NOVEMBER 2014
Rural Living & Local Food
A Noble Cause
Kendallville family honored for efforts to preserve farm
ALSO INSIDE: Raising Turkeys | Sundry Farm | Blue River Natural Foods | Central Indiana Organics
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Offers good on new and unregistered units purchased between 7/1/14-8/31/14. *On select models. See your dealer for details. Rates as low as 2.99% for 36 months. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. Fixed APR of 2.99%, 5.99%, or 7.99% will be assigned based on credit approval criteria. Other financing offers are available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Offer effective on all new and unused 2008-2014 Polaris ATV, RANGER, and RZR models purchased from a participating Polaris dealer between 7/1/2014 and 8/31/2014. Offer subject to change without notice. Warning: The Polaris RANGER® and RZR® are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license to operate. Passengers must be at least 12 years old and tall enough to grasp the hand holds and plant feet firmly on the floor. All SxS drivers should take a safety training course. Contact ROHVA atwww.rohva.org or (949) 255-2560 for additional information. Drivers and passengers should always wear helmets, eye protection, protective clothing, and seat belts. Always use cab nets or doors (as equipped). Be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Never drive on public roads or paved surfaces. Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix. Check local laws before riding on trails. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. Polaris adult models are for riders 16 and older. For your safety, always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing, and be sure to take a safety training course. For safety and training information in the U.S., call the SVIA at (800) 887-2887. You may also contact your Polaris dealer or call Polaris at (800) 342-3764. ©2014 Polaris Industries Inc.
14055 South 725 West, Columbus, IN 47201 | 1-812-342-6010 | kendal@schafstall.net 3778 West State Road 56, Salem, IN 47167 | 1-812-883-1005 2 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
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, produc-
PUBLISHER | Chuck Wells EDITOR | Sherri Lynn Dugger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cissy Bowman, Nate Brownlee, Cheryl Carter Jones, Jessica Ervin, Katie Glick, Jessica Hoopengardner, Kay Jernigan McGriff, Garrett Kelly, Shawndra Miller, Jim Poyser, Jon Shoulders, Clint Smith, Rebecca Townsend, Ryan Trares, Anna Welch, Catherine Whittier, Robin Winzenread Fritz, CJ Woodring COPY EDITOR | Katharine Smith
ers, farmers, retailers, farming organizations and
SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST | Amanda Waltz
local food consumers; educates readers about the
ADVERTISING DESIGN Emma Ault, Hollie Brown, Dondra Brown, Tonya Cassidy, John Cole, Julie Daiker, Ben Hill, Phillip Manning, Josh Meyer, Desiree Poteete, Tina Ray, Kelsey Ruddell, Robert Wilson
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PHOTOGRAPHER | Josh Marshall
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.
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FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 3
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Editor’s Note
Luck be a Lady
If you’ve read these editor’s notes before, then you know a little something about me. Mainly, you know that I’m in one of the unlikeliest of places a girl like me could be. If you had told me 20 years ago that I would spend my 40s cleaning up chicken poop and feeding goats, I would have never believed you. Still, that’s how I spend my mornings … cleaning up chicken poop, and goat poop, and more chicken poop, and more goat poop, and then feeding the whole lot of the animals. As well as feeding our four barn cats, our indoor cats and our indoor dogs. And, finally, feeding my husband and me. I was never a dog person. Or a goat person. Or a chicken person. I was always only a cat person. Now I’m an every-animal kind of person, and I love it. I feel blessed that I get to feed the critters every day. I feel lucky that I’m actually keeping so many of them alive. I’m holding back from asking my husband if we can get more animals. (Trust me, honey: I am.) If you had witnessed my youthful attempts at keeping fish, you would understand why keeping these critters is such an accomplishment for me. During my sophomore year at Indiana University, I decided to try my luck with an aquarium. I quickly realized I was playing a heavy, and rather ugly, hand in aquatic life population control, and that it was best for them and me to give up my venture quickly. So we parted ways. Sadly, it was more painful for them than it was for me. May their small souls continue to rest in peace. For now, though, knock on wood, I seem to be doing OK at this farm girl thing. Everyone is fat and happy, and I’m enjoying the holy heck out of my days. Not only do I love my time with the animals, but I’m meeting like-minded farmers and food producers every step of the way. With each story that I edit for Farm Indiana, I learn something new. With each email that I receive,
I come closer to figuring out how our world works. I’ve had recent conversations about climate change, about global hunger, about sustainability, about small farming and about everything in between. Just today, on the morning that I write this note, I learned about agroecology and an international summit that took place in September to address the ways agriculture will need to change in order to feed our ever-growing world and simultaneously care for our environment. These are big lessons, some that certainly can be gleaned from textbooks, yes. But when learned about and applied in the real world, in the everyday, these lessons take on so much more weight. Because of my own successes and failures in gardening, I understand why Bobbi Boos and John Perry at Sundry Farm (p. 24) choose to build their soil first in order to successfully farm their land. I see the long-term value and importance in the work that Earl and Barb Smith at Blue River Natural Foods (p. 28) are doing to help small farmers better connect to local consumers; supporting our local food system helps to rebuild our environment, by lessening our footprint on it, while also strengthening our local economy. And I can appreciate the hard work that the McAlpins (p. 32) and the Feightners (p. 48) have put into preserving their lands and properties; my husband and I are in the thick of restoring our own property and home, and it’s sometimes hard to see past the mounting to-do list to remain focused on the final prize. So it’s with these many life lessons in mind, and the sheer joy of caring for others, that I wake each day to tackle my duties … as a wife, as an editor, as a stepmother to two teenagers who visit with us on the weekends and as a caretaker for many cats, a couple of dogs and a dozen chickens and goats. This is life as I know it, chicken poop and all. Lucky me.
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Contents November 2014
32
28 54 10 | From the Field 19 | Turkey Guide 24 | Sundry Farm 28 | Blue River Natural Foods 32 | McAlpin Farmhouse 36 | FFA Leadership 38 | Crowdfunding
40 | Whipker’s Market & Greenhouse 44 | Sandlady’s Gourd Farm
48 | Feightner Farm 52 | Central Indiana Organics 54 | Shamrock Farm 58 | Climate Change 60 | Local Food NOVEMBER 2014
7 | In the Front Row 9 | Calendar of Events
48 Rural Living & Local Food
A Noble Cause
Kendallville family honored for efforts to preserve farm
ALSO INSIDE: Raising Turkeys | Sundry Farm | Blue River Natural Foods | Central Indiana Organics
6 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
ON THE COVER The Feightner Farm Photo by Josh Marshall
In the Front Row YOU SAY
TOMATO
Top Honors
Purdue University has received a $2 million federal grant to lead multiinstitution research on breeding new varieties of organic tomatoes, which would resist foliar diseases. This four-year research project could help growers of organic tomatoes, as well as conventional tomato producers interested in increasing their plants’ resistance to disease while enhancing the taste of the fruits produced.
Purdue Extension has been handing out numerous awards in recent weeks. Here’s a round-up of who has been honored for their work. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PURDUE EXTENSION
Ken Huseman of Lake County has been chosen as the 2014 Friend of Purdue Extension for his commitment to supporting and promoting the program nationally and locally. Huseman has served on the Purdue Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching for 20 years and on the Lake County Extension Board for 34 years. He is known for networking between government officials and Extension staff and beneficiaries on funding possibilities. Locally, he meets regularly with Lake County Council members to promote Extension programs, a press release stated.
Steve McKinley
Ken Huseman
Jim Luzar
James Mintert
Three Purdue Extension leaders received special recognition for the exceptional service they have provided through their profession to the university and the people of Indiana. Steve McKinley, Extension specialist in 4-H youth development, received an honor for Outstanding Extension Specialist. McKinley was recognized for his efforts to stay abreast of best practices in volunteerism at the state, regional and national levels. Jim Luzar, Extension director and agriculture and natural resources educator in Vigo County, received the Paul B. Crooks Award. With a history of work in sustainable, innovative and engaging program efforts, Luzar is considered an expert resource statewide in horticulture and farming education. James Mintert, director of the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, was awarded the Purdue Extension Director’s Award for serving as a trusted transitional resource to Extension Director Jason Henderson during Henderson’s first year in the position.
The grant, awarded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will also enable researchers to identify management practices that reduce disease pressure while protecting soil and water quality. Tomato growers often plant heirloom varieties, which are highly susceptible to foliar diseases, rather than newer disease-resistant hybrids because of the heirlooms’ appetizing taste, a press release states. The researchers will look into ways farmers can avoid foliar pathogen diseases, such as early blight, late blight and Septoria leaf spot — issues especially important in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the U.S. where warm, humid conditions favor these diseases. The research reflects increasing consumer interest in organic crops, said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample dean of Purdue Agriculture.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 7
In the Front Row
POP STARS
Indiana is often associated, if not synonymous, with corn. But several Hoosier-based businesses are taking the celebration of corn to another poppable level. BY CLINT SMITH
INGA’S POPCORN
CARMEL CORN COTTAGE
NOT JUST POPCORN
JUST POP IN
Getting her start three years ago selling homemade popcorn at the Zionsville Farmers Market, Inga Smith now operates two shops in Indiana — Inga’s Popcorn in Bloomington and a second store in Zionsville. “I found a cheese formula and had three flavors to begin with,” says Smith. “By the end of that summer (of 2011) I found a farmer who had organic yellow butterfly popcorn, which was perfect for my cheese flavors. I sold enough of the popcorn at the Zionsville market that summer to consider going retail.” Smith took the plunge. Now Inga’s Popcorn offers 16 flavors year-round. The shop owner uses mostly organic, Indiana yellow popcorn, though organic white popcorn does play a role in a few of her flavors. “I use no additional preservatives, and all flavors with one exception are gluten free,” she explains. “I am always trying new flavors. I listen to my customers and try to make their ideas. Some are quite good.”
If you’re in Brown County in search of popcorn, just follow your nose. For 36 years, Nashville’s Carmel Corn Cottage has been creating kettle after kettle of the good stuff, and the owners use a fan to blow the smell of caramel corn into the streets from the shop’s signature red-and-white (intended to resemble a popcorn box) building. “As you walk by, you get a mouthwatering smell of caramel that makes you want to get some popcorn,” says Jim Rispoli, owner. Carmel Corn Cottage offers a number of varieties, with 10 types of caramel. “We make our caramel corn in a copper kettle every day,” says Rispoli. Carmel Corn Cottage also offers sweet treats, such as caramel-coated marshmallows, buckeyes, turtles and fudge. “Brown County is known for the changing of leaves in autumn; that’s when we are the busiest,” says Rispoli, and his staff of five expects to continue to be busy throughout the holidays. “Family packs as well as party packs are available, with the option of ordering online.”
In 1989, Carole Buck, owner of Not Just Popcorn in Edinburgh, had eight flavors of popcorn in her kitchen portfolio. She’s added quite a few since then. “When I started the business,” says Buck, “I never dreamed that one day I would have 380 flavors of popcorn plus (be) shipping (the popcorn) worldwide.” With holidays of all seasons in mind, Not Just Popcorn has a special flavor and color combination for each: Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras and more. Party boxes, sampler boxes, special-event bags and “Savories” (including jalapeno, wasabi, beer and Vermont white cheddar) are also available. In addition to using Gold Medal corn and supplies, Buck also receives popping corn from the Edinburgh-based Weinantz Farms. And if the menu at Not Just Popcorn appears overwhelming, Buck has some simple advice: “Be sure to stop by the shop and sample.”
Mandy Selke and Carly Swift, twin sisters and owners of Just Pop In, believe their business has the potential to be much more than a popular popcorn shop — it’s an extension of their philosophy. Popcorn isn’t just popcorn, say the entrepreneurs; it’s a catalyst to sharing an experience with people they meet each day. The sisters opened Just Pop In in Broad Ripple in 2003, and five years later opened a second shop at the Indianapolis International Airport with a kiosk set up in the food court area. “Each space has its own kitchen,” says Selke. She says the collaborative sensibilities among Indianapolis business owners have fostered some of the shop’s unique flavors, noting partnerships with Hoosier Momma, whose drink mix is featured in the homemade Bloody Mary popcorn. Just Pop In is involved in a number of other co-branded collaborations with local businesses, such as Sun King Brewery, Ball & Biscuit and Easley Winery. “Flavors are created by inspiration of food we love,” says Selke. “Sometimes, we will create a flavor to support another artisan’s vision.”
FLAVORS OF NOTE: Snow Storm, a seasonal variety that features classic caramel corn with dark and white chocolates drizzled on top. Hoosier Mix, a salty and sweet mix of cheddar and classic caramel. Snickerdoodle, a mix of cinnamon and caramel flavors that tastes like the namesake cookie. For more information, visit ingaspopcorn.com.
8 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
FLAVORS OF NOTE: Carmel Delite, which contains no hulls or hard kernels, making it easier for some people to eat. “They are baked cornmeal for those who have digestive issues,” says Rispoli. “The other (Delite) flavors … include butter toffee and cheese.” A Chicago-style variety, which features a combination of cheese popcorn and doubledipped caramel corn. For more information, visit carmelcorncottage.com.
FLAVORS OF NOTE: The shop’s menu offers a large number of premium flavors, such as baklava, mimosa, peanut butter delight (featuring Reese’s Pieces) and butter pecan. Chocolatecovered varieties include pumpkin pie, creamsicle and Snicker snack. Gourmet flavors include caramel apple, root beer and pistachio. For more information, visit notjustpopcorn.com.
FLAVORS OF NOTE: The shop offers flavors like bacon, featuring bacon from Smoking Goose Meatery, caramel and hickory-smoked cheddar and white chocolate peanut butter. “Our Indy Style (mix of cheddar and caramel) is a customer favorite,” Selke says. For more information, visit justpopinonline.com.
November Events TASTING TUESDAY AT MASS AVE WINE SHOP ONGOING Free tastings of wine from the wall every Tuesday. Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: Mass Ave Wine Shop and Cafe, 878 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 972-7966 or massavewine.com. BROAD RIPPLE FARMERS MARKET THROUGH NOV. 22 Every Saturday, rain or shine, in the parking lot behind the Broad Ripple High School. Time: 8 a.m. to noon. Location: Broad Ripple High School, 1115 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 251-2782 or broadripplefarmersmarket.org. HISTORIC LAFAYETTE FARMERS MARKET NOV. 1 Fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, baked goods and more in downtown Lafayette. Time: 7:30 a.m. to noon. Location: Lafayette Farmers Market, Fifth Street between Main and Columbia streets. Information: (765) 742-4044 or lafayettefarmers.market.com. BINFORD FARMERS MARKET In the north parking lot at Lawrence North High School with 100-plus vendors selling produce, meat and fish, baked goods and more. Time: 8 a.m. to noon. Location: Lawrence North High School, 7802 Hague Road, Indianapolis. Information: (317) 417-8449 or binfordfarmersmarket.com. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL AT WATERMAN’S FAMILY FARM Hayrides, farm animals, games, inflatables, live music and a pumpkin patch. Time: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Location: Waterman’s Family Farm, 7010 E. Raymond St., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 357-2989 or watermansfamilyfarm.com CHRISTMAS PUMPKIN EVENT The Santa Claus Christmas Store will host storytelling and pumpkin painting with Santa. Time: 9 to 10 a.m. Cost: $2 per person. Location: Santa Claus Christmas Store, 33 N. Kringle Place, Santa Claus. Information: (877) 224-1772. INDY COOKING EXPO NOV 1-2 Aisles of cooking tools, appliances, specialty foods, seminars, live cooking demos, cooking/baking contests and appearances by celebrity chefs at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10. Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 782-0724 or indycookingexpo.com. “GRAPE TO GLASS” WINERY TOUR AT EASLEY WINERY NOV. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 An in-depth look at the art of winemaking from harvest to bottling. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. Location: Easley Winery, 205 N. College Ave., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 636-4516 or easleywinery.com. INDY WINTER FARMERS MARKET NOV. 8 THROUGH APRIL 25 Every Saturday at the Indianapolis City Market. . Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: The Platform at Indianapolis City Market, 222 E. Market St., Indianapolis. Free admission. Information: (317) 454-8498 or indywinterfarmersmarket.org. SOLAR ENERGY APPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE WORKSHOP NOV. 12 Educational program to show how solar energy panels operate. Time: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants must register by Nov. 5. Location: Fulton County Fairgrounds, 1009 W. Third St., Rochester. Information: (765) 496-3964 or martin95@ purdue.edu. VEGAN THANKSGIVING COOKING NOV. 20 Class on how to prepare Thanksgiving recipes, including vegan loaf, Brussels sprouts, squash noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy and more. Presented by Melissa Meils of Ingredients. Time: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost: $35. Location: Ingredients, 5628 E. 71st St., Indianapolis. Information: (317) 570-3663.
For more information, contact Amber Fischvogt (812) 376-7772 or afischvogt@heritagefundbc.org
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 9
From the Field
Putting the Garden to Bed BY CHERYL CARTER JONES
T
he season is quickly drawing to a close, and while I will never be ready for the perils (anything below 40 degrees falls into this category for me) of the winter season, we need to ensure that our gardens are. It is always easy to think that you will get out early in the spring and tidy up the garden from last year’s growing season, but there truly is reason to do it now versus waiting. First, you will have some of the work out of the way ahead of time, but more importantly, remember that organic soil amendments are not immediately valuable to plants. By preparing the soil in the fall, those nutrients will have incorporated into the soil, and the new plantings will benefit.
2015 GARDEN STRATEGY
I am sure you have heard the saying “begin with the end in mind.” This is applicable to the garden as well. Ask yourself: What do you want to plant next year? Does anything require a different pH level than what your soil currently is? Where will the various crops be located? Keep in mind the need for crop rotation. By rotating the location of specific vegetables in your garden each year, you deter plant disease and insect infestations and promote better soil health, as different plants add or deplete different nutrients. Do you want to expand your garden? Once you determine the general layout, then you will know the specifics of what needs to be done to ready the garden for next year.
GENERAL CLEANUP AND GARDEN EXPANSION
Remove old stems and foliage to prevent the spread of disease organisms and insects that winter on old debris. If you are planning on making your garden plot larger next year, go ahead and get the soil ready this year. Remove any grass or weeds and work the ground so that moisture can get down into the soil over the winter. Dig out problematic weeds, ensuring that you have the complete root. Do not incorporate them into the soil, but rather destroy them. Handle them carefully if they have seeds. You do not want to sow the seeds for next year. If you are going to plant transplants, such as tomatoes, peppers and broccoli next year, you may want to consider sheet composting. Flattened cardboard (remove any tape or staples first) or several thicknesses of newspaper will work. Be sure to overlap the edges and hold it down with rocks, bricks or garden staples — whatever you have available. In the spring, simply 10 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
punch a hole through the cardboard to plant your vegetables. One potential drawback is that sheet composting causes the soil to take longer to warm up. This could be problematic with anything planted very early in the season. By mid- to late May, however, this should no longer be a concern. On the positive side, your vegetables will be mulched for the season, helping with weed suppression and moisture retention. My favorite benefit is that worms thrive under card board. These underappreciated little wonders work your soil and fertilize it, too. At the end of the season next year, the cardboard will be able to be easily incorporated into the soil.
plants require more than others. Roses, for instance, require considerably more protection than boxwood. Among berries, straw mulch is always associated with strawberries, and yet raspberries do not require the same amount of pampering. There are many types of mulch: straw, hay, pine needles, leaves, grass clippings, shredded newspaper, compost, wood chips and more. Remember that pine needles may lower your pH level over time. If this is for your garden, consider finely shredded wood versus wood chips. It will break down more quickly. Shredded newspaper can work well, but make sure it is not going to blow away. If using straw or hay, wet it as soon as you put it down. It will help to hold it in place. But remember: Nothing beats a good compost.
SOIL AMENDMENTS
COVER CROPS
Check the pH level of your soil every year. Determine what your soil is lacking. Then find out the desired pH level for everything you want to plant next year. Do not assume you need to add lime to your soil. Your soil test will tell you for sure. Spread your amendments evenly over the plot before working them into the soil. Compost feeds microorganisms and will help the soil remain open and well-drained. Fertility can be boosted with materials such as bone meal for nitrogen and rock phosphate for phosphorous. However, you may also want to consider a complete organic fertilizer in pellet or granular form, which is easy to transport and apply. As a child, I can remember raking the fall leaves and spreading them out in the garden. Grass clippings can also be added. It is always best to chop leaves. Better yet, if you have a compost pile, add them to it over the course of the year, ideally in layers and mixing along the way. Grass clippings and leaves can become matted, which causes them to break down more slowly and creates hard to handle clumps in your garden. If your soil contains a lot of heavy clay, then consider adding about 2 inches of sand and incorporating that into the soil. It will help prevent plant roots from rotting when you set them out in the spring and will make working in your soil easier next year. Organic matter also offers benefit to clay soil.
MULCH
Most of us associate mulch with springtime and ensuring a wellmanicured look to our landscaping and a method of weed suppression. Mulch can also be applied in the fall to help protect plants from the winter cold. Consider it thermal underwear for perennials. Some
Cover crops are often referred to as “green manure” because of the nutritional value they bring to the soil. They also provide protection from erosion and by shading the soil, prevent many cool-season weeds from germinating. It is late in the season to sow cover crops, but winter wheat is your best choice if you sow it quickly. Some other cover crops that can be planted in the fall include annual rye, crimson clover and hairy vetch. Always check to determine the window for sowing a cover crop and the proper amount needed per square foot. As an alternative, if you have extra garden space, space you will reserve for later plantings or space that will become available after an early planting is harvested, then consider a spring or summer cover crop. Buckwheat is a great choice because it grows quickly. If you are lucky enough to have some garden space that you will not need at all next year, you can actually sow buckwheat several times over the course of the summer, incorporating it into the soil after six weeks. *FI
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.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 11
From the Field
The View at Nightfall
Why We Raise Turkeys BY NATE BROWNLEE
Now that I need a sweatshirt to do morning chores, I know that it is time to talk turkey. We rotate our animals through the pasture, which means we focus our efforts in the warm season. By the time this article is printed, our pigs and chickens will have gone to market, leaving us feeling lonely on the farm with only 45 turkeys. But that is OK, because ending the season with turkeys is our grand finale. To reach this grand finale, though, takes a lot of worry and a lot of work. Last winter at the Indiana Small Farm Conference, I told a fellow young farmer that we would be raising turkeys. He almost recoiled in horror and spoke of his difficult experiences
with turkeys in the past. He wondered why we wanted to raise turkeys. And he is not alone in his wariness toward the birds. To a lot of my friends who farm, turkeys spell trouble. They live up to their reputation of being birdbrains and yet are quite good at escaping from their paddocks. They can catch disease from chickens, so you have to take great pains to use all separate equipment and range them in separate areas of the pasture. Turkeys also have high protein requirements, which means that it is more expensive to feed them than our other animals. But the return from raising turkeys makes it worthwhile. Around us there are not too many farms raising turkeys, so demand is greater than supply. And there are two benefits to raising turkeys specifically for Thanksgiving: We don’t have to store frozen turkeys, and we gather all the income from our turkeys in one weekend. These are just the logical reasons that we raise turkeys. The truth is that we both actually enjoy turkeys for the birds they are. We like the way they stretch their necks up to look at you sideways. I like calling to them with my poor attempt at turkey talk; I speak passable hen but cannot gobble like a tom to save my life. And speaking of toms, my favorite time in the life of a turkey is when it’s around 6 weeks old. At this age, the toms start to puff up their feathers and strut around like gangsters, but they still look like youngsters playing dress-up. And as they get big enough, we start training them to the electric fence. This is their first chance to leave the protection and warmth of the barn and have access to pasture, which means they start hunting for flies and taking dust baths. As much as we like turkeys, we also connect with what turkeys represent. Turkeys are the Thanksgiving centerpiece that brings together family and friends. When we lived away from family for several years, we celebrated “Friendsgiving.” To us, what is important about the annual holiday is the celebration of
hard work and a bountiful harvest. And, of course, it is a celebration of thanks. On hard days here at the farm, I have one trusted memory from living in Vermont that sustains me. I had sold at the Burlington Farmers’ Market for two years and was two weeks away from moving back to Indiana. Over the course of those two years, I made friends with a fellow vendor named Jason. He grilled hot sandwiches in the tent next to us. He always made sure that we had something to eat while we worked the market, and we would give him leftover vegetables at the end of market in return. Oftentimes his family would be at market with him, his kids playing in the grass behind his booth. I didn’t realize it, but Jason had reserved a turkey from the farm that Liz and I worked on. The weekend before Thanksgiving, our last weekend at the farm, most every family who reserved a turkey came out to the farm to pick it up. I saw Jason and his kids standing in the long line, and I went up to say goodbye to my friend. He wished us well, but what stuck with me was when he turned to his kids and said, “Boys, these are the farmers who raised your food. Tell them thank you.” And they did. Jason is my friend, but his gift of gratitude and connection between producer and consumer is what I remember most. As a first-year farmer in Indiana, I am looking forward to cultivating that relationship with our customers. I cannot wait to deliver our turkeys to the families and friends who have reserved them, eagerly anticipating that time of coming together and giving thanks. And that is why we raise turkeys. *FI 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
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Staying Focused on What’s Important BY ANNA WELCH
I came across a journal entry today that I wrote in 2012. Its message helps me refocus on what is truly important and not on the frustrations of trying to develop a cooperative business venture. Great things are happening in agriculture in Indiana. There are endless technological advances. Food culture is changing and focusing on artisan and local foods. The number of farmers is increasing. All of these efforts are fantastic and important to Indiana families. What we mustn’t forget as stewards of the land and its food is what the core issue is relative to culture. No matter the county, state or country in which food is being produced, are we getting caught up in the “coolness” of artisan food, or are we really working together to identify people’s needs and the infrastructure we need to develop in order to meet those needs? Are we focused on being the latest, coolest, hippest foodie, or are we producing food in the effort to develop sustainable communities? In working to develop a working mill in a rural area that serves the needs of others, I struggle with the fact that our society focuses on marketing and product development, not on a group-based, cohesive, sustainable development of food infrastructure within communities. If developed with wisdom, a group food infrastructure births jobs, creative food ventures, art and hope. A community approach will identify needs through connections to one another. From need comes solutions, and solutions bring nourishment, not only to the individual need, but to an entire community. When someone is healed through the loving actions of those around them, there is a higher percentage they will pay it forward. I hope that in the mad rush to be the coolest of foodies, we don’t lose sight of what agriculture and food production really are about; food is a fundamental and basic human need. It comes forth from land that is full of life. Food is beautiful, nourishing and soulful, and it connects us to one another through its production and consumption. Let’s focus on one another and how we can best serve one another within our community, and beautiful food will come forth in its most organic and sustainable form. *FI Anna Welch is a partner in Fields of Agape, LLC, founder of The Carthage Mill, LLC and co-founder of Carthage Cooperative Market.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 13
From the Field
A continuing series on government, private and alternative funding available to Indiana farmers.
Available Funds BY CISSY BOWMAN
The year is drawing to a close, but there are still more ways to receive assistance in 2014. National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety Mini-Grants The mini-grant program of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety supports small-scale projects and pilot studies that address prevention of childhood agricultural disease and injury. Amount: Up to $20,000 Eligibility: Individuals affiliated with community-based organizations, public or private institutions, units of local or state government or tribal government. Deadline: Nov. 7 For more information, visit marshallfieldclinic.org/nccrahs/ minigrants.
Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program The four regional Extension Risk Management Education Centers request applications for grants through the Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program. The program provides funding for results and outcome-based risk management education projects designed to help producers learn and use tools and approaches that can reduce the adverse effects of the uncertainties of weather, yields, prices, credit, government policies, global markets and other factors, including human resources and legal issues. Amount: Up to $50,000 Eligibility: Any public or private organization that has demonstrated experience in providing agricultural education or other agriculturally related training to producers, including forest land owners. Individuals are not eligible for this program. Deadline: Nov. 17 For more information, visit necme.org/grants/ newfunding.html.
The founder and program director of Hoosier Organic Marketing Education, Cissy Bowman has been growing food organically since 1973 and on her current farm, Center Valley Organic Farm, since 1983. For more information on Hoosier Organic Marketing Education, email cvof@earthlink.net or call (317) 539-2753.
14 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
NCR Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) SARE Projects must address some aspect of sustainability. Applications will be evaluated on how well they address the three legs of the SARE program: economic, environment and the social or community aspect of sustainability. This program has great online resources and information online. Amount: Youth Educator Grants up to $2,000 Farmer Rancher grants individual ($7,500 maximum), partner ($15,000 maximum) or group ($22,500 maximum) Deadline: 2015 Farmer Rancher Grant: Proposals are due on Nov. 20. 2015 Youth Educator Grant: Proposals are due by Nov. 13. For more information, visit northcentralsare.org/Grants/OurGrant-Programs.
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) NIFA is making up to $31.5 million in funding available to help participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) more easily afford healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Funded projects will test community-based strategies that could contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase, supported by effective and efficient benefit redemption technologies, that would inform future efforts. Amount: Up to $100,000 per year. Multi-year projects may be funded as well. Eligibility: All projects must have the support of a state SNAP agency; increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers participating in SNAP by providing incentives at the point of purchase; operate through authorized SNAP retailers and be in compliance with all relevant SNAP regulations and operating requirements; agree to participate in comprehensive program evaluation; ensure that the same terms and conditions apply to purchases made by individuals receiving SNAP benefits as apply to purchases made by individuals who are not SNAP participants; and include effective and efficient technologies for benefit redemption systems that may be replicated in other states and communities. Deadline: Dec. 15 For more information, visit csrees. usda.gov/funding/rfas/fini.html#.
Herb Society of America Research Grant The Herb Society of America Inc. offers annual research grants. Amount: up to $5,000 Eligibility: Students, professionals and individuals engaged in research on the horticultural, scientific and/or social applications or use of herbs throughout history. Deadline: Jan. 31 For more information, visit herbsociety.org/resources/ research-grants.html.
Grants with Ongoing Deadlines The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) Grant Program The FTPF is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruit trees and plants to alleviate world hunger. Via its “Fruit Tree 101” program, the grant program helps to create edible orchard classrooms at schools and provides students environmental education and organic fruit for improved school lunch nutrition. Amount: FTPF donates trees for the orchard as well as, depending on the project’s budget, hoses for manual watering, up to $250 toward a drip irrigation system, on-site orchard design and expertise, planting labor, staff and interns. Eligibility: Nonprofits, public or nonprofit schools or government entities that own the planting site (or have long-term arrangements to remain at the planting site), are committed to caring for the trees in perpetuity, have a nearby source of irrigation and can help coordinate local volunteers to assist with planting.
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Deadline: Ongoing For more information, visit ftpf.org/resources.htm. Karma for Cara Foundation The Karma for Cara Foundation provides micro grants to fund service projects in communities, with ideas including rebuilding a playground or turning a vacant lot into a community garden. Amount: Between $250 and $1,000 Eligibility: Children 18 and younger Deadline: Ongoing For more information, visit karmaforcara.org/get-involved. Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools The goal of this partnership is to have a salad bar in every school in the U.S. Amount: The program provides a 6-foot, five-well salad bar package. Eligibility: Applicants may be any district or independent school participating in the National School Lunch Program. To qualify, the schools must offer the salad bar as part of their reimbursable meals and serve at least 100 reimbursable meals daily. Deadline: Ongoing For more information, visit saladbars2schools.org/get-a-salad-bar/schools/ application-guidelines. The Pollination Project The Pollination Project is a nonprofit organization that provides $1,000 seed grants to individual change makers. The project has also granted numerous awards to various small agriculture-related operations that bring change into a community. Amount: $1,000 Deadline: Ongoing For more information, visit pollinationproject.org. *FI
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FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 15
From the Field
Best Friends BY JESSICA HOOPENGARDNER
Frequently Asked Questions
About Organics BY JESSICA ERVIN
At Ecocert ICO, we regularly get asked the same questions from food producers interested in becoming certified organic. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about organics and certification, along with our answers, to help both consumers and agriculture stakeholders. What is organic? According to the USDA National Organic Program, organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological and mechanical practices, which foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering may not be used with organics. According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), organic agriculture is a “production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.” The system relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs, which may cause adverse effects. What is the National Organic Program? The National Organic Program (NOP) is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting or handling operation wishing to market products as organically produced. How do I access the NOP regulations? The NOP maintains a website at ams.usda.gov/nop, which contains the NOP regulations. What kind of products can be certified as USDA Organic? There are four product categories eligible for certification, which include crops, livestock, processed products and wild crops. Are there regulations to control what products can be called “organic”? Yes. Certified organic products have to be produced, processed and handled in accordance with the NOP regulations. How can I be sure a product promoted as “certified organic” meets the NOP regulations? Certified organic products packaged for sale include a statement on the label, “Certified Organic by (name of accredited certifying agency).” Other products, commonly purchased without labels, may be verified by the certificate of NOP organic authenticity available from the business offering the product for sale. Is there a seal or other identifying mark to show a product is certified organic? Yes. The USDA Organic Seal is available for use by certified organic operators, but it is not required on packaging. The seal must meet strict guidelines about color, size and placement. As a producer, processor or handler of organic products, is certification required for my business? An operation that grosses over $5,000 per year in sales and uses the word “organic” to market its product, without proper certification, is in violation of the NOP regulations. As part of NOP compliance efforts, such operators are subject to financial penalties and other enforcement actions. Currently a farm or business that earns less than $5,000 per year in sales can market the product of their operation as “organic” without being certified. However, even though no connection with a certification agency is required, the operation must follow all of the NOP regulations as if it is certified. Such operations may not label products as “certified organic” and may not use the USDA Organic Seal. How do I get started? Ask Ecocert ICO for your certification packet. The certification packet will contain an application essential to building an Organic System Plan (OSP). An OSP provides the details of how your business will operate and meet the NOP organic standards. Establishment of an OSP is the first step toward becoming certified. The Ecocert ICO application and certification forms are available at ecocertico.com/certification-forms.html or can be requested by calling (317) 865-9700. *FI Jessica Ervin, with over 15 years in organic certification and ISO auditing, is the deputy general manager of 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.
16 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
I
get knocked down all the time, namely by goats. I live on a farm with 200 goats, which creates plenty of opportunities for them to get tangled in between my legs, to cut in front of me or just stand in my way. After I find myself on the ground, covered in wood chips and dirt, I think to myself: “I am never going to live on a farm ever again.” But once I get up again, I look at the goats and find no intent to harm me nor malice in their eyes. Quite honestly, they’re sweet. They look almost apologetic after they knock me over. I can never stay angry. I first got knocked down when I was 4 years old, and it was by a llama, not a goat. Every day in preparation for the state fair, my dad and I would walk our two llamas, Coco and Bobby, down the road to get them used to cars and people. One of those days, we were walking next to a house when a dog came bolting out of a doghouse toward the llamas. The animals, rightfully so, bolted away from the dog. My dad was able to control Coco, but since I was so young, there was no way I could control Bobby. Since we were along the side of the road, my No. 1 concern was “What if Bobby gets away?” so I held onto his lead rope. Bobby, who had to be five times my size, dragged me down the road behind him, until I had to let go. I left out an important detail here: Our road had been recently repaved. By the time I let go, I was covered in scrapes filled with new asphalt. My dad caught Bobby, who had finally calmed down and approached me. I wailed in pain. My dad got me up, and I was faced with another obstacle — we had to walk back to the house. As I reflect on this walk back, I remember how I started off furious at Bobby — how dare he bolt and take me with him? But as we got closer to the house, Bobby became incredibly sympathetic. He would hum at me (which for llamas is a sign of affection) and sniff my head (another sign of affection). To this day, I believe that Bobby felt bad for dragging me down the road, even though I was the one who didn’t let go. This thought cheered me up significantly by the time we arrived back home. I had even stopped crying as we re-entered the barn. The way my animals can make me feel better is magical. My favorite llama, Tommy Bahama, is my best friend when I’m sad. My llamas are always apt to let me hug them. My goats are always friendly. I’ve never had a dog, but I really don’t need one to know how dog owners feel. My goats and llamas care for me just as a dog would. They’re not just my animals: They’re my best friends. *FI Jessica Hoopengardner, above on 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.
Hands and Heart Shall Never Part BY KATIE GLICK
F
Brett Glick
all has officially filled the air with crisp mornings and cool evenings. Combines have been rolling through the fields for over a month now. Farmers have been rising before the sun and hitting the hay after it sets in the Indiana sky. While I love fall, enjoy seeing the combines in the fields and appreciate farmers, I have spent a lot of time alone at home while my farmer has been in the fields. That’s OK, because this time of year reminds me of a little cross-stitch piece of art in my grandma’s house that says: Hands & Heart Shall Never Part. As I sit in my quiet house listening to the combines and trucks drive by, I reflect on that saying, and it reminds me that hard-working hands have some heart to them. The work we do with our hands and the care we give to others with them never part from our heart and our passion. My farmer and I both are passionate about agriculture and work in agriculture. However, he works outside on the farm, while I usually stay inside working in Indiana agriculture and for our farmers. If you ever get a chance to see some old (and wise) farmer hands, they are the best. They reflect the heart it has taken over the years to grow a family farm. Farmers eventually realize when it is time for those old, worn farmer hands to care for the garden, while the grandchildren care for the fields with their young, strong hands. That’s what has happened on our family farm, and we embrace it all — the old hands, the young hands and the hearts that connect them to their work on the farm. We must remember that the small hands, the children’s hands, can remind us of the simple things in life, like running barefoot through the yard, showing their 4-H animals at the
county fair and gaining a respect for showmanship, or learning a trade on their own that could someday be their passion. Don’t let the young hands grow up too fast though; let them have a young, playful heart and grow up slowly. I used my hands to sign my marriage license over a year ago. And from that day on I had to train my hands to write a new last name. I do love those farmer hands I held while giving away my heart to my husband, and I appreciate them every day, just as he does mine. Many people use their hands to write and type so they can share their stories, as I do with you. I also use my hands to give back, make pies, mentor young women, cook for my husband, care for animals and work in an industry that I am passionate about. Are you using your hands for something that you are passionate about? My hands and heart shall never part. I hope to use them for a very long time until they are old, worn and wrinkly, when it’s time for me to appreciate the small hands and strong hands I once had. Today my hands and heart will celebrate; will yours? *FI Katie Glick grew up on her family farm in Martinsville and now lives with her husband on their family farm near Columbus, where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat, raise cattle and have a private seed company. 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.
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FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 17
18 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
When one talks turkey in Indiana, the conversations cover a varied territory — from the fields and forests where the wild birds wander to the pastures where free-range flocks scratch at the earth
BY REBECCA TOWNSEND
he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics help to put the current shape of Indiana’s turkey business in perspective: Of the 13.6 million turkeys sold in the state in 2012, 174 farms held contracts to produce 12.1 million of them. The USDA counted 389 farms selling turkeys in 65 of Indiana’s 92 counties that year. So 44 percent of the state’s operators raised 89 percent of the turkeys in 2012, the last year for which these statistics are available. When it comes to large operations, Dubois and Daviess counties dominate, with the 84 total farms between them selling 4 million and 3 million birds, respectively, in 2012. Just 12 counties had sales of
more than 1,000 birds. With more southern Indiana slaughter capacity recently added, this sector of the industry looks poised for further growth, but operators of a smaller scale are building the turkey business in their own ways, as well. The folks at Sunny Hollow Farm, for example, are far beyond mere backyard toilers with the estimated 250 White Broad-Breasted birds they keep from the age of about 2 days, when they are brought to the Hagerstown farm, until Thanksgiving slaughter. Rather than working with the large processors to channel the birds into the commodity market, Sunny Hollow contracts directly with consumers to sell its birds. The farm is still collecting commit-
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 19
ments for this fall’s harvest. Sunny Hollow Farm’s production methods also differ from the highly scripted procedures associated with farming for industry giants such as Farbest and Perdue. Electrified poultry netting offers an extra layer of protection from predators around the rotational fencing system that Sunny Hollow uses to circulate the birds on fresh paddocks of grass. Melvin Fry of Hopeful Farms in Ligonier notes that having dogs who “leave their scent along the boundary lines” of the farm helps to reduce predation, as well. Fry, who currently sells his products to a co-op in Fort Wayne and directly to customers on his farm, said he is working with the people of the Sustainable Poultry Network to grow his operation into a hatchery. The network is a North Carolina-based farmer education outlet dedicated to promoting the production of standard bred, heritage poultry for meat and eggs.
Turkey Traits The Sunny Hollow Farm folks find their birds to be very curious, running to investigate anyone who brings out their feed. This trait of curiosity is one which Todd Applegate, a Purdue University animal science professor and extension poultry specialist, recalls seeing among the flocks he encountered during the early days of his graduate research in poultry nutrition. “They’re very curious; they will follow you,” he says, noting that should he be so cavalier as to display his wedding ring or watch to the birds, “they
Turkey Health Some health issues that may arise in turkey flocks include: Bullying by healthy birds toward an injured member of the flock. Predators. Respiratory issues caused by mycoplasmas. Skeletal weakness among excited or undernourished birds. Cold susceptibility of poults.
would try to peck at it.” He does not interpret the behavior as aggressive, though. He says he’s never been victim to a turkey attack. Not all Hoosier turkey fanciers have been so lucky. Rick Bond, of the Monroe County 4-H Poultry Club, found that after he lost his hen to a predator — Bond guesses a coyote by the way he found her — the tom became aggressive. One day, “my male just attacks me for no reason at all,” Bond says. Despite the attack, he still admires turkeys. “They are always on the lookout for things overhead. ... They’re not as stupid as people say they are,” he says. “I’ve never seen them drown by looking up in a rain storm.” Bond’s turkeys run without restriction at his place near Helmsburg in Brown County. The birds have domestic tendencies and will stay near his buildings, he says. But the system presents a challenge now, he notes, explaining that if he wants to replace his hen, he’d have to keep her penned because, as an adult, she would not be as apt to remain rooted as the birds he raised himself.
Turkey breeds
Breed Basics
The American Poultry Association has set standards of excellence for the following breeds:
Like most of the birds he has encountered in his time showing poultry, Bond’s turkeys are crossbreeds. His birds always tend to lay around March 15, just as the days begin to lengthen. He has seen this timing “ever since I was a kid,” he says, noting that a female will usually attempt to lay two or three times throughout the summer. “They only lay until the sun goes the other way,” he says. “Turkeys are very in tune with
Royal Palm Turkey
BELTSVILLE SMALL WHITE: A meatier, well-finished bird with white plumage, red-to-bluish white heads and black beards. In the 1970s, as demand called for bigger-breasted birds to feed more people, the Beltsville, weighing from 10 to 17 pounds, fell out of favor. BLACK: Among the oldest varieties of domesticated turkey and one of the first to be shipped to Europe, these birds are defined by their black feathers. BOURBON RED: Originating in Kentucky’s Bourbon County, they are characterized by a deep reddish brown.
Bourbon Red Turkey
BRONZE: Seen as “the most popular turkey variety for most of American history.” Porter’s Rare Heritage Turkeys notes the Bronze is known for its coppery-bronze colored metallic sheen. NARRAGANSETT: Developed in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, its feathers include bars of black, gray, tan and white. ROYAL PALM: Defined by Porter’s as “a strikingly attractive and small-sized turkey variety … white with a sharply contrasting, metallic black edging on the feathers.” SLATE: The expression of Slate genes changes a lot depending on how they are bred at the most basic level. “The nature of the slate gene is to change black pigment in the feathers to grey.” WHITE HOLLAND: These snow-white birds have red throats and wattles.
—Source: Porter’s Rare Heritage Turkeys 20 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Resources for Raising Healthy Flocks: HealthyBirds.aphis.usda.gov ThePoultrySite.com SustainablePoultryNetwork.com
To purchase a turkey: The Eat Wild farmer network offers a free online directory featuring more than a dozen independent operators growing pasture-raised turkeys for sale directly to consumers at eatwild.com/products/indiana.html. < < Narragansett Turkey
Turkey trivia The color of a turkey’s head changes “like a mood ring,” says Rick Bond of the Monroe County 4-H Club, noting that red heads with blue around their eyes can mean a happy bird, while scared birds may tend to be more olive-colored. The colors on molting birds are duller, he says. Today’s domesticated turkeys descend from the wild birds indigenous to North and South America. Last year, Indiana poultry producers donated more than 100 million pounds of food to local food pantries. —More turkey trivia can be found at in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/sp-WildTurkeyTrivia.pdf.
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22 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
their environment. All birds are.” Whereas chickens and other smaller game birds are popular at poultry exhibitions, turkeys are not a common sight at local shows. “I think because the turkeys are large and take so much space, they don’t exhibit as much,” says Bond, a veteran of the poultry exhibition circuit who has won national chicken-showing championships with his Rhode Island Red Cockerels. Plus, he notes, turkeys are harder to transport. “If you have a broken feather, you’re not going to win,” he says. “That’s the reason I don’t show them, because they’re hard to load and unload and all of that. … Plus, toms can be mean. … They’ll bloody each other.” Even harder than finding a turkey at a poultry exhibit is finding a purebred turkey at a show, Bond says, explaining that the American Poultry Association (APA) is interested in eight specific breeds. The White Holland, Black, Bronze, Slate and Narragansett varieties were the first for which the APA established standards in 1874. Bourbon Reds were added to the standards book in 1909, followed by Beltsville Small White in 1951 and the Royal Palm in 1977. Porter’s Rare Heritage Turkeys in Fremont is not open to the public to reduce the potential for disease issues, but the farm ships poults all over the continental
U.S. The farm’s website, portersturkey.com, catalogs 38 heritage turkey breeds. The site notes that the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy recognizes several other socalled heritage breeds, which reflect naturally mating color varieties not accepted into the APA Standard. The Porter’s site defines heritage turkey by “the historic, range-based production system in which they are raised,” noting that heritage birds must meet three essential criteria: They must be “the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock,” have a “long, productive outdoor lifespan” and exhibit a slow growth rate. They will reach market weight at about 28 weeks, which Porter’s says is enough “time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.”
Notes on Nutrition Keeping the proper balance between the rate of muscle to skeletal growth is sometimes a challenge, Applegate notes. By the time commodity birds are ready for commercial processing at 19 to 20 weeks old, they can weigh 40 to 50 pounds. They can be susceptible to skeletal issues, he says, explaining that sometimes they break their bones if they get excited and begin jumping around and flapping before their skeleton is strong enough to support their weight.
TM
Turkey hunting The DNR counted 11,374 wild turkeys harvested by 59,092 people hunting in 89 of the state’s 92 counties. The harvest dropped 10 percent from the year-earlier period, according to Indiana’s 2013 spring harvest report — the lowest success rate since 1992. Here are some of the state guidelines: The bag and possession limit for the fall seasons is one bird of either sex, regardless of hunting equipment used or what portion of the season. Fall archery season is statewide. Fall firearm season has specific dates for specific counties. LEGAL EQUIPMENT: Turkeys can be hunted only with: A 10-, 12-, 16- or 20-gauge shotgun loaded with pellets of size No. 4, 5, 6, 7 or 7½. A muzzle-loading shotgun not smaller than 20-gauge and not larger than 10-gauge, loaded with pellets of size No. 4, 5, 6, 7 or 7½. Combination loads using shot sizes other than these are illegal. Bow and arrow. A crossbow. A hunter’s education guide is posted at hunter-ed.com/Indiana, and the full hunter’s guide is at in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2343.htm. For questions, call the Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife at (317) 232-4080.
—Source: eregulations.com/indiana/hunting/wild-turkey
Turkeys’ phosphorus and calcium needs are higher than chickens’, Applegate adds, suggesting that smaller operators looking for feed might browse products designed for game birds to find more nutritionally dense options than may be in the grain used for chickens. Applegate also cautions that mycoplasmas “tend to cause a lot of respiratory issues” for turkeys. Some of these may be harbored in chickens, which exhibit no worrisome symptoms as a result. Meanwhile,
should the same bugs infect turkeys, “their heads swell up,” he says, noting that, while the infection isn’t fatal, “it’s very dramatic.” On the scale of avian hardiness at birth, animal scientists have found turkeys aren’t quite as helpless as, say, baby robins. But they aren’t as tough as chickens or ducks either, Applegate says. “They are interesting critters … very funny, especially the toms,” he says. “Even from a day old, they will strut. It’s kind of funny to see a day-old turkey puff itself.” *FI FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 23
Bobbi Boos and John Perry.
John Perry and Bobbi Boos have big plans for their small farm
BY SHAWNDRA MILLER PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
24 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
ohn Perry digs a shovel into the side of an enormous compost heap. “If you get on toward the middle it gets really hot,” he says. He rests his hand in the hole, watching pale curls of steam drift up — even on a humid September afternoon. This particular pile at Owen County’s Sundry Farm is in a late stage of decomposition. It’s one of three piles occupying a wide circle on this hilltop land Perry farms with his partner, Bobbi Boos. “Compost is key to organic gardening,” he says, leaning on the shovel. Boos, clad in Wellington boots and Local Growers Guild shirt, chimes in. “We knew we had to do something drastic to get the clay up to speed if we were going to grow in it.” When the couple began farming this ground two years ago, they quickly discovered that compost was the limiting factor. Eliot Coleman’s organic gardening handbook, “The Four-Season Harvest,” taught them that in order to farm the way they wanted to, they needed 40 tons of compost per acre. “That’s his general guideline,” says Perry. “His belief is that if you get the microbes, you get the soil going, then you’re able to do away with pests, and disease goes down. And it’s true.” He moves from the nearly finished pile to the finished. He holds a handful of the fine black compost under his nose. “Smell it. It smells like a leafy forest,” he says. Perry composts spent brewery grains, picking up 2,000 pounds from Bloomington Brewing Co. each week. He mixes this with horse manure from a local stable and turns the piles using a small loader to make sure they reach 160 degrees. That temperature kills weed seeds and sterilizes the material so no pathogens remain. What does remain is a rich amendment that feeds their clay soil, so it in turn can feed their customers. “Soil farming first” is how he and Boos put it: Their small organic farm and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) depend on this process. Sundry Farm is only 2 years old, but the couple have a clear vision for its future. While Perry is new to agriculture, Boos is a seasoned farmer. She has about 15 years of farming under her belt, having worked for two other agricultural enterprises. But the
route she took to farming was a bit circuitous. “I did not grow up with healthy food,” she says, “and I was not a healthy child.” At the age of 19, she took a job at Bloomington’s food co-op, BloomingFoods, and she encountered the power of nutritious food. Selling natural and organic goods led to buying them. As she ate healthier meals, she realized how much better she felt, and this galvanized a passion for sharing good food with others. Eventually she took that passion straight to the source — moving from indoor sales to outdoor growing. She found that she had an aptitude for farming. “I realized I could do it,” she says. “I couldn’t keep a houseplant alive, you know. And I learned, working with experienced farmers.” When she moved to the 3-acre parcel just down the hill from where she and Perry farm now, she kept a few goats and chickens. She began gardening small-scale, with no plans to expand. She didn’t know then that big changes were in store. “John and I started growing food down there,” she says, “but it wasn’t enough to make a living.” Then, after five years with Monroe County’s LIFE Farm, working for Jeff Evard, she found herself in the midst of an unexpected transition. Evard shifted his focus to consulting while marketing seeds and wholesale crops. But just as her farm job was ending, in a happy coincidence of timing, a for sale sign showed up on the property above her on the hill. Now the couple grow vegetables in roughly 1 acre of beds and greenhouse space at the end of a steep lane. Their 11acre land encompasses woods, a pond and her former digs. Sundry Farm opened in 2013, selling produce through 14 summer CSA subscriptions and at the Bloomington Farmers Market. Last winter, seven CSA members continued receiving greens, carrots, storage crops, maple syrup and other products throughout the cold months. This summer Boos and Perry provided produce, eggs and canned goods to 16 CSA members, and they have tentative plans to continue the winter subscription option. Their goal is to expand up to 20 members, meanwhile continuing to sell surplus at the Bloomington Farmers Market. They also “wildcraft,” harvesting persimmons and pawpaws from the woods behind the house, picking sumac berries from numerous trees and tapping maples to make their own syrup. Perry started a
mushroom bed at the edge of the woods, raising winecap mushrooms for the CSA. In addition to blanketing their plots with compost, they strive to care for the land with other strategies. They leave strips unplanted to invite pollinators and shelter wildlife. (“Some of our weeds are intentional,” jokes Boos. “Not all of them. I don’t mean the ragweed in the squash.”) They don’t plant concentrations of any one type of food, and they take care to rotate crops. Evard, Boos’ former employer, has watched the developments with pride and says their hard work is paying off. For one thing, the amount of time they invest in soil fertility increases the nutrient density of their produce. “It’s very high-quality food,” he says. “They are doing an incredible job of healing the land up there.” The partnership works well because of their complementary skills. “We both have these similar passions for what we want to get done,” says Boos, “but we have a pretty different skill set to provide to make it work.” While both work the fields, they each focus on other realms: She keeps the books and stays on top of organization and planning, and he deals with mechanical issues. (Their 1986 tractor recently lost a cylinder, and repairing it falls to him.) She also has an off-farm job that keeps her hands in the soil. As garden and gleaning coordinator for Hoosier Hills Food
Bank, she leads volunteers in growing and harvesting food for the hungry. In the “gleaning” part of the job, she takes small groups of volunteers to Harriman Farms, north of Spencer. Proprietor William Harriman gives all surplus to the food bank. The gleanings amount to over 1,500 pounds of food for the hungry each week. In the “garden” part of the job, she manages the volunteer crew growing organic veggies in the Monroe County Parks Department’s community garden. The work fulfills her mission to share healthy food with others, and it also feeds her gregarious nature. “It’s all a fit,” Perry tells Boos, referring to the various roles she plays. “You’re a facilitator in so many ways. I mean, yes, you’re a farmer, but I feel like your real passion is facilitating between the people who need food, like ‘good food for all.’” “That’s true,” Boos responds. “I like food; I know how to farm, right — and I
want as many people to experience that good food feeling as possible.” Her many responsibilities add up to a satisfying life and a tight schedule. On this particular day, she and Perry were up at first light to harvest for the CSA. They’ve packed the boxes in a shaded shelter made from two salvaged billboards, which are being used as tarps. After a midday farm tour, Boos will load the shares into her Jeep and take them to delivery sites, then head to the food bank for her job. She won’t drive back up the lane until 9 p.m. Other days find her serving as president of the Local Growers Guild, a cooperative she helped found. The volunteer position means several meetings a month and ample opportunity to network with other small farmers. “There are so many (small farmers) in this area,” she says. “And then because there are so many, we get to work with each other, and it builds off each other.” Through sharing “ideas, stresses, solu-
Sundry Farm Sundryfarm@gmail.com (812) 272-3656
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Spinach Tyee planted for winter that will be protected by row cover. Purple Viking potatoes. John Perry determines what stage the compost is in by smell. Perry opens a tobacco seed pod.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 25
LEFT: Banana peppers. RIGHT: Bobbi Boos. tions and plans,” Boos says, Sundry Farm’s newest endeavor started to take shape. It centers on those grain-and-manure piles: They’ve crafted a business plan to make compost and seed starting mix for area farmers. So what started as part of an overall strategy to take excellent care of the land may end up helping other farmers do the same. Maggie Sullivan, former Local Growers Guild director, who first met Boos a decade ago, says their commitment to earth-friendly practices is a big reason why she chose Sundry Farm’s CSA. “I definitely made a conscious choice to subscribe to her CSA because I wanted to support her vision,” she says. “This is something she talked a little about when we first met — being able to provide food for a certain number of families around town and being able to react to their needs.” Through the weekly produce allotment she shares with her mother, Sullivan discovered a previously unknown affinity for beets. The self-described “beet addict” says she appreciates the intentionality behind Boos and Perry’s small scale. “They just love working with the land, and they’re very focused on sustainable growing,” she says. “They don’t have to bring in too many off-farm inputs, whether that’s fertilizers or whether that’s labor. And at the same time they’re improving the land where they are. … You could argue that their farming is making it
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a better place, environmentally.” Though Sundry Farm’s target number is 20 CSA members, the farm will grow in other ways after it hits that number. Adding more livestock is high on the priority list. First they’ll increase their chickens from their flock of 30. Then they might add dairy goats or a small Dexter cow. “I’m still leaning toward goats because they’re my size,” the small-boned Boos says, laughing. “I can handle a goat.” And then there’s the possibility of raising feeder pigs. Unless that notion gets derailed by Boos’ wish to bond long term with her livestock. “My personality is that I’d like to have the sow,” she says. “I want the pet. I’d like to have the sow and sell the feeder pigs. But that’s not really the place to start, since neither of us have raised pigs.” Further down the road, they may construct a commercial-grade kitchen, capitalizing on Perry’s HVAC and kitchen repair experience. “That’s the 10-year plan,” he says with a laugh. “We’re two years in with big ideas.” In late fall and winter, Boos’ food bank work will be finished for the season. But on the farm, the work continues yearround as the couple manage a four-season farm model. They’ll use a combination of protective structures: a high tunnel greenhouse, hoop houses and low tunnels to grow food. And even as the growing season slows way down, by February they
will be well into their maple syrup days. They tap 20 trees near the house, with plenty of expansion potential. Their yield was about 6 gallons last year, and their CSA customers were happy to have small jars of it in their shares. And nearly everything the couple have offered has met with enthusiastic response at market. People happily sample (and buy) unusual items like sumac berries, which they sell to make a lemonade-tasting tea. “We’re fortunate that the Bloomington community is well-educated about food,” Boos says. They’ve even had customers inquire about home-grown cigars. Perry grows tobacco as a natural pesticide and occasionally enjoys a cigar from the dried leaves. Just now, out near the plot where tobacco grows high, Perry pauses on hearing a liquid-like trill. “The tree frog moved!” he says to Boos with boyish excitement. “Hear him?” “He’s out here now?” Boos responds, and listens for the note to repeat. They first spotted the tree frog in an old play set’s “tower” next to the packing structure. They’ve begun to notice more wildlife. “Since we’ve been growing like we have,” Perry says, “we’ve got toads this big around.” He holds his hands wide. Box turtles mosey around the compost; a bullfrog lives in the greenhouse. Rabbits and deer take their portion of the harvest
from time to time. A great blue heron comes to visit the pond. And on the insect front, they see praying mantis babies and beneficial wasps galore. Watching living things thrive like this is clearly a thrill for the couple. It tells them they’re working in harmony with nature, making their never-ending to-do list completely worth the trouble. *FI
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Pitching In Earl and Barb Smith work to keep small farms viable BY REBECCA TOWNSEND PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL For Earl and Barb Smith, Indiana is a land of milk and honey — literally. They operate one of the last two dairy farms in Hancock County, so there’s no shortage of milk in their lives. And among their offerings at the six Indiana farmers markets they work each week, they sell their neighbor Tom Brendle’s honey. Both multigenerational farmers from east-central Indiana, Barb and Earl, along with their 28-year-old son, Michael, work on their farm, Blue River Natural Foods. Their older son, Chris, an Army veteran who served two years in Iraq, is now mulling a future in horticulture. The family talks of maybe building a hoop house for Chris but is waiting to make sure he’s gung-ho before committing. Chris has identified at least one attractive feature of a career tending plants: “If you leave a gate unlocked, plants aren’t going to get out,” he says. For Earl, who has embraced his bushy beard and bib overalls as his brand, working with animals is one of his favorite aspects of farming — even if it means wrangling cows that escape their fence or boars burrowing out of their pen.
Holstein/Jersey cross cattle. ABOVE: Barb and Earl Smith 28 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
A rooster among hens. “I like animals, basically,” he says. “Whether it’s raising them or eating them. I like animals. I could never go into row crops.” Earl has been farming Blue River’s 167-acre spread his entire adult life, following in the footsteps of his father and grandparents, who first moved to the land and began farming it 1947. The land includes a mile-long stretch of the Blue River and a quarter mile of Nameless Creek. “A life in farming teaches you to manage your time, your money, and it teaches you about the cycle of life, whether it be an animal or a plant, harvesting grain or an animal that’s lived its whole life and done its job,” Earl explains. Earl first met Barb when they were both teenagers and she was working at the local farm supply store. He watched her work, noticing that she was comfortable with a variety of tasks, from working the register to loading feed. “She was willing to do it all, and she looked good,” Earl says. “All of a sudden I found a girl who was into agriculture and farming, who wasn’t afraid to get dirty.” He asked her out for bowling and pizza. They’ve been together ever since. “The farm, to me, holds the family together,” says Barb, who also works as a registered nurse in the maternity ward of Hancock Regional Hospital in Greenfield. “I totally enjoy what I do with my job, but it’s nice to come back home and pitch in where I need to.”
Passion for the Cause
The Smiths feel so passionate about the importance of local agriculture that they spend much of their time helping to organize local farmers markets and networks of producers, including the publication of the Hoosier Harvest Council Directory. It includes contact information and the products produced by dozens of farms in central Indiana. “My drive is a passion to keep small farms viable,” Earl says. “If you’ve got a house and 10 acres of ground … you can make $10,000 an acre with intensive hard work.” Still, the Smiths’ advocacy for small farms doesn’t prejudice them against larger operations. Their farm has a handful of hogs and about 100 chickens for eggs and meat, but they shake their heads when asked about signs dotting a nearby state high-
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way, protesting a neighbor’s plans to rebuild his old barns and raise up to 1,500 hogs. The protesters “better not be eating pork,” says Barb, who grew up on beef and hog farms in Fairland, Richmond and Carthage. “A lot of people bought ground for their houses off his dad. … If people don’t like what he does, quit buying that meat. Most people just go to the stores and don’t even look at the labels.” That’s why the Smiths are committed to the Hoosier Harvest Council, which they’ve been involved with since 2004 to help connect local consumers with their agricultural community, to educate people about local food choices and help provide people with products they can feel good about. Barb and Earl would like the council’s directory to grow to include the whole state, an effort that will take a lot of grass-roots work because each county would need a leader to help keep the information current and make sure each operator is producing what they claim to be. Truth in labeling is a big deal to the Smiths. Barb helps manage three farmers markets, where the rule is that anything not produced on a vendor’s farm must be labeled as to where it was produced. If it wasn’t produced in Indiana, it can’t be sold at the market. “You can trust our products and what we say about our products,” she says. The Smiths spend a lot of time educating producers and consumers alike. For new vendors, they offer guidance about topics such as marketing or the importance of carrying liability insurance.
On the Farm
Blue River’s offerings include beef, pork, eggs, cheese, curds, butter, syrup and honey. When it comes to beef, Blue River Natural Foods offers lean burger, period; roasts, steaks and other prime cuts are ground into the mix. Customer Amy Surburg, who lives near Morristown, raves about the farm’s beef offerings. Maybe, she says, because it reminds her of the beef her grandfather raised when she was a little girl. “I think their beef is the best tasting,” Surburg says. “It tastes beefier to me; it has a good rich flavor.” Plus, she adds, she appreciates the convenience of Blue River’s on-farm store.
30 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Surburg lives about three miles from the farm. The Smiths’ cows, mostly Holstein and Jersey crosses, occupy the heart of the Blue River operation, grazing in the tree-lined paddocks surrounding the milk house. The farm is now milking about 25 cows; about 30 heifers and 24 bulls of various ages fill out the herd. Blue River butchers every two to three months, rotating between two local slaughterhouses — Rihms in Cambridge City and This Old Farm in Colfax — based on their availability. The beef is mostly grass-fed, with a little grain mixed in. The Smiths gave up organic certification for the cows because they couldn’t find enough local certified organic feed to keep the cows properly fed through the past winter. Farmers constantly have to evaluate what they’re doing, Barb explains. The animals were not doing well enough on 100 percent grass, and there weren’t enough local certified organic grains to offset the deficiency, so adding a small amount of conventional grains to their diet made sense. Their farmland, however, remains certified organic. They are now renting some of it to a neighbor who is growing 50 acres of organic field corn and three acres of sweet corn. The transition in the cows’ diet doesn’t appear to be agitating their customer base. “A lot of it’s still the flavor of the meat and knowing it’s been raised local,” Barb says. “They’re supporting someone in their region as opposed to a big feedlot in Nebraska trucking it all in.” *FI
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Where to Find Blue River Natural Foods Year-round on the farm, 6001 E. Road 500S, Greenfield. Some delivery options are available. Blue River Foods products are available on Saturday mornings year-round at the Farmers Market at the Fairgrounds in Hancock County (620 N. Apple St., Greenfield). The winter market at the fairgrounds takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the summer, you can find Blue River Natural Foods at several other area markets. For more information, call (317) 727-0113.
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It took more than two decades for the McAlpins to make their farmhouse their own BY RYAN TRARES | PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
32 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
For nearly 120 years, a staid Victorian farmhouse on the outskirts of Franklin has served as home for generations of the McAlpin family. Surrounded by corn and soybean fields, the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s timbers were cut from local trees; its hardwood floor was made of the original planks that were installed when the farmhouse was built. But time and neglect had almost resulted in its loss. Water stains and mold ruined the plaster walls. The floor canted, due to rotting wood. Windows were broken, holes had let animals in and the foundation seemed to be crumbling.
Instead of walking away, Connie and Glenn McAlpin spent more than 20 years remodeling, refurbishing and re-envisioning the historic home. While farming 600 acres of row crops surrounding the land, the couple slowly pieced together authentic reproductions and repairs while enduring periods of living without heat, electricity or plumbing. The property, which they call Pleasant View Farm, has remained in the family since the 1830s, and the McAlpins are proud that it will continue to be a place where their
Connie and Glenn McAlpin
heritage remains strong. “It’s given us a greater appreciation of what we’ve got here,” Glenn says. “We saw what we started with and what we did here. We did it all ourselves. It has been in the family all these years. We had to save it.” But remodeling the home was third on Glenn’s list of priorities. He worked full time for the postal service before retiring in 2009. Up to that point, he had also farmed the land with his father, James McAlpin. The McAlpin farm spreads over the hillsides in eastern Johnson County, where the family raises corn and soybeans. Whatever remaining hours Glenn had were spent wisely. “Time was limited,” Connie says. “With a full-time job and farming and the house, it was work-work-work.” Glenn’s family settled the farm in 1830. Built by Glenn’s great-great-grandfather, the Queen Anne-style Victorian home has been standing since 1895. It replaced a previous house built in the 1850s. Glenn and Connie had been living in a ranch home near the farm, where they had
moved in the early 1980s. But Connie wanted to find a two-story home near the same location. The old family farmhouse seemed like an obvious choice. But what they found when they first investigated it was off-putting. A pair of Glenn’s cousins owned the structure and had rented it. But the tenant had neglected it, leaving the house in poor condition. Windows were broken, cigarette smoke hung over every surface and mold stained the outdoor wood siding. “There was no way in our minds that we could save it,” Connie says. “It was beyond terrible. People thought we were crazy. We had finished our other house, and they couldn’t understand why we’d want to start over.” What changed their minds was catching a glimpse of the original woodwork around the doorways. Though covered in white paint, the rosettes and design had survived. The McAlpins purchased the house in 1990 and started working right away to make it livable. The floor joists had rotted away and had to be replaced. Part of the foundation in the front of the house had to be repaired.
None of the walls had insulation, so the couple added it before putting drywall over the studs. The electrical wiring was from the 1930s and was contained in metal casing. All of it had to be replaced. One of the first things they did was install a geothermal system for heat. When the couple finally moved into the house in 1992, they had one working electrical outlet. They ran an extension cord up to the second floor, where they had stacked mattresses on piles of drywall that would eventually need to be installed. They slept under exposed ceiling joists and tried to cover up holes in the windows to keep wildlife out. Their efforts weren’t always successful. “One night, our cat was sleeping on the end of the bed and started jumping up and playing,” Glenn says. “We didn’t know what was going on until we turned on a light, and a bat was flying around over us.” The project has moved slowly, when the McAlpins had time to do the work. They did nearly everything themselves, from the
foundation replacement to the wood trim to restoring the exterior siding. To hire professionals for such a massive project would have cost an astronomical amount, Connie says. “Your average people like us can’t afford to hire someone to get this done. You just can’t,” she says. “So that’s why we had to take 20 years to get it done.” They retained the original layout of the rooms and saved money for some minor adjustments, such as adding closets and updating the kitchen. When enough of the original home had been re-created, the McAlpins made additions to the structure. They hired contractors to frame a back room, utility room and office, but handled putting in windows, doors and walls themselves. Using rough timber, Glenn replicated the design and rosettes of the original woodwork. To cover the walls and ceilings, they carefully chose wallpaper to match the feel of a 19th-century home. Specialty lampshades added a nostalgic touch, and the lighting
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 33
Pleasant View Farm Owners: Glenn and Connie McAlpin Founded: 1830 Location: Franklin Crops: Corn and soybeans
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“It’s given us a greater appreciation of what we’ve got here. We saw what we started with and what we did here. We did it all ourselves.” — GLENN MCALPIN
fixtures were re-created to match the Victorian time period. “Everything is a mix of antiques, family or found treasures, mixed in with some simpler items,” Connie says. Even the furniture has a story. Glenn was able to salvage a wooden rocking chair for their living room that he recalled his family using when he was a child. “I remember my grandfather rocking in that chair, and my father rocking in that chair,” he says. “Now I can rock in it.” The exterior of the house has been carefully crafted into a Victorian-era garden. Shrubs, trees and flowers are arranged in neat beds, with towering trees providing shade throughout the yard. Visitors pulling into the tree-lined gravel driveway often can’t see the home right away; it’s hidden from the road. After two decades of work, the project is close to complete. Only a few minor projects remain, such as finishing the siding and making adjustments to the exterior. The couple are proud of the work they’ve done, maintaining a piece of history while making the original design suitable for modern life. “It’s like everything has been gone over,” Connie says. “It looks new, but it feels old to me.” This past summer, the farm was honored by Indiana as a 150year Hoosier Homestead farm. The award is given to farms that have remained in the same family for more than 100 years. “It’s special to us that we’ve been here so long,” Glenn says. *FI
D I D YOU K N OW? Pork is Indiana’s third top commodity, and the state is the fifth-largest producer of pork in the United States. Here are some pork facts you might not know: •There are more than 3,000 pork farmers in Indiana. The industry employs more than 13,000 people in the state. •94% of Indiana’s pork farms are family-owned and - operated. •The Indiana pork industry contributes more than $3 billion annually to the state’s economy. •Pork provides protein, B vitamins and thiamin to our diets. Pork has three times as much thiamin as any other food. Thiamin changes carbohydrates into energy and promotes a healthy appetite. •Female swine are called sows. Twice a year, sows give birth to litters of piglets, which is called farrowing. Each litter usually has eight to 12 piglets. •The pork industry is the leading consumer of Indiana grain – more than $300 million worth each year. •Pig fat can be used in a variety of products, including weed killers, chalk, cosmetics, floor wax, crayons and antifreeze. •Insulin and about 40 other medicines are made from pigs.
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T
Facing the Future The National FFA Organization reaches out to students of all backgrounds to train its next leaders BY CATHERINE WHITTIER
ABOVE: Students from Southwest Elementary School in Greenwood at an FFA event. Photo courtesy of Joe Park.
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here was a time when National FFA Organization (FFA) occupied a segment of vocational education departments in high schools primarily located in rural farm areas. The trademark blue corduroy jackets marked those who were serious about growing crops and raising livestock. Students with no farm connection were rarely exposed to the study of agriculture and would never consider membership in an organization that seemed to be focused strictly on farming production. But as the world has moved into the age of advanced science and technology, the focus of agriculture education has changed. And so have the faces of FFA. “It’s still widely believed that FFA is just for kids that live on a farm, but that’s not the case,” says Joe Martin, who serves as the Indiana FFA program specialist. “According to national FFA numbers, about two-thirds of our students are coming from rural non-farm and urban communities.” “Grandparents or great-grandparents (of FFA students) may have been the last of the family that was involved in farming production,” Martin explains. “At the same time, there’s an increasing number of students, and people in general, who want to know where their food comes from and how their food is produced. So we are seeing growth in the number of students who are participating in agriculture courses.” Indiana currently has over 10,000 members, and the student governing board hopes to see that number go up to over 12,000 this year. FFA has evolved with the changing world, and the focus of coursework in agriculture education has changed with it. “There has been a shift toward the study of agriscience,” Martin says. “If you were to go into a classroom now, you wouldn’t see much focus on production.” Teachers often discuss “what scientific principles apply to the themes of agriculture,” explains Chris Kaufman, Beech Grove High School agricultural life science teacher. “Students are learning about biotechnology — the inputs into the farm and what we do with the plant and animal products past the production.” None of Kaufman’s students has a farm background. Of the 900 students who attend Beech Grove High School, 500 students have enrolled in the agriculture program, with 130 of those FFA members. Kaufman says that FFA is a leadership program for those involved in agriculture classes, but it can also be a place to learn about the nuts and bolts of farming for those involved in production. Joe Dunn, agriculture education teacher and FFA adviser at Indian Creek High School, says that he has some students who have taken agriculture classes because they thought they sounded interesting or because they didn’t know what else to take, and then stayed with the program throughout high school when they realized they really liked the coursework. Building Leaders Media and information technology have given students and consumers from all walks of life an educated glimpse into the vast field of agriscience. As the world’s population explodes and related social issues emerge, food production becomes a humanitarian issue, as well as a scientific endeavor. The growing interest in changing the world through
food makes FFA more about a mission that nonfarming students can join rather than a place where they don’t fit. While FFA has a rich history and embraces many traditions, it is also futuristic in the study of how to engage in processes in better and more productive ways. Agriculture education allows students to think about and engage in worldimpacting science in a hands-on way. “If you were to walk through a state or national convention and ask students what FFA is all about, 98 percent would answer — leadership,” says Steve Hickey, director of FFA leadership programs. FFA strives not only to prepare young people for careers in the agriculture industry and elsewhere, but also to teach them to be excellent leaders who can defend their reasoning. Processes and procedures may change, but strong leadership qualities will always be in demand. “The lessons learned within FFA are not the kind that are learned for a quiz and then forgotten in a week. They are lessons learned for a lifetime,” Hickey says. While Jacob Mueller, 18, Indiana FFA southern region vice president, grew up on a small farm, some of his fellow FFA officers have no farm background at all. “It’s important for students to know that they don’t have to come from a farm background or live on a farm to reap the rewards of FFA,” Mueller says. In the early 1920s, FFA was reserved for boys who were participating in agriculture classes. Currently, Hickey explains, membership is composed of almost 50 percent girls; the percentage of girls holding leadership positions within FFA is even higher. Brittany Young, 18, the 2014-2015 Indiana FFA state president, grew up on an Angus cattle farm near Hope. Her involvement with FFA began when her eighth-grade agriculture teacher talked her into signing up for a speech contest through the organization. Young says she once considered herself to be shy, but her participation in that contest was a pivotal moment for her. “I learned that I was capable of doing things that I didn’t think I was capable of doing,” she explains. “I was pushed out of my comfort zone.” Mueller agrees with Young that involvement in various aspects of FFA will require students to step out of their comfort zones. They do that in the context of opportunity and in the process learn how to function as members of a team, to do their fair share and to grow in the area of responsibility, he explains. “FFA is not about cows, sows and plows, it’s about beakers, speakers and job seekers,” Martin likes to say. “FFA is for anyone who is interested in how food is produced and for anyone interested in exploring the varied careers in the agriculture industry.” Martin asserts that there are over 300 careers in agriculture. Approximately 1.8 percent of the U.S. population is involved in production agriculture, or the growing and marketing of plants and livestock, but a much larger segment of the population, approximately 15 percent, is involved in the wider agriculture industry. “There are many vital careers available for students that aren’t about farming and aren’t about production agriculture,” Martin says. “FFA has something for everybody.” For more information, visit inffa.org. *FI
Best Kept Secret PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL County Road 125W winds its way past tidy homes and crop-laden farm fields before reaching the humble stone pillars that mark the entrance to the National FFA Organization’s FFA Leadership Center in southern Johnson County. FFA Executive Director Joe Park says that people don’t consider turning into the drive because they don’t think the FFA Leadership Center is open to the public. But, he says, the center is available for use by most anyone and refers to the center as the “best kept secret in central Indiana.” He is tasked with the job of making sure the secret gets out. Park taught agriculture for 42 years in the Indian Creek school district. He was teaching when the FFA Leadership Center was dedicated in 1968. Prior to that, students involved in the FFA program had to travel to Camp Oliver, which was at the northern end of the state, for their conferences and camps. There was also a campground at Lincoln City, on the southern end of the state. Because there was so much navigating around the campground schedules, FFA administrators decided to build their own camp in the central region of the state. That’s how the FFA Leadership Center was born. “The thought was that we could host our camps whenever we wanted to and that we could rent the facilities out to other groups when FFA wasn’t using them,” Park explains. “It was thought that this strategy would be a great success and would lead to additional funds for FFA programs.” However, Park continues, “it didn’t work that way. The property’s fixed costs are very high. In the summer months, we have no trouble meeting those costs, but as school starts, things slow down, and it’s hard to cover costs with strictly weekend traffic.” Approximately 1,200 FFA members come through the seven camps and conferences held at the center each year. Park has also introduced fall and spring break camps for third- through sixth-grade children, which are also open to the public. While the FFA Leadership Center was designed as a camp for students, the property is used for much more. The land offers a 7-acre lake with beach area, paddle boats and canoes. It boasts three hiking trails, with 12 adult bicycles available for use. A mountain bike trail and archery range are under construction. And then there’s the Fellowship Center, a log cabin-style retreat lodge that sleeps 20 overnight or seats as many as 100. “We also do weddings, family reunions, company picnics, Christmas parties, band camps, church retreats, business meetings, and this year, we did our first ever football camp,” Park says. “We’re open for business year-round.” Joe Park
>> For more information, visit inffa.org/leadershipcenter.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 37
Safety
in Numbers New state crowdfunding laws allow small businesses unique financial possibilities
BY JON SHOULDERS
W
hen Tyner Pond Farm owner Chris Baggott learned that the owners of a farm down the road from his own wanted to transition a large portion of their 230 acres from corn and soybean crops into a cow pasture, he knew they had a formidable challenge. He also realized, given recent legislative developments at the state level, that it was a timely opportunity. The farmers want “to start with 100 steers, so they’re realistically looking at $150,000 just to make the transition while they invest in pasture, acquire the animals and forgo about a year of income while they wait for it to grow,” Baggott says. “So where’s that money going to come from?” Thanks to a new set of Indiana crowdfunding rules implemented under Secretary of State Connie Lawson, small businesses such as the farm
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Baggott describes now have an additional financial option to explore. According to the new rules, which went into effect on July 1 after the Indiana General Assembly passed statewide crowdfunding legislation during the 2014 legislative session earlier in the year, entrepreneurs and private business owners can raise up to $2 million to start or grow their business through online fundraising, and individuals can now invest up to $5,000 at a time in privately owned businesses in exchange for equity. Prior to July 1, only accredited investors — those with a net worth of at least $1 million or an annual income of more than $200,000 — could invest in private business offerings. “Our hope is that there will be a significant effect on the local economy as investment dollars can stay in the community, creating jobs and economic growth for Indiana as well as a cycle of wealth creation where local individuals are able to invest and potentially profit from the success of local companies, and then invest those proceeds back into the next generation of local businesses,” says Brandon Smith, co-founder of Localstake, an Indianapolis-based investment crowdfunding Web platform founded in 2011. Whereas well-known crowdfunding Web services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are exclusively donation-based, through which individuals or groups offer perks like T-shirts or coffee mugs in exchange for monetary contributions, individuals under Indiana’s new rules can choose to invest in a business in exchange for an actual ownership stake. “I think it’s going to help a lot of farmers and food businesses grow and make their transitions, like this farm near mine that wants to transition from corn and soybean to pasture, not to mention those interested in starting urban gardens and startups like that,” says Baggott, whose own Hancock County-based farm houses cattle, chickens and pigs. “If
a farmer is switching to organic methods for example, they have a land transition period to think about as well, and it really comes down to capital — and capital that is patient and can afford to wait for years. So they can go to the bank, and the bank will say, ‘OK, we’re going to lend you that money minus 20 or 25 percent,’ and then the farmer can raise that much through crowdfunding.” Although the U.S. Congress passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act in 2012 to ease various securities regulations for small businesses and authorize the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to draft federal rules for equity-based crowdfunding, those rules are still pending two years later. As a result, states like Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan are proceeding with their own intrastate regulations in accordance with a long-standing federal exemption under the U.S. Congress Securities Act of 1933, enacted in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929 to increase transparency for investors. Baggott says the increasingly stringent requirements that many banks nationwide have imposed for down payments since the economic downturn of 2008 were also part of the motivation behind Indiana’s liberalization of crowdfunding rules. “Now people can go out and source those funds from the 90 percent of the population that has always been locked out of that, and the secretary of state set up the rules to be able to do the policing if issues and problems come up,” he says. One of those rules dictates that crowdfunding within the state must be handled through a website operator registered with the Indiana Securities Division. Localstake, one of the only two Web platforms currently registered, is an authorized broker-dealer and earns a percentage of funds raised by
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each business that uses its service. The other, Potluck Capital, went live in late summer of this year and is described by Baggott, its founder, as a “strictly self-service portal” that charges a flat fee. Baggott adds that Potluck Capital has already attracted interest from a diverse range of small businesses, including software companies, restaurants, brewpubs and a dairy farm interested in building its own bottling plant. “With crowdfunding, unlike, for instance, bank financing, you are able to both pursue financing and market your product or service,” says Smith, a former investment analyst at J.P. Morgan. “Anyone that participates in your crowdfunding offering is now incentivized to be your customer, evangelize and attract others to your business, and connect you with resources they are connected with to help you grow.” Proponents of the state’s new rules stress the $5,000 investment cap as a counterbalance to what some see as a high degree of risk in small business startups. “These are opportunities that potential investors can connect with, go and visit, meet the management team and help be successful,” Smith adds. “I believe that the more a farm can help potential investors identify with the product they are producing — i.e., ‘Our crops show up in these local grocery stores that you frequent’ — the better they will be able to connect with potential investors.” *FI
For further details on Indiana crowdfunding laws, visit in.gov/sos/investinindiana.
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FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 39
(From left): Alan and Karen Whipker with their sons, Mike and Doug.
Built on Necessity With 18 greenhouses and a 100-acre vegetable farm, the Whipker family fills a need BY ROBIN WINZENREAD FRITZ PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
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D
oug Whipker likes putting down roots, and he’s not alone. His brother, Michael, is putting down roots, too. But for the Whipker brothers, those roots come in the form of flowering plants for Doug — 15,000 just in mums to be exact — and vegetables for Michael, who together help their parents, Alan and Karen Whipker, operate and manage the family business, Whipker’s Market and Greenhouse, on U.S. 31, just south of Columbus. For residents of Bartholomew County, Whipker’s Market and Greenhouse has been as steady as the seasons. From its early beginnings as a horse-drawn wagon full of melons to a tiny wooden shack next to a dirt road to its present facility with an open-air market and 18 greenhouses, Whipker’s has been bringing fresh, homegrown produce and plants to local customers for generations. And thanks to the efforts of the Whipker family to keep putting down roots, it has also grown substantially over time. “We’ll go to our greenhouse conventions, and we’ll be talking to somebody, and when we tell them that we have 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of greenhouses and, on top of that, we have a hundred-acre vegetable farm, their mouths just drop,” says Doug. “They look at you like you’re crazy.”
But it was necessity — not insanity — that spurred Doug and Michael’s grandfather, Elmer Whipker, to start the family business in 1919. Faced with feeding 11 children, Elmer began driving melons by horse-drawn wagon to nearby Columbus long before the state road fronting their current open air market was even paved. Among those 11 children were Doug and Michael’s father — Alan — who was the youngest of the 11. By 1928, Elmer stayed closer to home, selling produce from a wooden stand at the intersection of U.S. 31 and U.S. 7, roughly a half mile north of the farm’s current location, before opening a permanent stand on the family farm in 1937, when U.S. 31 was finally paved. That original stand — long since gone — once stood in the middle of the existing parking lot of the current open air market and greenhouses. Alan’s wife, Karen, says that, thanks to heavy traffic between Seymour and Columbus, Elmer’s original venture did very well, and they’ve been growing ever since. “My father-in-law’s motto was you have to raise it yourself,” says Karen, “so each year we started raising more and more produce and eventually plants that we sold. “Alan’s dad was a very gentle man, and he would sit in his chair and watch us work,” continues Karen.
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“We would ask him if it was OK to do something, and he would say, ‘Whatever you want to do.’ And then he would just smile. I’m sure he’s smiling down on us, seeing what we’ve done with it.” As a teenager, Alan worked the farm and produce stand alongside his father. At the same time, Alan was attending Columbus North High School, where he met Karen. Eventually Alan purchased the 80 acres from his father’s estate when Elmer passed away. Together, Alan and Karen, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in April, continued managing the produce market, usually with their three children, Doug, Michael and Vicki, in tow. “They were raised here, my kids were,” says Karen, referencing the market. “They came down here in baby baskets with netting over them, and they played out here in the sand pile. They thought it was a sand box. They were here all the time, 11-hour days, most days. They were just raised here. They didn’t know the difference. “The kids sacrificed a lot,” Karen continues. “They did 4-H, of course, and sports, but maybe not as much as they would have liked. But no summer vacations. I’ve often wondered how we found time to get married in the first part of April,” she says. “Of course, we didn’t have the greenhouses then. We couldn’t have done that nowadays.”
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“You don’t go anywhere for spring break when you’re in the greenhouse business,” adds Doug. “You just can’t.” For him, growing up at the market laid the foundation for his future role managing the greenhouses. “My children never did get an allowance when they were young; they got a crop,” Karen says. “And as you got older, if you picked something and sold it, you got the money from it.” “I started growing mums when I was 15 years old,” says Doug. “I didn’t even have my license yet.” While the original business consisted of just produce, it was Karen who had the idea to expand beyond vegetables roughly 25 years ago. “I started with two hay wagons — I had one hay wagon with bedding plants and one with vegetable plants, and I grew to this,” she says, indicating the greenhouses, the first of which was built in the late 1980s. “It’s hard to believe that I started with two hay wagons and one employee.” Now, in addition to selling vegetables and expanding to nine part-time employees and five full-time employees, Whipker’s also sells annuals, perennials, bedding plants, herbs, combination hanging baskets, tropical plants and Doug’s 15,000 mums, many of which are sold wholesale to other markets. That expansion has also since grown over time to include greater involvement for Doug and Michael. When Karen was diagnosed with Buckets and boxes of tomatoes sit ready for the market and shipment.
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Whipker’s Market & Greenhouse 5190 S. U.S. 31, Columbus (812) 372-4216
breast cancer in 1998, she had to step back from her work with the greenhouses. Initially Doug took over managing the greenhouses and market for his mother, but Michael soon joined him. Now the brothers divide their responsibilities between them, with Doug overseeing the greenhouses and some produce, while Michael manages the vegetable fields, as well as the family’s feed corn and soybean acres. It’s a division of labor born of necessity and customer service. “There’s a lot of people that started out in the vegetable business that switched over to the greenhouse business, and they know how much work is involved, and that’s why, basically, I concentrate on this,” says Doug, indicating the greenhouses, “and why my brother concentrates on the vegetables. Because it’s almost impossible to do both at the same time or your quality will suffer. “And you learn a little something new every year,” adds Doug. “In the greenhouse business, things change over the years. I do not grow things the same way I did 10 years ago, 15 years ago. It just changes. Everything changes, and you’ve got to stay on top of it.” As for Alan and Karen, those changes include stepping back, not necessarily into retirement, but away from more responsibility as their sons continue to assume the reins of the family business. “We’re still here every day,” Karen says. “We’re just slowing down a little bit each year.” *FI
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Helen Thomas at the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County. OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: A gourd decorated as a snowman. RIGHT: Red Crown-of-Thorns gourds.
Sandladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gourd Farm 10295 N. Road 700W, Tangier (765) 498-5428, sandlady.com
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Handcrafted
Helen Thomas turned growing gourds into an artful business BY KAY JERNIGAN MCGRIFF PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
S
cattered horseshoes are nailed to the outside of a red barn. Inside the barn bags and boxes of raw gourds are stacked in the center, ready to be shipped to fill orders through the winter for Sandlady’s Gourd Farm. Gourd creations of all kinds — Santas, jack-o’-lanterns, rattles, bowls, birdhouses, purses, dolls, vases — fill the shelves that line the walls. Helen Thomas stands in the middle of her Gourd Art Museum, pointing out gourds that have been transformed into works of art. Much of the art she has purchased back from her customers. “I’ve noticed a lot of people when they come here, I think they love seeing the samples, what you can do with gourds,” Thomas says. She points out the varieties of gourds from small spinners to large tobacco box gourds and twisted snake gourds. “It’s just the idea, and your imagination takes off.” Thomas grows gourds on land that belonged to her husband Ron’s grandfather in Parke County, not far from Turkey Run State Park. When they first started their farm, Ron continued to grow watermelon and cantaloupe as his grandfather had. She added a garden with tomatoes, pumpkins and sweet potatoes to sell at farmers markets. She discovered gourds when her nephew sold seeds for a school fundraiser.
“I purchased all he had,” Thomas says. “There were two packages of ornamental gourds in the packet of seeds. I planted two rows near the pumpkins. Ron didn’t like me doing this. He ended up liking them because of their beauty and ability to make money.” Thomas increased the number of gourds grown from two rows to four rows and then from one acre to two acres. She added hard-shelled gourds as well as the ornamental gourds. More people stopped by the farm to buy gourds. Visiting the Ohio Gourd Festival in Mount Gilead, Ohio, in 1991 increased their excitement for growing gourds. “Ron got excited about gourds,” Thomas says. “Ron himself planted a gourd arbor full of gourds. Next year after that, Ron became a paraplegic, and I took over. A few years later, I quit growing the melons, pumpkins, etc., and started Sandlady’s Gourd Farm. The rest is history.” Today the farm sells a wide variety of gourds and seeds through its website and at gourd shows. Thomas is a member of the Indiana Gourd Society, which added her to its Roll of Honor in 2007. She continues to run the farm with help from her husband and their employee, John Kilgore. Thomas has grown as many as 56 acres of gourds, but she aver-
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 45
ages around 20 acres planted in gourds each year. She waves at the field across the road. “This field here was filled,” she says. “All that rain we had must have carried disease with them. They turned yellow and just died.” She also turned her side yard into a gourd field, but most of those plants died as well this year. Scattered vines dot the yard between several barns and two house trailers. Each building is filled with dried and cleaned gourds from past harvests. Thomas first donated the extra gourds she grew to her church to sell at its booth at the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County. Once she learned about ways to decorate gourds, she discovered she had a knack for creating gourds that people want to snap up. “If you can discover something new to do with them that people like, that they’ve never seen before, but they like it, they’ll go crazy over it,” she says. Thomas sells most of her crafted gourds at the Covered Bridge Festival. At the rest of the shows, she sells raw gourds to artists. Before they are sold, the gourds dry through the winter piled onto wagons outside. Once dried, they need to be washed before being moved inside for storage or into the workshop. Inside the workshop, gourds are heaped onto tables. One table holds gourds that have a hole drilled into the bowl to make a birdhouse. Some gourds have been cut in half to make bowls. Others have been stained in shades of red, yellow, orange and brown. Thomas picks up a gourd and thumps the bottom, listening to the sound it makes. “That’s one of the things I always try to teach my customers is how to pick a good quality gourd,” she says. “I always tell them to knock on it.” Thick, solid gourds provide the best surface for an artist to paint, carve or wood-burn. Even lower quality gourds can be used to create art, though. Thin or pithy gourds can be turned into inexpensive holiday decorations. Cracked or broken gourds can be cut into pieces to make jewelry. Back in her Gourd Art Museum, Thomas picks up a tall gourd with a rope rim and handle attached. Neat stitches hold together cracks that run down the sides. Etchings of animals circle the gourd. She had given this broken gourd to a customer who had been coming to the farm since he was a child. “I thought it was worthless,” she says. “He probably was gleaming when I gave it to him. The next show I went to, he was there, and this is what he turned it into.” Another longtime customer, Cheryl Bowlin, uses Thomas’ gourds in Hidden Talents, a program with Janus Developmental Services that teaches work skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. Bowlin first met Thomas at gourd shows. During a time when other work had slowed down, Bowlin brought in gourds to provide work, and a new program grew from the results. “We discovered artists among us,” she says. Crafting the birdhouses provides another way for Janus Developmental Services to meet its mission of providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to contribute to the community and to be defined by their abilities. Each birdhouse created from the gourds provides many opportunities for people to contribute. Some clean the inside of the gourds, some drill holes, some paint the base coat, and some paint intricate designs to decorate the gourds. Throughout the process, they learn to care for their tools and how to sell the finished items. Today, the birdhouses and other items created through Hidden Talents are on display at the Janus facility in Noblesville. They are also sold at a few area stores as well as in six state park gift shops. Bowlin hopes that they will one day have a shop of their own where individuals can learn to manage the store with supervision. Each birdhouse comes with a card that gives the artist’s name and Thomas’ website. Thomas enjoys the people she has met through Sandlady’s Gourd Farm. “You meet so many interesting people who are so nice, and they become your friends,” she says. “If a person likes gourds, they’re a good person for the whole world, you know.” *FI
46 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
The Indiana Gourd Society The Indiana Gourd Society (IGS) provides education, resources and support for anyone interested in gourds. Whether your interest is in growing gourds or crafting with gourds, you can connect with the Indiana Gourd Society through visiting one of its gourd shows, browsing its website or joining one of the patches or local gourd groups. Organized in 1991, the Indiana Gourd Society is the Eta chapter of the American Gourd Society (americangourdsociety.org). Ida Kennedy, president of the Indiana Gourd Society, welcomes people to get involved with all things gourds. “You make good friends,” she says. “You stay active. It’s not an expensive hobby.” IGS State Gourd Show, Boone County Fairgrounds, Lebanon First weekend in May; admission charged. Gourd growers and gourd artists come together to celebrate and share their accomplishments in the State Gourd Show. A variety of workshops teach crafting techniques in addition to public demonstrations and vendor booths. The IGS presents awards for Best of Show in several categories along with the Jim Story Award for the best gourd that has been knotted or molded. This award honors Jim Story, an Indiana gourd gardener who pioneered new techniques in manipulating and molding gourds. The national award, selected from state winners, is also presented at the show.
Pure Seed Project Several members of the IGS work to grow gourd seeds that consistently produce gourds that are uniform in size, shape and color. “We try to keep varieties like they should be,” Kennedy says. Steve Sullivan started the project with gourds he grew on his property. Kennedy and her sister, Francis Bascom, have joined in the effort. In order to prevent cross-pollination with unknown varieties, the growers cover or tape the male and female blossom to prevent pollination by insects. They then pollinate blossoms by hand. Other gourd society members help throughout the year with harvesting, cleaning and packaging the seeds, which are for sale at ISG shows and through its website, indianagourdsociety.org.
Our farm is located in Eastern Hancock County where we currently raise livestock and grain. Together Robert and his father Roland steadily increased a milking herd of Holsteins. Even though the Holstein breed is a dairy breed, we continued to raise them for beef production. Our Mission Statement is “To provide our customers with the highest quality meat fed with flavor enriching home grown grain on open pasture without the use of hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.” The Hoosier Harvest Market promotes all production practices. Conventional farming, certified organic, gluten-free and everything in between. Safe, Traceable, Local Food.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 47
Feightner family wins
awards for farm preservation
BY CJ WOODRING PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
ark Feightner, a fourth-generation farmer, grew up in Ligonier. His wife, Donna, is a Fort Wayne native whose grandparents were Wisconsin dairy farmers. The Feightners are farmers and environmentalists who respect the Earth’s resources and strive to be good stewards. They also honor their generational family farm and have spent more than two decades working the land and preserving the century-old barn and outbuildings on the property near Kendallville. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Framed markers in the neatly trimmed yard identify the owners as winners of the River Friendly Farmer and Hoosier Homestead awards. The former award, which recognizes farmers’ efforts on behalf of environmental concerns, was awarded to the Feightners in 2001. The latter recognizes families with farms that have been owned by the same family for 100 years or more. The Feightners’ farm reached the centennial mark in November 2003; the award was presented in April 2004. A third marker soon will be added: the 2014 John Arnold Award for Rural Preservation, which recognizes the preservation and continued use of historic farming-related structures. Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Farm Bureau presented the award to the
48 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
TOP: The Feightner family re-creates a photo taken in the early 1900s (above) with the historic red barn. OPPOSITE PAGE: Mark Feightner holds his John Arnold Rural Preservation Award.
couple in August on Farmers Day at the Indiana State Fair. Established in 1992, it honors Arnold, a former Rush County farmer. The Feightners, selected from among six nominees, are the first Noble County farmers to win the award. “We are truly honored to have been the recipient of the John Arnold Award,” Mark says. “We are proud of our work in preserving our rural Indiana farm heritage.” Tommy Kleckner, Indiana Landmarks’ western regional office director and coordinator of the Arnold Award program, lauds the couple’s overall achievements. “We were thrilled to receive their nomination because of the wonderful stewardship they’ve shown on their generational farm,” he says. “It epitomizes what this award is for and what we like to recognize –– not just rehabilitation of the barn and outbuildings, but ongoing care of the farm itself.”
A HISTORIC FARM
“We are proud of our work in preserving our rural Indiana farm heritage.” — MARK FEIGHTNER
In 1991 the couple took ownership of the 94-acre farmstead Mark’s great-grandfather founded in 1903. In 2006 they purchased 31 additional acres. Mark’s great-aunt, Elmo Feightner, lived in the farmhouse until she passed away in 2000, but work began long before that for the couple, who both were working full-time jobs outside the farm. The original barn on the property had been razed. A larger bank barn was constructed in 1913 in a nearby location, using new and recycled beams. About 15 years ago, Mark began rehabilitation work on the iconic historic structure, which now houses farm equipment. “I did some structural work, replaced a lot of windows and siding, and was also working on other outbuildings at the same time,” he says. “Finally, in 2006 I hired a guy to paint it.” An archival family photo taken in front of the building guided the painter in replicating the original red and white facade: When the Feightners took over the farmstead, the barn was painted solid red. “This has been a family project,” Donna says, noting that her mother and brothers, along with Mark’s brother, have played an integral role in the overall rehabilitation process of the multiple buildings. “Mark’s brother has helped with the farming,” she explains. “My brother, an attorney, has helped with legal matters. My younger brother’s wife, a graphic designer, helped us select just the right shade of red paint for the barn. She also helped us design our Lakeview Farms logo and sign.” The sign is proudly displayed on the pole building.
A CASE FOR COVER CROPS Four years ago, Mark learned about the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that encourages farmers to plant cover crops. Based on used seed mixture, the program pays all seed and application costs for first-time cover crop producers who commit to the threeyear program and meet NRCS cover crop seeding requirements. Mark planted cover crops and filter strips to prevent soil erosion into Sackrider Lake and Gretzinger Ditch on the farm’s borders. Results were so impressive, he says, that he plans to continue the program, rotating corn and soybeans. The Feightners’ environmental efforts led to recognition by the Noble County Soil and Water Conservation District, which presented the River Friendly
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Rural Preservation The John Arnold Award for Rural Preservation was established in 1992 to honor Arnold, a Rush County farmer who combined progressive architectural practices with a deep respect for the natural and historic components of rural landscapes, including the farm owned by his family since 1820. The Indiana Landmark’s Rural Preservation Council and Indiana Farm Bureau co-sponsor the annual award, which recognizes the preservation and continued use of historic (more than 50 years old) farming-related structures. Tommy Kleckner, Indiana Landmarks’ western regional office director and coordinator of the award program, says online nomination forms are available each March and can be downloaded at indianalandmarks.org. Anyone may submit a nomination, including owners of the nominated farm. Indiana Landmarks presents the Arnold Award each year on Farmers Day at the Indiana State Fair. The winner receives a pass to the Indiana State Fair, overnight accommodations in Indianapolis and an outdoor marker. Kleckner notes that Indiana Landmarks’ Barn Again in Indiana continues to present workshops each spring and fall. This year’s fall workshop was held Sept. 19 in Greenfield. Although not every historic barn can be saved — or should be — Kleckner says the program will continue to provide basic barn preservation information. “We hope that, through this, we’re able to not just bring owners in to educate them, but to help make them aware of incentives that may be available for preserving the most iconic image of our cultural heritage.” > > For updated information, including details about the spring 2015 Barn Again in Indiana workshop, visit barnalliance.org or indianalandmarks.org. Kleckner welcomes calls throughout the year, whether to discuss a nomination or to gain information. He can be reached at (812) 232-4534.
50 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Farmer Award to the couple. Along with planting, the couple continued to work on rehabbing outbuildings, which include a granary, smokehouse, sugar shack, woodhouse and chicken coop. “All the outbuildings are redone,” Mark says, adding that now “it’s just ongoing maintenance.” In an effort to maintain an eco-friendly environment for wildlife, Mark planted a back field with four-and-a-half acres of big bluestem, a warm season perennial bunchgrass that is deer tolerant and controls erosion. This year, he and his brother, Doug, planted food plots of grain sorghum (milo), another warm season grass that is drought tolerant and provides cover and food for rabbits, pheasant and quail. Closer to the farmhouse, they erected a birdhouse that has attracted bluebirds and swallows. Feightner says he’s been 100 percent no-till since 1993, when he began farming at the site, noting that “tilling doesn’t aerate the soil, as some think, but ruins the soil because it needs a large and deep root structure. Cover crops help in that way because the root system helps keep the soil from getting compacted and, in fall, keeps soil and nutrients in place.” He suggests that farmers considering planting cover crops educate themselves on the process, which is explained at annual seminars such as those held each January during the Fort Wayne Farm Show (tradexpos.com/ftwayne). Purdue University County Extension offices (extension.purdue.edu) can also provide information. Sugar maple and black walnut trees are abundant on the property, and in 2011
EXCITING OPPORTUNIT Y
the couple, along with Doug, began processing maple syrup. The family enterprise produces about 10 or 11 gallons annually, depending upon the weather.
LOOKING AHEAD With outbuildings intact, the couple’s next focus will be on the farmhouse. Built in the late 1800s, the 1,550-square-foot structure is actually two houses, Mark says, the addition having been rolled onto the property on logs. He’s already begun working on storm windows and has been sealing the roof and holes in overhangs and siding that have allowed birds and snakes to enter. After the fall harvest, the couple will begin preparing the house for this winter’s cold, in addition to exterior/interior painting, which will complement the home’s original antique lights and Feightner heirloom furniture. Getting away from the city, cutting boards and hammering nails have been therapeutic, Mark says. And he heartily encourages other farmers to undertake rehabilitation work on their property, doing as much work as possible themselves. Donna says the overall project has been “a huge connection between our families and friends, bringing together all of our talents and expertise as we have worked toward our goal of restoring our farm’s original character and implementing modern-day sustainable agricultural practices. “We hope our efforts and dedication will inspire other Indiana farm owners to preserve their buildings and to use the best practices in conserving our country’s beautiful farmland and environment.” “We’re just trying to be good stewards of the land,” Mark says, “and we hope the next person who lives here will continue on.” *FI
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GOING
with the
GRAIN
Dennis Cunningham develops his business relationships in bulk
BY SHAWNDRA MILLER PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL Dennis Cunningham
Just off County Road 200E, south of Lebanon, the historic Kern, Kirtley & Herr grain elevator rises white against the sky. Continuing a nearly century-old tradition, the facility now spans numerous buildings on both sides of the road and offers ample services to area farmers, including those raising organic and non-GMO products. Presiding over it all is Dennis Cunningham, who isn’t kidding when he says he “grew up here.” His father ran the place back in the day, and Cunningham’s playpen used to be set up right in the wood-paneled room that now constitutes his office. The white house to the north of the complex was his childhood home. For a time he lived there with his own family, though the house is now vacant and structurally unsound. Central Indiana Organics is a relatively new business, added to the already existing services provided at the grain elevator. Launched in 1997 in response to farmers’ needs for organic pig feed, it now markets all kinds of feed under the Fertile Fields Organic label. The grain mill also offers products free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Services targeted to local organic farmers include seed cleaning, grain storage, custom grinding and grain roasting. Across the road from the original elevator, about 65,000 bushels of organic products are stored along with 150,000 bushels of commercial grain. The old mill elevator itself holds 30,000 bushels, and another 13,000 are held in storage behind the mill. Working with organic material means careful segregation, extra paperwork and Cunningham’s eagle eye on cleanliness, starting with the trucks bringing the material in. “The trucks have to be clean,” he says. “I’m the Gestapo of clean trucks. I rejected one the other day because it was dirty.” That attention to detail means customers can count on high quality. Cunningham says 15 percent to 20 percent of the overall business is in organics. Farmers can pick up feed in a “drive-through feed barn” with options ranging from organic to GMO-free to commercial. “We probably go through 3 to 6 tons (in sales) between the
52 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
organic and non-GMO a week,” he says. One of the farmers sourcing his poultry and pig feed here is Darby Simpson of Simpson’s Farm Market in Martinsville. Simpson pasture-raises beef, poultry and pork, eschewing GMOs and chemicals in their feed. Though his farm is 50 miles away, it’s worth it to him to buy feed from Cunningham. “We have it bulk delivered,” he says, “but a lot of times I have to run up and get stuff, like if I need a ton instead of 8 tons.” It’s an hour’s drive each way, so he faces fuel costs along with the higher price tag of GMOfree feed, but Simpson is a loyal customer. “It’s one-stop shopping,” he says. Conveniently, Central Indiana Organics carries a line of certified organic supplements that get mixed into his animals’ feed rations. “You can get as little as 500 pounds of feed custom-mixed, all the way up to 12 tons, and anything in between.” Aside from local business, Central Indiana Organics partners with Buffalo, New York-based Lackawanna Products in distributing grain from all over the Midwest. Lackawanna is a large grain broker that manages purchases and sales of organic wheat, corn, beans and oats. “We get a load of wheat in here,” Cunningham explains, “and we will hold it for them, and they will send it out to somebody else to make feed with or (if it’s) food grade, to make flour.” But back in 2007, this new branch of the business originated with one thing: soybean meal. David Randle of nearby Randle Family Farm had transitioned his farm to organic in the late 1990s and had been raising pigs for the regional cooperative, Organic Valley. He had grown organic soybeans, but pigs require the beans to be roasted for edibility. Lacking a way to process his own beans, he was forced to go far afield for soybean meal. “I was having to buy soybean meal from northwestern Ohio or Wisconsin,” he says. “So every time I bought a semi load, I was looking at a freight bill of $1,500 to $2,000.” Wanting to put his own organic soybeans to use as feed, he decided to purchase a roaster himself. He approached Cunningham about setting up the roaster at his elevator.
Central Indiana Organics 5780 S. Road 200E, Lebanon (765) 482-3215, centralindianaorganics.com
Cunningham agreed and began to process soybeans onsite, offering the service to other farmers as well. Randle and his son bought into the business when Cunningham decided to expand further into the organic market, and they are now partners in Central Indiana Organics. But Randle’s history with the place runs as far back as he can remember. “I’m 70 years old, and one of my first jobs when I was 12 years old was to drive our tractor to the Herr elevator,” he remembers. Over the years the elevator’s role shifted as the business of farming evolved into large-scale agribusiness. A local elevator started to have less business with area farms as each grew larger. As Cunningham explains, “Years ago, we bought grain constantly, but the big grain terminals started buying directly off the farmer. That made it difficult to compete.” In the 1980s and ’90s, the facility was full-service, marketing fertilizer made on-site, along with grain and feed. From about 1987 to 1992, the elevator also served as a wholesale distributor for Ralston-Purina pet food and supplies, a perfect fit for the business, which serves as “the second oldest Purina dealer in the country,” he says. Cunningham still stocks both Nutrena and Purina products. Now when Cunningham walks through the complex, he can point out where ice melting road solutions are blended, where asphalt grinding happens and where barley will be malted for beer.
TOP: A view from the top of the grain elevator overlooks the tracks that used to deliver and carry grain and feed. ABOVE: An empty bag that will be filled with organic feed. RIGHT: A small grain wagon at Central Indiana Organics.
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His longtime presence in this place uniquely qualifies him as a tour guide. He shows a visitor where the old diesel engine sat, before descending into a dungeonlike space that used to house an even older steam engine. Dust-weighted cobwebs loop from thick beams overhead, low enough to touch Cunningham’s ball cap. Fired by coal or corn cobs, the steam engine powered a complicated pulley system. Through various levers, the operator could tell the system to grind, shell or clean the grain, or ladder it up to the elevator on “grain legs.” It wasn’t until the 1960s that three-phase electric power reached rural Boone County. That’s when Kern, Kirtley & Herr converted to an all-electric system. The switch from steam to diesel and finally electric is not the only change Cunningham has seen over the years. Just behind the original facility is a defunct railroad track, where trains used to deposit coal into a pit. “There was a conveyor there,” Cunningham says, “and people would come in and buy coal. “I remember throwing coal off the cars — a bunch of us kids around here would get on the coal cars,” Cunningham recalls. Asked if the cars were stationary during these hijinks, he admits, “Well, we rode a few trains.” Back then, a “cob house” held the corncobs after they were stripped of grain. “All the corn that came in years and years ago was in ear,” he explains. The cobs ended up as fuel or fill. Aside from these physical changes, there’s less of a social feel to the place in recent decades because of the drop in small-scale, local commerce. As a kid, Cunningham was on the receiving end of farmers’ amiable teasing (and in turn his daughter was). But even if there were children here today, there’d be little occasion for that, because farmers have largely moved their socializing to other places. “Years ago the grain elevator was a place for the farmers to congregate and tell all their lies and stories and whatever,” Cunningham says. That’s not the case anymore. “As times have changed, now they go to breakfast at the truck stop or wherever.” Randle remembers those days, too. “Back in the day you had three centers of social interaction in our community,” he says. “One was the school; two was the church. And three was the country elevator. “The country elevator was the equivalent of today’s coffee shop.” Despite the changes, farmers like Simpson appreciate this particular country elevator more than ever. It’s not just the products’ quality that brings him back, but also the relationships built over the years. Randle mentored Simpson early on, and both Randle and Cunningham have gone the extra mile to support Simpson’s efforts, understanding the challenges of starting a small farm operation. “I could say without a doubt that if it weren’t for Dave Randle and Denny Cunningham,” he says, “we would not be where we are today. They’ve just been very gracious in working with us.” *FI
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‘CRAZY GOOD’ 54 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Shamrock Farm relies on growing relationships with customers BY CATHERINE WHITTIER | PHOTOS BY JOSH MARSHALL
Eric Murphy has done a lot of traveling, and he has seen many beautiful things, he says, but his “front porch swing is still my favorite place in the world.” Murphy and his wife, Christine, are owners of Shamrock Farm in Arlington. He works full time as a firefighter, and she works full time as a respiratory therapist. They spend whatever time is left raising and selling their Certified Naturally Grown produce. The Murphys’ full schedule leaves precious little time for the porch swing. College students provide them with hired help on the farm, but, understandably, college students have school schedules and social lives to maintain. It’s hard to find help for seven days a week. “Every year, about this time (in the fall), we start to re-evaluate.” Murphy says, matter-offactly. At home, the flower beds need mulch, the pond needs maintenance and the grass needs to be mowed. They just can’t get to it all. But, then, winter brings rest, followed by the bright days of spring, and with it comes a strong desire to get out in the dirt again. And this is what he has always done. “My granddad and my uncle were row crop farmers,” Murphy says. “My granddad farmed somewhere between 700 to 800 acres, and my uncle farmed thousands of acres. Before I had my license, I would ride my bike over to help my granddad and my uncle farm on the weekends.” Though he comes with a history in agriculture, Eric and Christine never intended to become serious farmers. He was just looking for a side job to do during the day when he wasn’t at the fire department. When a friend started growing green beans and potatoes for a local grocery delivery company, Murphy thought,
‘Well, I can do that.’ And before he knew it, he had secured a commission to grow beets. He leased a little land and grew a half acre in 2010. That is the beginning of the Shamrock Farm story. When the Murphys found themselves with extra beets, he started making calls and inadvertently began creating contacts. “People started asking me what else I was growing, and we began to expand,” he explains. The pair leased a little more land and then one door after another opened. They found themselves engrossed in the processes of growing food. A neighboring farmer who grows thousands of acres of corn helped the couple get started by allowing them to use space in one of his buildings to clean and refrigerate freshly harvested food. The equipment they needed to simplify processes came easily, though not always quickly. Garage sale finds, the help and generosity of others, and a little ingenuity have allowed them to purchase and create the things they need. Lights, a cart, a vegetable washer and even the refrigerated vehicle they use to transport vegetables each made it possible to take the next step. Last year, the couple added a mushroom cave to their workshop. This year, a scruffy, white barn cat has wandered on to the scene. “We went from growing
one odd variety of beet to six different vegetables, and then from six to 12, and this year, we are up to 20 different varieties of produce,” Murphy says. Now, they grow and sell peppers, kohlrabi, squash, kale, spinach, radishes, cabbage and mushrooms. Shamrock Farm grew 1,000 tomato plants on its 4 acres of leased land this year. “That’s a lot of tomatoes to string.” The Murphys feel passionately that people should eat quality food, free of synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetic modifications. They believe their Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) label brings like-minded people together who share a passion to grow food organically and who desire to maintain the integrity of the label by maintaining the high
Eric Murphy. OPPOSITE PAGE: Shiitake mushrooms grown in Shamrock Farm’s mushroom cave.
FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 55
TIPS FROM
Shamrock Farm
When shopping at a local farmers market, Eric Murphy suggests you ask each grower these questions before making a purchase: 1. Who grew this? 2. Where was it grown? 3. What variety is it? 4. When was it harvested? 5. What inputs were used: herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers?
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56 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
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standards it represents. According to the CNG website, during an inspection, CNG producers are expected to meet rigorous standards based on the National Organic Program. Seeds and inputs are certified, land management and buffer zones are inspected, common practices and strategies are reviewed. “The gentleman with CNG that came and inspected my farm is a farmer himself over in the Greensburg area,” Murphy says. “He’s also an ex-USDA employee so he knows exactly what I need to be doing to comply with standards.” Murphy says he was able to receive helpful input from the inspector, who regularly uses ground cover crops. “That is one of my weaknesses, and he was able to make suggestions for me on that.” Murphy’s favorite resources for information are his mentors. Different farmers have helped him as he has grown and developed his practices. Take Randy Stout, from Melody Acres in Franklin,
for example. “We (Murphy and Stout) sell right around the corner from one another at the Binford Farmers Market, and he has helped me tremendously,” Murphy says. “I can call him up with any issue and get helpful and reliable advice. I can’t speak highly enough about that relationship.” As Shamrock Farm has grown, the Murphys have made decisions about which direction they want to take their operation. Murphy’s friend has gone one direction. He chose to grow with the demand for his green beans and potatoes. He now has a mechanical green bean picker and a potato digger. “He’s strictly wholesale, and he’s probably growing 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of green beans this year,” Murphy says. The Murphys prefer to concentrate on direct selling through farmers markets, though they still do also sell to a few chefs and grocery stores. Christine has been doing research on what a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) might mean for Shamrock Farm, and they are talking about how a farm
stand might suit them. While Christine doesn’t love the 4 a.m. wake-up calls on market days, they both enjoy the positive reinforcement they receive from customers while at the farmers markets. On one Saturday morning, a customer came by the Shamrock Farm stand and told Murphy she didn’t like tomatoes. He talked her into trying a pint of his husk cherry tomatoes. The following Monday, Murphy got a call while at the fire station. “This lady had taken her pint of husk cherries into work to share with her friends and co-workers,” he says. “She said, ‘They are crazy good’ and wanted to know if I would have more for her the next Saturday.” *FI
Shamrock Farm
8768 W. Amphitheater Road, Arlington, (317) 697-9888, shamrock.farm@yahoo.com
NEED HELP WITH A PROPERTY SOLUTION OR LOOKING TO BUY? Lifelong Farming Involvement - Associate Broker and Auctioneer with over 45 years of combined experience Works well with Estates and Attorneys - Can Market Property and/or Equipment My background as Farmer, Broker and Auctioneer will help give you more options to help you with Your Selling Needs. From a 3-pronged vantage point as a Broker, Auctioneer and Farm Operator, I am able to see beyond the bounds of a computer screen.
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Fred Pollert, GRI, CRS, CAI 404 N. Chestnut, Seymour, IN E-mail: info@pollerts.com 812-522-2112 | Cell: 812-521-6300 FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 57
Playing with Plastic Food Lessons connect what we eat to climate change
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM POYSER
Y
ou might think it strange to find an article about plastic food in a magazine about farming. But there you go, expect the unexpected here at Farm Indiana. In truth, I wasn’t expecting to play with plastic food in my mid-50s, but since I quit my job managing a newspaper, I have found most everything a surprise. Those of you who’ve read my earlier installments know I left my journalism career a year ago so I could work with Indiana kids on climate change and sustainability solutions. And what I’ve mostly done is engage with Indiana kids on food issues: growing food, eating locally sourced food and disposing of food waste responsibly. I also told the story of our Climate Camp, where we ate vegan the entire week. At Climate Camp, held at the Peace Learning Center in Indianapolis, part of connecting food choices to climate change was a game where our youths interacted with plastic food versions of carrots, tomatoes, lamb, pork, cheese, beef, etc. An accompanying chart displayed the CO2 impact of this food versus that food, and our youths could see that beef has a higher energy impact than, say, tomatoes or carrots. A lot of this is common sense or intuitive. No big revelations here; it just takes the overall subject of food impacts out of the realm of numbers and words on paper, to real-life objects one can manipulate, squeeze, sniff and pretend to eat. In short, kids love it. Honestly, I do, too. Since Climate Camp ended, I’ve been taking this plastic food with me everywhere I go. No, I don’t mean to ball games, concerts and restaurants, but I am taking it to festivals and schools. The most interesting plastic food experience has
58 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
been our day at WARMfest, a music festival held in Broad Ripple Park in Indianapolis at the end of the summer. I asked a couple of Climate Campers to join me that day, and about a half dozen youths answered the call, from ages spanning 9 to 16. It was a great day, watching the kids lure festivalgoers over to our Earth Charter Indiana table to work with the food and hazard a guess which foods have the most impact and which foods have the least. At one point, as we were talking with an entire family — mom, dad and two kids — the dad suddenly said, “So you are pushing vegetarianism?”
CALCULATING CO2 IMPACTS
Here are some resources to calculate CO2 and think about your food choices: Environmental Working Group: ewg.org/ meateatersguide/eat-smart Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations: fao.org/home/en Rodale Institute: rodaleinstitute.org
There was an awkward pause you could have driven a John Deere tractor through. The Climate Campers looked at me for guidance while I stalled, hoping they would jump in. Nothing happened for a few seconds. So I took on his question. “No, sir, we aren’t trying to push anything,” I said. “We’re just presenting facts in a way perhaps different than you’ve seen before. The choices are up to you.” He was satisfied with that, and so, apparently, were the youths, because I overheard them again and again tell festivalgoers just that: They were merely presenting information; what people did with it was up to them. I was so proud of these kids. I don’t know that I would have done something like this at their age — interact with adults about such a serious subject as climate change. And I like that they honed the message over the course of the day, creating a less judgmental, more inclusive approach. Hey, they’re kids. They know better than anyone else that it’s no fun when someone tells you what to do. In fact, the tendency is not only to reject that dictate, but to steer the opposite direction. How This All is Changing Me So I’ve been playing with plastic food, and I’ve been seeing the CO2 impact numbers, and I find I am eating differently than before. For example, for the first time in my life I bought tofu and cooked it, and I am telling you, it was terrible. I’m not much of a cook anyway, and I’ve since learned that there are myriad ways to prepare tofu so that it actually has taste. I will continue my experiment. I continue to eat meat, but I have redoubled my
commitment to eat meat raised on Indiana farms. That cuts down on the CO2 impact — as you remove the transportation costs from importing meat from elsewhere. I haven’t eaten lamb or beef as they form the biggest impacts on the environment, but if I do, I’ll make sure it’s locally sourced lamb or beef. One of my favorite foods is cheese and thus one of the most difficult to reduce. In fact, cheese has a higher CO2 impact than chicken. What all this means is I’m eating more vegetables and fruits, mostly from local sources. I used to have only a slideshow to bring to schools, and a petition or brochures to take to festivals. Now I have an activity in which to engage, and thus an opportunity to interact with people and get to know them a bit and find out what they’re concerned about, along with what solutions they’re finding. That’s a lot more fun for us all, I think. The paradigm where a presenter (e.g., me) comes into a room and fills up a space (and time) is rather
dated. A paradigm where space is more equally shared is so much more satisfying — to all. So I am grateful for the plastic food for the nourishment it provides to human relationships. Eat Local; Act Global The subject of climate change is so large and so charged, it seems easier to put it aside, focus on something else or just become unfocused, given the multiple distractions our culture provides. But working with young people, I can’t let that happen. No matter what we think about the cause of climate change, scientists in overwhelming numbers say it’s definitely us, through fossil fuel emissions from numerous sources: transportation, industry, coal, natural gas and, yes, agriculture. I think about this every day, and I still can’t get my head around the subject. The global scale is too much to grasp. But I can look at the local landscape and see a
number of opportunities to support my local economy and tread more lightly on the planet as a result. This is the way through, I think. To focus on the local is the only way for the majority of us to take care of the global. Why is the vast majority of the food we eat in Indiana imported; why is the vast majority of the food we grow exported? Who thought up this wacky system anyway? And is it too late to try to start fixing it? I don’t think so. When I look at Indiana’s kids — whether they are eating real food grown by Indiana farmers, or food nurtured by themselves at their schools, or goofing around with plastic facsimiles of food — I am inspired to dedicate my life to fixing any and all problems that stand in the way of their enjoying their future. *FI Jim Poyser is executive director of Earth Charter Indiana. You can reach him at jimpoyser@earthcharterindiana.org.
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FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 59
Local Food
BY CLINT SMITH PHOTOS COURTESY OF EZRA’S ENLIGHTENED CAFE
A
udrey Barron personally experienced the healing power of food, an event that was life-changing, she says, and which eventually led her to opening her own restaurant in Indianapolis. Ezra’s Enlightened Café specializes in raw, vegan, gluten- and GMO-free fare, while placing a holistic emphasis on the healing potential of food. “I became interested through the desire to heal myself from chronic fatigue, hormone imbalance and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome),” says Barron, owner of Ezra’s. “I personally knew people who were healing through eating vegan/raw and tried it myself. The results were so amazing and happened so fast, my life was changed forever.” Following this experience, Barron had no desire to return to her standard dietary habits. She wanted to keep a good thing going. “I decided … to share this way of living and eating with as many people as I could,” she explains. “I wanted everyone to know what it’s like to really feel their best, to change their life if they desired.” Ezra’s Enlightened Café (the name a wink to Barron’s young son) is the product of both Barron’s dietary conversion and her regional culinary influences in Indiana. “I grew up outside of a small town … surrounded by farmland,” she says. “We had a huge veggie and strawberry garden every summer, snacked on red clover, ate plums and pears from our trees, grew our own grapes and apples.” Barron says that while she has fond memories, she also acknowledges her family’s inclination toward processed foods: “Cereals, lunch meat, Betty Crocker cakes,” she recalls. “So I experienced a good mix of fresh seasonal eating, along with the standard American way of eating.”
60 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Audrey Barron
Movin’ On Up
Ezra’s Enlightened Café 6516 Ferguson St., Indianapolis
Ezra’s offers monthly culinary classes. Upcoming classes are scheduled on Nov. 12 (Healthy Holiday Dishes) and Dec. 17 (Wintertime Immune System). Classes take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost for each class is $35 per person. For more information, call (317) 255 3972, or visit ezrasenlightenedcafe.com.
These experiences resulted in the cafe’s mission today: to offer “enlightened food, wellness products and education to our customers, our community and the planet, serving awareness, happiness, vibrant health and culinary bliss … one beautiful person at a time.” The atmosphere at Ezra’s has been compared to a “California vibe” — breezy, fun, cheerful and relaxed. But for Barron the atmosphere is secondary to the quality of the food on the table. “We like for the customer to feel better when they leave than they did coming through the door,” she says. One of Ezra’s most popular dishes is the Buddha Bowl — a signature menu item that, says Barron, many regulars swear by — consisting of organic kale, greens, carrots, beets, ginger, “Fermenti-Cortido” (lightly fermented veggies), sprouts, avocado, falafel and lemon-tahini dress-
ing. Featured entrées change daily, and the fresh juices have quickly developed a following. “I love introducing people to our Ginger Turmeric Immune Boost (juice),” Barron says. “It’s fresh ginger and turmeric root juiced along with fresh lemon and raw honey. It’s spicy, potent, yet people really like it, and the best part is they feel amazing after taking the shot.” Silverthorn Farm (Rossville), Annabell’s Garden (Indianapolis) and Growing Places Indy are a few of the restaurant’s purveyors. “Distelrath Farms is also an amazing source for local produce and meat for those who eat it,” Barron adds. “As much as I thought I knew about seasonal eating in Indiana, I’ve learned so much in a short time working with the farmers — how the produce changes during the season, how weather really affects the outcome.” *FI
Brian Shapiro, fourth-generation owner of Shapiro’s Deli, plans to open a third location by the end of the month — this one at the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing in Indianapolis. “Our primary business is lunch,” says Shapiro. “The daytime, lunch-rush crowds are our biggest demographic.” For this latest venture, Shapiro has opted for a more fast-paced counter service, as opposed to the well-known cafeteria-style service of its flagship store in downtown Indy. While the restaurant maintains a sturdy reputation for classic, Jewish delicatessen fare, its owner says a menu variation will aim to draw new fans. “A while back we trademarked something called ‘Twisted Traditions,’” says Shapiro. “It’s some of our traditional, standard fare that we’ve spun for the millennial crowd.” Shapiro explains that for each staple item — whether classics like the corned beef or Reuben sandwiches — there are optional substitutions to create a more contemporary combination. “For instance, one of the popular (items) is the brisket, and we substitute arugula for lettuce,” he explains. “People just really like the peppery taste of … (arugula) paired with the spice of the brisket.” The new Shapiro’s Deli venue provides more than 4,000 square feet of space with which to “test the waters” with a northside clientele. Shapiro cites the abundance of office and professional spaces in the Fashion Mall’s vicinity as his potential client base. “Not to mention two large hotels on campus,” he says. For more information, visit shapiros.com.
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FAMILY RESTAURANT FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014 // 61
Local Food SERVES
REAL FOOD BY CLINT SMITH PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY MCMANNIS
There are more than track tires rolling in Speedway. After having gained an estimable reputation at local farmers markets, Rolling in the Dough opened its café and market — affectionately called the “dough shop” — in September on Indy’s west side, specializing in fresh pasta, pie crusts, pizza dough, cookie dough, soups, sauces and breads, all of which are take-home friendly. “People have forgotten what that’s like,” owner Cathy McMannis says of the enjoyment of eating non-processed foods. The restaurant operates with a made-from-scratch kitchen, she explains. “Our concept is to provide the community with a place to eat real food.”
3-4
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Provided by Cathy McMannis, Rolling in the Dough Market and Cafe, Speedway Dough: 2 cups semolina flour 1 large egg 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ½ to 1 cup water Pinch of salt Filling: 1 butternut squash, halved and roasted Pinch of ground cinnamon To taste, salt and cracked black pepper In a large bowl, scoop out squash from skin; add cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Mash with a vegetable masher until smooth. Reserve. Make a well in the middle of the semolina. Beat egg, oil and salt together. Pour mixture into the middle of the flour, dragging a little flour at a time into the egg mixture by stirring with your fingers until a ball of dough forms that can be kneaded; continue until smooth and elastic. Roll dough out on counter into a 3-by-12-inch rectangle. Fill pasta sheet with butternut mixture by spooning a tablespoon onto the first dough sheet, spacing about an inch or two apart. Brush dough with egg wash and top with another strip of dough sealing together. Press air bubbles from around the filling and cut, crimp to seal. Drop prepared raviolis in salted boiling water. (These cook fast so don’t look away.) Raviolis will float to top when ready (about 2 minutes). “Top with your favorite sauce,” says McMannis. “We love brown butter and sage. Sprinkle with some fresh grated Parmesan.” *FI
Indiana’s Events and Attractions Magazine
Go to travelindianamagazine.com to see the current happenings in agritourism across the state. For story ideas or advertising email travelin@hnenewspapers.com or call 317-565-4553.
62 // FARM INDIANA // NOVEMBER 2014
Harvest Time
Now’s the time to take advantage of all that your gardening effort has unearthed for you. This recipe, provided to us by Thunderbird chef Andrew Whitmoyer in Indianapolis, offers the best of the season in one crisp recipe.
Fall Harvest Crostini Start to finish: 45 minutes Servings: 12
Chef Andrew Whitmoyer
Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and dice butternut squash and toss in four tablespoons of butter, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of butter to a sauté pan and pan roast squash with fresh thyme. Once squash is tender, pulse in a food processer with fromage frais until blended. Set aside. Make 1/3-inch slices on a bias of the baguette until you have 12 slices. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush on melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Cover with more parchment and another sheet tray and bake in oven until baguettes have a crispy texture about 15 minutes. Once done, take out and let cool on a rack. One by one start cooking diced vegetables. Add tablespoon of butter to pan, add onion and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent. Place cooked onions on a sheet tray. Cook corn until tender and set aside. Cook beets, acorn squash and pumpkin separately until each is tender but not mushy. Hold all diced vegetables on same sheet tray. Peel carrots and then using same peeler run along the length of the carrot, making ribbons. Make at least 24 ribbons; take whole radishes and make 24 paper-thin slices. Hold both separately in cold water. Take cooled baguettes and spread the butternut/cheese spread on each slice. Heat four tablespoons of butter in a pan and add all cooked vegetables back to pan to warm up. Once warm, spoon a heaping tablespoon onto each baguette. Take out carrot ribbons, shake off excess water and curl each around your finger and place on top of vegetable mix. Take radish out, shake off excess water and put two slices of radish on each baguette slice. *FI
SEPTEMBER 2014
BY CLINT SMITH PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDREW WHITMOYER
Rural Living & Local
3 ounces Tulip Tree Creamery’s fromage frais 1 cup diced butternut squash 1 tablespoon minced garlic ½ cup corn (cut off the cob) ½ cup diced pumpkin ½ cup diced beets ½ cup diced onion ½ cup carrot ribbons 2 radishes sliced thin (at least 12 slices each) ½ cup diced acorn squash 12 thin slices of baguette 1 teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper to taste ¼ pound unsalted butter 4 sticks fresh thyme
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