May 20, 2026

 Issue 186

IDP in Motion: Partnership Powers the Dairy Industry



The old saying goes “no man is an island,” and I believe this is also true for the dairy industry as partnerships are essential for our success. From the veterinarians and nutritionists we rely on for advice to family members and neighbors who help us on our dairies, partners make life better.

As I think about IDP, there are many partners I appreciate. Of course, all our sponsors are important partners for their support. Here are other examples. This summer we are partnering with Indiana Corn and Soybean for their Livestock Summit in June that will feature dairy leader Brian Rexing as a speaker. Our next Dairy Forum will be a joint effort with the Indiana Milk Quality organization in French Link in January, combining events to add more value to you. In fact, as you read this newsletter and see information from BOAH, IANA and Purdue, it is clear our partners are good sources of information.

Partnerships also matter as we work to advance our policy goals with legislators and elected officials. I continue to speak on your behalf to bring common sense to important topics such as labor and regulations that have real impact on our farms.

Thank you for being a member and partner in our industry that is providing important nutrition and I wishing everyone a safe and productive summer as we celebrate Memorial Day. Be cheering for your favorite race car driver to be the one on the podium with that cold jug of milk!

Steve



Steve Obert, Executive Director

Steveobert@indianadairy.org

817-779-6775 

In This Issue

Our Mission in Action

Sponsor Spotlight

IDP Member Moments



Industry Insight

Zeeland Feed Ingredient Update



Our Mission in Action: Milk in the Spotlight at Indy 500 Once Again



American Dairy Association Indiana Inc. is proud to announce the 2026 milk presenters for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500: Veteran milk presenter Ashley Stockwell of Hudson and Rookie milk presenter Brian Rexing of Owensville. These Indiana dairy farmers will carry on the 20-year tradition and serve as representatives for Indiana’s thriving dairy industry during the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

Sponsor Spotlight: Strauss Dairy Group Provide High Quality Ingredients

IDP thanks Strauss Dairy Group for becoming a Platinum Sponsor in 2026. Here’s information about their services for the dairy industry.



Strauss Dairy Group is an Indiana-based family of companies serving the dairy and livestock industries across the Midwest. Strauss Dairy Ingredients, headquartered in North Manchester, Indiana, operates a dairy spray dryer producing high-quality ingredients for calf and livestock nutrition. Strauss Feeds, based in Wisconsin, manufactures calf milk replacers. Midwest Livestock, headquartered in Indiana, rounds out the group as a specialty livestock raising operation. Together, the Strauss Dairy Group companies share a commitment to quality dairy-derived nutrition from farm to feed.

Sponsor Spotlight: Welcome Kingsbury Elevator!

Industry support is essential for our work at IDP, and we appreciate Kingsbury Elevator joining as a Bronze sponsor of our organization. We’ll share more about Kingsbury Elevator in an upcoming issue.

IDP Member Moments: From the Barnyard to the Brickyard: Dague Dairy Farm Knows Milk is for Winners

The Dague Family has been selected by Corteva Agriscience as a Featured Farm Family at the 2026 Indiana State Fair. Here’s their story that will be shared widely with consumers.

Handing a bottle of ice cold milk to 2016 Indianapolis 500 Winner Alexander Rossi is a moment dairy farmer Janet Dague will never forget. Janet and husband Andrew produce milk in Kewanna, Indiana, and were in awe of the view they had of the “greatest spectacle in racing,” having attended the race for 30 years. “To stand on the plaza and see the sold-out stands and infield, it was moment that said milk is for winners,” Janet said.

The Dagues represent the third generation of the family on the farm in Fulton County, working with family members to milk 250 cows twice a day as well as raise row crops. “We are in partnership with Andrew's parents, Jim and Peggy Dague, as we run the dairy and farm about 1,300 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay,” Janet says, noting that they are mostly self-sufficient in growing all of the feed needed for their cows.

The Dagues raise their own replacement heifers, which are the female calves that grow up to enter the milking herd. They also finish out the dairy steers (male) cattle, selling the beef at the local sale barn as well as to friends and family.

“Once the calves are weaned, they are out on pasture and we are looking after them every day,” Janet says, even being able to look out her kitchen window to the pasture where the “babies” are grazing. “Our family is all involved in the farm, and taking good care of the animals lies at the heart of our operation.”

Owning a dairy is 24/7 occupation, as the cows never take a day off. This type of schedule allows the Dague’s predictable times to offer high school students looking for a job. “Over the years, we’ve realized that we are the first job for many of these students who work hard and see what all is involved in producing milk,” Janet says. Andy’s sister Julie Russell helps on the farm, and they employ one full-time person, Tyler Bennett, who has been with the operation for many years (during high school and college) and now farms alongside them with his own farm and family. They also employ four part-time helpers, plus the fourth generation: their children Adrianna, Aubrey and Austin.

In fact, it was during high school that Janet got her first exposure to the dairy as she was dating Andy. “I grew up in the country but not a farm, and when Andy I were dating in high school I’d come over and be there while he was doing chores,” Janet says. She reminiscences that it was “fun to sit and watch him work.”

Of course, life is much busier now, as along with farm work Janet is very involved in advocating for the dairy industry. She currently serves as the president of the board for the American Dairy Association of Indiana (ADAI). She has been on the board since 2011, stepping in when her father in law joined a different board. “As a farm, we divide where we spend our volunteer time,” Janet explains. “I have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with other dairy farmers. Being on the dairy can be a little isolating so meeting other people and sharing ideas is important.”

She appreciates all the industry effort to tell the public about milk and milk production. Janet points to several of the partnerships ADAI has that are significant. One being the partnership with the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). This makes milk the "official beverage" of Indiana high school athletics, promoting it as a premier recovery drink for over 160,000 student-athletes. This partnership features milk at all state championship events, including celebratory milk presentations by local dairy farmers.

The organization also partners with the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) to sponsor state marching band championships, awarding milk to winners. 

 “I love going to Lucas Oil Stadium for those finals and handing out the milk there,” Janet says.

As the family looks to the future, daughter Adrianna Smith appreciates the legacy of the dairy. “It is a blessing to have this operation, I’m here with my two-year old son who comes to work with me every day and is surrounded by family,” she says. “It is amazing to watch the farm through his eyes.” The family is overjoyed another Smith baby will be arriving in May.

This sense of community is important to the family. “Because we dairy farmers are here on the farm, we can be flexible and drop everything to go help a neighbor,” Adrianna says. Andy, Adrianna, Austin and Julie are all members of the Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department.



“While I can’t think of other jobs that are literally sunup to sundown every day, we love living here and raising our family here. We want this farm to be a foundation for the family’s future,” Janet concludes.

Industry Insight: In the Milk House with BOAH: Drugs on Dairy Farms: Labels and Storage Are Essential

According to the FDA, a drug is defined as any substance—other than food—intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease; or intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. Many different products on a dairy farm fall under the definition of a drug: antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, dewormers, hormones, steroids, sedatives and anesthetics, IV fluids, and vaccines.

The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) regulates the labeling and storage requirements for drugs used on Grade A dairy farms. However, some drugs are exempted from the labeling and storage requirement by the PMO. The exempted categories include topical antiseptics and wound dressings, unless intended for direct injection into the teat; vaccines and other biologics; and dosage form vitamins and/or mineral products, except when it is determined that they are stored in such a manner that they may contaminate the milk.

Animal drugs may have one of three marketing statuses which affects the availability of the drug to farmers and which affects the requirements for labeling.

•  Over the counter (OTC) drugs are available for purchase without veterinary oversight and should have sufficient instructions on the manufacturer’s label to allow a lay person to use the drug appropriately.
•  Prescription drugs are only available through a veterinarian or from a pharmacy with a veterinarian’s order. The packaging will have the statement “CAUTION: Federal Law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.
•  Veterinary feed directive (VFD) drugs also require veterinary oversight through a veterinary feed directive which is similar to a prescription but is specific for medicated feed.
•  Extra label drug use occurs when OTC or Rx drugs are used in a manner that is not in accordance with the manufacturer’s labeled directions. This use must be prescribed or ordered by your veterinarian. VFD drugs are not allowed to be used in an extra label manner.

With the exception of the exempted categories above, all other drugs have the following label requirements by the PMO. Drug labels shall include:

a. Name and address of the prescribing veterinarian (unless the drug is OTC in which case this is not required). If the drug is dispensed by a pharmacy on the order of a veterinarian, the labeling shall include the name of the prescribing veterinarian and the name and address of the dispensing pharmacy and may include the address of the prescribing veterinarian.

b. Name of the active ingredient(s). This requirement is met by displaying the drug’s common, generic, scientific, or chemical name. Listing of a trade or brand name is not acceptable.

c. Adequate directions for use: including any directions for use specified by the veterinarian, including the class/species or identification of the animal being treated, for which the drug is intended to be used; the dosage, frequency, and route of administration; and the duration of therapy.

d. Withholding times for meat and discard time for milk, even if zero. (For an extra label drug use, this may be different than the manufacturer’s label. The ordering veterinarian must record the new withholding and discard times on the label.)

e. Any necessary cautionary statements.

Homeopathic and all natural drugs must comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as well as the drug labeling and storage requirements of the PMO. If these products do not comply with the drug labeling requirements, they are addressed like other unapproved drugs.

The PMO also has requirements for storage of drugs on Grade A dairy farms. Drugs intended for the treatment of non-lactating dairy animals are segregated from those drugs used for lactating dairy animals. Separate shelves in cabinets, refrigerators or other storage facilities are required. For the purpose of the PMO, drugs intended for use in dry dairy animals shall be stored with the “Non-lactating Drugs.” Therefore, drugs intended for use in dairy calves, dairy heifers, dairy bulls and dry dairy cows shall be segregated from drugs for cows that are currently being milked. The only drugs that shall be stored with the “Lactating Drugs” are drugs that are specifically indicated on the drug label or on a veterinarian’s label for extra-label drug use to be used in lactating dairy animals. The PMO states that “lactating dairy animals” shall mean those dairy animals that are currently producing milk.

If a dairy producer has questions about drug labeling or storage, the best place to get answers is your veterinarian or your BOAH milk inspector.

Our Mission in Action: A Tale of Two Regions: Cold Corn

From our partners at the Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance

While most of northern Indiana remains unplanted, there are pockets of planting progress that occurred in April. Southern Indiana is mostly planted and emerged. Soybeans and corn experience the early season a little differently. Let’s examine a few issues we might see or have seen in the landscape this year.

After a warm stretch from March into early April, hoodie weather returned with a vengeance. Early planting windows allowed for corn and soybeans, excuse me, soybeans and corn to be planted in areas. When the cold weather returned, frost and freeze conditions returned with it, although far southern locations had far fewer susceptible hours than points north. Wherein corn was co-located with freezing conditions, it likely survived even if above ground tissue was killed. The growing point of corn emerges sometime between the V4 and V6 growth stage. Soybeans may not have been so lucky since their growing point emerges with the plant. Indeed, in our switch to planting soybeans before corn, freezing weather provides our one Achilles heel for the soybean plant, with all other preferential factors favoring soybeans over the relatively sensitive, introverted, afraid of its neighbor corn plant. In either plant, damage should not be assessed immediately, instead waiting five to seven days for actual rot to occur and show itself.

Corn that was not damaged may have turned yellow. Could this be a direct response to cold, or could it instead be a nutrient issue? In short, yes. Consistent temperatures below fifty degrees are abhorrent to the warm-season C4 photosynthetic corn plant. Discoloration or chlorosis can result as the plant struggles to photosynthesize and take up nutrients. Another reason for yellow corn can be excessive rainfall, as roots enter anaerobic conditions and struggle to take up nutrients. Wherein air and soil conditions are prime but yellow corn still is seen could relate directly to fertility. The corn plant runs out of seed supplied nutrition at some point and transitions to root uptake. Usually occurring two to three weeks after planting, those roots may find themselves without much soil nutrition, if preplant or starter fertilizer is missing for whatever reason.

Soybeans, meanwhile, have been doing a pretty good job of emerging and staying relatively dormant in the VC-V1 growth stage, assessing the situation and waiting on some additional heat units to start thriving. Their emergence and growth will still occur, however slowly, as long as temperatures remain above freezing.

Industry Insight: Potential Replacements for BMR Corn Silage

By Jackie Boerman, PhD, Associate Professor, Animal Sciences, Purdue University 

At the Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Dr. Mike VandeHaar from Michigan State University discussed research evaluating short corn silage and its potential to replace brown midrib (BMR) corn silage in dairy cattle diets. As BMR corn seed is expected to be phased out within the next 2 to 4 years, dairy producers who currently rely on BMR corn silage will need alternative strategies to maintain the advantages in fiber digestibility and milk production that BMR silage provides.

Brown midrib corn silage consistently demonstrates greater fiber digestibility and increased forage fragility, characteristics that are difficult to fully characterize in laboratory analyses. These traits allow the forage to break down more rapidly in the rumen, increasing passage rate and allowing cows to consume more dry matter, supporting greater milk yield.

One potential replacement strategy is to select conventional corn hybrids with greater fiber digestibility and lower concentrations of undigestible fiber. However, these fiber characteristics must also be balanced with adequate starch concentrations to support high levels of milk production. As BMR hybrids become unavailable, there will likely be greater emphasis placed on identifying and selecting conventional hybrids with improved fiber digestibility.

Another possible strategy is increasing corn silage cutting height to leave more of the lower stalk in the field. Increasing cutting height improves forage quality by increasing starch concentration and digestible fiber content, but it also reduces forage yield because a greater proportion of the plant remains in the field. This strategy may only be practical for farms with adequate land availability and may not be economically feasible for operations where forage acreage is limited.

A third option is partially replacing conventional forages in the diet with cover crops that have highly digestible fiber. A study conducted at the USDA Forage Research Laboratory evaluated the partial replacement of alfalfa with four different cover crop blends and observed no differences in milk production or dry matter intake. Fiber digestibility of these cover crops exceeded 70%, which is greater than values typically observed for BMR corn silage.

 Although these forages contain little starch, they may provide other non-fiber carbohydrates such as sugars. Incorporating cover crops into dairy diets may also increase forage production per acre while providing agronomic benefits, including increased organic matter and reduced erosion.

The final option, and the primary focus of Dr. VandeHaar’s presentation, was the use of short corn hybrids. Short corn contains a brachytic2 mutation that results in shorter internodes, more erect leaves, and altered lignin distribution within the stalk. Limited feeding studies have evaluated short corn silage in dairy cattle, but results to date have been promising.

In one Italian study, researchers increased planting density (54,600 vs. 32,500 seeds/acre) and included corn silage at 38.5% of the diet. Diets were balanced for starch because the short corn silage contained greater starch concentrations than the conventional hybrid. Cows fed the short corn silage produced approximately 4 lb more milk per day than cows fed conventional corn silage.

Similarly, research conducted at Michigan State University demonstrated that three short corn silage hybrids had greater fiber digestibility than conventional corn silage hybrids. The commercially available short corn hybrid evaluated in the study also produced greater energy-corrected milk compared with the conventional tall corn hybrid harvested under the same conditions. In a follow-up study comparing short and tall hybrids at two dietary starch concentrations (32% and 24%), cows fed the short corn silage produced approximately 4 lbs. more milk regardless of dietary starch concentration.

Importantly, all hybrids in these Michigan State studies were planted at the same seeding rate and produced similar forage yields. Consequently, the short corn hybrids resulted in greater milk production per acre compared with the conventional tall corn silage hybrids.

While additional research is still needed, short corn silage appears to be a promising alternative as the dairy industry prepares for the phase-out of BMR corn hybrids. Its combination of improved fiber digestibility, competitive yields, and increased milk production may allow producers to maintain many of the performance benefits historically associated with BMR corn silage. Overall, the transition away from BMR corn silage will likely require a combination of improved hybrid selection, forage management strategies, and alternative forage sources. 

ZFS Feed Ingredient Update



As the weather settles in after bringing much needed rains and ushers in warmer weather, the food processing plants are running well and creating good opportunities for feed ingredients.

DDGS are very strong in demand for exporting, and doesn’t look to be slowing down, keeping the values up. There has been some opportunities for wet cake lately with some downtime. 

Wet gluten has been plentiful in supply and good low cost buys this spring, and seems to be steady at a couple facilities through May. Some scheduled plant maintenance is keeping Dry Gluten tight this month. Stay ahead of inventory if a user, book ahead.

Hominy feed is holding steady as a good supply to cover some ground corn needs. The value has held steady and looks good into summer. With basis levels on corn likely rising, keep ahead of market by booking your needs through September for best cost offer.

Soybean meal has been strong on basis as several facilities take downtime for improvements at their plants, right through September. Currently the export market has gained strength to new interest, pushing up the Futures on CME , even as planting is progressing around the Midwest.

Canola meal has been steady on supply and there are offers through September and new crop into March 2027 as well. Take a look at your needs and stay ahead with contracts.

Cottonseed has been higher cost this winter, as export demand from SE states took supply and covered some shortages on bales from last harvest. Planting is in process, as weather brought some much needed rains. The price of cotton has improved to promote more acreage overall, but rains will need to continue to carry the crop along to October.

Soyhull pellets are plentiful if you need some fiber in diets, contact a merchandiser.