years they have participated in a federal program called EQUIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Dollars from the program have had a great impact on their operation. “EQUIP has allowed us to efficiently manage manure in high use areas. We’ve added gravel pads, lots of fence, and new water lines,” Toby states. More fence in tight corners mean greater grazing area with less stress on the land. “It’s amazing how utilizing those corners (of pasture) helps with weed control.” Barry gives a more detailed explanation, “EQUIP has really increased our carrying capacity, but it helps us with conservation purposes and to avoid land erosion.”

That the Jordan’s farm will go on is hardly in question. The farm is organized as a corporation. Shares are transferred from the older generations, who are planning to move out of full-time production, to the younger generations. Yes, raising cows is a business, but the values Barry, Toby, and their families see from the beef business are numerous. “Living on a farm is an advantage from the standpoint of raising a family. It has made it easy to instill work ethic in our children,” Barry says. “It has a natural ability to place you close to God in your day to day occurrences.”

Is raising cows and closeness to God a lofty comparison? Not if you ask the Jordans.

Listen to the Jordens tell their storoy

Diversified. Consistent.Stable. Sustainable. Family first. These are the words that come to mind when one thinks of Indiana livestock producers. It resonates even more when one has a chance to go to their homes because when observing Indiana stockmen and women with their animals and family, seeing is believing. These words are embodied personally in the lives of the Loran and Kathy Wilson family of Orleans, Indiana. Amidst the verdant rolling hills that slope gently in Southern Indiana, the Wilsons raise Angus cattle and crops on their land.

In 1941, Loran’s Dad moved out here from Virginia and began a dairy and beef operation. By 1958, he purchased his first Angus cows by acquiring an entire herd from a retiring farmer near Rushville, Indiana. By 1972, Loran himself was farming full-time. “I grew up on this place, right across the road from this shop,” says Loran Wilson with a broad gesture over his shoulder in the direction of the house. “I went to Purdue’s Ag Short Course that they had back then, but Dad needed my help at home, so I came back,” he recalls saying that his dad promised the farm to him, while his sisters received college educations. “In 1972 I graduated high school and started a partnership with Dad. As Dad grew older, we increased my share. It’s worked for us.”

And so, keeping the promise that he made over 35 years ago, Loran never left the farm and has built it up to where it is today. “I have no desire to get bigger,” Loran says of the farm he has maintained and grown. The entire operation is 820 acres with about 250 acres of corn, 150 of beans, and the balance in hay and pasture. “Corn is the primary feed for cattle and feed all our own corn,” Loran explains. “Soybeans are my only cash crops.” The Wilsons are well known for the Angus operation, too. “We are a registered Angus cow/calf operation with a few commercial (unregistered) and a few Shorthorn cows, and we have a feedlot with a 250-head capacity,” Loran explains.

For the feedlot, they use some of their own calves and they purchase calves at weaning, then feed them for about 10-11 months. “We also sell a handful of bulls and replacement heifers (heifers that will go into production for another farm) for seedstock. The Wilsons also show cattle. With all areas of beef cattle production in play on their farm, they wear many hats. “We see things from several different angles around here,” Loran says. Besides cows and crops, the Wilsons have also raised up three daughters. Eldest Kristi is married and lives in North Vernon, Indiana. Middle daughter Kara is a senior majoring in Agricultural Communications at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Youngest daughter Katelyn is a 15-year-old freshman in high school.

Perhaps it is how they were raised or just because they are so busy, but the gender biases that exist elsewhere in the world do not happen at Wilson’s farm. While Loran has had hired hands over the years, including many with whom he has been well pleased, his biggest help comes from the four women he is surrounded by every day. “I always look forward to it when the girls come home for the summer,” Loran admits fondly. “I’ve worked on the farm (University farm) at UK, but there’s nothing like being able to come home and jump on a piece of equipment that you’re familiar with and work with animals you’re familiar with,” chimes in bright, super-involved and well-spoken Kara.

It is not all cows and work around the Wilson place, however. “All three girls have been very involved in the show ring; it’s given them a real good overview of what’s out there in the livestock business,” Loran says. Like so many livestock families in Indiana, the Wilsons have encouraged their daughters to take advantage of the variety of youth programs associated with being around livestock and livestock people. Kara is a great example of the connections that can be made from being involved. She is currently on the board of directors of the National Junior Angus Association. This is no small accomplishment considering the association boasts some 10,000 junior (under 22 years old) members and is the largest junior cattle association in any breed. “Being in cattle has opened so many doors for me in all aspects of the Angus association,” Kara explains. “The connections you make and the people you meet in the industry are what I’ve benefited from the most.”

While not every college senior comes home to the farm to spend the summer, Kara knows this may be her last summer season at home for quite a while and looks at the chance with a little bit of sentiment. Besides, being flexible fits with her travel schedule as Communications Director of the Jr. Angus board. As a board member, she will travel about 5 weeks out of the summer, aiding the coordination of large events all over the country. “I love getting the opportunity to work with the younger generation of farmers,” Kara says of the chance of influence and educate her peers and even the little children in the association. “There is a lot more to your college experience than just the classes. (For the Angus Association) I’ve been able to travel, learn different methodology on different farms, network in the industry, become an ambassador, and work with the younger members.”

Kara is certainly ambitious, but she has been raised right, too. Both Loran and Kathy have given an example of industry leadership to their daughters. “If we don’t tell our story, no one else will be out there telling it for us,” Loran says honestly. “We’re out here putting out a good product for consumers, and there are a lot of us out here after dark still working that don’t make the news.” Loran is a past president of the Indiana Angus Association and is currently serving on the Indiana Beef Cattleman’s Association board of directors. “You just have to make time for it,” he says. Kathy, though not a farm girl by birth, has become a champion for Angus beef, too. And, she is an ace cook. “I’m so proud of Mom,” begins Kara. “She is the queen of the Certified Angus Beef Cook-off!” The cook-off is a big-time event during the national junior show. Participants compete state against state in terms using their own original recipes to showcase Angus beef. Kathy has cooked, and has also helped coach other teams in their preparations. “Indiana has had as many firsts in that contest as anyone!” Loran boasts.

That said, it is beef that is an important focus around the Wilson farm. Both Loran and Kara want consumers to understand where their food comes from and how it is produced. With the feedlot on farm, the Wilsons spend a lot of time preparing animals for their endpoints. At school, Kara has worked in the Meat Science lab. “We need to explain to people that we are harvesting animals for meat and that it is just another aspect of the industry, but we do need to be pretty delicate in how we explain it,” Kara says. Loran says they collect carcass data back on their steers to make herd improvement. He sells some beef direct to consumers right off the farm. They have customers returning from as far away as Georgia each year.

Raising animals also means preserving the land, so the Wilsons continue to improve and educate themselves about conservation measures and implement new practices whenever they can. They have added fences and improved paddocks to keep cattle out of creeks and streams and have added water lines to bring fresh water to other areas. “A lot of ground around here is highly erosive,” Loran begins pointing toward a large sinkhole that dominates one pasture. “We try to do whatever we can to keep these hills from eroding.” The Wilsons have also taken some hillsides out of crop production and put them back into grass to take care better care of the soil. “You don’t have to be natural or organic to be sustainable,” he says.

What the land provides most is a way to live out values held dear. “My dad always said it is not how much money you make, it’s how you take care of the money you make,” Loran remembers. Kara does not need her parents to tell her what she has learned from farm living, “Work ethic is second, first is being honest in your work and with your industry. It’s awful nice to know that even in 2008 you can close a deal with a handshake and somebody’s good word.”

As for the future, will one of Loran’s daughters return home and begin to take over the farm just as he did 36 years ago? That remains to be seen. “Well it depends on what kind of guy my daughters marry!” joked Loran. Kara laughed, knowing there is always a vein of truth to what her dad says. “I’ve got just one more year of college and beef has always been my passion,” Kara says. “I’m looking for balance; maybe I’ll work in the industry first, then maybe come home; I just haven’t nailed it down yet.”

Whatever happens, they will work it out. A passion created, a legacy fulfilled – all in a day’s work when you live on a farm.

Listen to the Wilson story

At their home near tiny St. Paul, Indiana, Keith Huber and his wife Janet, celebrated a rural milestone. They had been dairying for 50 years on February 29, 2008. The Huber’s, a devout and humble family, passed that milestone with only the brief notice Keith paused to give the date during the noontime milking and when he reminded Janet of it during supper. For many businesses, 50 consecutive years and three generations now in the fold is a rare accomplishment. But for the Huber family and so many Indiana livestock producers like them, 50 years is not a dream, nor a milestone, it is simply the marking of a goal and the belief that what they do every day will continue.

“I started milking for a neighbor lady who lived about a mile away in high school for 40 percent of the milk check,” recalls family patriarch, Keith Huber, of his early days dairying. “I had gained her respect through 4-H work,” he adds proudly. He left for a two year college program and, upon returning, he went 50/50 with his neighbor for four years. Then, she offered him a deal he and Janet could not refuse – to buy the land on contract, buying her out over time. “We couldn’t have done it if she hadn’t offered contract. We just didn’t have any money back then,” Keith said as Janet nods, remembering. The couple started with just eight cows, but now he and son Brian’s combined operation owns about 70 dairy cows. In some ways, the farm continues today much as it began; it is 150 acres now and was 138 when the Huber’s purchased it.

A dairy is an operation that raises cows by breeding females, calving them out, and replacing young females, called heifers, back into the herd. Dairies raise cows for milk, not meat, like beef producers. The work load is continuous, leading more than a few grain farming neighbors to call anything that is a lot of work “like being married to a dairy.” The Hubers milk cows every day, three times a day, at 4:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and again at 8:30 PM. The work is truly never over on a dairy farm.

The Hubers raised their five children on the same land they occupy today. Son Brian and his wife Shirley are actively involved in the operation and are raising their four children, Kylie, Seth, Brianna, and Aaron, just a mile away on the land where Keith was born and raised. The grandchildren work in the dairy, too, and are homeschooled. Kylie, now 21, is off to college in nearby Indianapolis studying to be a Vet Tech. Oldest son Seth, 19, is considered the farm’s most valuable mechanic. Employed on the farm full-time, he keeps busy with feeding cows and calves, cleaning the barn at least once a day, and maintaining an organized shop. He would not have it any other way. “I wake up about 5, get out here about 6, and then work until dinner,” Seth says: “Dinner” is the rural equivalent to a noontime lunch break. “I really enjoy this,” he states.

Brian and Shirley own 60 acres and cash rent another 425 of crop land. Like many farm families, the lines between who owns what are blurred daily when labor, equipment, and cows are shared, but evens out in the end. “I’ve been dairying since 1986 when I started working for Dad for wages. Now I own 30 head,” Brian says. Transition, the long standing expectations on family farms, follows suit with the sands of time. “You see where this is going, don’t you,” chuckles Keith. “Someday Brian will take the farm.”

Shirley, a wife, mother, teacher, and dairy farmer is no stranger to animals. She milks daily at midday. Growing up in Michigan, she lived on a dairy farm and was attending God’s Bible College in Cincinnati, Ohio, when Brian’s sister introduced them. After two years in town, Shirley was ready to move back to a farm, even if she did have to move south. “I just kept thinking, ‘Lord, just send me a farmer!’” she laughs, meekly at first, then loudly as the entire group gathered at the dinner table joins her.

Though small farms were extremely common two generations ago, by the late 1970’s, Brian saw little room for him on the farm at first. “I could have started the day I got out of high school,” he says of his wish to farm full-time. Being the oldest of five, there just was no room for me to come back yet.” So, like many Indiana farm kids, Brian went off to school for a few years, then found a local job in the agriculture industry. He worked for an agriculture equipment dealer for five years before returning to dairying.

Also like most Indiana livestock farms, diversifying into crops is essential. Brian started raising corn and beans in 1991, and Keith raises crops by cash renting additional acres as well. The farm women are no different, finding various occupations either to make or save money. “Mom would always babysit and the kids would come here at milking time,” Shirley recalls of the time when her children were small. Instead of working in town and hiring a babysitter, the women shared the role of childcare so Shirley could milk cows. She now also owns a craft shop called Olde Barn Primitives. “The family renovated an old barn for the shop,” Janet says proudly of the building once used by Brian’s grandfather. Shirley summed up today’s farming diversity. “Everything is a little bit parttime,” she says.

The process of getting milk from the cow’s udder to the consumer’s table is at once fascinating and simple. It all begins with the cow, of course, the quiet, gentle creature that rests most of the day and, when it is time, goes patiently as one of the Huber family walks her into the milk parlor. Once in the parlor, 10 cows stand in separate stalls where Keith and Shirley attach electronic milking equipment to the udders. Cows chew their cuds lazily as the milk is moved through the machine’s tubes into the milk house, a room where the fresh milk exits hoses into large stainless steel tanks for storage at about 37 degrees. The milk is purchased by a cooperative and picked up every two days by a hauler that trucks it straight to the processor. “Our milk goes to a Kroger processing plant in Winchester, Kentucky. It takes about five days to get from the cow to the gallon,” Brian explains.

Milk safety is the biggest concern at the dairy farm, thus each tank is sampled and tested by the processor. Tests search for traces of antibiotics, which the Hubers do not want in the milk. If antibiotics are found, they will receive a lower price and the milk will not be used for human consumption. High quality milk means higher prices and the Huber’s strive every day for excellent safety and sanitation standards.

Animal husbandry, or care of the animals, is also important on the dairy farm. With the youngest generation always working around the cows, the animals have to be tame and used to people. Keeping the cows calm and comfortable is always a priority, so “the girls” rest on raised beds of sawdust inside the barn between milking. Cows are literally bred by hand through artificial insemination. Brian and his daughter Kylie do the breeding. “She has as much potential as anybody,” Brian says of his daughter’s natural knack of working with cows.

Balancing the risks of dairying along with the ups and downs of crop years, based upon weather and commodity markets, takes faith. The Huber’s value their faith in God and place it at the core of their lives. “God is at the center of our family,” Keith says as he gazes at his family group. All four elder Hubers are Sunday school teachers at Wesley Chapel, and both Keith and Brian serve on the church board. Janet is especially involved; she’s been playing the organ at Wesley for 56 years.

Family has also been the center of the Huber’s way of life, Keith notes, saying that while farming has not made them rich, it has made them happy. “I’ve certainly enjoyed watching these four grandchildren grow up.” Youngest grandson, Aaron, agrees that he has led a great life on the farm. “It’s just fun to be around the farm.” The Hubers occasionally have visitors including “city kids” students on school tours. The visitors sometimes help them realize just how much they value farm life. “Other people are just so excited with what we take for granted that we have here,” Seth says. Brian’s appreciation of the farm comes from a different perspective; he feels working side-by-side with his children helps make him a better dad. “When you’re working in front of your kids, it can be a humbling experience for you,” he laughs, with a tough of a grimace.

For his part, Keith is easing into the idea of passing the torch, but he is not ready just yet. Now that he has reliable help from two younger generations, he enjoys traveling a bit and supporting the dairy industry through meetings and events such as Dairy Farmer’s of America and Milk Promotion Services of Indiana. “I enjoy getting to see the other side of the milk check. It’s a real treat to leave the farm sometimes.”

As for the future, Keith feels his family is positioned to work through challenges facing the industry. “Dairy is becoming so huge with thousands of cows on a farm. I believe that a family with 50-100 cows can make it selling quality – and quality is the thing,” Keith explains with knowing look. “We have to put a quality product out there that consumer’s demand. The consumer really carries such a big stick now. We want the consumer to know that they can safely consume milk without any fear.”

Listen to the Hubers talk about their farm

Nestled among the quiet corn fields of North Central Indiana a rather high tech thing is happening on one Indiana dairy farm. A family farm that is in its fourth generation near Star City is now one of the little known innovators in Indiana, the Midwest, and even the nation. Though the family is still involved in the dairy business and they still sell milk and they still raise cows, no body milks – at all – not even one cow. In fact, they have not milked cows since 2003, though a truck bound for Dean Foods leaves with 15,000 gallons of fresh milk every other day. The Jones family loves cows; do not get them wrong, they have just found a better “employee” for the milking job. The Jones family owns a robotic dairy.

In 2003, Sammy and Pam Jones and their four children embarked on a completely new journey and set a plan in motion to change their farm and their future. “Research shows that you can increase milk production 10 – 14 percent if you switch from milking two times a day to three times a day,” says Sammy. Initially, with children leaving for college, those at home involved with all kinds of activities, and 525 acres of crops to manage plus over 100 crows to milk; the increase in production seemed an impossible increase overload. However, the family had already spent two years looking into robotics as a solution. “We saw that robots were being used to milk more cows and get more milk from the cows,” Sammy explains, saying that he took the kids, his wife, and his mother-in-law, Norma Miller, on various trips to factories, universities and other farms to see robotic milking systems. “The purpose of robots was to keep (the operation) as a family farm without having a hired man,” Pam concludes simply.

Everyone’s opinion mattered because the future of the dairy was going to affect two generations. “We all sat down and discussed it; it was a family decision,” remembers youngest daughter Amy Jones who is a junior at Purdue University. Once the Joneses installed the equipment, they were the first in Indiana to have a robotic dairy. “People have called us pioneers,” Pam laughs. “We don’t thing of ourselves that way!”

Now, almost five years later, the Jones family has weathered initial storms with the new technology and has adjusted nicely to the change. The younger generation likes the robotic part, and all four children are involved in various capacities around the farm. Oldest son Josh is an integral part, being armed with the biological engineering degree from Purdue; he is the manager of the robots. Daughter Christy Coon lives less than a mile away; and, though she works full time for the Creamery License Division through Purdue University, she and her husband, Craig, help around the farm regularly. Like Amy, younger son Ryan is still at Purdue where he is a visual communications and graphic design major. “The (kids) are fourth generation on granddad’s farm. My dad took over in 1942,” Sammy explains. Pam, too, grew up around farm living, and she’s never enjoyed anything more. “I’ve done cows and kids for the last 30 years,” she relates. Adding with a whimsical laugh: “I was climbing over gates feeding calves when I went into labor with Josh!”

Sammy is clearly proud of being an early adopter of the technology he believes is extremely efficient. “Nobody spends their time any more collecting money,” Sammy says using his hands to indicate the motion of milking cows. “We spend our time now making money.” Amazingly, less human contact in the milking process seems to yield far more contented cows. And more contented cows give more milk. “The average cow gives 74-75 pounds of milk in a 24-hour period,” Sammy says, adding that with the robots his cows can be milked around the clock every day of the year. Indeed, the barn and feeding area are extremely quiet, no cows bawling here. The barn is also practically spotless, the scent of cow barely pervading the scene in the Jones’ pristine environment.

Sammy describes himself as a “cowologist,” or in his own words, someone who learns about and attempts to understand cow behavior in order to create the best environment for them. Using the belief, the methodology for the automatic milkers works. “Other dairymen come here and are very skeptical at first, but this is just a cow path like any other. The automatic milkers are a series of one way gates. The point is the whole thing has to be a pleasant experience for the cows.”

Basically cows are kept “up front” in a large outdoor corral with access to the barn. Being trained, when they sense the urge to be milked, or simply want to eat, they push themselves into an indoor holding area. A cow’s natural tendency toward a pecking order comes into play here, keeping the area uncrowded as only about five or six cows are in the holding area at one time. Next, cows enter the automatic milking machines. There are two machines and again, with one-way gates, a first cow goes in and moves all the way to the first machine. When she is standing in a stall, the gate closes behind her. The next cow comes in and stands in a second stall, with the gate closing behind her. No additional cows are allowed through until those two are done milking.

The machine automatically reads each cow’s ear tag and accesses (based on production history stored on computer) if that cow should be milked or not. If she’s ready, and 90 percent of the time she is, the machine first gently cleans and stimulates her udder and four teats with a soft brush. Then using a laser bean, each tear is individually found, and the machine attaches itself and begins to milk. With each quarter being milked separately, maximum production is achieved from the cow and her udder is not overstressed from being milked longer than necessary. Once the milker is finished, the udder is spritzed with iodine to prevent infection. Now come the incentive part. The gate opens and the cow proceeds to fresh feed and water in a bright, sunny barn. Once she has eaten, she leaves the feed area through another one-way gate and goes outside to rest.

When the system works, which Sammy says is most of the time, it is major time and cost saver. “The robots replace two hired hands; and they’re never late, have no behavior or attitude problems, and don’t cost me social security taxes,” Sammy laughs.

Because the Joneses are operating a business, they want as much production as possible, but they also want to achieve that as naturally as possible. So, Sammy and Josh have employed a variety of natural techniques to improve production and improve comfort for the cows all without adding hormones. One such improvement is long-day lighting. “Josh actually started this as a 4-H project one year, then the next year he installed the 6 photo cells to go on and off automatically at dawn and dusk,” Sammy says. By adding lights so that the barn is bright all dark hours of the 24-hour period actually improves milk production. Pam explains that the greater exposure to light increases the production of melatonin in the cow’s liver which in turn increases the production of milk. University studies show that this increase yields 3 – 4 percent more milk. “We don’t have to give shots; we get more milk with nature!” Sammy believes.

The Joneses do not stop there. They have taken bold, yet absolutely free, measures to keep cows interested and milking well. “Hear that,” Sammy states as he plays a loud recording of a calf bellowing. “That’s a four day old dairy calf bawling and it’s piped in every time a cow is milked,” Pam smiles knowingly. “Women who’ve had children get what this noise does so quickly.” For everyone else, the bawling sound has been proven to cause the cows to “let down their milk” in greater quantity and faster – not a lot more, but enough for Sammy. “It’s what God meant. It’s a natural oxytocin release,” he says. For the business side, the Joneses believe they get 1 1/3 pound increase in milk production from the calf noise. That amounts to almost $10,000 additional dollars every year.

The Joneses also prefer to let the cows rest outside between milkings because the fresh air keeps awaits a host of problems, namely respiratory conditions that can thrive in humid indoor environments. Sammy is even working with flavorings for the cow’s feed. As a cowologist, he theorizes that, if his cows were more interested in eating, they would go through the system and the robots more times in a 24 hour period. “We’ve got four different flavors: alfalfa, caramel, molasses, and root beer,” Sammy says. He is still tweaking the combinations to find what works best. “We have found out that our cows don’t like bubble gum!” Regardless of the snickers Sammy and Pam sometimes get from fellow dairy farmers, they do not mind. Their extra behavioral research all adds up to the bottom line More milk to sell means staying small and making more.

With the innovations at Jones Robotic Dairy and their enthusiasm for educating the public, it is no wonder that over 600 people visit the farm each year. They have had visitors from eight countries and 23 states. Purdue University specialists of every variety come out four to five times a year. Pam’s favorite visitors are school kids and community groups. “Pre-schoolers have become regulars here through the Milk Promotions of Indiana,” Pam explains. “At first they come out holding their noses, but by the time they’re done, they’re right up next to the cows petting them.” Children also receive an educational program upstairs in a finished room about the barn. Pam offers Dean’s milk, a take home gift, books, and a little discussion of what well-known products are made from milk. Kids even practice milking with a bucket and stool. “We’re really hands-on with our tours here. We want to make smart consumers and educate them,” she says.

Family farmers, innovators, pioneers, and simply parents: one thing is true about Sammy and Pam, they certainly bring new meaning to the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses.”

Listen to the Jones famly tell theier story

Raising livestock in the Midwest, especially Indiana, takes a measure of commitment even greater, some say, than farming corn and beans. Animals take up space, make noise and even smell: all facts that, in the three generation since World War II, have caused many producers to quit diversified livestock agriculture and simply raise crops only. After all, crops do not oink, do not want to be fed twice a day, and do not need to be born. In an oversimplification of grain farming, farmers put crops in, hope for good weather, and take them out. Though they do not mean to get preachy or even prideful, livestock producers know that they have endured the bulk of criticism from town folks that have moved to the country, activist groups, and even their own neighbors. If any segment of the livestock industry has received it most, it has been hog farmers. Funny thing about many livestock producers, they are stubborn and dedicated to their land and animals. 

Speaking of dedication, meet the Dales – all 13 of them – that operate Dale Farms in North Manchester, Indiana. “Well, let’s see,” began Brad Dale the 33-year-old voluntary spokesman for the group. “This could take a minute,” he adds beginning to tabulate just how many Dales are making a living from the farm. “There’s me and my wife Marlea; then Dad, Jim, and my mom. Kathy; and my brothers Shane and Jeff; then there’s Uncle Dave, and Uncle Tom and his son Greg; and Dad’s brother-in-law, Randy Niccum  and my cousins Ryan, Marc and Kevin; and we can’t forget Grandpa Roger Dale who started the place in the 1940’s. We’ve also got two hired hands,” Brad says, quickly adding, “and there’s Angie, Jeff’s wife, and Randy’s wife Nancy who are the farm secretaries.”

After drawing a well-deserved breath, Brad explains that everyone is actually an employee of the 2,000 acre farm that maintains 2,700 sows and also raises corn, soybeans, and wheat. “We’re actually all stockholders in the farm – the older guys own more stocks though,” Brad admits. While many farms leave succession planning up to chance, the Dale’s have an organized system for adding new members to the fold, and the farm takes care of its own. “The farm takes everyone. It provides a truck and a home. All the homes are paid for and owned by the farm which is a major perk for us,” Brad says, adding that he improved his stock holding in the farm by making some needed renovations to his house In a sense, everyone owns a piece of everything making living on Dale land extremely cooperative.

Brad says the format of joint ownership also improves responsibility among everyone, especially the younger men. “All our younger generation is in our 20’s and early 30’s, we all pretty much came straight to the farm after high school.” Though some cousins did not come back to farm full-time, there was an open opportunity for anyone who chose to take it. “Everyone grew up with this and knew they wanted to do it or that they didn’t.”

With so many family members, daily jobs are divided up pretty evenly, though everyone jumps in to help during busy times of the year. “The older guys are the bosses,” Brad comments with a laugh. “But we all have our own job to do and our own area to manage.” Even at only 33, Brad is “old hat” and is the second oldest of his generation. He has been full-time at the farm since 1994. Brad manages a farrowing (birthing) unit and handles breeding and gilt replacement selection. Gilts are young, female pigs that are selected on the basis of good quality and potential mothering ability and then replaced back into the sow herd as older or under productive sows leave. “As long as they are having good litters and are breeding back, sows can stay in the herd as long as possible,” Brad explains. Sows, or female hogs that have already had piglets, will have an average of 11-12 pigs per litter and will have 2 ½ litters each year. They usually stay around for about three years before they begin to lose productivity.

The Dales raise several breeds of hogs including Landrace and Yorkshire for maternal traits and Durocs to produce hogs that feed well. With 2,700 sows, that means a lot of animals around the farm every year. In fact, the Dales sell some 50,000 head of hogs each year. “We create all our own breeding stock through AI,” Brad says. AI-stands for artificial insemination; and being a good AI technician is important on any modern livestock farm. “There are four of us guys that do that – mostly us younger guys head up the breeding program,” Brad says.

When selling hogs, the Dales operate at the mercy of the open market which means they receive the daily price from the packer when they take hogs directly to the markets in Delphi or Logansport. “We don’t contract our hogs ahead; we sell at the market, so we hit the highs and the lows,” Brad commented, saying that they have always sold that way to capitalize on market trends though many producers have gone exclusively to a set contract price.

Price – and its fluctuations – is one thing that remains the “it factor” that the Dales constantly watch. “The main thing is being able to complete with larger operations and survive the ups and downs of the markets. There are a lot of challenges, but it is all about weathering the storm,” Brad says with conviction. While the Dales raise much of their inputs, grain prices still play a major role in their financial management. Just a mile away an ethanol plant is being built. The Dales remain mostly supportive of the idea of biofuels, but Brad worries about the balance of inputs for feed and fuel, “We’d like to see biomass developed for making ethanol. I am just not sure there will be enough grain for both.”

But other changes have influenced many of the farm’s decisions over the years. “The biggest change I’ve since 1994 is in the genetics in the swine industry,” Brad notes “I’ve seen it go from leanness not mattering, to hogs getting so lean that they didn’t grow, and now there’s more of a happy medium. Sow productivity is the one thing that has really improved with genetics.” Brad loves being around the hogs and working with them daily is his favorite part of his job. “I prefer working in the farrowing house with the baby pigs. I also like the genetics part of it. I like matching the boars to the sows. We raise and take care of them (hogs) the best way we can in order to put out a healthy product,” Brad says proudly.

Another important factor for healthy hogs is biosecurity. “That’s another thing that has really improved over the years. We do not allow big tours now because of the risk of disease. Healthy pigs are pigs that grow faster. The fewer meds we have to give them the better. We do not like dosing antibiotics. Prevention is really the best thing on a hog farm,” Brad explains. Effective biosecurity measures are surprisingly simple and yet very effective. Everyone showers between sites in showers built into each barn. They also change clothes and boots and leave those boots at each site, limiting the amount of exposure throughout the day. “We don’t give meds to hogs near as much as a lot of people think. I think sometimes people have been misinformed about hog operations,” Brad acknowledges.

Family and land are important and go hand in hand. Because of this, one of the most important things to the Dales is good land stewardship. In 2007, the farm was names a River Friendly Farm of Indiana by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“We’re just trying to protect our land,” comments Jim Dale who explained that the award acknowledges the extra work and expense the Dales have put in creating waterways, filter strips and building structures all to prevent erosion. “We try to be active and proactive. And we know the value of good public relations,” Jim explains.

Randy Dale also feels the awards and their work is significant because neighbors are also decreasing erosion. “We are now seeing waterways around the ditches all over the area. It’s all going to have a positive effect on the watershed.”

With land preservation in mind, the Dales are not just preserving the environment, they are really nodding toward the future for all involved. Brad’s young daughters already come out to the farm with him on Wednesday when he weans baby pigs, just as he used to do. Being an animal lover, he also raised pigmy goats for their future 4-H projects. Right now he offers the goats from his 25-head herd to local youth for showing. He believes his daughters and their cousins will have a place if they, too, choose to return to Dale Farms once they grow up. He says: “As long as the farm is around, there will always be that opportunity to come back.”

At the end of the day, the Dales have built the life they love and that may be the most important factor through all time. Brad says any one of the men could speak for the group, but he summed it up: “The farm has provided a good lifestyle, not a get rich deal, by any means, but we all grew up with it, and the farm is what we knew and liked.” Brad’s smile says he is confident another generation will continue.

Listen to theDale family talk about their farm.

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