Farm Indiana | February 2015

Rural Living & Local Food

FEBRUARY 2015

Bleating Heart

De La Luna’s Caroline Rosa Kesten pours passion into her small farm ALSO INSIDE: INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S SOLAR FARM | FARMISHED | TRI-COUNTY FFA

2 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

Editor’s Note

A Bright New Day

F

February. On the day that I write this note, we’re not quite into February. Instead, it’s an unusually warm January afternoon.

Temperatures have risen into the 40s, and the goats, alpacas and barn cats are out in the pasture sunning themselves, enjoying the slight reprieve they’ve been given from the winter’s chill.

Meanwhile, I’m inside working on this issue of Farm Indiana. Which means I’m thinking about February — what might very well be my least favorite month of the year.

And why would I like February?

The month, weather-wise, very regularly shows no mercy.

Temperatures can drop to well below zero. The air makes my face hurt. The hairs in my nose freeze.

My fingers, despite two layers of gloves, grow cold, then numb, then painfully creaky and popsicle-ish. My cold toes, despite my insulated socks and boots, scream at me. And, most of all, my spirits sink. The only thing that spikes in February is the Dugger house propane bill. And, for all of that, the month is downright awful.

If you ask me.

By February I’m very regularly brain-deep in seasonal sadness and, maybe more to the point, impatience for the winter season to take its leave. In past years, no number of seed catalogs arriving in the mail — promising sunshine and fresh produce in my future — could brighten my mood. Each day

offered a gray sky and dreadfully grayer matter inside my skull.

But this year, I’m hoping, will be different. This is the first winter with goats for me. It’s the first winter that we’ve had any livestock, really, but those goats might just be the winter tonic I need.

Each morning, I don layers of sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats, jackets and my insulated overalls and Muck boots and traipse out to the goat barn (looking a little abominable snowman-ish, maybe) to welcome the animals to the new day.

The goats, clad in their fleece sweaters, are always happy to see me. (I bring food! They should be!)

But it’s not so much their reaction to me that brightens each start to the day. Instead it’s how they are when they’re set free from their pens. I’ve come to enjoy just watching these animals each morning, as they stretch, grab a

mouthful of hay and play. They butt heads, run a little, hop some, jump up onto a straw bale, jump off, run over to the cart, jump up, jump off, head butt another, hop onto a chair, jump off, knock the chair over, return for some more hay, head butt someone else along the way and — in essence — celebrate another day.

If goats could laugh, I imagine there’d be quite a lot of laughter involved. At the very least, I feel like I’m seeing them smile.

Eventually I crouch down and they all come running, piling onto me to offer their versions of goat kisses and hugs (who cares about morning breath?), and for all of this I’ve come to believe that there’s no happier critter in the morning than a goat. And, each day, February included, that I’m covered in smiling, loving, presumably laughing goats, you can bet your bottom dollar that there’s no happier human than me.

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Contents FEBRUARY 2015

16

6 Farm Tech 7 Farm Tools 8 From the Field 15 Upcoming Events 16 Airport Solar Farm 20 Red Giant Union 24 C ISCO 28 Farmished 30 De La Luna

34 Farm to School 38 Tri-County’s FFA 42 Soil Conservation Grants 44 Local Food FEBRUARY 2015

ON THE COVER

Read more about De La Luna on page 30.

Photo by Josh Marshall

Bleating Heart

De La Luna’s Caroline Rosa Kesten pours passion into her small farm

ALSO INSIDE: INDIANAPOLIS AIRPORT’S SOLAR FARM | MUNCIE’S FARMISHED | TRI-COUNTY FFA

Indiana Small Farm Conference March 5 -7, 2015

REGISTER TODAY! The Indiana Small Farm Conference will provide small farmers with opportunities to learn and interact with other farmers, producers, extension educators, researchers, and students.

There will be sessions about crop production, hoop houses, livestock production, processing, marketing and small farm management.

For details or to register: www.ag.purdue.edu/smallfarms Three Pre-Conference Workshops on March 5!

Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity

4 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

Rural Living & Local Food

A monthly publication of Home News Enterprises, Farm Indiana offers the local news and views of Indiana’s farming world, including features about local families and their farms, agriculture businesses, equipment and technological advances, educational outreach programs and more. Farm Indiana promotes and celebrates Indiana’s rich history and tradition in farming; serves as a conduit of information among growers, producers, farmers, retailers, farming organizations and local food consumers; educates readers about the nutritional, social and financial importance of local food support and consumption; and highlights Indiana local foods and agritourism.

PUBLISHER Chuck Wells EDITOR Sherri Lynn Dugger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Liz Brownlee, Katherine Coplen, Jeff Evard, Katie Glick, Jessica Hoopengardner, Cheryl Carter Jones, Garrett Kelly, Shawndra Miller, Jim Poyser, Jon Shoulders, Clint Smith, Catherine Whittier, CJ Woodring COPY EDITOR Katharine Smith SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST Margo Wininger ADVERTISING DESIGN

Emma Ault, Hollie Brown, Dondra Brown, Tonya Cassidy, John Cole, Julie Daiker, Ben Hill, Phil Manning, Josh Meyer, Desiree Poteete, Tina Ray, Kelsey Ruddell, Robert Wilson PHOTOGRAPHER Josh Marshall IMAGE TECHNICIAN Matt Quebe

©2015 by Home News Enterprises.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited.

Comments, story ideas, events 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.

To advertise, contact Mike Rossetti at (812) 379-5764 or mrossetti@hnenewspapers.com.

To subscribe to Farm Indiana, call (800) 435-5601.

12 issues (1 year) will be delivered to your home for $24.

Back issues may also be purchased for $5 per issue.

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 5

Farm Tech

Tour de Plants Purdue Arboretum teaches guests about the plant life found on campus » SHAKESPEARE DID NOT put much stock in the proper name of a rose, but if you have an interest in learning about the names and characteristics of plants, consider a trip to Purdue University. The campus supports an arboretum that spans more than 950 acres.

Purdue’s arboretum, which is home to trees and shrubs grown for study and educational purposes, is composed of nearly 40,000

BY GARRETT KELLY

plants covering nearly 800 different species and subspecies.

Paul Siciliano, a professor of horticulture and landscape architecture, serves as the arboretum’s director. According to Siciliano, the formation of the arboretum took root in 2008 when a faculty member started a computer database in order to catalog the collection of trees and shrubs on campus.

When Siciliano took over the program in 2011, he set out to build upon the database so that it could be used to educate others. He met with the horticulture department’s IT team, and together they worked out a system to use QR codes, which are essentially bar codes read by smartphones, to teach students and guests about the plants on campus. The QR codes are located next to each plant for easy scanning.

Siciliano then worked with Pennsylvaniabased company BG-Map to create specific maps of the plants.

There are now several different tours guests

Interns update inventory for the arboretum’s database.

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can take, with the ability to choose tours based on which plants are fruiting or flowering at a given time.

Siciliano says the project couldn’t have been completed nor maintained without the ongoing help of the school’s students. He says there are changes every day, whether plants die or a new building goes QR codes up. The campus is like this one ever changing, help visitors and students help learn about keep up with plants on those changes by Purdue’s updating inventocampus. ry on a weekly basis. “It’s very dynamic,” Siciliano says. “The kids worked their tails off to keep things accurate.”

Anyone with a smartphone, whether Android phone, Windows phone or an iPhone, can take tours of the campus, with the help of an app that reads QR codes.

Siciliano says there are typically 20 to 30 plants highlighted on any given tour. The time it takes to complete each tour depends on the scope of your tour and how quickly you can get from plant to plant. “There are endless opportunities,” he says. “We have tours in the box that will appeal to a lot of folks, or if you have something specific you’re looking for you could query that and it would create that tour for you.”

When it comes to picking his ideal tour, Siciliano is torn. “That’s like asking me what kind of pie I like,” he jokes. “I’d have to tell you the one that I’m eating right now.”

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Farm Tools

IN THE TOOLBOX The adage “Necessity is the mother of invention” couldn’t be more true for a farmer. Men and women working in a barn, field or garden have been modifying tools and implementing new ideas to solve problems or improve processes since the beginning of time. Here, we showcase the well-used tools and ingenious inventions of local growers.

ROGER HICKEY AND JEFF ARNOLD

of R & J Farms of Morgantown farm about 2,000 acres in Johnson and Morgan counties. Sometime back in the mid-1980s, the partners came up with an idea to more easily deal with a regular problem. Hickey explains that rocks always come to the surface of the ground when the farmer uses a chisel plow or mow board, and rocks can cause equipment to wear, be

damaged or even break. Farmers are forced to either go back and collect the rocks or go around them, which can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with hundreds of acres.

So in order to increase their efficiency, Hickey and Arnold came up with a plan for their first “rock box,” which they installed on one of their John Deere 4430 tractors. The rock box allowed the farmers to pick up rocks as they encountered them, saving valuable time and effort.

It wasn’t long before each of the tractors got a rock box, which was painted green to look like part of the original design.

By Catherine Whittier

“They’re not a factory item; they’re just something that we built and put on the tractors,” Hickey explains. “It’s just made out of scrap metal, and you build it on the driver’s side. So when you get out, you don’t have to circle the tractor. That saves you time, rather than having to go back. You don’t have to remember where you saw the rock; you just hop out and pick it up and keep moving forward.”

The rocks are then loaded into a pickup and taken to the end of a field or unloaded into a ditch.

Hickey says that the original idea has been modified over the years. The first box had a solid

bottom, which would collect dirt and rain, creating a muddy mess.

Installing a mesh bottom solved that problem by allowing dirt to bounce off the rocks and fall through the grate, so the rocks would self-clean.

Hickey explains that they traded in about half of the John Deere 4430 tractors they once used for newer 8300 and 9300 models that are much larger and sleeker than the older models.

The rock box modification isn’t easy to install on the newer tractors. When farming with the newer tractors, the men are forced, once again, to map the location of the rocks and to take half a day to go back out and load the rocks into the back of a utility task vehicle.

Hickey and Arnold may one day come up with another ingenious way to save time while dealing with this age-old problem, even if new tractor designs seem to stand in their way.

“Our customers should make more money by dealing with MacAllister than by dealing with our competitors.”

Division Manager, Jay Shininger

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 7

From the Field

Family Time …

With Worms

By Cheryl Carter Jones

WORM BIN I have always thought of my mother as a kind-hearted and charitable person, but not when it comes to worms. As an avid gardener, she is very protective of her worm population. I got those genes.

I love worms. They break up soil and leave a trail of their wonderfully fertile worm castings for the benefit of my growing plants. Anyone who knows me can attest to the happiness I derive from the sight of these glorious creatures in my soil, and I do have a lot of them. So it only stands to reason that I would want to have more. Marry that with my love of compost and vermicomposting it is.

My quest is not simply to build a usable worm bin, but to consider functionality, while creating a vermiculture paradise for my worms. I did my online research and consulted a couple of books.

In the end, I took the best of several plans to create what I hope will be a very efficient model with more to come.

The adage “waste not, want not” continues to hold true. While it may be easier and certainly quicker to go to the store and buy a new item, it is more earth-friendly and satisfying on both a personal and a financial note to use what you have and turn junk into treasures. I do not enjoy doing clean-up chores, but I do not think of it as a chore if I am creating something new in the process.

Once again, my father and I returned to his workshop with my junk and some drawings on a scrap piece of paper. At first glance, it may be hard to visualize that anything useful could come out of very worn old tires. But, look again. Used tires can make instant raised beds for gardening and are great to put in between two vehicles when you have to push one and do not want to scratch either (just make sure it is the tire minus a wheel). For me, I see worm bins when I see old tires.

STEPS WORMS NEED A WARM environment, so I began by incorporating a built-in natural furnace to the model.

I used three 2-by-6-foot boards to create the sides for my base. To that, I attached a plywood base of ¾-inch plywood. The dimensions should be determined by the size of your tires, allowing for 2 to 3 inches of clearance all around the tires. Thirteen-inch tires work well; mine are larger. (You can often pick them up for free from a tire dealer, and you certainly do not need roadworthy tires for this project.) On the fourth side, I added a hinged door, made of plywood.

The base should sit on something solid, such as concrete or concrete squares. A wood base on the ground would deteriorate very rapidly.

Some articles merely recommend several layers of cardboard and/or newspaper. Make sure the ground underneath is solid and flat or at a very slight downward slope to allow for drainage.

Inside this base, I will add fresh (not composted) manure with 2 to 3 inches of clearance from the board that sits above it. The heat from the manure will help to warm the worm bin. As the manure composts and the heat lessens, I will replace it with fresh manure through the winter months. This step is not necessary in the summer.

Consider placing your worm bins on the south side of a building to allow for maximum sun in the winter. The building will provide windbreak and protection. I am going to place bales of straw on three sides for additional winter warmth. That may not be necessary, but it certainly will not hurt.

The second section is built the same as the first section. However, drill a series of ¾-inch holes in a circular pattern in the center of the plywood board. This will allow liquid to drain down through the top and into the aluminum pan you see in the diagram. This is what is called “liquid gold” or compost tea. Store the liquid in gallon containers (good use of old milk jugs) until spring and then use in your flower or vegetable gardens.

I am planning to use my worm bins continuously and tried to think ahead in my design. The worms will work from the bottom up through the tires. Thus, at some point in time, I will want to remove the bottom tire to get to the worm castings, while leaving the remaining tires. On top of the second section, I have added an additional board. It has to have holes drilled in the center of it, just as the previous section did, in order to allow the liquid to drain through to the pan. I also added side rails to it to make it easier to get hold of when I

am ready to pull it out. By the way, removing the bottom tire and this board will require more than one person.

When I am ready to pull it out, I will grab the rails and take out that board as well as the tire that sits on it. Some worm castings will fall through the holes in the center of the board, but it will not be nearly as messy or wasteful as it would be if the board was not there. It would be a monumental undertaking without it.

Getting out the bottom tire will be the hardest. I decided the rails would only be necessary on that level.

When the board and bottom tire are removed, the next tire drops down. (Easier said than done, but you get the general idea, I hope.)

Place an old tire on top of the railed board, then another plywood square (holes drilled in center to allow for drainage and for the worms to travel upward to the next tire) and repeat one final time.

The top plywood board does not have holes in it to protect the worms from too much water coming through. However, it would be wise to place three or four spacers (use plywood scraps) on top of the tire before putting the top piece of plywood in place. This will allow for air flow.

Cheryl Carter Jones is an Indiana farmer and a board member of the Local Growers’ Guild, a cooperative of farmers, retailers and community members dedicated to strengthening the local food economy in central and southern Indiana through education, direct support and market connections. For more information on the guild, visit localgrowers.org.

8 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES YOU WOULD not have to use the plywood in between the tires. You could use wire, but make sure there is enough room for the worms to get through it to the tire above. I deemed that wire would not be as easy when it came time to remove a tire.

Do not stack too many tires at once to ensure it remains stable.

TO BEGIN USE TO THE BOTTOM TIRE , add 2 to 3 inches of shredded newspaper, then 2 to 3 inches of sand and soil mixture.

Make sure the mixture is very moist.

To that, add 2 to 3 inches of shredded moist newspaper, coffee grounds and egg shells.

Add your worms. You can find many online sources for red wiggler worms, which is what I suggest.

Stuff the well of the tire with shredded newspaper.

Make sure that everything you add to the worm bin is moist, but you do not want water standing in it. That is why the drain holes are in place. You do not want to drown your precious worms.

You want to always encourage your worms to migrate upward, so do not place a great deal of “food” under the worms nor too much over them.

Each week add several inches of coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded newspaper or cardboard, and table scraps (do not put in fat or meat scraps; vegetables, fruit, breads are fine). Check your worm bin every couple of days in the early stages to ensure there is ample food for the worms, but not an excessive amount, either.

Worms love egg shells, but it is best to crush them.

Everything added to the bin should be in very small pieces for best results.

Another weekend of projects is now behind me. In the process, I managed to do a little clean-up and make things I would have needed sooner or later.

But once again, the greatest value rests in the satisfaction of creating something on your own and/or as a family. Family time is to be treasured, and in the process, you can teach your children valuable skills.

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From the Field

THE VIEW AT NIGHTFALL

It’s Conference Time

BY LIZ BROWNLEE

APPROXIMATELY 1,400 FARMERS talk and laugh together, reconnecting after a long farming season. Finally, they settle into their seats, and the room grows quiet. The night’s keynote address is from Joel Salatin, farmer extraordinaire.

It’s Dec. 4, opening night of the ACRES U.S.A. Conference & Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio. Salatin is one of 50 or so sustainable farmers from around the country who have come to Columbus to present what they’re learning and accomplishing on their land. The excitement of conference season is palpable.

Conferences large and small dot farmers’ calendars each winter. For us, attending one or two conferences is a winter highlight. Conferences offer a chance to gather with other farmers to tell stories from the season, to learn new skills and to think together about the coming year.

Nightfall Farm slumbers during the winter cold. Our pasture is done grow-

Conference season is ing for this year. also a key part of our Since we don’t yet UPCOMING EVENTS recharging process. have our own breedFEB. 7: Local Growers The knowledge we ing stock, chores are Guild’s Winter Guild gain at conferences minimal. Our first Gathering, Bloomington. Visit is critical to building season was incredibly localgrowers.org for more a successful busifruitful, so we spend information. ness. Many of the much of the winter MARCH 4: Southern Indiana sessions are “how-to” planning for how Grazing Conference, Odon. Call style workshops. This we will expand and Daviess County Soil and Water winter, I’m sitting in build our operation Conservation District (812-254on workshops rangnext year. Physical 4780, ext. 3) for details. ing from topics like work will ramp up MARCH 5, 6, AND 7: Indiana chicken nutrition to in March or April.

Small Farm Conference, selling food wholesale Our first chicks will Danville. Visit ag.purdue.edu/ to grafting fruit trees. likely arrive in May. smallfarms or call (765) 494Other workshops In the meantime, 6794 for more information. focus on big ideas, we make rest and like farm policy or relaxation a priorgenetically modified ity. Winter means organisms (GMOs). that we have the These sessions equip me to talk with time and energy to travel away from the customers about current events and farm more, so we indulge in the luxuries the future of sustainable agriculture. that the growing season doesn’t afford The chance to talk with other farmyoung farmers. We go visit ers is, for me, just as important as the friends and play games all conference workshops. Over lunch, we evening. We sleep in occadiscuss what other farmers raise, their sionally on Saturdays. We markets and their plans for next season. tackle household projects, This might sound like typical farmer replacing some insulation talk, but since the people are new to in the farmhouse attic and us and they come from far and wide, building a better comhearing their stories energizes me. post bin for Nate’s mom.

Conferences also let us reconnect with young farmer friends whom we enjoy but rarely get to see (either because of Butcher and author distance or farm work). We swap stories Cole Ward leads a group of success and failures, giving us all the of attendees at his “Basic chance to take pride in what’s workButchering” workshop. ing and laugh together at our beginner ABOVE: Conference mistakes and all that we’re learning. We presenter and exhibitor Dr. Will Winter talks talk about plans and bounce ideas off with farmers. each other. We look for ways to colPHOTOS PROVIDED BY ACRES U.S.A.

10 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

laborate, from buying seed together to lowering shipping costs to giving each other feedback on our websites.

FIND A CONFERENCE THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU Some conferences, like the ACRES U.S.A. conference, are big in both size and focus. Several thousand farmers will gather in a city, eager for the Joel Salatin chance to hear from presents his “Fields of Farmers” movers and shakers like Salatin. These workshop at conferences often the ACRES U.S.A. feature talks about Conference. big ideas, ranging from nutrition to food distribution to animal husbandry. For us, these conferences are a chance to learn what’s happening in other states and regions, and see if any of the lessons can help us here in southern Indiana. These larger conferences are also the ones that can afford to offer scholarships and work trades.

Other conferences, like the upcoming Indiana Small Farm Conference,

focus on a particular state or region.

These conferences tend to be more affordable and draw a crowd of a few hundred farmers. The workshops focus on teaching specific skills. Often, area farmers help present workshops or are featured on panels. I always appreciate the chance to ask these farmers about what’s working on their land and in their markets. This local, tested knowledge is critical to young farmers like us.

Regardless of scale, we count conference season as one of the most useful times of the year. Whether you’re a farmer, gardener, food-lover or somewhere in between, I wager that you will find a farming conference worth your while. Perhaps we’ll see you at one of the conferences left this season.

After years of gaining experience on other farms, Nate Brownlee and his wife, Liz, recently moved back to Indiana to start their own family farm, which they named Nightfall Farm. Here, they will share stories of the many trials, tribulations, successes and failures in running a new family business. For more on Nightfall Farm, visit nightfallfarm.com.

All four brAnds under one rooftop

e t i s b e W

Seymour • bobpoyntergm.com FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 11

From the Field

Love for the

LAND

S

BY KATIE GLICK

SOME OF US WERE BORN with dirt in our blood. It runs thick through our veins as we live and work on the land that we are so in love with. It’s hard to explain to people that the smell of dirt and the view of the wide open spaces of farm fields are so beautiful and perfect. Farmers have a love affair with their land.

When I was younger, I used to just watch my dad as he would drive us from our home on the farm to town. Even though I trusted him, I always thought we would wreck someday because all he would do was look at his fields. He was checking the land where he worked alongside his brothers, planted his crops, fixed his tractors, made a living for his family and even lost his wedding ring. One of the loves of his life, the land, was just as important as going to my basketball games and showing up to see me off to prom. And as a farm girl, I understood that his love for the land came with making sacrifices and that was OK. I understand that now as a farmer’s wife, too, because it’s part of the dedication that comes with this farm life.

Katie Glick grew up on her family farm in Martinsville and now lives with her husband on their family farm near Columbus. She is a graduate of Purdue University and has worked in Indiana politics. She now works in the agriculture industry. She shares her personal, work, travel and farm life stories on her blog, Fancy in the Country.

12 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

My dad, sister and I used to love watching old Westerns and the gunfights. But when it came time for the funerals, Dad would turn to us and say, “When it’s my time, don’t use the precious land to bury my body. Cremate me and give me back to the land.” And we did just that.

He loved us so much that he had the forethought to tell us and teach us that land is precious. He used to say, “You can’t make more land. What’s there and available is all there is, so we have to take care of it.”

I think most of us forget about the blood, sweat and tears that go into one’s love for land. Think about the many wars, family feuds and lives lost while searching for that small piece of land to call one’s own.

And we cannot forget about the farmers who came before us and the ones today who work hard and care for the land to pass along to the next generation. I am hoping there are many generations to come with dirt in their blood that will continue to cherish and work the land.

As Scarlett’s father in “Gone with the Wind” once said, “Why, land is the only thing worth workin’, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.”

And he was right; it is the only thing that really lasts and is always beneath our feet.

As you celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, remember that for farmers it’s not all about love for their significant others or families. This month and every month are about the love for their land.

“You can’t make more land.

What’s there and available is all there is, so we have to take care of it.”

ABOVE: Katie’s brother-inlaw, Trevor Glick, and his children on the Glick family farm. Photo by Katie Glick.

Common Questions

BY JESSICA HOOPENGARDNER

Why goats and not cows? » Goats are just more manageable for us. They are a much smaller species, so we can fit more of them on our property. Instead of milking a few cows, we can milk a lot of goats. Also, goats have milk that’s better suited for cheese. They have a higher butter fat content, which means that we actually get more cheese per gallon.

Why llamas? You don’t milk them, do you? » No, we don’t milk the llamas; we use them as guard animals. Instead of having dogs or donkeys, we have llamas.

They have an alarm call that sounds like a high-pitched scream. When the llamas see a potential predator, they sound the alarm call and place themselves in between the predator and the goats. If the predator does attack, the llamas will attempt to stomp them to death, but often the size and number of the llamas are a large enough deterrent.

What kind of goats do you have? » We have two different dairy breeds: Oberhasli and Nigerian Dwarf. The Oberhasli breed originates from Switzerland. They are a full-sized breed that is red with black markings or all black. The Nigerian Dwarf comes from Africa. They are a dwarf breed, so they grow to be a little over half of the Oberhasli’s size. They are often confused with Pygmy goats.

Nigerians can be any color or pattern.

The farm is pretty quiet this time of year, so I decided to answer the questions that I often get about the farm.

What made your family decide to build a farm? » When I was 4, my parents bought two goats, Zebra and Zipper, as pets.

Soon two llamas named Coco and Socks followed. The goats and llamas continued to multiply until we had almost too many for our small, 5-acre hobby farm. My mom then considered how to make the animals profitable.

She decided that milking the goats and making the cheese was interesting, a good business idea and manageable for our family. We then moved the farm to 57 acres and created what is now Caprini Creamery and Redbud Farm.

What do the goats eat? » The bulk of the goats’ diet is roughage.

Goats are ruminants, which means they have multiple compartments in their stomach. The first compartment is called the rumen, which helps break down the food. In order to keep the rumen healthy, the goats need to have roughage — hay or grass. In the winter, they get hay. In the summer, they get grass. In addition to the roughage, the goats get a mixed grain with corn, oats, cotton seed hulls and other various products. The grain provides them the protein, minerals and vitamins they need to stay healthy.

Do you like living on the farm? » Yes, I do. I love the animals and the environment. One of my favorite parts of working on the farm is sharing the experiences I have. The farm has given me plenty of stories to tell at farmers markets, FFA events and here in Farm Indiana. Sharing my experiences gives those “city folk” a chance to see what my life on the farm is really like — sometimes hard, but mostly just fun.

Jessica Hoopengardner, pictured at her family farm, is a senior at Eastern Hancock High School in Hancock County. Very involved in 4-H and FFA, Hoopengardner is the vice president of her 4-H club and the president of her FFA chapter. She plans on going to college outside Indiana and majoring in English and biology.

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FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 13

From the Field

SEEDS OF SUCCESS

BY JEFF EVARD

SEED CATALOGS ARE pouring in, and farms and gardens are being planned all over the state.

February is seed-ordering season. Who are these folks who send us the seeds for our farms and gardens in envelopes, sacks, burlap bags and on pallets each spring? They are people who pay attention to your purchases and produce what you want. If you need a certain trait in your varieties, these folks find, capture and deliver it.

Each year that we plant our annual crops, we are casting our vote on which varieties stay with us and which varieties find a nice cold corner in a seed vault.

In organic crop production, using organic seed is a requirement of the regulation. There are a lot of considerations to be taken into account when planting a seed, and these considerations are nearly identical no matter what method of production you use.

An organic farm relies on many processes that occur naturally in soils. Plants inherently interact with microbes, fungus and all the creatures that call the soil home. It has often been said that an organic grower doesn’t grow corn, hay, vegetables or even livestock, but rather the grower is more of a rancher of the essential microbes that live in healthy soil systems.

Organic growing relies on minerals and fertilizers of low solubility. Imagine microbes holding hands with both the plant’s roots and its fertilizer. The fertilizer must go through the microbes’ hands in order to be able to also hold hands with the plant’s roots. The fertilizer needs an introduction to the roots before it goes off and holds hands with just any old root. This introduction is generally known as mineralization, which

occurs over time and at the right temperatures.

Mineralization must occur to change the raw materials into a form the plants can access. This occurs over time and at the right temperatures. It makes sense that the plants using this method of nutrient uptake will do better with more hands to hold. Organic plant breeders and wise farmers know this. An organic plant breeder will select plants that have many “hands” and are on good terms with the microbes.

Metal salt fertilizers are brash and will hold hands with whatever they get close enough to before they slide down and into the water below.

This occurs quickly and at any temperature, whether the plant has its hands out or not. There is no doubt that plants do well with these fleeting hand holders. The plants do so well, however, that they forget about their buddies the microbes and start losing the hands that they need to work with the lower solubility nutrients that stay put in the soil as the generations pass. Organic plant breeding encourages the traits that make the low solubility native fertility of a given soil available to the plant to produce crops. This is the real advantage to choosing organically bred and produced seed for use in an organic system.

Every farm and cropping situation is unique.

Advantages in nutrient uptake, drought tolerance and insect tolerance in an organic variety may mean little if disease tolerance is what the microclimate of your farm needs.

There are instances when growing a specific variety makes the most sense and is not available organically. When sourcing seed for organic crop production and a specific variety is unavailable in commercial quantity, an organic grower

may substitute with that specific variety in a non-organic form that is confirmed in writing to be non-GMO and untreated with prohibited substances, and/or the grower has a contract to grow a crop specifying that exact variety. A written search for the organic form of that specific variety must be made with no less than three commercial seed houses that carry organic lines of the type of crop to be substituted. A search for corn seed with flower seed producers will not do, for instance. Cost as a factor also will not do.

If for no other reason than that a plant grown organically will have offspring that know how to get along with the microbes that drive organic and biodynamic production, you will want to source your seed organically if at all possible.

For more information on the benefits of growing crops using organic seeds and a listing of where to get what, visit seedalliance.org Jeff Evard works at Ecocert ICO (formerly Indiana Certified Organics LLC). Ecocert ICO, a subsidiary of Ecocert Group, is the only USDA National Organic Program accredited certification agency in Indiana and operates across the United States and beyond. For more information, visit ecocertico.com.

SCHnEIDER FEED anD SEED

Area Dealer TOM SCHNEIDER

BECK’S HYBRIDS 6767 E. 27th St. Atlanta, IN 46031

(317) 984-3508 (800) 937-2325 (317) 984-3500 FAX www.beckshybrid.com 14 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

111 Fourth Street PO Box 770 North Vernon, IN 47265 Store (812) 346-3760 Mobile (812) 592-2252 schneiderfeedandseed@yahoo.com

Upcoming Events FEB. 7 Local Growers Guild Winter Guild Gathering. Workshops will include intensive planting tricks, farm management, common disease management, conservation practices, labor on small farms and more. Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: Harmony School, 909 E. 2nd St., Bloomington. Information: localgrowers.org FEB. 10 Webinar on Building PestSuppressive Organic Farms: Tools and Ecological Strategies Used by Five Long-Term Organic Farms to Suppress Insects. Speakers: Organic farmers Helen Atthowe and

Cost to attend the workshop is $50 per person or $75 for two people from the same farm or family. The cost includes lunch.

Information: (812) 535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org

Carl Rosato. Cost: Free.

Advance registration is required. Time: 2 p.m. Information: eorganic.info FEB. 17 Webinar on Blasting the Competition Away: Air-propelled Abrasive Grits for Weed Management in Organic Grain and Vegetable Crops. Speakers: Sam Wortman, University of Illinois; Frank Forcella, USDAARS; Sharon Clay and Daniel Humburg, University of South Dakota. Cost: Free. Advance registration is required. Time: 2 p.m. Information: eorganic.info FEB. 21 Alpaca 101: Fundamentals of alpaca husbandry. White Violet Farm Alpacas, a ministry

of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, will host a one-day workshop that will include herd health issues, injections, feeds, barns and sheds, pasture care, toenails, developing goals, fiber, record keeping, nutrition and more. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FEB. 28 The Indiana Beekeepers’ Association (IBA) Indiana Bee School XIII. Lectures, handson workshops and discussions will be held for beekeepers with any level of skill, experience or ability. Topics on introductory beekeeping tools and techniques, as well as learning opportunities for the more advanced beekeeper will be available. Registration fee will be $30 per individual or $50 per family (lunch included). Time: 7 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Location: Decatur Central High School, 5251 Kentucky Ave., Indianapolis. Information: indianabeekeeper.com

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 15

SUN CATCHERS

The Indianapolis International Airport solar farm continues to expand

BY JON SHOULDERS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH MARSHALL

16 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

I

INDIANAPOLIS International Airport is relatively modest in size compared to other U.S. airports, such as Chicago O’Hare or John F. Kennedy in New York, but it is now home to the largest airport-based solar farm in North America.

In March 2013 construction began on Phase I of the solar farm, which consists of rows upon rows of 3-by-6-foot, electricity-generating silicon panels, and by the following

September, 44,128 panels were operational and generating an annual average of 16.5 million kilowatt hours — enough to power 1,800 homes.

Airport officials agreed to expand the project in 2014, and by December 32,100 additional panels were up and running. Travelers cruising along the Interstate 70 exit that leads to the airport passenger terminal can now feast their eyes on more than 150 total acres of sun-soaking technology.

“Traditionally, solar projects are identified with America’s southwest, such as California and Arizona,” says Kent Ebbing, project manager for the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA).

“The myth is that these sunny states are what is necessary to sustain solar production. (Indianapolis International Airport) has helped Midwest states realize that the costs to install solar and the technological leaps that have occurred in this industry have made

“The solar farm supports both our community values and assists in keeping our overall operating costs low so travelers can enjoy this world-class airport at competitive rates.”

—KENT EBBING

these projects viable as a great way to shave peak electrical demand periods and supplement other traditional methods of generating electricity.”

According to Ebbing, the project resulted from an ongoing desire on the part of IAA officials to seek opportunities for utilizing vacant airport land and producing additional revenue.

“The solar farm supports both our community values and assists in keeping our overall operating costs low so

travelers can enjoy this world-class airport at competitive rates,” he says.

The IAA officials lease the solar farm land under a 30-year land lease to General Energy Solutions (GES), a Taiwanese company with offices in California that owns and operates the panels.

Cenergy Power, a California-based solar EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor, along with project developers Telamon Corp. and Johnson Melloh Solutions, partnered FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 17

INSET A newly installed solar panel at the Phase II location at the Indianapolis International Airport.

ABOVE Solar panels from the first phase of installation.

18 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

with GES and the IAA to bring the project to life.

Chris Sears, director of construction and project management at Cenergy Power, says the farm’s silicon panels convert the sunlight they absorb into direct current (DC) electricity — a process known as photovoltaics. Square enclosures called combiner boxes sit at the end of each row of panels to collect the DC power taken in by each panel. The power is converted to alternating current (AC) form after flowing through an inverter, a transformer and several other pieces of electrical equipment, and then flows directly to an Indianapolis Power & Light Co. (IPL) substation west of the airport. The power produced at the farm is purchased by IPL through a 15year purchase agreement with GE, and is consumed by IPL’s residential and business customers, including all the businesses located at the airport itself.

While the Phase I panels are mounted in fixed positions, all of

PHOTO SUBMITTED

FACTS + FIGURES

INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Solar Farm »Features 76,228 photovoltaic panels on more than 150 acres and requires 12 permanent employees for operation and maintenance.

»Generates 31.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually — enough to power about 3,200 homes.

»Currently the largest solar farm on an airport in North America (the second largest is located at Denver International Airport, spread across 44 acres and capable of generating enough electricity to power about 2,600 homes each year).

»Located approximately four miles west of Interstate 465, near the Interstate 70 exit leading to the airport terminal.

the Phase II panels are mounted on trackers that follow the sun, a feature Sears says increases productivity and reduces reflective glare from the aluminum rails constructed along each row of panels. “Reflection was one of the FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) biggest concerns, so that’s why we have the tracking on Phase II,” he says. With Phase II complete, the farm is projected to prevent approximately 21,400 tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of carbon dioxide emissions from about 4,000 cars — from being released into the atmosphere annually, according to Alexa Amatulli, marketing and project coordinator at Telamon Corp.

Sears says commercial and residential solar power will likely become more common in coming years with increased interest in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and as the necessary technology continues to improve.

“Ten years ago it would take 90 to 100 panels to power a 2,500-squarefoot house because the panels were smaller and less efficient, at about 90 to 99 watts per panel,” he says. “The technology has gotten better now, and most of the ones here at the solar farm are 295 watts. The technology is getting more efficient for more power, and it’s going to continually evolve.”

According to Amatulli, 11,200 additional tracking panels are currently being planned by the solar farm project partners and are scheduled for completion on 22 additional acres of airport land by August. She says the farm’s 76,228 completed panels currently generate enough total power to supply about 3,200 homes. “In addition to the obvious power benefits, I think from an educational perspective the solar farm is important,” she says, adding that the Indy airport baggage claim area now houses an interactive educational kiosk that describes how solar power works and includes a time lapse video of the solar farm’s construction. “When you think of Indiana, you don’t necessarily think of solar, and it’s important to educate the community on sustainability.”

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 19

FROM LEFT Austin Kasso, Robert Doan, Abba Ras Anebana Tafari, Demetrius Mabon.

A People’s Movement West Lafayette entrepreneur Austin Kasso is ready to tackle the world of organic farming

By Shawndra Miller Photography by Josh Marshall

20 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

A

AUSTIN KASSO HAS AN IDEA that he thinks will revolutionize the food

system in his adopted town of West Lafayette. Or maybe all over the Midwest.

Picture an indoor farm full of vertical cylinders stretching almost to the greenhouse ceiling. Springing from planting holes in each cylinder are vigorous tomato, bean and squash vines, along with herbs, strawberries, melons and every kind of green imaginable.

This is Kasso’s vision, which ties in with what he calls “the people’s organic movement” happening everywhere. He sees a network of such farms, some supporting restaurants, some connected with schools and other institutions, all employing young entrepreneurs like himself.

The 23-year-old has started a nonprofit enterprise called Red Giant Union that will spread this innovation in urban agriculture. The nonprofit model allows profits of each farm to fund the next one in the network.

Using a vertical growing technology called the Tower Garden, Red Giant Union will offer greenhouse-raised, aeroponic produce, all grown without pesticides or herbicides.

Aeroponic growing is similar to hydroponics: Neither uses soil, and both depend on a nutrient solution. But in aeroponics, the roots are mostly exposed to air, and nutrient-laced water drips over the roots. A small pump cycles the nutrients through this closed system, and evaporation is minimal. Kasso has high hopes for the efficiency and effectiveness of this method, which can inspire even the brownest thumb to garden.

Hearkening back to his high school astronomy club, Kasso’s fascination with red giants, a type of star, inspired the name of his new endeavor. Red giants, he says, “can either become a supernova or a white dwarf.”

“In my philosophy,” he says, “I want (my project) to be a high mass red giant star that supernovas, that doesn’t fizzle out and turn into a dwarf.”

“High mass” also refers to the way he sees the organization developing — unionizing entrepreneurs who open Tower Garden farms. “Essentially we’re all organized together as a workers union,” he says.

There are many ways to grow produce up in a space-saving setup, and the general concept has gained momentum, particularly in urban environments. In fact the Bloomington-based Garden Tower Project offers a locally made garden barrel, which features a center tube for worm composting. But Kasso favors the soilless Tower Garden for its ease of use.

“The no-soil ones are a growing movement,” he says, “If people are growing their own fruits and vegetables at home, soil makes it more complicated.” That’s important, because not only will Red Giant Union members proffer locally grown fruits and vegetables, they will also nurture other would-be gardeners, helping people set up their own Tower Gardens.

His mentor, Las Vegas-based entrepreneur Loren Slocum Lahav, says another benefit of soil-free gardening is addressing issues of soil contamination and depletion. “You’re getting all the nutrients you need (in Tower Gardengrown produce),” she says. “Because our soil is so depleted, we’re not getting the nutrients we need from the soil.”

Slocum Lahav has personal experience with the Tower Garden, growing food for herself and three children on her Las Vegas property. “I’d like to be a gardener, but I’m not that good,” she jokes. “I like it because I can actually do it without it dying. I like that I can go away for two weeks and check acidity of the water, and that’s all I have to do.”

Though the setup does require electricity, she notes that the pump for each self-contained Tower Garden only uses the same amount of energy as a light bulb.

As marketing director for JuicePlus, Tower Garden’s parent company, she says Kasso’s project is poised to “get people participating in their own rescue.

“He really wants to make a difference,” she says of the young founder. “He’s seen the wounds of his generation. They’re getting sicker; they’re not getting quality food.”

Kasso’s laser focus, she believes, will serve him well in this ambitious

endeavor. “He’s got such a servant heart,” she says, “and he can get people to understand that this is important long term, for generations to come.”

Red Giant Union backers are raising funds to set up an initial indoor urban farm that they see as just the beginning of this urban farming revolution.

A greenhouse full of Tower Gardens would, in time, create revenues that would facilitate the opening of future similar farms, Kasso says. Some would be connected to schools and restaurants. All would offer Tippecanoe County residents high-quality fruits and vegetables, free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Tafari and Kasso check the pH level of the water before planting seeds. Members of the Red Giant Union work together on a Tower Garden.

CLOCKWISE

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 21

Seeds prepared for planting.

Watering the rock wool growth medium to prepare it for seeds.

Kasso holds broccoli seeds that he hopes will soon sprout into full blooms of broccoli.

CLOCKWISE

22 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

How does one so young come to such a far-reaching vision? The Long Island, New York, native, who moved to Indiana in 2009 and started coursework at Ivy Tech, has always had an interest in social issues. As a high school senior, he proclaimed that organic agriculture was the movement of the future, and though his teachers “made fun,” he has not changed his mind.

His passion for alternative agriculture developed during his teens, when he spent summers far from his suburban home. Working on his cousin’s Durham, North Carolina, organic farm, he found a way of life that resonated.

“They agreed to let me visit for a few months and work on the farm,” he says. “It really opened my eyes in terms of the lifestyle and how healthy they were eating and how self-sufficient they were.” Rarely did the couple head for the grocery store; nearly everything they needed was sourced right from their land.

Impressed, Kasso decided to pursue a degree in agriculture at Purdue

University, which is still in the plan, now that he’s gotten early course credits out of the way and established residency. Meanwhile, his learning continued as he sought alternatives to the conventional agriculture being taught in his coursework.

He built a support system by starting a Facebook group. Soon the 1,000 members encouraged him to think big. Innovations in other communities spurred him to action.

“It occurred to me that I can develop a nonprofit organization to raise funds to build an urban greenhouse,” he says, “because I had seen it happen on the East and West coast.”

He hasn’t enrolled in Purdue yet, but his quest has already created ties with the university’s students, alumni, faculty and organizations like the Purdue Social Justice Coalition.

And the experience of growing food stays with him. “I definitely want to have my own urban farm,” he says. If all goes well, he may expand operations into mushroom cultivation.

For now, though, the project’s goals are threefold: to provide the community with affordable, locally grown, GMO-free food; to create living wage jobs; and to raise awareness of healthy food choices. By showing homeowners, restaurateurs and teachers how to grow their own, Kasso expects a high uptick in consumption of high-quality, economical produce. “And all this ties into our vision of a sustainable economy or a self-sustaining community,” he says.

As a local supplier of Tower Gardens, Red Giant Union will help facilitate this transition. The residential models enable people to set up vertical gardens in any small space, with a footprint of only 2½ square feet.

Local production of the food served in restaurants and school lunchrooms is a win-win, he says, both in terms of lowered costs and smaller environmental impact. Also, people will notice a vast difference in the quality of produce served within a short time of harvest versus that shipped in from elsewhere.

The 8-foot-tall commercial version of the Tower Garden holds some 40 plants, while a shorter residential version can hold 20 to 28. Kasso envisions starting with at least 40 of the towers.

A visitor to the farm would encounter rows of lush vegetables, fruits and herbs, seemingly growing on trees.

Vertical gardeners elsewhere offer ample inspiration. “It’s really spectacular if you were to see what the farms look like,” he says.

On the West Coast, Chapala Gardens markets rooftop-grown produce in drought-stricken Santa Barbara, California. Out East, the Green Bronx Machine installs Tower Gardens in New York City classrooms.

And in Oklahoma, a Tower Garden operation called Scissortail Farms grows lettuces and other greens under cover. “It provides the whole (Tulsa) community, restaurants, schools and the public with locally grown produce in a food desert,” says Kasso. “Originally they weren’t really able to grow food out there. They built a greenhouse that sustains itself and is very costeffective. It inspired me to do smaller projects like that around here.”

Tower Gardens’ manufacturer, Florida-based Future Growing, claims that such a setup requires 95 percent less water on 90 percent less land than a more conventional growing plan.

“We are literally going to change Indiana food production in Lafayette and West Lafayette. We’re going to see a huge change in where restaurants and the public get their produce from.” —AUSTIN KASSO

As a nonprofit, Red Giant Union is more than just a business. The initial facility is intended to seed many others through its proceeds. “We need the public to donate in order for it to work,” says Kasso. Startup costs are the reason, but he maintains that the system runs so efficiently, it can pay for itself within a year.

For each 12 Tower Gardens, one hire would be added to the enterprise.

Already a half dozen would-be farmers are helping him lay the groundwork.

Kasso says he’d like to have an organic salad bar and juice bar at the greenhouse, but the bulk of the produce would be sold at Lafayette’s City Foods Co-op and at farmers markets.

Greens will be harvested roots and all, then sold “live,” preserving freshness for maximum taste and nutrition.

In setting up the facility itself, Kasso would like to repurpose unused space if possible. “There are a few farmers I’ve been put in touch with through the co-op in town who have greenhouses they’re not us-

ing,” he says. “We can take what’s not being utilized and refurbish it.”

The response to his concept, he says, has been “110 percent positive. Everybody I’ve talked to loves this idea.”

That’s good, because he’s relying on a crowdfunding campaign to kickstart the enterprise. Though his goal is to raise $10,000 over 60 days to fund the startup, he expects the funding to come in much higher.

“It’s such a revolutionary idea,” he says, “and once people actually see it and understand it, it’s like a no-brainer.

It doesn’t take much to get 100,000 people to donate at least a dollar.”

He plans to start building as soon as the crowdfunding campaign closes in early spring. “We are literally going to change Indiana food production in Lafayette and West Lafayette,” he says. “We’re going to see a huge change in where restaurants and the public get their produce from.”

Orange County, California, resident Nancy Ross, who sponsors Kasso in his business development, says she has no

doubt that he has what it takes to see his vision through. “Austin is a very unique individual in that he has no fear,” she says. “He’s designed a plan, and he really wants to bring the urban farming to the mainstream. … He’s just going for it. The man will definitely be very successful in his endeavor.”

Lahav agrees, saying he embodies the mantra of “Say yes; tell the world; figure it out.”

“That’s really how Austin lives,” she says. “He said yes, he’s telling the world about it and he’ll figure it out.”

MORE INFORMATION:

To see a working Tower Garden, visit City Foods Co-op, 632 Main St., Lafayette.

To contribute to the project, go to redgiantunion.org.

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FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 23

By Katherine Coplen Photography by Josh Marshall

Celebrating

50 YEARS

CISCO grows from the ground up

D

Dave Pearl loves the seed business.

“My wife kids me,” The CISCO Cos.’ president and CEO says one brisk afternoon at the tail end of 2014. “She says, ‘How can you be up and look forward to going to work every day?’ And I say, ‘You know what, if you like doing it, and you enjoy doing it, and you work with good people, and you’ve got good customers, it just makes it fun.’ Every day is different. You’re not on an assembly line. Mother Nature brings you certain things today and brings you different things tomorrow. You just have to adjust and go with the flow.”

The company he runs is an independent distributor of all manner of products for farmers and homesteaders large and small. CISCO now distributes more than 25,000 products out of its 120,000-square-foot Marion County warehouse. But half a cen-

CISCO President and CEO David Pearl

24 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

tury ago, in 1965, the warehouse was founder Mike Hemmingsen’s car.

“We started out in farm supplies and feed ingredients close to 50 years ago, distributing out of the founder’s car,” Pearl says. “We’ve gone from that basic background to where we distribute salt, farm supplies, feed ingredients, pet foods, lawn and garden products, seed, bird food, horticultural products, a new line of foliar nutrition products, you name it.”

Pearl — “born and bred in Ohio,” he says — came on in 1989 as seed division manager for the company.

Now, CISCO has four stockholders: Pearl, who bought into the company about 15 years ago, and Mike Hemmingsen’s children, Greg Hemmingsen (Pearl’s business partner and chairman of CISCO’s board), Holly Challis and Marshall Hemmingsen.

“It was 1983 when CISCO got into the seed business,” Pearl says. “It grew like wildfire. My background is seed. I’ve been in that business for 35 years. Maybe longer than that.

Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Work may be fun, but the prospect of monitoring seed quality is serious business, particularly in Indiana, Pearl says, which has higher seed standards than many surrounding states.

“First of all, we have several inspectors throughout the state,” he explains.

“There are probably four or five that are active, which is unusual. Because a lot of the surrounding states have not been in as good of a financial

Travis Crosby and Kathy Lawrence in their offices at CISCO.

ABOVE

situation, they’ve cut back on their inspectors. Michigan has one for the whole state; Ohio has one or two.

We’ve got four or five, and they’re more active. They have stricter controls on laws. We’ve got tighter purity and germination laws than some of the other states, and it’s enforced more so than a lot of other states.”

Cover crops and forage seeds are an area of focus for CISCO, and it all ties back to food production.

“We’re supposed to be producing

Paul Mendoza fills bags with wild bird feed.

Natalie Markle

double the food by 2060,” he muses, explaining why both of these types of products are important. “How do we do that … on less land than we have right now? Well, you’ve got to improve the soil health and work on that. … The animals have to eat, and we like to eat animals, so you’ve got (forage seeds) as a necessity that the farmers will have to buy.”

Outside of seeds, CISCO has found success with house-made products like Endure, a lawn fertilizer for homeowners. The company also distributes its own line of pond products, targeted at customers who swim, boat or fish in their own ponds.

“Every day is different. You’re not on an assembly line. Mother Nature brings you certain things today and brings you different things tomorrow.

You just have to adjust and go with the flow.” —DAVE PEARL

CISCO isn’t just family-owned and stocked with products that target the individual farmer. The company is entirely focused on independent retailers.

“We do not do the box stores, the Home Depots, the Lowe’s; they’re not on our radar,” Pearl says. “It’s just private, independent businesses.”

That’s the way that CISCO has always operated: servicing the independent stores and the cooperatives, who in turn often sell to small-scale farmers who have a particular set of needs.

“They have a really knowledgeable staff at CISCO,” says Cathy Logan, manager of Harvest Land Co-op’s Greenfield retail store location. Harvest

Land is a collection of farmer-owned cooperatives, dotted across Indiana and Ohio. CISCO supplies seed to Logan’s store, along with a lot of animal care products “for the homeowners who want to raise their 15 chickens in their backyard, or maybe they have four or five pigs. A lot of those products you get for folks in the 4-H program.

They’re not doing it on a big scale.

They’re doing it on a much smaller scale, but they still need products to take care of those animals.”

“Everybody’s going after the big boys,” Pearl says, by way of explanation of the company’s focus on independent stores. “A lot of times, there’s great FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 25

A map from 1991 that used to hang in the CISCO office with the locations of customers highlighted.

Thank you for your business! volume there, there’s a lot of money, but the profit margins are squeezed.

They tell you when they’re going to pay you and what products they need, what price they’re going to pay, and by the way, when can you get it here?

We’re running our business, instead of having them run our business.”

Cooperatives are a large part of CISCO’s customer base, along with feed stores. Pearl also high-

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Room to

grow

By Garrett Kelly Photography by Josh Marshall

Michael Wolfe hopes to jump-start the local food economy in Muncie

Michael Wolfe at the Farmished site in Muncie.

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THE OLD SAYING GOES “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” That idea is at the heart of the Muncie-based nonprofit, Farmished.

According to Michael Wolfe, founder and president, the goal of his organization is to teach the principles of farming to anyone interested. Wolfe hopes to offer programs to educate Hoosiers on subjects ranging from using cover crops to caring for livestock. And he says he can help hobby gardeners and farmhands, alike. “What we’re hearing from the local producers is that there’s nobody on the job market locally that has farming skills anymore,” he explains.

Wolfe hopes to offer free training sessions on skills like building fence rows and composting, but the organization isn’t quite there yet. Once Farmished is

28 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

fully functional, which realistically he says could take anywhere from one to 10 years depending on how quickly funding comes in, he will take advantage of programs that offer money specifically for agricultural training. His main focus is to provide an alternative career path to the numerous industrially trained workers who are underemployed in Muncie, he explains.

“If a fraction of them are looking to change the career they’re in, I think we could be able to help them with this program,” Wolfe says.

COOKING UP A PLAN The moment that sparked Wolfe’s idea for Farmished took place in his own kitchen. He says his teenage daughter saw raw meat in a skillet and said, “Eew.” According to Wolfe, that’s when he realized there was a difference between how he grew up and how his daughter was growing up. Wolfe, who works full time as the chief technology officer for Ontario Systems in Muncie, grew up on a hobby farm in southern Johnson County. “I was raised where we did everything on our own,” he says. “We butchered our own hogs and cattle. We grew a little bit of everything and always had a big garden. I was very connected with food.”

Having lived in Muncie for nearly 20 years, Wolfe says his family had become removed from the production of food. This realization prompted him to dig into the local farming community to help change his family’s eating habits. He ended up interacting with farmers and suppliers with unique initiatives that kept hitting roadblocks, both economic and educational. He started meeting with those farmers and suppliers to see how he could help. “We decided the thing that was missing was

a nonprofit to be a catalyst and come in and really jump-start the local food economy,” he says.

Wolfe says the people behind Farmished don’t come from nonprofit backgrounds. His board of directors currently consists of three other people, but the goal is a board of nine to 12 members. Ideally, the board would be composed of an equal representation between producers, consumers and community members.

Having joined in October, Kelli Huth is the newest board member of Farmished. Connected with the Muncie community and interested in sustainability, Huth works at Ball State University as the director of the fellowship program, and she makes connections between community organizations and student teams that complete semesterlong projects together.

Huth believes that if anyone in the Muncie-area could bring this vision to life, it’s Wolfe. She says he is willing to step up and take action, and his strategic plan was one of the best she’s ever seen. “He thought through this a lot,” Huth says. “He knows all of the different components within a community as far as the education (aspect) and the resources needed.”

Wolfe says the goal of the organization is to work itself out of business.

“Nonprofit was a model chosen because of what it can do for the local food system,” Wolfe says. “We’ve succeeded when we are no longer needed.”

STEP BY STEP Wolfe took a big step toward his goal by recently acquiring 10 acres where training activities will take place. He says the process of selecting land took nearly six months because he was picky about the location. He wanted the training farm to be in one of Muncie’s many food deserts — a term defined by the

USDA as rural or urban census tracts with a substantial number of residents having little convenient access to grocery stores or other means of obtaining fresh, nutritious food. He also wanted five acres or more. “We probably could have gotten land faster if we would have gone to a rural setting,” he says. “We were really trying to get something that would be an urban teaching farm in the heart of the city and on the bus route.”

The land acquired by Farmished was a foundry in its former life. According to Wolfe, the foundry was operational from the early 1900s up until 1985.

Since it closed, he says the spot developed a bad reputation. It’s been used to store hazardous materials, it caught fire several times, and it was demol-

Farmished acquired, and he was also passionate about sustainability. Wolfe says the mayor wanted to help the citizens of Muncie get excited about local food and food security. “He is a practical guy who gets things done,” Wolfe says. “He empowered his team to also be that way.”

The first training session will take place during the summer, and the lesson will be on composting. Wolfe says Muncie has a lot of urban soil that is not of great quality, but composting will provide nutrient-rich soil. He is working with the community to acquire the composting material needed.

The county and city sanitation department are going to divert food waste to the site. For carbon, local landscapers

“We probably could have gotten land faster if we would have gone to a rural setting. We were really trying to get something that would be an urban teaching farm in the heart of the city and on the bus route.” —MICHAEL WOLFE

ished. “We got a standing ovation at the neighborhood association meeting when we announced we were taking over the property,” he says. “We hadn’t even said what we were doing with it yet, but people were happy about it.”

Since the plot was a former industrial site with hazardous materials, Wolfe says work will need to be done to get it farm ready. He says about five of the 10 acres are covered in rubble that will need to be removed, and the Environmental Protection Agency is testing the soil and water. “The hazmat level is expected to be very low or not at all,” Wolfe says. “We want to get the testing done, confirmed and verified.”

Wolfe says the city of Muncie was instrumental in helping him locate the land for his organization. He admits that he wasn’t expecting much from the local government because he had never worked with it before. The mayor, Dennis Tyler, grew up near the foundry

will provide chipped wood from job sites. “We’ve got the interest in our community to do a lot of community gardens,” Wolfe says. “Everybody wants one, and one of the things that’s lacking is the high quality soil.”

The focus now is cleaning up the site. The project can’t move on until this task is completed. He says people always ask how they can help make Farmished a success. Before they got the land, he asked people to just spread the word. Now, he says they are soliciting donations to keep the ball rolling.

Donations can be made on the website, and the next wave of help needed will be from volunteers. “Once we have the property vetted out environmentally, people can get involved with their hands if they want to,” Wolfe says.

“There are a lot of folks that are waiting for that moment.”

For more information, visit farmished.org.

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 29

Cream of the Crop

De La Luna’s Caroline Rosa Kesten refuses to give up her dream

W

BY CJ WOODRING

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH MARSHALL

30 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

WHEN LIFE GIVES us lemons, we’re advised to make lemonade. Nothing is mentioned about goat’s milk.

So when the LaManchas at Caroline Rosa Kesten’s De La Luna Creamery began to expand, producing more milk than she could use or store, she made cheese.

“As the herd grew, I was wondering what I was going to do with all this milk,” Kesten says. “That’s when my interest was really piqued, because there’s such a diverse array of artisanal cheeses that can be made.”

Primary cheese output at the Corydon-based creamery includes havarti, mozzarella, ricotta and chevre. Kesten now processes an average of 30 to 40 pounds of cheese per week, along with milk and yogurt.

And she is hoping to partner with local establishments, such as Point Blank Brewing Co. (pointblankbrew ing.com), which has products that are a natural pairing with cheese.

But in order to do so, Kesten needs to expand operations. And that’s a dream that has, thus far, remained elusive.

Kesten has a commercial feed license; farm sales have been brisk.

But because USDA–Dairy Grading Branch guidelines don’t deem her operations inspectable, she can sell only

Chevre and raw milk farmhouse cheeses with herbs and dried flowers

specially labeled products — and only from her property — thus eliminating sales to commercial endeavors.

To conform to guidelines, Kesten must upgrade her milking system; hand milking is not permissible. An automated milking system, which milks four goats at a time and includes washing equipment and supplies, would save time while also incorporating more sanitary practices. But the cost is nearly $4,000, which Kesten doesn’t have.

“Caroline has the entrepreneurial spirit,” says Nathan Blank, owner of

Point Blank, a restaurant and microbrewery founded in 2012 in Corydon’s historic downtown district. “But she doesn’t have a lot of resources at hand, so is looking for a leg up. She has a good product and just needs a way to take it commercial. We would definitely feature her products.”

Mike and Margaret Schad, owners of Scout Mountain Winery, a 5-yearold family operation, are also looking forward to selling Kesten’s cheese.

“We’ve purchased her cheese at the farm, and it’s very good,” Mike Schad

says. “When people come in to town, they’re always looking for locally made products, and we told her if she ever gets up and running, we’ll carry her cheese. But we can’t sell it at our facility until it has government approval.

“There are about five wineries in Harrison County,” the vintner adds, “and I’m sure they’d all like to have her product. It’s a big undertaking, and I’m sure she has an uphill battle, but we wish her the best and hope she gets everything she needs to get open.”

WORKING HARD FOR THE MONEY Commercial lenders tend to be conservative when it comes to handing over dollars to small operations with no track record or collateral. Grants, while available, are highly competitive and the application process tedious. While

Oris, Kesten’s Great Pyrenees.

not wanting to milk the system, in 2014 Kesten turned to crowdfunding, admitting it wasn’t her first choice.

The online social media phenomenon launched in the last decade allows individuals to solicit interestfree money from strangers. If successful — applicants have a deadline in which to raise funds, which are returned if the goal isn’t met — the only payback is perks and thanks.

Kesten selected Barnraiser, a crowdfunding site devoted exclusively to the food movement. Successfully funded projects include constructing a poultry processing unit in Washington and helping an online Minnesota farmers market expand operations.

As with all projects, investors receive perks according to the donation level. Kesten’s site promised thank-you gifts ranging from a “Brie Happy” bumper sticker to seasonal cheeses and wines, the latter available only to local donors.

Although Kesten’s monetary goal wasn’t reached by the Dec. 30, 2014, deadline, she intends to continue exploring other funding options and may return to the site down the road. “I don’t want to FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 31

“This is what I’m supposed to do.

There’s never a day I don’t get up and love what I’m doing, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. But along with that goes a lot of stress.”

— CAROLINE ROSA KESTEN

come off as a panhandling hobo,” she says, “but using my house as collateral really is a last resort.”

Many entrepreneurs offer homes as collateral. But it’s not a viable option for Kesten, whose aging mother and disabled sister live with her.

“Working at home helps me be close to them,” she says. “I supply all the

groceries, prepare the meals and am the only one who drives. So this seems like a better arrangement for everyone, especially for my sister.

“This is what I’m supposed to do,” she adds. “There’s never a day I don’t get up and love what I’m doing, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. But along with that goes a lot of stress.

Even though I believe in myself, in my products, and I’m really committed to this long term, it’s kind of scary to consider putting up my house for equity.”

FROM WINERY TO CREAMERY Kesten was born in Heilbronn, Germany, where her father was stationed with the U.S. Army. Her German mother and grandparents owned a small vineyard in the town, which is renowned for its wine industry.

After her father was relocated to Fort Knox, Kentucky, Kesten earned an engineering degree from nearby University of Louisville.

“I don’t think it was really what I wanted,” she says in retrospect, “and it wasn’t going to work out. I realized I just wanted to get into a rural area and wanted to farm. So I got here as quickly as I could and bought a farmhouse and some goats.”

As a member of the Kentuckiana Herb Society of America (herb society.org), Kesten has incorporated a greenhouse on her 13-acre property. The herb garden supplies

plants for cooking, medicinal purposes and for coating or sprinkling in cheeses. Then there’s her “day job.”

“Like most farmers ... I guess you have to work outside the home,” she says. “I began working at Shireman’s Farm Market because I really wanted to work for a farm business.

“Beginning in January each year, I work in my own greenhouse and in spring transition to their openair market,” she explains. “It’s a nice little spot, and they want me to get USDA inspected so I can put my milk in their market.”

Kesten encourages farm visits to her property. “I welcome people to come over and walk in the pasture or see the feed at any point,” she says.

“And people take me up on that, because you can’t do that everywhere or at larger facilities. It’s a way to meet people, get to know my neighbors.

“In return, people today want to know their food sources and what’s in it. The key to any product is the overall health and maintenance of the animals.

I believe that when people come up my

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drive, walk the fields, they’ll get the idea my animals are well taken care of.”

ONWARD AND UPWARD Despite the fact Barnraiser didn’t raise her roof, Kesten isn’t discouraged.

“I talked with a lot of people and reconnected with many others. All in all, it was a positive experience,” she says.

“It’s not the end of the day, and I’m not going to die on that hill,” she says. “If anything, it was one rock I turned over and wasn’t all for a loss.

So now it’s onward and upward.”

In addition to continuing work with local growers, Kesten plans to begin construction on the building for which she’s seeking inspection, hoping it will add credibility to her letter of intent.

She also intends to be involved with a year-round farmers market currently under consideration in Corydon. “If nothing else, I’d be a good customer,” she says. “I like to see our community do well.”

To learn more, visit facebook.com/ caroline.r.kesten, twitter.com/rosasfarm, or delalunacreamery.com.

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FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 33

Farm to School

Big Ideas

I

To Chris Cruzan, urban farming is as much a philosophy as it is a way of life

BY JIM POYSER

34 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

I DON’T GET UP TO CARMEL very often from my home in Indianapolis, but when I do, I usually bike up the Monon Trail. Today, though, I am in a car, and the route I’ve taken is unfamiliar ground.

Well, perhaps I have been here before, but the land was likely farmland; now it is one subdivision after another — commodious homes with cars that dwarf my 1999 Honda.

Somewhere on my drive, the development — houses, businesses, churches — falls suddenly away, yielding to a far-as-the-eye-can-see flat swath of farmland. Soon enough, however, as I near my destination, development begins again. The construction is new — new enough that walls of dirt loom near the road. These piles will soon be coated with snow and prove to be excellent mountainous adventures for Carmel kids this winter.

I find Chris Cruzan’s house in an older neighborhood. It’s a relative term, “older.” The homes there are 50 years old, instead of the 50-days- or 50-months-old houses I’ve traveled by to get here.

Cruzan greets me in his driveway with a cup of coffee in hand. It’s a cold afternoon just before Christmas. I am here to spend time with this urban farmer and educator, check out his hydroponic greenhouse and dig into his philosophy.

Cruzan is 50 years old, a graduate of Carmel High School and Ball State University, with a degree in cultural geography. He is trim, fit and speaks in an easy, engaging Chris Cruzan way. His remarks are peppered with phrases like “I ain’t gonna lie to you,” and he punctuates his sentences with “man” and “Jim.” He invites me into his home and immediately tells me that it’s been “a great day.” For one thing, he was just named to the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors. But what’s even more important to Cruzan is educating kids, and so he waxes enthusiastic about his morning visit to Avondale Meadows Academy in Indianapolis. More on that in a bit.

First we take a tour of his 500-square-foot greenhouse, which is still, at this point in

the season, preparing for its full winter flourish. Off to one side are tomato plants with beautiful red specimens ready to pluck. There are dozens of lettuces growing in dirt, bound for The Mug farm-to-curb drive-in restaurant in Greenfield.

And more lettuces are embedded in a growing system that is Cruzan’s specialty: a hydroponic setup.

Soon the greenhouse will be full of food in a hydroponics growing system — a farming system that Cruzan promotes wherever he goes. I’ve seen him in action, actually, as I invited him to stage a workshop with students at The Children’s House, a school in which I was embedded as an educator this past fall. At The Children’s House, he taught the students — fourth- through eighth-graders — all about hydroponics

AT A GLANCE

Chris Cruzan » Hamilton County Master Gardener. » Started hydroponic farming in 2009. and aeroponics. He even left a fully functioning aeroponics system, along with basil starts to tend.

I ask him why hydroponics is so important to him.

“Hydroponics just expands your ability to take farming to a whole new level,” he answers. “It is a great way to garden, a beautiful way to produce food at a maximum rate, and it’s an even better way to reduce your use of water.”

He elaborates: “I have a 500-square-foot greenhouse in my backyard, and I’m going to be producing 400 to 500 heads of lettuce per month. That’s a head of lettuce per square foot.

It’s only because I can do it hydroponically, and I can go up into the air.”

Lettuce isn’t the only produce he grows. “I can get up to 300 peppers off of a single plant in one season,” he says. “It just boggles people’s minds. When you look at the economics of that, I just produced 300 peppers off of one plant with absolutely no energy — other than my own physical energy.”

Cruzan pauses. “Well, the plankton-based nutrients that I use — the organic stuff I use for hydroponics — had to be produced somewhere and shipped here,” he says. “There’s the energy usage. Mine is distributed and bottled in Bloomington, Indiana.

“Buy local,” he emphasizes. “If you can get something local, get it local. That’s what we’re talking about with hydroponics and farming.”

Conservation is the key: “Depending on what you’re growing,” he says, “you get two to six times the harvest per plant hydroponically using half to a third of the water.

There’s no waste; there is no runoff. The serious hydroponic growers — that have acres of hydroponic greenhouses — they will change their water out, and I’m sure they have waste. For my practices and for what we teach in an urban atmosphere, there is no wasted water. It’s so minimal; it’s evaporation only.”

Cruzan emphasizes that hydroponic farming “widens the opportunities for farming in general — to people like me who live in an urban setting.”

THE FARMER/PHILOSOPHER »Think of Cruzan as a philosopher, one who has honed his philosophies while working for decades with his hands. He’s been a house painter, a carpenter, and now he’s an urban farmer and educator.

His roots in the area go deep: “My family has been here since 1838,” he says. “Started farming in Hamilton County in 1838. I am the first generation not to grow up on a farm. My dad and his brothers were in World War II, and they didn’t want to go back to the farm. We had a full acre garden when I was growing up, right here on 146th Street. That acre is still

» Began urban farm education programs 2010. there, and I might be leasing that acre for greenhouse space.” » Began drying and Cruzan has plenty of grand processing chili powder ideas, and he’s not shy about sharing blends for local market. them. “The population increase is so » Began direct growing dramatic from year to year, and the super hot peppers for amount of people falling into poverty local sauce maker 2013. not just worldwide, but in the United States. And right here in Indiana. » Began direct growing head Look at how many kids are under the lettuce and herbs for The Mug Drive-in, Greenfield (Tyner poverty level now.”

Pond Farm/Husk Grocery According to the Annie E. Casey Business Group) 2014.

Kids Count Data Center, in 2012 almost one-quarter of Indiana children » Core member/founder, CCS under the age of 18 were living in (Carmel Clay Schools) Plots poverty. Almost 22 percent of kids in to Plates Organic Gardens.

Indiana were officially “food insecure.” » Core member directors, Cruzan believes he has a solution.

CCS Greenteam.

“We can put gardens in all these empty spots in downtown India» Hamilton County Soil and napolis,” he explains. “They have a Water Conservation District Superfund money stash to knock Board of Directors, 2015. down all these houses. … They are » Lives in Carmel with his wife, razing houses right now. That ground Andrea, and daughter, Josie. is not going to be good to put gardens in. There’s so much taint in that soil. … You’re either going to be building raised beds — and I don’t have any problem with that — or you’re going to need to use hydroponics.

“There are so many vacant parking lots in Marion County that are just wide open sun on concrete,” he adds.

“Half of them even have electrical to them because they have parking lot lights. You can get what little energy you need, and you can set up these hoop houses by the dozens on these parking lots.”

I begin to see Cruzan’s vision, on empty lots and rooftops and parking lots, hoop houses by the hundreds, even the thousands, growing food for the local population.

“Indianapolis could grow all the food it needs,” Cruzan adds. “You could provide most of the food IPS schools need with a combination of hydroponics and some other best farming practices.”

What about Carmel and Hamilton County, I ask him.

“Carmel has all these huge things being built,” he says.

“They just redid Meridian Street, and you see how big these overpasses are. Look at the size of those walls. Why aren’t they being outfitted with hydroponic grow systems? Even if it’s just growing pretty flowers, everything that’s green that’s FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 35

alive puts oxygen back into the atmosphere. I’m all for that.

“In Hamilton County, we have some water issues. It’s all because how they have divvied up the aqua-shed here,” he adds. “Carmel pumps its own water; we don’t have a water problem. We own our own wells. We are the only city in Hamilton County that owns its own wells now. All the other cities — and I mean cities not towns — in Hamilton County get their water from Citizens (Energy Group) — the same people you get your water from (in Indy). They own the reservoirs; they own the rights to the water in the reservoirs.”

He pauses, then adds, “Water is a big issue. Conservation of water is as important to me as climate change is in the grand scheme of things. Whether you are a 1,000-acre farmer or an urban farmer, you should take into consideration what you’re doing to the environment, whether it’s the atmosphere or the groundwater.

“Our farmlands in Hamilton County have dwindled almost to nothing,” he adds, “because it’s so valuable as housing property or business.” As he is speaking, I recall my drive up here, the massive amount of development, the lack of farmland. The farmland I did encounter could soon instead be growing houses, driveways and streets.

“As a farmer, I can’t afford to buy property in my own county,” he says.

“I have to make do with the two-thirds of an acre in Carmel, Indiana. We are not square-foot producing now because I have an 11-year-old kid who wants a backyard. But as soon as she decides she doesn’t care a whole lot about that backyard, I guarantee we’ll put in another greenhouse or we’ll certainly do raised beds for lettuces.”

IN THE CLASSROOM »At Avondale Academy that morning, Cruzan asked the students: How many of you have a big enough yard to grow a garden?

No one raised his or her hand.

How many of you even have a yard?

Fewer than 25 percent raised their hands.

How many of you have had a vineripened tomato?

“None,” Cruzan says, shaking his head. “Not one of them even knew what a vine-ripened tomato was.

“Urban youth tend to think of farming as some dude on a tractor out there making some dust and some corn that they see on occasion when they happen to get out of the city,” he says. “Hydroponics provides the opportunity to teach these kids about farming in an urban atmosphere. When you are looking at the art and science of hydroponics, it’s an imagination-grabber for kids. It’s not digging a hole in the dirt.

It’s making a piece of equipment from preferably something you can reuse or repurpose, making something you can grow food in, no matter where you’re at.

They are living in apartment complexes, condos, zero lot-line places. With

hydroponics they can farm right in their living room.”

What was especially exciting for Cruzan in working with these children is that he was there to help them start their own business: “These 20 kids are going to start a business in their classroom, in literally a 2-foot-by-4-foot imprint on the floor in a science classroom. Their goal is to make $400 this year during school in 10 months growing hydroponic lettuce.”

Cruzan then adds another one of his big ideas: “All the kids in Carmel should come out of fifth grade knowing supply and demand and knowing how to run, at a minimum, a farmers market booth,” he says. “Kids are insanely smart. You have to keep them engaged, and you gotta keep them out of trouble and stay positive.”

Ultimately, he says, “I’m fighting for the kids around here, and I’ll do it with hydroponics. I’ll do it with everything I can. That’s what’s important to me.”

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HYDROPONICS VS. AEROPONICS

Hydroponics is a soil-less growing system for plants. Aeroponics is a sophisticated version of hydroponics, wherein plants are suspended and sprayed with a nutrient-dense solution.

Some growing systems to consider:

EBB AND FLOW SYSTEM

DEEP WATER CULTURE

PROPAGATION

» Ideal for small- to medium-sized plants. This method of hydroponics will suspend plant roots in a nutrient-rich solution. The water is kept oxygenated by reticulating through a reservoir for several plants. Deep water culture allows plant roots to absorb large quantities of oxygen while also allowing the uptake of nutrients. Depending on your gardening needs, look for a garden that can maintain the plants you wish to grow. Deep water culture can still work well with larger-sized plants, but make sure to space them appropriately and not mix plant varieties together that will not grow well together.

Plants that work best with this type of garden are herbs, small flowers and lettuce.

» This type of system is made for cuttings taken from already grown healthy plants. Water is pumped through sprayers and misters to ensure newly formed roots on cuttings are properly nourished. Make sure to use a system that still allows enough oxygen to get to your plants’ roots, as this is essential for early root development. Proper nutrient selection is recommended to promote strong healthy roots on each cutting. Once plants have developed strong enough roots, they must be transplanted into a different type of growing system so that roots will not clog the pump.

Ideal for any type of plant in which cuttings can be taken.

NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE

EXPANDABLE DRIP SYSTEM

» Ideal for medium- or large-sized plants. Nutrient film technique involves a thin layer or film of nutrient solution flowing over the roots of the plants. All of the plants’ nutrient needs are met through the air and water solution washed through the plants’ root system. For large-sized plants (e.g., tomatoes) make sure plants are spread out in gardens so that they can receive all necessary nutrients. Can be mixed with a deep water culture technique to get the best of both.

Plants that work best with this type of garden are herbs, tomatoes, African violets, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, vegetative plants, kale and oriental vegetables.

» Designed for large plants. Probably the most widely used form of hydroponics. Uses an approach similar to deep water culture method and is self-contained. Very simple to assemble and use.

It works by placing plants in growing medium suspended by baskets. Water is then pumped into a grow tray. Water and nutrient solution are then dripped through the growing medium from a reservoir for plants to take in nutrients through their roots. The constant water flow allows oxygen to be easily accessible for plants.

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» This type of system works by temporarily flooding the grow tray with nutrient solution and then draining the solution back into the reservoir. This is normally done with a submerged pump. There are many different kits you can mix and match to build the right garden kit for your plants using this style. It is very versatile with different types of growing media.

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FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 37

In the Classroom Local FFA chapters

STUDENT LEARNING Tri-County FFA program leaders strive to teach kids in and out of the classroom

T

By Catherine Whittier | Photography by Josh Marshall

Tri-County Junior/Senior High School sits surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland in White County. It would seem that Tri-County students and FFA members would have limited access to outside educational experiences. But, according to Travis Scherer, Tri-County agriculture teacher and FFA adviser, the agriculture students at Tri-County are far from isolated.

The school’s proximity to agribusinesses, such as BioTown Ag Inc. and Fair Oaks Farms, which operate on the cutting edge of science and technology by converting organic waste into energy, presents potential learning opportunities for his students. Hundreds of giant wind turbines dot the skyline, making wind technology and alternative energy resources a more natural part of classroom discussion. And Purdue University is just 30 minutes from Tri-County, which Scherer says is a great resource for FFA members as they are able to meet with professors, students and staff individuals to talk about agriculture.

The study of agriculture at Tri-County Middle and High School continues to be at the core of what Tri-County has to offer students. Scherer explains that all eighth-graders are required to take the introduction to agriculture course. “We try to introduce students to the ideas of population and lack of resources,” he explains. “We’ve got to feed everybody. ... We start giving students those ideas

38 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

— that it’s more than just Wolcott, Indiana. It’s a global (issue). We’re trying to feed the world. I think that’s where agriculture is right now; especially when you go visit Purdue, their focus is on the food situation.”

Ashley Steuer, Scherer’s teaching partner and co-FFA adviser, says that while eighth-grade students are required to take the introductory course, many of her students come back for additional agriculture classes. “The kids like to be in our classes; they want to be in here,” she says. “It’s not that they’re forced; they want to be active, and they want to be a part of it.

“Even if they don’t live on a farm, they are surrounded by farms, so it’s still part of their culture,” she adds.

“It’s part of the atmosphere and part of what, for some of them, they know.”

One-third of Tri-County’s 85 FFA members have families who are currently involved in some form of production agriculture; one-third are removed by a generation or two and live in town or a rural non-farm setting; and onethird have no prior connection to the farm at all. Steuer believes that many of Tri-County’s ag students will choose a career related to agriculture.

According to Scherer, Tri-County’s FFA chapter is special not only because of the school’s proximity to nearby educational opportunities or the school’s integral focus on agriculture, but also because of previous advisers who built a solid foundation for success. Scherer explains that the school has always had a two teacher program that values FFA and production agriculture. Scherer joined Tri-County in 2002, bringing with him a stronger focus on agriscience, which grew with his continuing education. “We value production agriculture, but we also value STEM: science, technology, engineering and

Tri-County Jr./ Sr. High School instructors Travis Scherer (left) and Ashley Steuer.

math,” he says. “We try to have a wellrounded program.”

While the FFA chapter at Tri-County was developed by devoted teachers, it has been sustained by involved parents, frequently alumni, who wish to see their children benefit from all FFA has to offer. The ag room is lined with the blue banners that laud the accomplishments of those who came before, often the parents of today’s members. “The parents understand the value of FFA and the ag program and the skills: premier leadership, personal growth and career success,” says Scherer. “Parents are involved. We have a strong Parent Connections group, which raises money for scholarships. We have a sponsorship drive every year, so we have a lot of sponsors, and the community members really support the program.”

Tri-County students and FFA members Sean Harrington and Kaitlin Waibel are working together on two national FFA contests. They are preparing for the National FFA Agriscience Fair, where they will compete in the Power, Structural and Technical Systems category by comparing two downforce management systems for planters in an attempt to prove which one is better.

Laura Johnson, Grade 12, waters her plants. ABOVE Students from Scherer’s class tend to their plants in the greenhouse.

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 39

Sean Harrington and Kaitlin Waibel hold one of their two National FFA Agriscience Fair entries. BOTTOM RIGHT Raegan Brantley, Grade 9, tends to her plants in the greenhouse.

Harrington and Waibel, along with a third team member, Alexis Pearson, a former Tri-County student who currently attends Purdue University, will also compete in the National FFA Marketing Plan Career Development Event, which involves preparing an eight-page marketing plan, ready for presentation and implementation, for an existing ag business. They have also been preparing a four-year budget for the business as part of their marketing plan.

Waibel is exploring her options for the future, but a few ag ideas include traveling to teach people how to farm internationally, becoming an agronomist locally or working in her family’s business. Her uncle manages a hog farm on the family property.

Harrington spent a great deal of time playing and working on the Waibel farm when he was young. “I’m what all the FFA people refer to as a town kid because I don’t live on a farm,” he says.

“But my grandfather started his grain operation from scratch and grew it, and he made a name for himself in northern Indiana. My mom left the farm and became a teacher, but growing up I’ve always gone to my grandparents, and all my cousins have all shown steers through 4-H.” Regarding the future, Harrington isn’t quite sure, “but one plan I’ve had in mind is to eventually go to law school and work for a nonprofit organization in the ag field,” he says. “A dream job would be working for the National FFA Organization on the national level.” Both students currently work on the Waibel family farm.

Tri-County students grow vegetables outdoors, as well as in a greenhouse, for the school lunch program, which Scherer says is part of the school’s developing farm-to-school movement. He has also

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Kyler Walder and Jordan Stearns, both Grade 12, harvest their crop.

worked with the school’s head cook to bring in beef and pork products from local farmers as an alternative to buying from a large food distributor.

The school’s FFA advisers also work diligently to find outside agricultural experiences for their students. “We have a lot of partnerships where kids work for people or they own animals, or they have their own businesses,” Scherer says. “I’ve had students run their own lawn business, raise and sell pigs, do trapping for wildlife.

“What we strive for at Tri-County is to make sure the students have a quality classroom experience,” Scherer says, and that “students have outside classroom experiences in industry and on the farm.”

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FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 41

Current Trends

TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE Thanks to a Natural Resources Conservation Service grant program, more than $2 million in federal funds will go toward monitoring, assessing and improving the health of Indiana soil

By Jon Shoulders

U

UNDER THE FARM BILL passed by Congress in February 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides competitive grants for state or local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations and individuals, through its Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.

Originally established in 2004, the program was created by the NRCS to encourage the adoption of creative and cutting-edge techniques for natural resource conservation on agricultural land. Forty-seven organizations nationwide were awarded a total of $15.7 million under the CIG program last fall, three of which will use the grant money to expand and improve projects involving Indiana soil.

According to Jane Hardisty, an NRCS conservationist for the state of

42 // FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015

Indiana, what makes the CIG program unique is its focus on funding projects that have been thoroughly researched and are ready for immediate implementation. “Research can take five, 10, 15 or even 20 years, so this is more of a shorter term program that promotes new ideas and techniques that have a great likelihood of success and can be quickly applied on private lands owned by individuals, and then used to strengthen our rural communities,” she says. “It’s meant to really jumpstart some great conservation ideas and techniques that farmers can take note of and use on their private lands, but that can get hung up on the research side of things. We’re wanting ideas that can be implemented a bit more quickly than research would require.” Hardisty adds that the NRCS hopes the program will stimulate increased innovation from the private sector.

The NRCS awarded Purdue University $252,978 in CIG funds to undertake soil assessment and rehabilitation exclusively in Indiana, particularly on surface-mined land and other areas in southwestern regions of the state where surface soils have been drastically altered. “It’s hard to get good vegetation growing on mined land that has a lot of exposed minerals from being turned upside down, and Purdue is going to see what’s going on with the carbon and nutrients in those areas,” Hardisty says. Several Purdue projects have received CIG assistance since the grant program’s inception, including a 2011 grant that the university used to help implement conservation practices in Mississippi River Basin areas.

The National Association of Conservation Districts, a nonprofit organization that represents the 3,000 conservation districts across the U.S., including 92 in Indiana (one for each county in

the state), received $750,000 in CIG funds that will be used for the next three years to increase the amount of farmed acres nationwide that are managed for soil health. Hardisty says the growing number of soil conservation projects nationwide represents an increasing awareness of no-till techniques and the importance of soil health management among farmers.

“No-till and cover crops are really getting popular, and I think more folks are seeing that you have to build the organic matter in the soil instead of plowing and turning the ground upside down every year, where you’re really disturbing all that biology and microorganism activity that’s going on underground and affecting the soil nutrients,” Hardisty says. “It’s kind of getting back to basics, and the cool thing is that these principles of soil care and protection are the same whether you’re farming 5,000 acres or you’ve got a half-acre in your backyard with a hoop house. It’s a basic principle of taking care of your soil.”

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has been awarded $998,000 of CIG funds to assist its Soil Health Partnership, an initiative involving organizations from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. The NCGA will use the grant money to evaluate connections between on-farm management practices and soil health, as well as educate farmers and the public on practices for keeping soil healthy and productive.

Hardisty feels the timing is ideal for CIG assistance with the multistate Soil Health Partnership, which she says is expanding on methods used by the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI). A program exclusive to Indiana, CCSI leaders work with farmers within the state to promote maximum

USDA Conservation Innovation Grants What is the purpose of the grant program? soil health through advocacy of, and assistance with, environmentally friendly practices, such as cover cropping and no-till methods. “We’re really excited about how they’re building on our successes here in Indiana because we’ve really promoted soil health here,” she says. “We’ve got hub farm demonstrations going on, we’ve got farmer networking going on and farmers simply talking to each other about techniques for no-till and cover crops. Soil is a big issue with all farmers, particularly with the cost of fertilizers and chemicals.”

Additional 2014 grant recipients include the University of Missouri, which will use grant funds to continue developing a waste heat recovery system to reduce energy consumption in poultry production facilities; the Okanogan Conservation District in Washington state, whose leaders will work with local producers to examine the feasibility of using cover crops in nonirrigated regions of the state with low rainfall; and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which will establish a program to evaluate individual farms for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades.

The CIG program provides funds to assist the implementation of new and inventive conservation techniques to improve farming methods and protect natural resources.

Who is eligible to apply?

State or local governments, federally recognized Indian tribes and nongovernmental organizations and individuals in all 50 states can apply for CIG grant money. Funding opportunities are available at the national and state level; state projects must be farm-based, multi-county, small watershed or statewide in scope; and national projects can be watershedbased, regional, multi-state or nationwide. The NRCS accepts applications for single or multi-year projects, not to exceed three years. Applications are evaluated by a peer review panel and then sent to an NRCS grants review board, which makes recommendations to the NRCS chief for final selection.

How is the funding structured?

Grants are funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a federal program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers interested in implementing soil, water, air, plant and animal conservation projects. The CIG program provides up to 50 percent of the proposed project cost. At least 50 percent of the cost must come from non-federal matching funds provided by the grant recipient and can include cash and in-kind contributions. Funding notices are posted on grants.gov when CIG funds become available.

What types of projects are considered?

Innovative and cutting-edge natural resource conservation projects and technologies that have been thoroughly researched and can be demonstrated to indicate a strong likelihood of success are considered. Technologies and approaches commonly used in the geographic area where the applicant desires to undertake a particular project are not eligible for funding.

Additional information on the CIG program is available at nrcs.usda.gov/technical/cig.

FARM INDIANA // FEBRUARY 2015 // 43

Local Food

d

»

The Sweet Fruits of summer

By Clint Smith

Dee Alderman of Gram’s Jams believes everyone should try canning. “I always tell people who are interested in canning a couple of things: First, buy the Ball Blue Book of Canning and second, don’t be scared,” she explains. “I generally suggest they start with either canning tomatoes or strawberry jam. Both are easy to do and use the water bath canning method.

“Once you are in the middle of winter and you crack the seal on a jar of something that you’ve put up, and it tastes like you just walked

out and picked it from your garden … you won’t be able to resist canning more.”

Alderman says she just finished her first full season on the summerfall farmers market circuit, and this winter she has been experimenting with recipes for new flavors. In the works: “Orange marmalade, cherryvanilla and perhaps another wine jelly,” she says.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ Gramshomemadejams.

Dee Alderman, her husband, Jerry, and son, Devon

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RECIPE

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Spread Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious.

Take this month’s recipe, provided by Mark Henrichs, owner and chef with Revery restaurant in Greenwood.

Here, he shares a trouble-free recipe for making homemade ricotta cheese spread, which falls in line with the philosophy behind the restaurant: To offer a “simple, artistic presentation of local products,” Henrichs says.

For more information, visit reverygreenwood.com.

Mark Henrichs

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Spread 1 quart half-and-half 3 to 4 tablespoons white distilled vinegar To taste, kosher salt As needed, whole milk (for consistency) As needed, grilled or toasted bread As needed, black raspberry preserves

In a pot on medium low heat, bring half-and-half to 175 degrees (using a kitchen thermometer). Liquid should be just starting to steam. Add your vinegar evenly around the pot, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the curd has separated from the whey.

Slowly move separated curd with a spoon to ensure all the curd has separated. Spoon curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, add salt to taste, then chill. Discard whey.

When cheese has chilled, place mixture in a bowl and whip by hand, adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, until desired consistency has been reached. Serve with grilled or toasted bread and your favorite black raspberry preserves.

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Local Food

TASTE OF

HEAVEN

S

STEVE BEERS, OWNER OF MASTER’S HAND BBQ, certainly never pictured himself as a professional producer of savory rubs, condiments and namesake barbecue sauces. The former owner of a contracting business says, however, that “God had a different plan in 2009” for him. That was the year that “the economy went south, and we found ourselves closing our contracting business,” he explains.

It was also then that his daughter, Amanda Gordley, now a partner in

Master’s Hand BBQ, came up with the idea to create the business.

The company, he says, “started from the Original Taste of Heaven sauce or what we call our mild sauce.” For more than 30 years, he had produced the original sauce privately for his family; but over time, his recipe gained a reputation, with Beers creating large batches for weddings, graduations and other events. All along, friends urged him to package and market the popular sauce.

By May 2010, he had a reputable recipe and a loyal local following.

He just needed a venue to serve as a barometer for his budding business.

“When we first started, we thought we would test the market with our local farmers market in Columbia City,” he explains. “The market exceeded

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Local Food

“When we first started, we thought we would test the market with our local farmers market in Columbia City, The market exceeded our expectations, and we were off and running.”

our expectations, and we were off and running.”

The entrepreneur went on to build his business at farmers markets in Roanoke and Fort Wayne. “We rented the commercial kitchen at the 4-H center and now manufacture and package three regular barbecue sauces (mild, medium, and fire and brimstone), a sweet tangy mustard, an all-purpose rub or seasoning (and) — STEVE a chip and vegetable dip mix.”

Each Master’s Hand product is free of high fructose corn syrup, gluten, dairy, MSG, soy and artificial smoke flavoring. Products are available on the Master’s Hand BBQ website, but consumers can also find the bottles in more than 80 retail stores, some as far away as New Hampshire and New York.

Of course barbecue sauce is a traditional accompaniment for pulled pork, brisket and grilled items like chops and chicken, but Beers suggests

that the Master’s Hand BBQ sauces are also ideal pairings for sloppy Joe sandwiches and meatloaf. The Carolina-style MVP Mustard, he says, has been popular for its use with deviled eggs and potato salad. Also available is something Beers calls the snack line of products: barbecue peanuts, cashews, almonds and the latest product, Cajun-seaBEERS soned mixed nuts. He is currently developing two new recipes — a sugar-free version of the original barbecue sauce, as well as a maple-flavored barbecue sauce, which Beers is working with local maple syrup farmers to create.

“Though food products was not my background, I have always loved cooking (from scratch mostly) and dabbling in the kitchen,” he says. “We are always trying to improve and make even better products.”

For more information, visit mastershandbbq.com.

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