WIDA, Midwest Dairy Association, and Iowa State Dairy Association hosted a successful workshop on March 4.  Participants worked through several crisis scenarios and began building their farm's crisis response team and management and communications plans. 

Thank you to Dr. Matt Boogerd, Central Vet Clinic, Ed Herbst, Sioux Dairy Equipment, and Brent Van Beek, Northwest REC for sharing real-world experiences and recommendations for managing in natural disaster and emergency situations. Ben Shuberg from the Iowa DNR Spencer office also shared reporting and response procedures for manure spills and provided an update on the DNR working agreement with the EPA.

Thank you to Tri-State Ready Mix for sponsoring lunch.

If you missed the workshop, a version of it will be presented at Central Plains Dairy Expo on Thursday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. in Convention Center 1-2.   

Dr. Ryan Breuer has joined Iowa State University Extension & Outreach as the dairy specialist for northwest Iowa.  He comes to Iowa from a veterinary practice in Wisconsin.   Watch for more details in future issues. He can be reached at the Sioux County Extension Office in Orange City at 712-737-4230.

The Maassen family from Maurice will provide an uplifting start to the Central Plains Dairy Expo at the annual Ag Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on March 25.

The Maassens will share their thoughts on the role that faith has played in their family life and their fifth-generation dairy.  Lee and his wife, Emily, are partners in the dairy with their sons Aaron, Adam, and Stefan and their spouses Marissa, Ashley and Miranda.  The Maassens and 15-20 employees - some who have worked with the family for 15 years - operate the dairy.  They also have a dairy beef feedlot and raise all the forages for their animals. 

Heidi Fehlhafer, worship leader at New Life Reformed Church, Sioux Center, and members of her praise band will be providing the music at the Ag Prayer Breakfast.  

Thank you to members of the planning committee:  Ken & Vickie Franken, Rick & Barb Kreykes, Alan & Carol Feuerhelm, Lee Maassen, Harvey & Lisa VanEss, King Hickman, and Joe Bouslaugh.  

There are some tickets available at the WIDA table.  If you are interested in attending, please contact LeAnne at 712-441-5308 or info@wiadairy.com

At the first WIDA board meeting following the 2015 annual meeting, the board elected a new executive team to serve for the 2015-16 membership years:

President - Matt Schelling, Walnut Grove Dairy

Vice President - Evan Metzger, Multi-Rose Dairy

Treasurer - Rod VanderVeen, Deluxe Animal Health

Secretary - John Brantsen, VitaPlus

Past-President - Nancy Jones, Jones Dairy

Congratulations to the new leadership team and thank you to the entire board for their service.

The WIDA booth at the Central Plains Dairy Expo trade show is moving this year!  We will be in booth #69 inside the convention center.  Stop by to say hello and sign up for our door prize drawing.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is challenging Iowans to celebrate National Agriculture Day on Wednesday, March 18, by photographing their connection with Iowa agriculture and sharing it online. With over 88,000 family farms in Iowa and nearly 420,000 Iowans employed in agriculture, accounting for one in every five Iowans, no two people's days are the same.

Photos can be submitted on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram by including the hashtag #DayinIAag.  Click here for more details.

Applications for Iowa State Dairy Association college scholarships are due April 1.  ISDA will be awarding 14 scholarships of $500 each for the 2015 fall semester;  WIDA has funded two of these scholarships.

Applicants must be the child or grandchild of a current ISDA member (all WIDA dairy producer members have dual membership in ISDA), or be an employee or child of an employee on a dairy farm which belongs to ISDA.

Click here to download more information and the application.

A special Annie's Project course focused on HR and employment topics will be held in Orange City beginning in April.  Sessions will meet April 7, 14, 28 and May 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with lunch provided.  Topics will include employee recruitment, supervision, evaluation, communications, and legal issues.  

WIDA will reimburse participants from member dairy farms the $75 registration fee.  For more information and registration, click here.

The Northwest Iowa  Beginning Young Farmers Group will meet on March 26 at 3:00 p.m. at the Sioux County Extension Office in Orange City.  The program will feature Dr. Chad Hart, ISU Extension and Outreach Crops Market specialist focusing on the market outlook for 2015.  

There is no cost to attend, but participants are asked to preregister to Janelle Johnson at Plymouth County Extension at 712-546-7835 or janelle@iastate.edu.

The Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation will be hosting a viewing of the Farmland documentary film on March 18 to celebrate National Ag Day.  The free viewing will be held at Morningside College in Sioux City, with doors opening at 5pm and viewing beginning at 6pm.  

For more information and registration, click here.