Harvest Season Roadway Safety

Harvest season is officially underway for Indiana’s 94,000 farmers, which means more slow-moving farm equipment will be on Indiana’s rural roads and highways. To keep Hoosiers safe this year, state agencies are asking motorists to be alert and patient, as they share the road with farm equipment this fall.

In 2020 three vehicles were involved in crashes with farm equipment in Indiana which resulted in two deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The following list includes several safety tips for motorists approaching large farm equipment:

• Be alert. Farm equipment is wide, sometimes taking up most of the road.
• Be careful when passing. Do not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone” or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevation structure or tunnel.
• Avoid tailgating, as some farm equipment might have to make sudden stops along the road.
• Allow plenty of time to get to a destination, be aware of alternate routes and avoid distractions.

Click below to read more, view the PSA video and find a full list of safety tips.

New free soil sampling program coming to life for Indiana farmers

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and partners throughout the state have worked with the Gulf Hypoxia Program (GHP) to develop a no-cost program with a focus on increasing the knowledge and use of soil sampling as a nutrient management practice to benefit farm operations. The program titled, Indiana’s Mississippi River Basin Soil Sampling Program, is open now for applicants.

This program includes row crop fields, pastures and specialty crops located within Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin. Participating landowners will be prioritized by fields that have never been soil sampled and fields that haven’t been sampled regularly (i.e., within the last 3-4 years). Further prioritization may be implemented based on interest in the program. This program excludes hobby gardens and private lawns.

Click below to read more about the program and how to sign up.

 Ultimate Farmer’s Market Challenge winner announced

Indiana Grown and the Indiana Farmers’ Market Community of Practice co-hosted the first Ultimate Farmer’s Market Challenge to highlight the over 240 Farmer’s Markets in operation within the State of Indiana.

Farmer’s Markets were nominated, and voting took place with over 4,000 votes being placed during the contest. Vincennes Historic Farmer’s Market came out on top as the winner with over 1,400 votes.

Farmer’s Markets allow a glimpse into the community and how they value supporting their local producers and growers. The Ultimate Farmer’s Market Challenge is a way to highlight the sense of community and belonging that happen each week during markets, that Hoosiers are fortunate to have within their communities.

ISDA Director Don Lamb to serve on National Association of State Department of Agriculture (NASDA) Board of Directors

At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture's Annual Meeting, NASDA members elected the next cohort of officers for 2023-2024. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur will serve as NASDA’s 2023-2024 President and will host the 2024 NASDA Annual Meeting on Sept. 22-25, 2024. Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb was elected to serve on the board in the At-Large position.

Click here to read more. 

Milk Loss Assistance for dairy operations impacted by 2020, 2021 and 2022 disaster events

The USDA Farm Service Agency’s Milk Loss Program (MLP) allows eligible dairy operations to receive payments for milk that was dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events such as power outages, impassable roads, structural damage, etc. that inhibited the delivery of milk or the storage of milk due to disaster events during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 calendar years. Signup for MLP begins Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 16, 2023.

Click below to learn more.

Sept. 19: Dept. of Ag shares tips to stay safe around farm equipment on roads during fall harvest
Find the full release here

Sept. 25: New free soil sampling program coming to life for Indiana farmers
Find the full release here

Now is the time for agribusinesses to plan and prepare for international marketing activities for 2024. In-person trade shows and trade missions remain the preferred method for foreign buyers to source U.S. agricultural products and meet with new suppliers.

Food Export-Midwest has released its 2024 Event Calendar, here. 

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service has announced tentative trade mission targets for 2024:

• Canada – multiple cities in early April
• Casablanca, Morocco in mid-May
• Seoul, South Korea in late June/early July
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in late August/early September
• Bogota, Colombia in mid-to-late October

Contact ISDA International Trade Director, Drew Sherman, for a free export consultation.

Dairy Business Builder Grant
Find more information here

Manufacturing Readiness Grant
Find more information here

Rural Energy for America Program (R.E.A.P.)
Find more information here

Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
Find more information here

Oct. 9: Columbus Day 
ISDA office closed

Nov. 1-4: 96th National FFA Convention & Expo
Find more information here

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