Nearly 450 members of Indiana’s dairy farm families spent Wednesday evening, December 16, in Indianapolis for Dairy Night with the Pacers, and after the year the dairy industry has gone through, it was a well deserved night away from the farm. One of the events highlights, having the opportunity to have their picture taken with Miss America, Katie Stam. 
“It’s amazing because I truly feel like it is my extended family because dairy farming is so near and dear to my heart because that was my upbringing and to be here with 450 of the finest dairy farmers across this state, it’s really wonderful because agriculture is really what Indiana is all about,” said the 2009 Miss America. “It’s wonderful to be able to bring them all together to celebrate all of them and give them a wonderful outing and understand that we are here for them to help promote them and help make their lifestyle better.”
AUDIO: Katie Stam, 2009 Miss America (3:25 MP3)
Joe Kelsay, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), and a dairy farmer from Johnson County was there too and talked with many of the dairy farmers at the event.
“I think there is a sense of hope of the bright light at the end of the tunnel and I think we’re all kind of eeking our way towards it, scratching our way out of the really poor industry situation we’ve had to work through in 2009,” said Kelsay. “That’s uplifting, I think that’s something we all need, some time to reflect on a rough year where we all learned a lot of lessons as an industry and that hope that’s going to bring us to next year and better times.”
AUDIO: Joe Kelsay, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture (1:40 MP3)
Don Gurtner, Chairman of Milk Promotion Services of Indiana says Dairy Night with the Pacers was a opportunity to thank dairy farmers, as well as give them a better understanding of how their checkoff investment is being used.
“I hope they’ve viewed some of the promotional activities, some of the materials that we are doing, we’ve furnished them each with a backpack with what’s going on in the state, they can study it, they can see what their promotion dollars are being used for and hopefully they’re encouraged by that,” Gurtner said.
AUDIO: Don Gurtner, Chairman, Milk Promotion Services of Indiana (1:40 MP3)
During halftime of the Pacers-Bobcat basketball game a milking contest was held, with Miss America, Katie Stam the winner. Dairy Night with the Pacers was topped off with the Pacers defeating Charlotte 101-98. 
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