Farm Indiana East | May 2013 by Margo Wininger

May 2013 | Section A

In The

Saddle At Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Center, horses are a big help By Robin Winzenread Fritz | photos by Josh marshall

Shirley Mascoe is executive director of Edelweiss.

Eli has a sixth sense. While Bo is easygoing, Charlie is a good driver and Parker has a height advantage, it’s Eli’s ability to sense a client is about to have a seizure that raises him to near hero status in the eyes of Shirley Mascoe, executive director at Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Center. “He just plants his feet and won’t move,” says Mascoe about the bay quarter horse gelding who currently works his magic at Edelweiss in Hancock County. “The first time it happened, we had no idea. We just thought he was being ornery,” she explains. Eli is one of nearly a dozen horses currently providing physical, emotional and mental health therapy under the guidance of Mascoe and her army of dedicated volunteers at Edelweiss. The center provides equine-assisted therapy to a variety of clients with special needs, from children as young as 4 to senior citizens, at its new larger location just southwest of Greenfield. Equine-assisted therapy is a form of treatment that can provide individuals with a wide range of benefits, both physical and mental. The balance and movement of a horse works the unused muscles of a rider with physical limitations. This movement can improve coordination, arm strength, hand control, core muscle strength and even incontinence. Moreover, the warmth and movement from riding a horse can help to ease stiffness in the body. From a mental health standpoint, learning to control — and To help offset the center’s costs, Edelweiss trust — such a large animal boosts accepts donations and offers an adopt-aconfidence and provides a level horse program, which allows donors to of freedom and mobility unatadopt the horse of their choice for a monthly tainable in a wheelchair or even contribution. Contribution amounts vary from a full-care package that includes with a walker. Equine-assisted such items as hoof care, veterinarian care therapy can also help alleviate and feed to smaller packages such as feed post traumatic stress disorder only. In return, donors receive a picture (PTSD), which is just one focus of the horse, Shirley Mascoe’s undying of the Equine Services for Heroes gratitude and, because Edelweiss is a 501(c)3 program aimed at veterans, a prononprofit organization, a tax deduction. gram Mascoe fondly calls “Horses Additionally, the center holds fundraisers, for Heroes.” such as its recent Denim to Diamonds “We do it for the riders, but it event and a summer motorcycle ride, also becomes kind of a support for Steel Horses for Real Horses, dedicated to the families,” Mascoe adds. “They the Equine Services for Heroes program. can stand around and watch the This year’s ride is set for July 21. classes and talk to other families and compare notes.”

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Currently Edelweiss provides both a riding and a driving program. The driving program enables individuals who are uneasy with the idea of riding a horse to ease into the program. “When you’re a 7-year-old, a fullgrown horse is pretty intimidating,” Mascoe says. “When you’re a 7-yearold with physical limitations, it’s even worse.” Additionally, holding the reins in a driving program builds arm strength and provides a confidence boost as clients learn to control the animal. Leading the center’s driving program is Starry Wonder, an 11-year-old miniature horse small in stature but large in personality. As the center’s ambassador, Starry Wonder is the voice of the center’s Facebook page and participates in outside events, such as field trips to schools and community fairs.

Filling the nest

Mascoe is personally familiar with the benefits offered by the horses of Edelweiss as the center provided a different form of therapy for this mother of four nearly grown children. When her oldest child left for college, Mascoe says she needed a new direction in her life after 25 years as a full-time mom. That therapy came in the form of a satisfying career path, which enabled her to use her B.S. in child development and her endorsement in special education to help others with physical, emotional or mental health limitations. Mascoe is now an international certified instructor through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH). Given her level of education and experience in equine-assisted therapy, Mascoe is well-versed in the needs of both see horses on page a2

Farm Indiana // may 2013

Mascoe and Starry Wonder, the center´s ambassador. Below: A barn on the facility's new larger acreage.

An eye for safety The ag industry can be a tough, and dangerous, business By Ed Wenck

Horses

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her clients and horses. The center works closely with individual clients and their health care providers to create individualized plans that include identifying the best horse for the job. And while some may think that life as a therapy horse involves just walking around a corral, she is quick to point out that Edelweiss’ hard-working animals earn their oats. “I get calls every week from people who have horses that are old or are lame or have health issues, and they think that a therapeutic riding program would be a great place for them because it will be such a gentle job for them, and For more information that’s not the truth,” says Mascoe. on the programs offered “Being a therapeutic riding horse is at Edelweiss Equine a really intense job. Assisted Therapy Center “Most of our riders are very unor to adopt a horse, balanced,” she added, “and they’re volunteer or make a donation, contact Shirley very unaware of their bodies, so Mascoe by email at they give lots of false cues. Because Shirley@horses4therapy. they’re unbalanced, it’s harder on org or by calling (317) the horses’ backs, so from a physical 759-9444. Additional standpoint of carrying our riders, information regarding they have to be healthy and strong. the programs at Edelweiss “A 200-pound balanced rider is as well as the upcoming much different than a 200-pound Steel Horses for Real unbalanced rider,” she explains. Horses fundraiser can Physical soundness is just one also be found on the center’s website at www. aspect of a good therapy horse, says horses4therapy.org. Mascoe, who is constantly on the lookout to expand the center’s herd as animals tend to burn out after two to three years of work. It’s because of this fact, adds Mascoe, that mental soundness and prior training are just as important as physical soundness. Because the therapeutic riding horses at Edelweiss will have inexperienced and/or physically challenged riders on their backs, they must be trained to avoid overreacting to the unexpected, including loud noises, sudden movements or strange objects. “When we get a horse, we typically ask for a 60-day trial,” says Mascoe, “because we don’t know if they’re going to be able to do all that we ask them to do, so we have a lot of training and tasks we take them through. We throw balls at them, we have our cellphones all set to make all kinds of crazy noises, so when we go initially look [at a horse], we test it — not that they don’t jump at something — but that they don’t leave the building,” she says. Until last summer, the stable at Edelweiss had been an all boys club, but that changed when Delilah, a 9-year-old quarter horse

mare joined the team last fall in preparation for the 2013 riding season. “The girls in the program were very excited when she came on the property,” says Mascoe. “They were like, ‘Where’s the girl horse? Where’s the girl horse?’ For our students, I think it’s going to be a neat experience.” Equine-assisted therapy is offered at Edelweiss from mid-April to mid-October, but a long-term capital campaign is under way to raise funds for an eventual indoor arena, which will hopefully enable the center to extend its hours of operation. While that project is years down the road, says Mascoe, the relocation to the center’s new larger acreage will pay immediate dividends this year. “Just having enough space for the horses is huge,” she says. “Technically, in Indiana, it’s an acre a horse [for pasture]. We’ll be able to pasture them and not have them on dry lot all the time.” That additional pasture is crucial to Edelweiss, given the feeding requirements of its sizable herd. With $15,000 allotted annually for hay and feed, Mascoe — like so many other Hoosier livestock managers — viewed last year’s drought with growing concern. Fortunately, the center has a huge supporter — the Hancock County Community Foundation — which last summer provided a grant to help offset the rising price of hay, making it possible for Edelweiss to finish the year within budget. “Their partnership is what’s made this possible,” Mascoe added. “We’re a nonprofit, so what our clients pay covers less than a quarter of the cost of running our program.” She also credits the center’s dedicated volunteers and donors for making the program possible. ‘‘We had a 4-H student (Jordan Conley) here in the county several years ago who sold his hog at the county fair his senior year. …. He donated all of the money to our program,” says Mascoe. “Teenagers get a bad rap. “Almost every rider has three volunteers, one who leads the horse and one who walks on each side, and a lot of them are teenagers,” she continued. “Again, teenagers get such a bad rap in our society, but I have seen football players wipe drool off of somebody’s face. I’ve seen them get down and be like, ‘Hey, buddy, I’ll see you’ when we’re ending for the year, almost in tears because they’re not going to see the people that they have been working with. “There are some great kids that volunteer for our program. Adults, too!” she adds. “It kind of gives you hope for the world.” FI

sk anyone raising corn or cattle, and they’re probably aware that farming is a dangerous undertaking. The U.S. government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks agribusiness third when it comes to workplace fatalities. In recent years, though, the number of deaths in agricultural production has been declining steadily. In fact, the bureau notes that “fatalities in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting were down by 10 percent to 557 in 2011 from 621 in 2010, led by a sharp drop in crop production fatalities.” That nationwide trend is mirrored in Indiana. According to the most recent report issued by Purdue’s Indiana Rural Safety and Health Council, 2011 saw the second-lowest total for deadly accidents in the past two decades. Sixteen Hoosiers lost their lives while working in the ag business, down from 23 in 2010. (The safest year for Indiana farms was 2006, when eight people died.) So what’s making farming safer? While the number of farms required to be OSHA-compliant in Indiana has grown by over 800 percent, the number of deaths and injuries has dropped significantly since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed by Congress in 1970. However, Bill Field, a Purdue professor and co-author of the 2011 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary, doesn’t necessarily see a causal relationship. “I’m sure that OSHA would like to take credit for some of this, but the true issue is that OSHA has very little jurisdiction in agricultural worksites. Almost all of them [worksites] that have fewer than 10 employees are exempt from OSHA’s standards,” he explains. “I think what we really are seeing are a number of things. One, there’s a declining number of people involved in agriculture; secondly, the technology and work practices that we use are safer than they’ve ever been in our history, and that’s evidenced by the fact that when I first came to Purdue, about a third of all farm deaths were children; and we’ve had a few years where no children have died as far as farm work is concerned.” There’s a change in attitudes under way. Farming is considered more of a profession and less of a “family operation,” according to Field. “There was historically a high expectation for children to be involved in the process, and now the expectation is that kids [should be] more involved in off-farm activities. There’s still lots of kids that work on the farm, but there’s less exposure to risk.” And what’s the most dangerous activity on the farm? Riding the John Deere. “Over half of all of our farm deaths involve tractors. If you add machinery to that, it’s somewhere around 70 percent.” As far as tractors go, “the overturned or the rollover fatality is most common on Indiana farms — and that’s true throughout the Midwest — and number two is those that fall off machinery and are run over. There’s where you’d see young people involved in an incident: Two people riding on a tractor, hit a bump, someone rolls off and is either run over by the tractor or the trailing implement.” As far as non-

“Over half of all of our farm deaths involve tractors. If you add machinery to that, it’s somewhere around 70 percent.” — Bill Field, a Purdue professor and co-author of the 2011 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary. fatal injuries go, “falls are number one,” says Field. “Falls from silos, grain bins, they account for some long-term disabling injuries.” Farm fatality in 2011 was an all-male syndrome, and most prevalent among older workers. The average age of a victim was 53, and 50 percent of those who perished were over the age of 60. “That’s the changing face of Indiana agriculture,” according to Field. “If you look at the census data, the average age is 57. In reality, it’s probably even a little older than that if you include those who claim that they’re retired — drawing Social Security benefits — but are still actively engaged in the farm’s operations. see safety on page a3 We’ve had farmers in

Farm Indiana // May 2013

EDITOR’S NOTE may 2013

A4 Trading Post Fibers A6 Smith Family Farms A8 No till debate B1 Tyner Pond Farm B3 Online market B3 Lemon Drop B3 Local honey B4 Armin Apple B6 Harvest Land Co-op B8 Farm briefs

Comments, story ideas and suggestions should be sent to Sherri Lynn Dugger, The Republic, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201, call (812) 379-5608 or email farmindiana@hnenewspapers.com. For advertising information, call (812) 379-5690.

safety

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their 90s that have died in farm accidents.” Nick Kleiman is a 34-year-old farmer in Hancock County raising corn and soybeans. He’s been farming as long as he can remember, and common sense is paramount. “You make sure you’re not wearing loose clothing, you make sure you know where everyone is when you’re backing up on a big machine,” he explains. “We’ve put cameras on some of our larger machines with big blind spots, so we have a video monitor in the cab.” (Some manufacturers are now offering video cameras as standard equipment.) Roll cages, cabs and auto-steer have also made the job safer for Kleiman, and safety is top of mind for him for a very personal reason: “When I was a child, I got run over by a tractor and

The World Has Gone Mad » It’s been said before. Songs and books have been written about it. Movies have illustrated it. Theories, prophecies, pointed questions and debate have all centered on it. And research, some experts say, has even proven it. This world is a seriously crazy place. And some days, like today, the proclamation seems so true. Our world is in every kind of crisis we can imagine. We hear about impending doom by way of problems with our economic system, employment, our environment, food security, international relations, our health and morality. Certainly our collective morale is in need of intensive care, too. Add to that the events of this particular week. As I write this editor’s note, news alerts flood my phone every 15 minutes or so with developments into the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings. This, on the heels of Sandy Hook. Add to that recipe the recent poison-laced letters found at the White House. And then, closer to home, an alert just came through about a suspicious package found on Purdue University’s campus. Some days, you want to throw up your hands and toss in the towel. At least I do. My husband once said to me: “Fix what you can control and forget about the rest.” It was sage advice for me, ever a worrier, and it was meant to help alleviate a few of my daily (and admittedly needless) worries.

fractured four vertebrae,” he explains. John Sparks works a 1,200-acre spread outside Greenfield called Sparks and Eischen Farms. Sparks agrees that “as the equipment has gotten bigger, those cameras become more necessary. The physical safety structure as far as the rollover bars and that stuff is also important,” he says. Sparks believes 4-H is providing a wealth of information on the subject as well. “My nephews have been involved in the tractor maintenance program,” he says. “They (4-H instructors) do a lot to emphasize farm safety and safety around the equipment.” Still, nothing can replace care and focus. Sparks lost a finger on the farm: “I was trying to open the doors on a grain bin, and I fell and it kinda caught in the corner of the door,” he says. Although the fall was only a distance of two feet, that was enough to

On a grander scale, when you think of events like the Boston Marathon bombings, you know you can’t control the actions of others thousands of miles away, but still you (read: I, in this instance) want to help. I’m a Type A personality. I’d like to fix what I can control, of course, but I’d love to fix what I can’t control, too. I’d love to make the tears dry up and the needless suffering dissipate. I’d like to give people jobs. I’d love to feed the hungry. I’d be ecstatic to end our wars, thwart sickness before it starts, kick cancer to the curb, teach people to eat well and care for their bodies, and set political unrest, poverty and environmental concerns squarely in our rearview mirrors. I’d be so happy to get everyone to smile, to say a kind word to one another, to teach each individual, one by one, to learn to be better — not bitter — despite the circumstances this life throws his or her way. I’d like everyone to see the light at the end of this increasingly dark tunnel. But, on days like today, I’m not even sure I can see that light. The best I can do is offer my own share of kind words and smiles to those of you I meet on the streets and, here, share with you a dozen or so stories. I offer to you these narratives, written about your friends and neighbors, and their triumphs, their successes, and their treasured insights for growing food, feeding the world and caring for the land. Some days, it’s good to remind ourselves that there are still people out there who know how to do things right. Enjoy.

In 2011, the average age of a victim was 53, and 50 percent of those who perished were over the age of 60. ensure that “gravity was working against me instead of any machinery.” Though neither Sparks nor Kleiman has taken advantage of its safety course offerings, “Purdue has one of the longestrunning farm safety programs in the country,” Field says. “It dates back over 60 years. We are very involved in public awareness. We’re at all the major events. If

ahn’s

Grain andling Mid State Truck

you went to the Indiana Sate Fair last year, you saw three or four key displays and demonstrations that reached out to tens of thousands of people. If you visit all the farm shows in the state, we’ll be there with a display. It’s a very cost-effective way of reaching a lot of people.” Purdue instructors have also been focusing on publications that can reach the local farmer. A recent grain-bin safety tract saw a circulation of over 15,000. Additionally, Field has been developing AV products for vocational programs at the high school level. The biggest challenge for Field and his colleagues when it comes to this issue of farm safety? “It needs to be constantly worked at,” he says. “It can’t just be a onetime shot. It’s like raising children: It takes a regular investment of energy to communicate these important messages.” FI

Farm Indiana // may 2013

Susan Markle and Mike Hart raise 40 animals and operate Trading Post Fibers on their Pendleton farm.

FAMILY FARM

Susan Markle & Mike Hart have created a well-balanced life on their Pendleton farm By Ashley petry | photos by Josh marshall

ike most Indiana farmers, Susan Markle and Mike Hart make their living by growing and selling corn and soybeans — as well as holding down jobs outside the farm. But their 108-acre property near Pendleton is also home to Trading Post Fibers, a shop they created that specializes in supplies for spinning and knitting. The couple bought their land in 1996 and opened the shop a decade later. It carries equipment such as spindles and spinning wheels, as well as yarns and fibers from across the globe — including some from the 16 llamas and alpacas who call the farm home.

“In times of huge technological advancement, often people react to it by finding things that are more real.”

A loom facing the window allows the operator to look out over the property.

Building Their Business Because the shop is so isolated, Markle does more than 90 percent of her business at trade shows across the Midwest — generally about 12 shows per year. But some customers travel to Trading Post Fibers to visit the herd or take a class. Although business was slow at first, Markle said she is seeing an uptick in interest. “As the baby boomers start to retire, they’ll have more time to do things like this,” she said. “We teach knitting, spinning and weaving, and a lot of them are looking for meaningful hobbies.” The same can be said of the younger generation, who are increasingly interested in homesteading activities, like raising backyard chickens, gardening and building rain barrels. “In times of huge technological advancement, often people react to it by finding things that are more real,” Markle said. “It’s what happened after the Industrial Revolution and now with computers.” Markle and Hart, ages 60 and 69, met nearly two decades ago, when she attended a concert where his band was performing. She was an emergency room nurse at the time, and Hart’s band was composed of firemen. “We would go after work to see this band, because a lot of the firemen would come into the emergency room,” Markle said. They have been married for 14 years. Hart has since retired from firefighting to manage rental properties, and Markle now works as a home health nurse in addition to running Trading Post Fibers. When Markle and Hart first opened the shop, it was located in their 1880s farmhouse and modeled after an Arizona yarn shop that Markle loved. A key feature of the décor was an antique door frame from India, which the couple found on a trip to Taos, N.M. Three years ago, a storm destroyed part of the couple’s barn. It was the perfect opportunity to move the shop into a larger space in the reconstructed barn. It now has two levels, including classroom space and sleeping areas for weekend workshop attendees. In the loft, Hart built a platform for Markle’s loom — making sure it got plenty of sunlight from a nearby window. Using Her Head … and Hands Markle was just 7 years old when she first got involved in fiber arts. Her baby sitter taught her to knit, and soon she was obsessed with making things by hand. “It helps me to relax, to always be doing something with my hands,” she said. “I really enjoy the tactile nature of all the different fibers, the wools and cashmeres and yak and camel. You can make things that are very unique, like nothing you can buy.”

Farm Indiana // May 2013

About 70 percent of her customers do both spinning and knitting, she said. “There are a lot of yarn shops in Indianapolis, so I think I draw from the people who want to take the extra step and do their own spinning,” she said. Trading Post Fibers carries fibers, yarns and other products from companies such as Abstract Fiber and Ashland Bay, both based in Oregon. It also carries spindles and spinning wheels from companies like Greensleeves.

“I sell a lot of spindles,” Markle said. “I have a friend who has hundreds of them. … These come in all different shapes and types of wood.” Classes at Trading Post Fibers, which are taught by Kate Larson, are just $10 each and geared for all skill levels. Markle and Hart are planning to build an additional classroom to accommodate the demand. “We really like to blend skill levels,” Larson said. “It helps people broaden their interests, because there are so many facets to textiles. You might be sitting next to someone who’s very interested in Norwegian textiles and another person who’s more interested in the physics of how spinning works, so you interact and learn from each other.” Larson also teaches at other yarn stores, like Knit Stop in Indianapolis, but she said Trading Post Fibers’ rustic setting sets it apart. “We’re lucky in Indiana to have so many fiber shops, and every one of them has a unique personality,” Larson said. “Susan’s shop, being on the farm — I think that’s what gives it its character.” Reaping the Benefits Markle said that one of the greatest rewards of her work is meeting new people in the classes and at trade shows. Another benefit is working with students: About 20 4-H participants meet on the farm to raise llamas and alpacas for the county fair, and some have gone on to the Indiana State Fair. Another benefit is the travel opportunities — and not just for the trade shows, which are sometimes held in tourist-friendly spots like Asheville, N.C. Two years ago, Markle and Larson traveled to Estonia, where they studied

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the nation’s knitting and lace-making techniques. Last year, Markle did a knitting retreat on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state. This summer, she will visit the Shetland Islands and Norway, both known for their regional knitting techniques. The flexibility to travel is one reason Markle decided to locate the shop on the farm. “If we had (the shop) in Pendleton, I think we’d have more traffic, but I’d have to be open five or six days a week,” Markle said. “Having it here fits in with my life rather than having it control my life.” But the business isn’t without challenges. “People can go to Meijer and buy fabric or yarn a lot cheaper,” Hart said. “This is for people who really want something special.” FI

8833 S. Road 50W, Pendleton, (765) 778-3331, www.tradingpostfiber.com

Clockwise from top left: Markle began working with wool when she was 7 years old. Mike Hart works on their farm. Kate Larson and Markle use a “gossip wheel” to spool wool, so called because its operators sit side by side on one machine, giving them the opportunity to talk. Markle tends to the alpacas. Left: Kitty and Sarah keep watch on the farm.

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Farm Indiana // may 2013

FAMILY FARM

Mike Smith, left, and son, Neal Smith, on their family farm in Pendleton.

A Kid-Friendly Farm Smith Family Farms brings fun to the forefront By JULIE YOUNG | photos by TOM RUSSO

Located three miles west of historic Pendleton, Smith Family Farms is a working grain and livestock farm that has been in the family for more than 100 years. Over that time, the Madison County land has changed hands through seven generations of Smith farmers. Linda Smith, who runs Smith Family Farms with her husband, Mike, son, Neal, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer, says the 2,000-acre property is “a lot of work, but we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” For the Kids The Smiths have opened their farm to tourists and school groups to introduce schoolchildren and families to Indiana’s farming heritage. Linda said that Jennifer came up with the idea. A kindergarten teacher, Jennifer loved to tell her students about life on the farm, and after staying home to raise her children when they were young, she decided to welcome school groups to the farm where she could still educate others from home. Today, the farm hosts approximately 150 students a day from mid-September through the end of October, as well as hundreds of families on the weekends. In 2005, the Smith family built the Party Barn in order to give children somewhere to congregate to learn about farm life, eat lunch and enjoy indoor activities on a rainy day. The barn also hosts a number of weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners and birthday parties throughout the year. “The kids get the biggest kick out of the farm,” Linda says. “We have a petting zoo with cattle, calves, sheep, goats, chickens and an incubator where we hatch chickens throughout the season.” After Jennifer returned to a full-time job, her mother, Janette, took over as the coordinator for school tours, with Linda volunteering her time whenever she can. The money that is raised from these agritourism efforts is set aside in a college fund for her three grandsons, who have plans to continue the family business when they are older, Linda explains. Mitchell, 18, is the oldest and will graduate from Pendleton Heights High School this spring. He hopes to major in agro-economics at Purdue University in the fall. Mason, 16, is a sophomore at Pendleton Heights High School, and Miller, 11, is in the fifth grade at Maple Ridge Elementary. Linda says all three boys have been active on the farm since they were young. “They love the cattle and have been showing animals locally at the 4-H fair, Indiana State Fair and throughout the country for years,” she says. “Some weekends they are up for shows at 5:30 a.m.”

Farm Fresh On the farm and through farmers markets, the Smith family offers farm-fresh freezer meats from their grain-fed beef cattle, which were raised free of antibiotics and growth hormones, Linda says. The farm’s supply of meat is processed at a local, family-owned plant in accordance with custom food safety plans approved by the Indiana State Meat Inspection Service, she adds. “People are more conscientious about what they eat and where that food comes from,” Linda explains. “We have a lot of customers who come out to the farm for their meat or see us at a farmers market. They say after tasting our products, they will never go back to supermarket meats again.” At one time, the Smith family operated a dairy, in addition to the beef and pork products that they sell, but the workload was more than they could bear, Linda explains, and so the family decided to shut down the dairy operation to concentrate on the 100 head of beef cattle they raise annually. “It’s still a lot of work, but they (her husband and son) love what they do,” Linda says. “Mike and Neal start working by 7 in the morning and are not finished until after the sun goes down. They have to feed the animals, clean up after them and work the crops as well. Everyone keeps pretty busy around here. “We are proud of what we do here,” she adds. “My son and my husband are two of the hardest working people I know, and we never get tired of our lives here on the farm.” FI

One of the four dogs on the farm watches as Mike Smith, right, and Bob Hennis work on equipment.

Farm Indiana // May 2013

Neal Smith checks on one of the new baby calves.

“The kids get the biggest kick out of the farm. We have a petting zoo with cattle, calves, sheep, goats, chickens and an incubator where we hatch chickens throughout the season.” —Linda Smith

Farm Indiana // may 2013

TO TILL OR NOT

TO TILL By Jim Mayfield

Farmers continue to question the best methods for preparing their fields In the aftermath of last summer’s drought and facing continually rising fuel, equipment and input costs, farmers are thinking harder than ever this season on how to work efficiently. One method that continues to gain traction economically and environmentally is no till or minimal till farming. Though it is steeped in tradition, experts now say heavy tilling is not only an unnecessary method of preparing fields for seed, but in the long term the process can also be costly in terms of overall soil health. In its simplest form, no till leaves crop residue from the prior season on top of the soil rather than turning it under with tillage. The process increases the amount of water going into the soil and reduces water runoff, the major contributor to soil erosion. The residue also improves the biological and microbial conditions in the field. Moreover, by not running the tractor and tilling equipment over the field, farmers save fuel and labor costs, says Barry Fisher, soil and health specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indianapolis. As any farmer will tell you, there are more variables than constants in agriculture, and though there are many considerations to think through before deciding on a no till system, Fisher says the process can work universally. “No till is appropriate for almost any type of application,” he says. “We have producers with 20,000 acres using it all the way down to farmers with small vegetable gardens.” The key is to understand that no till and minimal till are managed systems, Fisher says. “It’s not just about tilling or not tilling the soil,” he says. “You need to integrate a system of cover crops and nutrient management, perhaps changing the time and product that you apply and use. Absence of tillage alone is not the answer.” Roy Ballard, Purdue extension educator for Hancock County, agrees. “It’s definitely not a one plus one equals two equation,” he says. “It’s more like one plus one equals five.” No till can be particularly appropriate in the hilly farm regions of southern Indiana where soils are more susceptible to runoff after a heavy rain, Ballard says. There are alternatives to complete no till. Strip tilling, where only the planting rows are turned, and shallow vertical tilling, where implements cut through the soil vertically to a depth of two to four inches, slicing and anchoring residue into the soil, can have similar results for difficult situations. Will Shackel, program assistant at Purdue’s Rush County extension office, says weed control is a particular problem that sometimes requires more cultivation than that provided by no till. Marestail, also known as horseweed, has become resistant to some weed control products and needs to be turned under, Shackel says. Additionally, trees can be a problem. “Sometimes you get trees that begin to grow in the field, and you’d be surprised at how much growth cycle you can get in a season,” he says. “If the sickle bar on the combine hits one of those, you know it.”

Still, despite the decreased labor and input costs and in the face of the method’s benefits, the number of farmers using no till is relatively low in Indiana. Estimates show about 24 percent of the state’s corn producers and some 64 percent of bean producers use the no till method. Tradition and risk are big factors. “You have a situation where farmers have to invest a lot of input costs upfront each year,” Fisher says. “With that much money on the table, farmers are likely to do it the way they did last year, or do it the way their father did it to get an expected outcome. There’s comfort there. Most of us are adverse to change.” Some of the push-back might also be related to early attempts at the method that didn’t meet farmers’ expectations as well. “Everyone can remember a time when they or others had a bad experience with no till in the ’70s, ’80s or even the ’90s,” Fisher says. “But now we have better knowledge and better technology.” Advances in precision farming equipment for precise seed placement in terms of depth and spacing, better genetics and improved chemistry for treatment and nourishment have all contributed to improvement of the system, Fisher says. Now is the time to move forward, he says. Not only will farmers produce more efficiently, over time, they will improve the long-term health of their fields, which is a factor equally as important in the long view. “Now that we have a relatively stable agriculture economy, this is the time to find new efficiencies and new and better ways to grow crops,” Fisher says. “Not when we’re forced to.”

For more information about no till and minimal till systems and farming practices, visit www.in.gov/isda/ccsi/notill.htm.

“No till is appropriate for almost any type of application. We have producers with 20,000 acres using it all the way down to farmers with small vegetable gardens.” — Barry Fisher soil and health specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

May 2013 | Section B

Positive Influences A local businessman goes from high tech to hog heaven to change the way we eat

By Sherri dugger photos by Josh marshall

In 2000, Chris Baggott co-founded ExactTarget, an email marketing firm in Indianapolis that was ranked number 56 on the Inc. 500 listing of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States and later went public amid soaring stock prices. In 2007, he co-founded Compendium, a content marketing platform that helps organizations blog more effectively. In 2009, Invesp Consulting and BtoB Magazine named Baggott the 21st most influential marketer of the year. Then, Baggott says, he read a book that opened his eyes. It was Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” and it changed the way he viewed America’s food system. In 2011, Baggott became a full-time farmer. A Different Path The road that brought the longtime Hancock County resident to owning his own farm start-

FAMILY FARM

ed with that book, which he says was “quite an education” into America’s food systems. Baggott had also become familiar with the techniques and beliefs of Joel Salatin, well-known American farmer, author and lecturer who raises livestock using holistic and chemicalfree methods. Baggott’s journey also gained momentum through conversations he had with Daniel “Duffy” Farrell, an old friend who brought agricultural know-how to the table. Baggott’s business sense, the books he was reading and the conversations he was having were all leading him to an idea. Then, on a lone bicycle ride along country roads in 2009, he found himself staring down an approximately 98-acre Hancock County property. And it was for sale. “It was really rundown and trashed and kind of unusual,” Baggott recalls. “Normally if a piece of land becomes available, it is immediately sucked up into the corn and soybean industrial cycle, if you will. But it was a complete mess. The buildings all needed to be rebuilt.” By this time, Baggott and Duffy had been talking for a couple of years about the possibility of “doing something together,” Baggott says. “This farm became available, so we were like, ‘Great, Duffy will be the farmer, and we will get the farm in shape.’” Baggott bought the property, and Duffy got to work. They tore down the original house on the property and built a four-bedroom,

Above: A windmill on the Tyner Pond Farm operates a pond aerator. Inset: Chris Baggott (center), Mark Farrell (right) and Baggott's son, Matt, take a break inside the farmhouse. Left, Baggott, ExactTarget co-founder, poses at his farm.

three full bathroom farmhouse with a stateof-the-art kitchen, a wood-burning stove, and a dining area with a huge table where families could gather. The plan? Rent out the home as a guesthouse, which sleeps up to nine, for family reunions, weddings and corporate retreats, to bring money into the farm while they developed their livestock offerings. The overall idea was to create a farm that “is economically sustainable without having to grow crops, if you will,” Baggott explains. “We want to grow locally and sell locally. We want to build into the food system here in our county. Hancock County is almost a $180 million food spend in our county. Locally, food produced here is less than a million dollars. There is a big opportunity.” And the plan seemed to be working. It took approximately a year and a half to get the farm in shape, he says. The house was built. Barns were being restored and rebuilt. Baggott had begun purchasing livestock. “We had the cattle. We had decided on the breed of cows that we were going to raise. We had the chickens,” he says. “I don’t think we had any pigs then.” Just about everything was ready, he explains, when tragedy struck. In 2011, Duffy was killed in a motorcycle accident. “That day (that he died) you know somebody has to come out here to take care of everything, right? Duffy was the farmer,” Baggott says. “Suddenly, I’m out here, day one, day two, day three, week one, week two go by. I basically took about 14 months off (from working at Compendium) and did this full time. Suddenly, I’m a full-time farmer.” Remaining Sustainable Duffy’s brother, Mark Farrell, had a landscaping business and occasionally would help Baggott take care of his new farm, which he had by then named Tyner Pond Farm. Eventually, in see Tyner POnd on page B2

Farm Indiana // may 2013

TyneR pond

continued from page B1

2012, Mark came on as the full-time manager for the farm. By early 2013, Tyner Pond, which sells directly to customers through the Internet and local farmers markets, boasted approximately 70 cows and 50 or 60 pigs, and “we’ll be at about 100 pigs by summer,” Baggott says, “and about a thousand chickens.” Baggott and his new partner, Mark, now work daily to find ways to cut costs, to minimize their farm inputs and to grow their livestock using the same methods Salatin champions. “One of the things Joel Salatin talks about is stacking income streams,” Baggott explains. “We built this house specifically as a guest rental. It’s a great house. We thought it would rent every once in a while, but the real-

ity is it rents all the time, and people come from all over.” Then there are the animals. “A key to sustainable farming is cash flow,” he adds. “A grass-fed cow takes two years from a calf, and that’s a slow process, so how do we pay the bills going into that? Well, it starts with the house and the chickens, which we can grow and sell in eight to 10 weeks. Then come the pigs, which take seven to eight months.” And the animals all rotate on the same land. “We rotate the cows. The pigs come in behind the cows, and the pigs clean up cow poop. Chickens come in and clean up the other poop. They’re going to eat the grass. They’re going to eat the bugs, so you don’t have to add any insecticides. You don’t need antibiotics or shots.” And the animals are eating well. Beyond the grass, which they eat in rotation, moving from one pasture to another around the property every day, the animals are feasting on food that would have otherwise made its way to a landfill. “We feed a lot of food waste that comes from a food pantry called Indy Food Link over on the west side (of Indianapolis), and they get pallet loads of stuff that they just can’t get through,” he explains. “They (the animals) are eating great. It’s amazing. We have a pallet load of gluten-free organic nut bread. This stuff was probably eight dollars a loaf, but it is one day out of the expiration date, and so they can’t give it to the homeless. So we’re able to capture that and feed that out (to our animals). That has cut our costs by about 45 percent.” In all, Baggott hopes his farm will help to change the way people see farming, including how farmers themselves see

their jobs. “We want to convince people that there’s another way to do this,” he says. “When I first started this farm, Duffy would tell me these farmers would come by and say things like ‘Oh, who does he think he is? If there was a better way to do this, don’t you think we’d be doing it?’ And now you are slowly starting to see farms with poly wire (to rotate their animals as is done at Tyner Pond) from people who were laughing in our faces two years ago. They (conventional farmers) have been taught this one way (to farm), and they can’t see any alternative. You start having these conversations, and you start slowly changing the food system.” And how did the online marketing guru learn so much about farming so quickly? From the Internet, of course. “I have watched a lot of YouTube,” he says. “That’s no joke. You can learn how to castrate pigs on YouTube. We’ll look at five or six different ways of how people are doing these things to figure out what is the best way for us. And, of course, we have made a lot of mistakes, too.”

From top: Guests can rent the farmhouse at Tyner Pond Farm. A calf was born with no intervention by Baggott. Where some farmers might step in to help deliver a calf, Baggott strives to have a lowintervention, high-sustainability farm. Much of the food for the animals comes from the recovery of discarded items. Hogs at Tyner Pond Farm. Inset: Baggott resisted the urge to plant new grass in an area that was muddy. “All of the books said to wait and grass would grow,” and so he put his trust in the text and suddenly in late March, grass appeared.

Farm Indiana // may 2013

To Market, To Market

Restaurant Profile

Lemon Drop Decades of experience and award-winning hamburgers make this spot a ‘must-visit’ in Madison County

Hancock County leaders use the Web to help farmers reach consumers By sherri dugger

By Caroline Mosey

ay 1 is the projected launch date for the Hoosier Harvest Market Inc., formerly known as the Central Indiana Food Hub, which Hancock County ag leaders have created to bring farmers and consumers together to conduct business online. The Hoosier Harvest Market, an online marketing system that coordinates the weekly sale and delivery of local farm food, is “organized with both the farmer and the consumer in mind as a means of conveniently connecting the Indiana shopper with the very best that Indiana farmers can produce,” said Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension agricultural and natural resources educator in Hancock County, in a press release. “The Hoosier Harvest Market is really an exciting initiative,” said Chris Baggott, owner of Tyner Pond Farm in Hancock County and board member for the market. “We’re really excited to be a part of it.” Like other food hubs, Hoosier Harvest Market, which is a farmer mutual benefit cooperative, will increase consumer access to fresh and healthy locally produced foods, including those in underserved areas, while providing wider access to institutional and retail markets for small to mid-sized producers, a press release about the market stated. Through the system, consumers will find a list of vendors similar to what they would find at a traditional farmers market. Participating farmers will use the The website, www.farmersmarket.com, market to provide their helps connect consumers to producers. weekly inventory and prices online. Individual shoppers and restaurants alike can then choose from the options listed to purchase their products. Farmers will deliver the goods to an aggregation point, where the products will be sorted into customer baskets and delivered to selected drop-off points for customer pickup. “The big problem in the universe it’s going to help solve,” Baggott says, “is how to close the gap between consumer and farmer, and more specifically between farmers and commercial buyers. “It’s hard for a commercial buyer to buy from a small farm,” Baggott explains. “If someone wants to buy 2,000 pounds of green beans, I (as one farmer) can’t do it all for them. This allows them to go to one place and buy everything they need. It’s one collective place where they can place orders for large volumes to be consolidated and then delivered or picked up.” Produce featured through the market will be “limited to Indiana only,” said Ballard, who has championed the initiative. “We think farmers will come from within an hour’s drive” to deliver their goods. At press time, details for the Hoosier Harvest Market, which is funded in part through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant, administered through the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, were still being finalized.

Brick-and-Mortar Markets Another Hancock initiative that helps farmers across the country is Baggott’s software services company, www.farmersmarket.com, where farmers can go to sign up to use his farmers market management software. “So far, we have about 183 or so users across the country who have signed up to use the software,” Baggott says. The Web-based management software, called Husk, is free for use and helps market organizers better manage their traditional indoor and outdoor events. The package helps organizers communicate with vendors and keep customers informed For more information on the and “helps them manage vendors that are Hoosier Harvest Market, visit coming and map out spaces,” Baggott says. www.hoosierharvestmarket.com or the Hoosier Harvest Market “It’s an internal tool to replace a lot of spreadFacebook page. For more sheets and handwritten notes and confusion. information on Baggott’s market software company, If you think about it, farmers markets have a lot visit www.farmersmarket.com. of turnover. Vendors change. Most people are volunteers. This gives them a consistent system to use every year.” And Baggott should know. He is not only the founder of the company, but he is also a customer. He has worked to organize the fledgling Greenfield Farmers Market through the use of his company’s management software. FI

Now Available at

In Anderson, locals know where to score the perfect diner experience. When the mood strikes for an old-fashioned hamburger, creamy milkshake and warm, just-like-family service, they head to Lemon Drop. The tiny hamburger joint features seating for just a handful of people at its smattering of tables and seats at the bar, but has a much larger legacy than its size implies. Bill Pitts, the current owner, has been at the helm of the Anderson mainstay since 1972. “It was originally opened by Mike Lemon in 1954,” Pitts says. Named for its creator, the restaurant still keeps a small dish of lemon drop candies by the cash register—the kind of simple nostalgia that keeps customers coming back time and again. The nostalgia, and the menu items the owners have spent decades perfecting, that is. The restaurant is known for its griddled hamburgers; each one is cooked to order and served on a warm toasted bun. And while you can’t go wrong with a classic grilled burger, the “Onionburger” is the undisputed star of the menu. “Our Onionburger is two fresh 1/8-pound patties with special raw onions placed between them, then we press the edges together and cook both sides on the grill until done,” Pitts says. “It was once voted the No. 1 Greatest Burger in In-

diana, when Channel 6 did a historic statewide search for the best burger.” Not in the mood for a burger? Try the breaded tenderloin sandwich, fish sandwich or grilled cheese and complete the experience with french fries or onion rings and the signature lemon milkshake. And the meal won’t break the bank; most sandwiches ring in around $2 to $4 each. Even more endearing than the food? Every day, a model train chugs its way around the diameter of the restaurant, an undeniable perk for visiting children. Pitts decided to install the playful attraction 15 years ago. “We were too poor to have a train set when I was a child, so now that I’m older, I decided to get one that everyone could enjoy,” he says. For Pitts, Lemon Drop is about time-tested quality in every aspect of his business. “The motto we operate by is ‘Quality never goes out of style,’” he says. “The best part of being the owner is working with all the great employees we’ve had over the past 41 years and getting to know and serve so many thousands of customers. Many of them are still coming in that were coming in when it opened.” FI 1701 Mounds Road, Anderson, (765) 644-9055

Jeremiah Priest

Recipe

Homesteading

Sweet as (Local) Honey Honey has long been lauded for its health benefits and irresistible natural sweetness. Jeremiah Priest, beekeeper at J&T Honey Farm in Shirley, shares a bit of his knowledge about why local is best when it comes to honey. Try out lesser-known forms »Honey can be found in many different forms. Extracted in a container is probably the most popular, followed by comb honey, chunk honey and creamed honey. These are all great ways to enjoy local honey. Combat seasonal allergies »Local honey is gathered from local floral sources, which often contain trace pollen amounts that give us allergies. As we consume honey, it has often been said it helps to create an immunity to these local blooming allergens that cause sneezes and sniffles. Reverse crystallization »Most honey will eventually crystallize over time. This is a natural occurrence, and honey should never be considered tainted when this happens. Warm it up gently by placing the container in a bath of warm water, never over 130 degrees. Sweeten dishes naturally »When cooking with honey, start by using about half as much honey as sugar called for in the recipe. Honey is much sweeter than sugar, so less can be used. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup for each cup of honey used. Add about ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent over-browning.

J&T Honey Farm, 9600 W. County Road 300N, Shirley, (765) 779-4473, www.jtgardencompany.com

cooking with herbs

At Carnegie’s Restaurant in Greenfield, chef and owner Ian Harrison uses loads of fresh herbs in his warm-weather menu for seasonal flavor. He loves this particular marinade to infuse meats with fresh notes, especially when cooking with lamb. “I like to bone out a leg of lamb for this and cook it flat on the grill,” he says.

Carnegie’s Herb Marinade 1 crumbled bay leaf 1 tablespoon rosemary sprigs 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme sprigs 12 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed tablespoon fresh cracked peppercorns 3/ 4

1 cup olive oil 1/

1/ 4

cup Worcestershire sauce cup soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using your hands, tear into the herbs and generally bruise them to release their essence into the marinade. Pour over lamb and marinate for 8 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Shake off excess herbs before grilling.

Courtesy of Carnegie’s Restaurant, 100 W. North St., Greenfield, (317) 462-8480, www.carnegies-restaurant.com

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Farm Indiana // may 2013

FAMILY FARM

Opportunity Farming and 4-H have been good to Armin Apple By Robin Winzenread Fritz photos by Josh marshall

As clubs go, 4-H holds a special place in the heart of Armin Apple.

The 67-year-old Hancock County farmer credits the youth-based organization with many positive things in his life, including finding his wife of nearly 45 years, Sherry, and his first acreage to rent, as well as molding his two grown daughters into well-rounded individuals. “The 4-H program was very valuable to both our children,” Apple says. “They achieved a lot. They were involved in the livestock project, but they were also involved in clothing and things like that. And they still know it, and they still use it. My daughter (Angela Gelormini) in San Francisco still sews, when she’s got the time, of course. And they were involved in public speaking. My youngest daughter (Angela) actually won the state 4-H public speaking award.” Apple’s eldest daughter, Amy Nierman, even incorporated 4-H into her career. Nierman is now a Purdue Extension Agency 4-H youth educator in Jackson County, where she lives with her husband, Brian Nierman, a third-generation farmer, and their four children. “It’s about 98 miles from our house to theirs,” Apple says, “and we know it (the path) well.” Now, as a grandfather of six, Apple enjoys watching his grandchildren show their purebred Brown Swiss dairy cattle as part of their own 4-H project. “It’s a very interesting thing watching your grandchildren work with those animals,” says Apple. “They’re both on the judging team and doing very well An award given to so I’m pretty proud of Armin Apple hangs in his McCordsville office. them in that respect.” Opportunity and loss Apple farms 990 acres in Hancock County, which is down from roughly 1,500 acres. Over the last few years, he has lost about 600 acres to land sales as older generations of landowners passed away, leaving their property to heirs with different plans. “They have different thoughts about what they want to do with that asset,” says Apple, “and I understand that. But we’ve been real fortunate in my lifetime. I’ve worked with some excellent landowners. Very good people. They’ve provided me with a lot of opportunities some people may have never had.” Those opportunities began for Apple before he graduated from New Palestine High School in 1963. While still in high school, Apple was able to rent 40 acres from a man who knew him through 4-H. “It was where the old Brandywine school used to be,” Apple says. “I borrowed equipment from my grandfather. I kind of got started that way. I was a tenant farmer/sharecropper, so to speak. It was probably in the mid ’70s before I bought my first land.” “We moved to where we live now 44 years ago,” adds Apple referring to the Mount Comfort area farm he shares with his wife, a “city girl” introduced to him by a 4-H friend. “Yes,” he says, “you could say 4-H has been good to me.” While Apple currently only farms crops — primarily corn and soybeans — he’s had his own experiences raising livestock in the form of a farrow-to-finish crossbred hog operation in Hancock County. But it was a devastating night in the spring of 1994 that caused him to switch gears and focus primarily on crops. A fire swept through the large hog barn, killing almost 95 percent of his animals, causing him to look long and hard at the next direction of his agricultural livelihood.

“We lost 950 head,” says Apple with a sigh. “It’s a scary feeling. You know, all of a sudden you’ve got a business working and going, and then it’s gone. I kind of stepped back and took a look at that point at what I should do. “The fire happened the second day of March, and in June the National Pork Conference was in Indianapolis,” he recalls. “So I went out there and spent a couple days and looked at everything and listened to some of the seminars. And I came home and told my wife, ‘I don’t think I want to do this again.’” Fortunately, Apple says, “that was the right decision for us. It’s those kinds of things that make you take an inward look and an outward look at what you’re doing and really decide if this is the right thing to do. And when you make the decision, you’re never sure if it’s the right one. But time proves if those decisions are generally good. “I miss the animals,” Apple says matter-of-factly. “That’s what I’ve really missed is the animals, but because the business changed rapidly, it just didn’t appear to be fun anymore.”

Farm Indiana // may 2013

A sense of community What has remained fun for Apple, though, is the interaction and sense of community that go hand-in-hand with the agricultural industry. “Agricultural people tend to be involved in their communities,” says Apple. “It’s kind of a close-knit community. Part of it, I think, is the people you associate with in this business. In one respect, they’re your competitors, but in another, they’re people that you go to church with, the people you see at local high school basketball games, their kids and your kids are friends and are involved in a lot of community activities.” Apple himself has been involved within the Hancock County community, first serving as a county council member from 1980 until 1995 when he was elected as a county commissioner. He served as a commissioner until 2007. He remains proudest of the county-wide library system put in place during his tenure. Ironically, however, it was his work with Farm Credit Services that involved him in politics at an even higher level. Apple first became involved with Farm Credit in 1975. After various roles, including serving on the Mid America Board, he eventually found himself serving six years on the Farm Credit Counsel, which included representing the agricultural community in Washington, D.C. The highlight of that experience, says Apple, was testifying before the Congressional Agricultural Committee on farm credit issues. “You were just in awe when you went into the room,” says Apple. “You just looked around, and I thought about all the history that was in there, and you think, ‘Golly, how did I get here?’” That experience introduced Apple to people from all over the country, he says, who were involved in agriculture but who did “things different with the same crop,” he explains. “It was a wonderful experience in that respect.” Pausing, he thinks for a moment. “You know, you meet neat ag people wherever you go.” FI

“It’s kind of a close-knit community. Part of it, I think, is the people you associate with in this business. In one respect, they’re your competitors, but in another, they’re people that you go to church with, the people you see at local high school basketball games, their kids and your kids are friends and are involved in a lot of community activities.” —Armin Apple

Armin Apple checks the weather forecast and the grain stock in his McCordsville office.

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Farm Indiana // may 2013

Seeds of Change

Harvest Land Co-op grows right along with the agriculture industry it serves By Ed wenck | photos by Josh marshall

In 1920, a small group of

Inset: Fuel lines at the co-op.

farmers outside Richmond began buying certified seed potatoes and reselling them to farmers in Wayne County. That group eventually organized itself as the Wayne County Co-op. Those humble beginnings yielded what’s today known as Harvest Land Co-op, a business that now serves a wide swath of east central Indiana and west central Ohio. “Coal, seeds … that was the beginning,” says Scott Logue, president and CEO of Harvest Land. In 1995, Rebel Landmark and Dark Landmark Co-ops in Ohio joined the original Wayne County Co-op. This merger was a direct result of the tough economic times for growers in the ’80s. “Some of those smaller co-ops were struggling with their balance sheets,” says Logue, “so they started looking for ways to collectively work together.” The formula was a success, and other co-ops followed suit until a total of 17 businesses joined Harvest Land. Today’s 5,000 members of Harvest Land are represented by a board of 11 directors (one from each of Harvest Land’s nine districts and two at-large

members), and unlike the board of a big Wall Street firm, that governing body is populated by peers. “They’re living in the same communities, going to the same churches (the members) do,” says Logue. “In a larger corporation, (the board) might be completely disconnected from that industry. … In this case, they’re the real deal. It’s very challenging to be a member of the board. They have to put on a hat one day that’s looking out for the best interests of the company, even if that means making a tough decision for a location in their community.” Consider this real-world example: The board determines that bio-fuels should be a focus of the co-op. It’s the future; there’s money to be made. The corn growers, the soybean farmers — they’re thrilled. But the family down the road raising livestock? That decision has just driven up their feed prices. And after making that call, a board member doesn’t fly off to some glittery apartment in Manhattan. He still has to confront his neighbors, and even family members, at the next church basement pitch-in.

Farm Indiana // may 2013

Top left: Ray Kerkhof, left, meets with the Harvest Land Co-op crops department to discuss the upcoming planting season. Left: Jeff Riester, applicator and operator at Harvest Land Co-op, works around the facility to prepare for planting season. Above: A field sprayer at the co-op.

So what exactly is a co-op? According to the International Co-operative Alliance:

» A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. For those who grow food and livestock, a co-op is a group of patron farmers who act as shareholders in the organization. Instead of paying dividends to stockholders, co-ops pay cash earnings back to those active farmers who’ve invested in the coop as members. Members can invest with cash or sell goods or services to the co-op, and that co-op acts as an effective middleman in the supply chain that pays currency back to those who buy in to the concept.

Challenges like this are fairly recent, however. “It used to be that things that affected grain farmers and livestock farmers affected all farmers because they all had a piece of each,” Logue explains. “Today they have really segmented those businesses, and a large grain farmer today typically has no livestock.” Another thing that keeps the board members honest is the shrinking percentage of the population involved in agribusiness. Because only 1 percent to 1.5 percent of the population is involved in farming, it’s under the radar and not a target for outside elements to try to push an agenda in the same way that one might try to peddle influence in, say, the banking or oil industry. Plus, farmers generally use what they need and no more; it’d be a tough sell for any member of the board to convince the co-op to over-buy. Logue frames it this way: “There’s no farmer out there who wants to put on more fertilizer than what his ground needs. Even if they’re not doing it because of environmental concerns, they’re doing it because of the economics.” Those 11 board members oversee $145 million in assets and $430 million in sales annually spread across the co-op’s 52 facilities in the Hoosier and Buckeye states. Seed sales, energy sales, even walk-in Harvest Land stores that sell items ranging from gardening implements to cat food for the family

barn’s resident mouser, all of this has generated $3 million in “patronage” (the co-op’s version of a shareholder dividend) and $1.5 million in equity — all in cash. As far as licensing, environmental regulations and the like are concerned, a co-op is no different than a publicly traded corporation. While there’s no oversight by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a co-op can find itself big enough to need to make

“I started almost 16 years ago, and our average- size (member) farm today is probably 50 percent larger than it was then. They require more efficiency, more products and services to meet their needs, and we have to grow with them — no different than any other company.” —Scott Logue the jump to listing on one of the major indices. That probably won’t happen with Harvest Land, according to Logue. The co-op’s philosophy is to stay just large enough to knock down overhead costs for its various operations while staying nimble enough to pivot in the face of changing needs. That doesn’t mean the co-op’s going to remain static, though. “Our members are getting larger every year,” says Logue. “I started almost 16 years ago, and our average-size (member) farm today is probably 50 percent larger than

it was then. They require more efficiency, more products and services to meet their needs, and we have to grow with them — no different than any other company.” One of those areas of growth? Helping farmers adapt to the constant changes in regulation. “The fertilizer and chemical business — the energy business — (there’s a) lot of regulations coming at us with the administration that we have. That’s going to be a challenge for not just every member that we have but every customer. We have put a lot of resources toward something we call Yield Pro, which is a consultative agriculture program that helps manage our fertilizer inputs, our chemical inputs on the acre for the farmer … and making sure we’re doing things the right way. Following labels; making sure we’re not harming the environment — we’ve got to be proactive in doing that. We have a program called Energy Pro that looks at the same thing for our liquid fuel and our LP [liquid propane] business.” Logue believes that this consulting service will become one of the co-op’s most important functions. “Helping our customers make sure that they’re meeting the requirements of today’s standards and also looking out for the future and setting them up to be successful with changes that might come … I truly believe that is an area of growth that the industry doesn’t even know how much potential is there.” FI

Farm Indiana // may 2013

Farm briefs The Price of Land According to a recent press release, a Purdue University survey indicates that Indiana farmland values are continuing to rise despite the severe drought last summer, and farm managers and rural appraisers expect the trend to continue. The survey, conducted at a meeting of the Indiana Chapter of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, should serve as a warning to potential farmland buyers, Purdue Extension agricultural economist Craig Dobbins said in the release. Buyers borrowing large sums of money for high-priced land might not be able to recoup their investments, especially if commodity prices fall, he warns.

New Communications Director Robert Ziegler was recently named the new director of communications for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). According to a press release on the announcement, Ziegler will help develop and lead communication efforts necessary to support and share the ISDA mission. “I am happy that Robert will be joining us and using his diverse experience to help us serve the agricultural community in Indiana,” said Gina Sheets, ISDA director. Ziegler brings 10 years of experience as managing editor of an online sports publication, which he founded, to the position, as well as previous experience doing legislative and media work on Capitol Hill. The ISDA’s mission is to support growth of Indiana agriculture by serving as an advocate and partner at local, state, federal and global levels, the press release states.

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Conservation Reserve Program A general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program begins on May 20 and ends on June 14, according to a press release. The program addresses and protects the state’s most critical natural resource issues during events such as the 2012 drought. “CRP protected environmentally sensitive lands from washing or blowing away,” said Julia A. Wickard, state executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Indiana. “It gave producers extra grazing land when they needed it. I expect there will be strong competition to enroll or re-enroll acres into CRP, so I urge Indiana’s producers to maximize their environmental benefits and make sure their offers are cost-effective.” Currently, about 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide, 264,142 acres in Indiana, the release states. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term conservation covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA county office or www. fsa.usda.gov.

Email briefs to farmindiana @hnenewspapers.com.

Safety First Cherry Brother Designs was recently announced as the newest corporate sponsor of the Certified Livestock Producer Program. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture program promotes farming practices that go above and beyond in commitment to the environment, animal well-being, food safety, emergency planning, bio-security and being a good neighbor in their community, according to a recent press release. As a sponsor, Cherry Brother Designs is offering CLPP-recognized producers a 10 percent discount on the company’s Farm Source System, a pre-planning information system that was developed with safety first in mind for farmers and emergency personnel in case of an emergency need with the farm operation. The Shelbyville-based company’s system assists farmers in preparing a farm safety plan for potential emergencies. The CLPP was launched in 2008 and currently has 82 members from all across the state.

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