Tickets on sale now for "Future in Farming" Ag Conference - March 4

The Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce 2011 Southeastern Indiana Ag Conference, “The Future in Farming,” will be held on Friday, March 4, at Wolf Theatres in Greensburg.

Tickets are $20 and available at MainSource Bank, including locations in Greensburg, Westport, Batesville, Brookville, Shelbyville and Rushville; Smith Implements , 3871 W. SR 46, Greensburg; Obermeyer AgriGroup, 4814 W. Old St. Rd. 46, Greensburg and the Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce, 125 N. Broadway St., Greensburg.

The event will feature United State Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Economist Oliver Flake, Indiana State Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay, Indiana State Veterinarian Dr. Bret Marsh and others.

Keynote speaker, Oliver Flake, is with the United State Department of Agriculture, and is the Foreign Agricultural Services Economist, overseeing and promoting U.S. products and serving as an International Grain Market analyst. Flake obtained his undergraduate degree in Agronomy from Brigham Young University and his graduate degree from the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management at Arizona State University.

The M.S. in Agribusiness provided Flake with the curriculum he sought in international trade, agricultural policy and agricultural development. Besides serving as a grain market analyst, Flake also devotes his time to gaining international market access for U.S. products.

Flake’s presentation will include time for questions from the audience.

Joe Kelsay, is a sixth generation dairy and crop farmer and is the Indiana Agriculture Director for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. In this role, he serves as the state’s top agriculture official and is an advisor to Governor Mitch Daniels on agriculture policy. He was appointed to this position Oct. 5, 2009 by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Kelsay is a 1999 graduate of Purdue University and in addition to milk production, he and his wife Amy operates a farm tour business, Kelsay Farms Tours, LLC, which teaches thousands of children and their families each year about life on the farm, the nutritional value of dairy products, where milk comes from, technology used in a milking parlor and how farmers keep cows comfortable and healthy.

Sara Beth Aubrey is the owner of Prosperity Ag Communication and Prosperity Ag & Energy Resources. She focuses on securing funds for clients through the use of government programs such as grants, loan guarantees, direct loans and tax credits. Since 2007, Aubrey has written over 400 successful grants dispersed among clients in 29 states, funding for these awards has yielded nearly $50 million. The majority of her clients are pursuing projects to create or expand ventures on farms, in rural small businesses, and in both small and large communities all wishing to utilize or develop renewable energy or energy technologies.

Aubrey is a lifelong farm resident and has served as Madison County Woman leader for Indiana Farm Bureau and she devotes her time to raising beef cattle along with her husband, Cary, in Morgan County, Indiana.

Dr. Bret Marsh, DVM , Indiana State Veterinarian, was appointed by then Gov. Evan Bayh in 1994. As the state veterinarian, Dr. Marsh is responsible for a staff of 140 people, including 15 veterinarians and an agency budget exceeding $8 million. He is a 1984 graduate of Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Other speakers that will be presenting during break-out sessions include Mike Dunn of Indiana Department of Environmental Management; Don Biehle, Southeast Purdue Ag Center speaking about farm safety; Tom Reddish from John Deere speaking on the Future of Farm equipment and technology; Andrew Stewart speaking about credit, leasing and financial aspects in farming.

For more information call 812-663-2832 or on the web at www.greensburgchamber.com

Diane Moore Named Executive Director at New Directions

The board of directors of New Directions of Decatur County, Inc. is pleased to announce that Diane Moore has joined our staff as our new Executive Director.

Board president, Debbie Robbins stated, “Diane brings a wealth of knowledge and community interaction to our organization. A long-time resident of Decatur County, she has over a dozen years’ experience working with non-profits including several years as the Executive Director of the Arts & Cultural Council of Decatur County and has been active as a volunteer with many philanthropic groups.”

“I am thrilled to have been selected for this position,” says Moore. “I hope to use my energy and experience to facilitate the positive growth of the organization and to assist local women and their families as they cope with the harsh realities of domestic violence.”

New Directions has been providing shelter, counseling and related services to residents of Decatur County for over ten years.

“This year is starting off fantastic! We are also proud to announce the implementation of a new dating violence education program in our schools and the appointment of Jackie Elliott as our new Volunteer Coordinator. There are so very many exciting and positive changes happening in our organization,” notes Robbins.

“Our town has always prided itself on ‘taking care of our own’ and New Directions plays a key role in this tradition. Domestic violence is a terrifying ordeal, and it is vital that the women and children involved in these situations be able to stay right here in our local shelter near their support systems, work and schools. We strongly believe it is especially important for children to stay in their own schools during this traumatic experience.”

Moore and Robbins hope the community will join their efforts and support New Directions as they continue to grow and offer even more services and educational programs.

Local groups, service organizations and businesses are invited to contact them for information or to schedule a program for your employees or members. “I look forward to getting out into my community to work as an advocate for New Directions and as an educator on the many topics related to domestic violence.”

For more information or for assistance with personal domestic violence, please call 812-662-8822. The phone number is answered 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week.

Please direct any questions regarding this news release to: Diane Moore, Executive Director, New Directions, 108 S Broadway, Suite 2, Greensburg, IN 47240, Phone: 812-662-8822

DCMH Names New CEO

New Executive leadership will soon guide Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH.) Following an extensive search, an announcement was made today by the DCMH Board of Trustees of the hiring of the new Hospital CEO. Linda V. Simmons has been selected to fill the position that will be opened by the retirement of current CEO, William Alloy. Alloy had made his retirement announcement in the fall of last year.

Simmons has most recently served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer at the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) in Rock Springs, Wyoming. In that position she focused on areas of medical staff development/relations, financial operations, operational/clinical program development, hospital board relations and community involvement among others. Prior to the interim position she had served as the Chief Operating Officer there from 2006 to 2010. MHSC is a 99-bed, Joint Commission accredited, full service, rural, general acute care county-owned hospital.

She had also served as CEO at the Kindred Hospital Walnut Hill in Dallas, Texas, and Chief Operating Officer at the Kindred Hospital-Arlington in Arlington, Texas. In addition, Simmons has years of related healthcare education and experience.

Simmons’ accomplishments in her career include serving as Director of Critical Care Services, Clinical Manager of the ICU/Dialysis/Telemetry Services and working as an ICU Staff/Charge Nurse. Her Educational attainments include a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from the University of Mary, Bismarck, ND, and a Master of Science in Nursing, with a Healthcare Administration focus, from Baylor University. She also possesses a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Messiah College.

Professionally, Simmons has been affiliated with the Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), appointed by the Governor of Wyoming to the Wyoming Workforce Taskforce Council, served on the Board of the ATI School of Respiratory Sciences, a United Way Loaned Executive, and a Stevie Award Finalist for a Woman Executive of a Not-for-Profit organization.

“Our Hospital, Medical Staff, Employees, and Community are fortunate to have attracted a CEO of Linda’s caliber,” commented Toni Collins, Chair of the DCMH Board of Trustees. “Her unique blend of clinical, organizational and operational experience is certain to serve our facility and its patients well.” Collins also expressed her thanks to the search committee, many physicians, board members, staff and community leaders who assisted in the search process.

Simmons, and her husband Charlie, have five grown children and enjoy the outdoors and collecting antiques. She is expected to begin her duties at the Hospital in early April.

Decatur County Memorial Hospital was opened in 1922 and serves the community with a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services including 24/7 emergency services. It has a mission of advancing the health and wellness of the community by providing quality care, leadership and education. More information on the facility and its offerings may be obtained at www.dcmh.net.