Farm Indiana

SEPTEMBER 2014

Rural Living & Local Food

Natural Food Stores

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Head to these Hoosier hot spots for farm-fresh produce.

ALSO INSIDE: LAND CONSERVATION | FARM TO SCHOOL | BARN PRESERVATION | CLIMATE CAMP

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Warning: The Polaris RZR® is 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 at www.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. ©2013 Polaris Industries Inc.

Warning: The Polaris RZR® is 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 at www.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 orThe doors (as equipped).

Be particularly on use. difficult terrain. public Warning: Polaris RZR® is not intended forcareful on-road Driver mustNever be atdrive leaston16 yearsroads old or paved surfaces. engage in stuntPassengers driving, andmust avoidbeexcessive speeds turns.

Riding with a valid driver’sNever license to operate. at least 12 yearsand oldsharp and tall enough to and drugs don’t Check before on drivers trails. ©2013 Industries Inc. graspalcohol/ the hand holds andmix. plant feet local firmlylaws on the floor.riding All SxS should Polaris take a safety training course. Contact ROHVA at www.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. ©2013 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 // SEPTEMBER 2014

Editor’s Note

The Face of a Farmer

It’s been a big month around here for me. Not only have we finished the September issue of Farm Indiana (one of my favorite issues to date, I must say, both because of the content and its new look and format), but on the home front, several happy-making additions have brightened my days recently.

A few weeks ago, I worked closely with IndyFeral Community Cat Program to transition a few community cats into living on our property as barn cats.

The cats are settled in, and they seem to be adjusting nicely to their new home. Now, when I walk the property with our dogs, I have a trusty cat or two running along after to us to see what we’re up to. See? Happy.

On a random visit to Rural King recently, my husband and I found chicks for sale, which we weren’t expecting this time of year, and one impulse shopping experience later, we had all the goods to raise these babies in our home before we also transition them to the new goat barn/chicken coop in our backyard.

Which leads me to the goats. Just around the corner from where we live, at Nynorsk Farms in Shelby County, three baby goats were born a couple of weeks ago, which we will soon bring home to live with us. As often as we can, we stop by the farm to spend some time with them, and, with each visit, they grow ever more curious about who we are. They also grow ever more fun. They jump and climb all over us, as best as their unstable little legs will allow, and each visit finds me leaving just a slightly larger piece of my heart behind, every time we say goodbye.

Never in my days did I picture myself a farmer, and though we keep bees and grow mighty amounts of produce each year, and though we are

adding more animals to our homestead, I still don’t really picture myself a farmer. But, as I said recently in an unrelated conversation, that’s what’s so wonderful about reading Farm Indiana: No two farmers within our pages look alike.

Sometimes a “farmer” looks like me: a girl who grew up on the southside of Indianapolis, flew the coop, lived in New York City for several years, then slowly made her way back to the Midwest only to discover a love of cooking, healthy eating, growing food and playing in dirt during her late 30s and early 40s. Sometimes a farmer is a bearded 30-something man who looks just as hip in his overalls and dirt-studded Muck boots as the urban gardener growing radishes and microgreens while wearing skinny jeans, a concert T-shirt and Converse tennis shoes.

Sometimes a farmer looks like Jackson Leonard, whom we profiled in this issue and who raises vegetables organically and believes (and hopes that others will eventually come to understand, too) that climate change and agriculture do, in fact, go hand in hand. Other times the farmer is the woman in her 50s who has been running her own 5-acre flower farm for the past decade. And sometimes the farmer is exactly who you’d expect him to be: the third-generation guy wearing dusty jeans, a flannel shirt and a John Deere baseball cap — traditional commodity farming is all he’s ever known.

That’s what makes Farm Indiana so great to me, and I hope that’s what you enjoy about our publication, too. Regardless of how we look or speak, regardless of what we grow or what we know, we’re all part of Indiana’s growing and ever-changing agricultural landscape. We can’t really picture ourselves farmers until we realize we just are farmers, working with the land in our respective ways to grow food and raise animals … and learning new and improved ways to do so with each passing day.

64 years of Service, Strength, and Integrity.

6672 East 650 South | Edinburgh, IN 46124 | 812-526-5574 | 800-284-2676 | kokomograin.com Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 3

Contents September 2014

28

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

34 26

5 | In the Front Row

40 36 | Barn Preservation

7 | Climate Camp

40 | Unique 2 Eat Farm

8 | From the Field

44 | Farm Conservation

11 | Calendar of Events

46 | Jackson Leonard

15 | Bear Wallow Distillery

48 | Indy’s Food Deserts

18 | Natural Food Stores

50 | Local Food

PUBLISHER | Chuck Wells EDITOR | Sherri Lynn Dugger ASSOCIATE EDITOR | Twinkle VanWinkle CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Liz Brownlee, Cheryl Carter Jones, Jessica Ervin, Katie Glick, Jessica Hoopengardner, Garrett Kelly, Sharon Mangas, Shawndra Miller, Caroline Mosey, Jim Poyser, Jon Shoulders, Clint Smith, Ryan Trares, Jeff Tryon, Marcia Walker, Jenn Willhite, Robin Winzenread Fritz, CJ Woodring COPY EDITOR | Katharine Smith SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST | Amanda Waltz 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 PHOTOGRAPHER | Josh Marshall

24 | Downtown Farm Stand 28 | Shady Spring Farms

SEPTEMBER 2014

26 | Roger Wenning Rural Living & Local Food

32 | Farm to School 34 | Forgey Family Farms

Natural Food Stores

Organically grown.

Sustainably raised.

Head to these Hoosier hot spots for farm-fresh produce.

ALSO INSIDE: LAND CONSERVATION | FARM TO SCHOOL | BARN PRESERVATION | CLIMATE CAMP

ON THE COVER Produce at Nature’s Pharm.

Photo by Josh Marshall

4 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

©2014 by Home News Enterprises.

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

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

To advertise, contact Tonya Figg at (317) 797-2022 or tfigg@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.

In the Front Row

New Indiana Grown Commission Appointed

Journal, The Tribune in Seymour, the Brown County Democrat and the Greenfield Daily Reporter newspaper offices, as

Thanks to House Enrolled Act 1039 that was passed earlier this summer by the Indiana General Assembly, the Indiana Grown Initiative finally gets to step into its role of promoting Hoosier-grown and raised products. The program, which was established in 2012, also provides for the appointment of a 12-member committee designed to advance ideas on marketing locally produced food to the public.

New Indiana Grown Commission members are drawn from a variety of backgrounds, such as farmers, chefs and slow food advocates from all over the state. Restaurateur Pete Eshelman, Cheryl Carter Jones with the Local Growers’ Guild and Chris Baggott of Tyner Pond Farm are a few of the notable appointees.

Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, who announced the appointments Aug. 4, says the careful selection of members is a big benefit to the Indiana Grown program.

The main goal of the initiative is to help consumers easily identify, find and buy products grown in Indiana. Committee members will meet throughout the year to create a strategy to successfully bring together local producers and buyers. Along with putting locally grown products in the public eye, the committee will work to build relationships among producers and restaurant owners, grocery stores and other retailers.

well as on each of the newspaper’s websites. To order an advance copy for $19.99, call (812) 379-5600 or (800) 876-7811.

—Twinkle VanWinkle

Farm Fresh Farm Indiana and Home News Enterprises are proud to announce the November arrival of “Hoosier Harvest,” a farm-to-table cookbook that captures Indiana cuisine at its finest, just in time for the holidays. Explore the Hoosier state’s rich harvest with this collection of simple seasonal dishes, provided by Indiana’s celebrated farmers, chefs, artisans and food writers.

This beautifully photographed, hardbound cookbook showcases signature recipes from Traders Point Creamery, Stream Cliff Herb Farm, Local Eatery and Pub, and more. Try your hand at making The Apple Works Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, savor the summer’s flavors with food writer Sara Croft’s Creamy Corn Skillet and finish the year with many holiday favorites. Don’t forget to raise a glass to homegrown goodness with one of the collection’s hand-crafted Indiana cocktail recipes.

Each book costs $24.99 and will be available in November for purchase at The Republic in Columbus, Franklin’s Daily

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 5

In the Front Row

The Plot Thickens

The Greenwood Community Garden (1244 W. Fry Road) offers 20-by-20-foot plots that residents can rent to establish and maintain gardens. The Greenwood-based Tapia family, some of whose members are pictured here, first attempted a community garden plot five years ago, an effort that amounted to a $25 watermelon, they say, because that’s how much they spent on the plot. Only one watermelon grew. After some reading and research, as well as another attempt at gardening, the Tapia family reports this summer’s plot was a bit more successful. They harvested tomatoes, beets, carrots, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, green peppers and jalapenos. It was “totally a fun family goal and bonding experience,” reports mom, VeLynn Tapia. “The kids would comment on how much fun they were having at the garden, even when we were weeding.”

Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann presented the 2014 AgriVision Award to Adam Moody at the Celebration of Agriculture event at the Indiana State Fair this year.

The award, now in its eighth year, is given to a Hoosier who has demonstrated exemplary leadership to maximize the potential of Indiana agriculture.

“Adam’s passion and commitment to Indiana agriculture are what the AgriVision Award recognizes,” Ellspermann said in a press release. “Adam is a leader in the agriculture industry and is an acknowledged expert in issues of local and regional food systems and entrepreneurship. Through his leadership, Adam is helping Indiana agriculture remain a global leader in technology and innovation.”

Moody, a lifelong Hoosier and fourth-generation farmer from Montgomery County, has played a major role in many facets of agriculture. In the Indiana Statehouse he contributed to legislation related to poultry processing and sales for local farm markets, he was a member of the Raw Milk working group with the Indiana Board of Animal Health, and he served as a co-chairman of the Indiana Farm Bureau’s Value Added Committee.

In 2013, Moody, along with co-founders Nick Carter and Chris Baggott, formed Husk LLC to process and preserve locally grown vegetables. He is also the founder and CEO of Lone Pine Farms, Moody Meats Inc. and the founder and CEO of Moody Retail Shops. He owns and operates a 250-acre farm in Montgomery County and employs 42 Hoosiers throughout his companies.

Adam Moody Honored

6 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

by jim poyser Photos courtesy of Jim Poyser

Indiana youths go vegan for a week while learning about climate change

W

hen it came time to plan details of our first Climate Camp, co-coordinators Mat Davis, Kristina Hulvershorn and I were adamant we would eat as sustainably as possible.

Our food choices were vital to Climate Camp’s infrastructure. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of all humaninduced greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a bigger slice of the greenhouse gas pie than transportation or industry.

Animal agriculture racks up 37 percent of methane emissions and 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions.

Thus, our commitment to be vegan was about using an absolute minimum of animal products and byproducts.

“We chose to offer healthy, local vegan food to our campers as a model of conscious consumerism,” says Hulvershorn, youth programs director at the PLC. “This simple choice illustrates how consuming local, vegetable-based food allows us to nourish ourselves with delicious food using less land, water while creating less greenhouse gas pollution.”

To that end we invited Tyler Gough of Indy Urban Acres to grow the majority of our food. Gough — no surprise — was completely supportive. “To understand environmental issues,” he says, “we first have to understand how we as human beings interact with the earth.

No issue is more basic than what we put into our bodies.

Eating healthy food from the soil shows the basic giveand-take needed for environmental reform. Take care of

the earth, and it will take of you.”

It’s one thing to grow it; who would turn this locally grown food into meals that kids would enjoy? We turned to the Indianapolis chapter of the American Culinary Foundation, specifically, chef Thom England, culinary arts instructor at Ivy Tech in Indianapolis, and chef Sam Brown at Second Helpings. With their teams, they figured out the logistics of preparing this locally grown food, bringing in Georgetown Market as additional support to fill out the menu.

We connected the agriculture-and-climate-change dots throughout the five-day camp, constantly reinforcing to the campers how our food choices impact our environment, from carbon emissions to water usage.

Indianapolis-based Julie Rhodes, whose consulting business encompasses environmental, local food and animal welfare issues, sent her 9-year-old to Climate Camp. “For my son,” Rhodes says, “Climate Camp was about learning new concepts for sustainable living and putting those concepts into action in his everyday life.

“For a kid,” Rhodes adds, “eating often is just a way to fill their bellies, and they don’t give it a lot of thought.

Climate Camp offered an opportunity to think about growing, preparing and consuming food in a completely new way that treads more lightly on the earth.”

So what did the kids think? Sixteen-year-old Iris O’Donnell Bellisario, a student at Gambold Preparatory Magnet High School in Indy, notes that, “Looking at

The first Climate Camp was held in July, a partnership between the Peace Learning Center the world and Earth Charter Indiana’s youth around us, program, Youth Power Indiana. Nearly 20 campers, ages 9 to 17, participated in everythis day camp. Campers learned about the one eats connections among personal consumption, whatever fossil fuel emissions and climate change. is tasty All participants ate a vegan diet to them, throughout the week. This is an and people account of the camp by Jim Poyser, don’t seem Youth Power to think ‘vegan Indiana director. food’ tastes good. I believe this was a good experience for people to realize that vegan food can and does taste good and that you can help reduce your carbon footprint very easily, by simply changing your diet.”

“Although transitioning from eating meat to eating vegan was a challenge, it was entirely worth it in the long run,” says Maddie Brooks, 14, a student at Project Libertas in Indianapolis.

For me, Climate Camp was another lesson in the generosity of Hoosiers, especially when it comes to contributing to the education of our youths.

At camp, we rode bikes, carpooled, captured our waste and kept the lights off, but the most positive impact was what we put on our plates and into our bodies.

Jim Poyser can be reached at jimpoyser @earthcharterindiana.org. *FI

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 7

From the Field

Extending the Life of your Food

PRESERVE IN STAGES Going back to my original subject of jams and jellies, these are all easy processes. If time is an issue during harvest season, however, consider making fruit into juice, and you can then make jelly in the winter, when you have more time. With a juice, you can either drink it or use the juice to make jelly later on. While the process is easy, here is my standard cautionary note: Always follow the recipe. If the jam or jelly does not set up, it may very well be that the process was not followed to the letter.

Canned vegetable beef soup is not only a welcome treat in my family, but a godsend at the end of a busy day when we are too tired to cook a meal. Not all of the vegetables get harvested at one time. So toward the end of the summer or even in the winter, we will open jars of canned green beans and tomato sauce or juice and start combining. You simply reprocess them as vegetable soup.

by cheryl carter jones

W

e are in the home stretch of the preservation season, and fruits and vegetables are plentiful. Last issue, I promised to focus this month’s column on jams, jellies and chutneys, but as I prepared to write, so many more options came to mind, and, well, I just could not leave them out. When it comes to preserving food, recognizing all the options available is essential. If you are a serious gardener and preserve a good deal of your crop, then the more variety you have, the more likely you are to use all that you preserved. Diversity in our diet not only makes eating more enjoyable, but there are also health benefits to it.

SAUCES, CHUTNEYS AND MORE Multiple methods of preservation spice things up a bit, but equally important is capitalizing on all the different ways to use a vegetable or fruit. Tomatoes, for instance, typically are used for sauce, paste, ketchup and juice, but don’t forget the salsa, relish and chutney possibilities.

Sauces are not limited to tomatoes. Applesauce is a great basic to have on hand. You can also make sauces from fruits, often used as a condiment with meats or a topping for ice cream or cheesecake. Just adding a few extra ingredients will turn a plain tomato sauce into spaghetti or barbecue sauce. Recipes are readily available for all these options.

Chutneys are gaining popularity and are a blend of several garden items. Chutney is a sweet and sour condiment, inspired by flavors of India, and is a combination of fruits, vegetables, spices and vinegar. I am developing an interest in a number of the fruit chutneys, such as blueberry, pear or gingered cranberry.

During fruit season, consider canning pie filling. It certainly saves time when baking a pie later on and is great to have on hand when company is coming. And in central Indiana our minds always go to Brown County apple butter in the fall. But fruit butters are not limited to just apples. I prefer peach butter over apple butter, in fact.

Relishes expand well beyond the traditional pickle relish to

8 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

DEHYDRATION Drying is as basic a process as it gets, and it has the added benefit of requiring less storage space for the same amount of product. Dehydration also intensifies the flavor and alters the texture. Dried fruits and vegetables can be stored in plastic or glass jars. Personally, I have made the commitment to rid my household of plastic, and so I opt for glass jars. Options for drying include purchasing an inexpensive stacking tray dehydrator or going all out for the expensive Excalibur style dehydrators.

You can also make or buy a solar dehydrator. Utilizing your oven or simply dehydrating produce in the sun is also possible, but you should keep in mind that the latter options minimize the shelf life.

include corn relish, zucchini relish and even green tomato relish. Trying new things makes mealtime more of an adventure.

PICKLING VERSUS FERMENTATION Moving beyond the staples of canning or freezing a single fruit or vegetable opens up tremendous options in our diet and opportunities for our palate to delight in new explorations.

Pickling is experiencing a great resurgence in popularity, as is fermentation. Fermentation is said to offer some great health benefits, and the process itself is very easy, requiring little equipment to get started. Now, this may beg the question, what is the difference between pickling and fermentation?

When you pickle something, it is necessary to acidify the food to a pH of 4.6 or lower in order for it to be safely canned in a water bath. This involves covering the fruit or vegetable in hot vinegar, spices and seasonings. When vinegar is used, that is referred to as quick pickling, and when utilizing a curing process, it is called fermentation. Quick pickling ensures the product has a greater shelf life, but it does not offer the probiotic benefits of fermentation.

To ferment a fruit or vegetable, it is cured in a salt and water brine for a minimum of a week. During that time, the color, flavor and texture can significantly change. No vinegar is added in this process, but rather the brine causes a reaction with natural bacteria already present on the food to produce lactic acid. The lactic acid not only helps preserve the food, but also can aid in digestion.

The options for what can be pickled are nearly unlimited.

We immediately think of pickled beets, but red cabbage, green beans and onions are other great options. I am not a person who eats a lot of onions, but during my trip to South Korea earlier this year, pickled onions were a staple at nearly every meal. I found myself gravitating toward that dish each time — they were delicious. I have not had the opportunity to try green beans yet, but my good friends, Robert Frew and Juan Carlos Arango, assure me pickled green beans are also wonderful.

KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS When preserving food, not only is it critical to follow the recipe instructions for food safety reasons, but it is equally important to use the exact ingredients indicated. After all, that is part of the instruction. Each ingredient plays a vital role in the preservation process.

Pectin, as an example, may come in the powdered form or as a liquid. Use whichever is called for but do not interchange them. In addition, there are pectins for different uses, such as freezer jam pectin or low-sugar pectin.

If a recipe calls for sea salt, do not grab the table salt as a substitute. There is a difference, and the recipes are created and tested using explicit ingredients.

Do not leave out an ingredient because you do not care for it, such as lemon juice, which like vinegar increases acidity when canning and inhibits the growth of some micro-organisms and enzymes. If it calls for bottled lemon juice, then that is exactly what you need to use. There are also different types of vinegar, so use the specific type called for in the recipe. If a recipe does not specify, then use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Ascorbic acid protects the color and flavor. It prevents darkening of some fruits and vegetables.

Sugar not only changes and enhances flavor, but when simmered, as in making jams and jellies, it interacts with pectin and thickens.

Pickling lime is made of calcium hydroxide and improves firmness in pickles. Recipes typically call for the pickles (pickled cucumbers) to soak a period of time, such as a day or two, before continuing with the recipe.

Food preservation options are unlimited, and it is an adventure to try new recipes for your family. I hope this month’s column has inspired you to try something different or to do some food preservation that you might not have attempted otherwise.

Happy and healthy eating! *FI

Cheryl Carter Jones is an Indiana farmer and president 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.

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From the Field

The View at Nightfall

Transitioning to Pasture: A Work in Progress by liz brownlee 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.

I left work early, and Nate and I hustled over to the county USDA office to rent a no-till drill. It was early June, the rain had let up momentarily and we knew we had a short window available to plant a former soybean field into pasture. This was a new frontier for Nightfall Farm. Sure, we’ve helped raise animals on pasture for years. We’ve helped manage and restore pasture health. But we had never transitioned a field to pasture — at least, not until this year.

After picking up the drill, we popped over to our neighbors to pick up the tractor we had arranged to borrow. We pulled 350 pounds of seed from an old freezer (a mouse-proof storage container if I’d ever seen one). We tried to adjust the drill to our conditions, consulted the manual and eventually called the company to ask a few clarifying questions. The man who invented the drill actually answered the phone and our questions.

We found a rhythm after a few false starts, but at sundown we still had four acres left to plant. The air cooled, and lightning bugs appeared along the edge of the woods. We flipped on the lights to the neighbor’s tractor, hoping they worked. They did. We finished planting at midnight and fell into bed with hard-earned smiles.

Planting the pasture, though, was only one small part of transitioning land from row crops to pasture. This ground has been in corn and soybeans for more than 30 years, so we were starting with a blank canvas. We can envision the final masterpiece: lush green pastures with cattle and sheep grazing, pigs rooting, and chickens and turkeys scratching. But where do you start if you’re trying to create a masterpiece?

We looked to the land for guidance — and to experts and

fellow farmers. The prevailing opinion was that before our ground could grow lush pasture, we needed to build soil health.

We especially needed to address compaction and build organic matter, the dead plant and animal material that holds on to nutrients, quickly absorbs rainwater and supports microbial life.

Farmers have long known that planting rounds of crops like oats, radishes or buckwheat can build soil health. Simply pick a cover crop to meet your soil’s needs. Low on organic matter and nutrients? Plant buckwheat. Is rainwater running off your field rather than soaking in? Try radishes.

But farmers in the Dakotas have been making headlines by trying something new. They recognized that each cover crop only deals with a few specific needs. Their land was heavily degraded, so they wanted more benefits all at once. They started experimenting with diverse mixes of cover crops, creating “cocktails” that offer a full suite of benefits. Farmers in the Dakotas aren’t often thought of as hip or innovative, but these farmers are definitely breaking new ground.

We decided to follow suit and build our soil health with a cocktail of warm-season plants that would grow well in an Indiana summer. Our mix included grasses for organic matter, cow peas to capture nitrogen, radish to improve infiltration and deal with compaction, and sunflowers to provide forage for wildlife and livestock alike.

We’re not the only ones working hard to transition our field to pasture. We’ve “hired” chickens, pigs and turkeys to spread nutrients (that is, their manure) and aerate the soil (read: root and scratch).

We rotationally graze the animals, moving them from one part of the field to another, so their impact is even, controlled and visibly beneficial. Ours is a happy crew. They love the sunshine, bugs and fresh forage, and they have plenty of room to socialize. When we moved our pigs from the barn to the pasture, they actually ran laps around the paddock. They assessed the pasture, and it earned high marks.

We’re pleased with the results, too. We’ve seen more life in the field than ever before: grasshoppers, butterflies, spiders, moles, deer, hawks, bluebirds — the list grows by the day. Before the end of this season, our new pasture will also have supported 300 chickens, four pigs and 50 turkeys. It’s nowhere near a masterpiece yet, but the picture is taking shape. It’s a strong start to building soil health and transitioning our field to pasture.

The work is far from over, of course. Our pasture is established and growing, but it’s far from lush. You can see bare spots between the rows we planted, and rainwater still pools in the northwest corner. And soil health doesn’t improve in just one season, even with a cover crop cocktail. We have loads of work ahead, but we like it that way. *FI

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10 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

FAMILY RESTAURANT

mark your calendar

September Events 58th annual Hesston Steam & Power Show 2014 Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 Four days of events, featuring steam train rides on three railroads, steam tractor demos, an operating steam-powered saw mill, county fair food stands, flea market and more. Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: Hesston Steam Museum, 1201 E. Road 1000N, LaPorte.

Information: (219) 778-2783, hesston.org Indiana Master Naturalist Class Sept. 3 through Nov. 5 Eight three-hour sessions focusing on Indiana’s natural resources. Specific topics for each course may vary, but each series includes sessions related to geology and soils, water, botany, zoology, people and natural resources. Time: 6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesdays. Cost: Varies. Location: Twin Bridges Recreation Lodge, Danville. Information: (317) 718-6865 Nature Daze Sept. 6 The eighth annual Nature Daze is an outreach program to help landowners better understand the importance of managing their property to create resilient native habitat that is free of invasive plants.

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: Camp Rancho Framasa, 2230 Clay Lick Road, Nashville. Information: (812) 988-2839, campranchoframasa.org Draft Horse Workshop Sept. 7 Two-day informative hands-on workshop.

Learn to safely handle, harness and drive a team of horses. Topics include equine care, horse-drawn farming and harnessing. A great experience for both avid horsemen and beginners. Time: Hours vary. Cost: $300 regular price; $250 for Farm at Prophetstown members. Location: The Farm at Prophetstown, 3534 Prophetstown Road, Battle Ground. Information: (765) 567-4700, prophetstown.org ServSafe Food Safety Certification Prep Sept. 9, 16 A two-part class that teaches tools for sharing food safety knowledge and emphasizes its critical importance to employees and others in the food business. Major concepts include sanitation, cross-contamination prevention, temperature control, food storage, cleaning and pest management. Time: 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $209. Location: Ivy Tech Community College, Bloomington Campus, Liberty Crossing, Room M114. Information: (812) 330-6044, ivytech.edu/bloomington/ cll/professionaldev Bluff City Pow-Wow Sept. 13-14 Two days of activities celebrating the Native American culture, including

drumming, flute playing, crafts, storytelling, food vendors and dances.

Time: Hours vary. Cost: $5, $4 with a non-perishable food item donation.

Location: Rockport City Park, 928 Fairground Drive, Rockport. Information: (812) 459-4643, indianasabelincoln.org/ events/bluff-city-pow-wow1 Johnny Appleseed Festival Sept. 20-21 Period authentic festival that celebrates the life and times of John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. Enjoy food, demonstrations, crafts, children’s area, military re-enactment, farmers market and more. Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Cost: Free.

Location: Johnny Appleseed Park, 5800 Harry Baals Drive, Fort Wayne. Information: (260) 424-3700, visitfortwayne.com Aquaculture Business Class Sept. 20 Shrimp farmers talk about how they got started in the aquaculture business. A financial expert will talk about the tools needed to get into shrimp farming.

Includes a facility tour. Seating is limited.

Time: 1 to 4 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: RDM Shrimp Farm, 101 N. Road 850E, Fowler. Information: (765) 583-0052, rdmshrimp.com Mindful Eating for Your Busy Life Sept. 21 This Slow Food Indy workshop offers a fresh approach to mindful eating. Led by Carla Hall, nutrition and holistic health expert. Learn all about the benefits of slow food — from taking time for yourself to enjoying the pleasure of the table.

Time: 2 to 3:30 p.m. Cost: $5. Location: The Platform at Indianapolis City Market, 202 E. Market St., Indianapolis. Information: slowfoodindy.com Annual Nap Town Tour de Coops Sept. 21 Presented by Hope Plumbing. Join in on a bicycle tour of 12 local backyard coops. Event kicks off at Agrarian with live music, homesteading experts and local food trucks. 1 to 5 p.m. Location: 661 E. 49th St., Indianapolis. Information: naptownchickens.org 40th annual Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival Sept. 24-27 Experience four days of bluegrass music at this fun family event. Tickets include museum admission, daily music and workshops. Camping available. Reservations recommended. Time: Hours vary.

Cost: See website for individual ticket prices. Location: Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground, 5163 N. State Road 135, Bean Blossom. Information: (812) 988-6422, beanblossom.us

5975 25th Street, Columbus, IN 47203 (812) 376-6838 1512 West Main, Greensburg, IN 47240 (812) 663-2454 100 International Drive, Franklin, IN 46131 (800) 327-5099

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 11

AORGANIC GLIMPSE OF MARKET PRICES

From the Field

Resources for Organic Producers Over the course of the last few Farm Indiana issues, we have touched on what organic certification means; how, when and where it started; how to transition into organic farming; and more. So we know, in order for food, feed and fiber product to be marketed under the label “organic,” the producer (unless exempt) must be certified by a United States Department of Agriculture-accredited certification agency such as Ecocert ICO and follow organic practices defined by regulation.

According to USDA national organic program data, the number of certified operations in Indiana is behind other Midwestern states relative to organic agriculture, but it is steadily growing. Raw organic ingredients are being imported locally and throughout the country to meet domestic consumer demand, representing a market for domestic producers. Ecocert ICO staff met with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in early August to discuss success stories, barriers and development of organic agriculture, in terms of its value-added production methods and label. The majority of current growth we see at Ecocert ICO is coming from conventional agriculture transitioning to organic agriculture practices to diversify markets or operations, producing both conventional and organic product as some farmers move to dedicated organic production systems.

If you’re interested in transitioning your farm or learning more about organic production, there are several places where you can look for information.

From the USDA website, “the Organic Literacy Initiative is designed to help connect current and prospective organic farmers, ranchers and processors with appropriate USDA resources.” The Organic Literacy Initiative package of “training and outreach materials explains what the organic label means and how certification works.

Through this effort, USDA staff around the U.S. will be better equipped

Here, certified organic farm gate prices from regional organic grain dealers. Prices provided by Clarkson Grain in Cerro Gordo, Illinois, as of Aug. 7.

Food

by jessica ervin to help farmers, ranchers and processors understand organic certification and access relevant USDA services.”

According to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, some 14,000 employees within every USDA department have participated in the basic Organic Literacy Initiative training, and 5,000 of these employees have taken the advanced Organic Literacy Initiative training. This is an important step forward for cross-training of agriculturerelated staff on organics. To access information and resources within the Organic Literacy Initiative, please visit ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ organicinfo. This is especially useful when looking for value-added streams of farm income.

There are a multitude of other educational events, webinars, associations and information sources that can assist and educate all stakeholders, from distributors, farmers markets and retailers to consumers. The Organic Center (OC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., recognized as a source of scientific research about organic food and farming. The OC provides up-to-date studies on sustainable agriculture and health, and it collaborates with academic and governmental institutions to distribute research findings. For more on the center, visit organic-center.org. *FI

Yellow corn, $12 to $13 per bushel White corn, $12.75 to $14 per bushel Blue corn, $13.50 to $16 per bushel Soybeans, $28 to $30 per bushel, depending on varieties Wheat, $14 to $16 per bushel

Feed

Yellow corn, $10.50 to $11 per bushel Soybeans, $27 per bushel Wheat, $13 to $14 per bushel Oats, $6.50 to $7 per bushel

Jessica Ervin, with over 15 years in organic certification and ISO auditing, is the deputy general manager of Ecocert ICO (formerly Indiana Certified Organic 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

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Farm Favorites By jessica hoopengardner

In November 2009, my family moved to Spiceland to create Redbud Farm and Caprini Creamery, a goat creamery that specializes in making cheese. Daily, I help out on the farm by feeding, cleaning pens, milking and doing anything else that needs to be done. I don’t always enjoy living here, but as a whole, I love life on the farm. Here are 10 reasons why.

1

Cool Sweatshirt Days

Working on the farm is so much easier on cool days where I can wear a sweatshirt. It’s not too hot, nor too cold. I don’t have to take water breaks to cool down. I don’t have to go inside and make myself hot chocolate to warm up. The temperature is just perfect for getting things done.

2 3 4 5

The Cute Animals

Between the goats, the llamas and the cats, we have plenty of adorable animals on the farm.

Sometimes I’ll get distracted from the farm work and play with the goat kids or the kittens.

Even the adult animals are cute to me, and I love being surrounded by these wonderful animals.

The Size

Every day there is a new challenge to be met.

How will we fit nine does in the tack room?

How many kids can we immunize in two hours? I enjoy being challenged, and the farm challenges me every single day.

My Best Friend, Tommy Bahama the Llama

I showed Tommy for many years when I was little. Tommy is my baby. Whenever I go into the llama pen, he will come up to me and lean on me. I scratch his head and give him a hug every day. If I’m ever sad, I’ll go out and sit with him. It’s nice to know I have a friend so close to me, even if he’s not human.

6

The Unpredictability

7

The Barn

My favorite time to go out into the barn is right after milking in the summer. It’s cool enough so the fans don’t have to be on, and the goats are quiet because they’ve just been fed. The barn is just so serene that I can find myself going out there and sitting in silence for half an hour just soaking up the quiet.

8 9 10

We have 57 acres of land, and it’s great. If I’m in the hay field, I don’t even feel like I’m still on my farm because of how far away it is from the barn. It’s like exploring a new world going out to the hay field or the woods.

The Challenge

expected keeps me on my toes. If every day was the same old thing, I would get bored easily, but the goats make sure I never get bored.

I love going out to the barn and not knowing what to expect. It could be a doe just had babies or that the goats escaped. Good or bad, the un-

Baling Hay

No, I don’t actually like lifting heavy hay bales out of the field, onto the wagon and then putting them into the hay loft. But I do love that we bale our own hay. After the hay is in the loft, it’s very cool to say, “We did that ourselves.”

Winter

If it’s not bitterly cold, winter can be one of my favorite things. There is nothing like opening up a hay bale in January and being able to smell hints of summer in it. Also, the goats grow out their fur and turn into little puff balls, which is adorable.

The Nature

With the exception of bugs and birds, I love the nature on our farm. The sunsets that I get to see are beautiful. The flowers that bloom add such color to my life. When the grasses sway in the wind, it always reminds me that I live somewhere special.*FI

SERVING SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA Jessica Hoopengardner, above with her mother and father, 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.

4329 N. U.S. 31, Seymour, In 47274 | 812.522.5199 Mon–Fri 7 AM – 5 PM Located On U.S. 31 One Mile South Of U.S. 50 Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 13

From the Field

Many Farmers Mean Lots of Choices By katie glick

I wake up every morning in an old house nestled between a cornfield and a soybean field and across from another soybean field. The guy lying next to me is a farmer and is usually snoring, a side effect from working outdoors all day with various animals, crops and dust.

Over the years, as a farmer’s daughter and now a farmer’s wife, I have learned that agriculture is big, small, diverse, local and

global. All at the same time.

Whether it involves growing the food we eat, feeding animals, driving trucks that deliver products, supplying fuel to the farm so tractors run or picking sweet corn or other vegetables for the local farmers market, agriculture touches everyone.

I keep a bright sign in my office that boldly proclaims “No Farms, No Food.” A former boss of mine used to come to work

every week, look at that sign and say, “I eat, so I am part of agriculture.” Yes he is.

Agriculture takes on so many forms in so many places. We can all be a part of it, even if our roles are different.

We are blessed to have choices and opportunities when choosing the foods we eat.

Think about all of your choices: frozen or fresh, local or global, organic or traditional and much more.

I can buy bacon at the grocery store, the local meat market or farmers market. Or we can buy on a larger scale and buy a pig from a local farmer. I choose where to buy tomatoes. We choose the freshest tomatoes and will go to great lengths to buy fresh tomatoes from the farmers market or food stands, especially in the summertime.

However, there are times when we have fewer options. In our town, there is only one type of arugula that I can find. We love this variety of lettuce so much that we’ll buy it, even though we don’t necessarily like our selection.

I see agriculture not as a big tent, but a big barn. Grain producers, livestock growers, vegetable farmers, organic farmers and others all contribute to the ag industry. In the modern agricultural world, we should all support agricultural diversity. Whether we’re talking about a sixth-generation farm, a local farmers market, a hog farm, a backyard

garden, 4-H kids or even just a couple of chickens, agriculture is an essential component of everyday life.

I read Farm Indiana because it shares stories from a diverse group of farmers. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I do and that you will enjoy my contribution every month.

Life is about choices. You choose between a car or truck when buying a new vehicle. You choose between the green dress or red dress when shopping. Choices are a great thing in a consumer-driven world. As agriculture expands in our modern world, we should all celebrate the choices we get to make. *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. Glick shares her personal, work, travel and farm life stories on her blog at fancyinthecountry.blogspot.com.

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Ingredients used by the Spagnuolo family in its Bear Wallow Distillery, along with a sample of the latest batch of Indiana corn whiskey, also knows as moonshine.

Through the Ages

Brown County distillery owners work to perfect their Indiana-made spirits By jeff tryon photos by josh marshall

C

olumbus native Susan Spagnuolo says her family’s new business, Bear Wallow Distillery in Gnaw Bone, is a dream two years in the making.

The distillery — the first artisan distillery in Indiana to open under the 2013 Artisan Distillers Act, which allows craft distillers to sell directly to the public if they produce what they sell — is the realization of an idea Susan says came to her while on a family vacation.

“Our family loves to travel and one of our favorite things to do on the road is to take food tours and scout out local ‘agritourism’ businesses to see how local products are made,” Susan says. “Wineries, breweries, maple syrup farms and dairies … we have always just loved doing that type of thing.”

Those journeys also took the family to famous distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and then, a couple of years ago, to a small craft spirits distillery in North Carolina.

“We knew almost immediately that we wanted to open a craft distillery in Brown County,” she says. “We knew that it would be a great fit. Not only is there a long, storied history of making moonshine in Brown County, but we really thought tourists would enjoy coming to see how Indiana corn and wheat could be made into spirits.”

Susan, who acts as president of the company and oversees the entire distillation process at Bear Wallow Distillery — the cooking of the grains, the fermenting, the distillation process — primarily shares the responsibilities of the business with her son, Adam Spagnuolo, who acts as head distiller and production manager.

The pair spent a year waiting for the Artisans Distillers Act to go into effect and another year clearing legal hurdles for federal and state permitting to get their company underway. “Some days are long and hard, and we’ve fought a lot of battles and had setbacks along the way,” Susan says. “We just kept moving forward.

“This is our first foray into entrepreneurship, and that’s been a lot of fun,” she adds.

“We have gotten a lot of support from the

(From left) Susan, Mike and Adam Spagnuolo.

Brown County community about what we’re trying to do.”

Aged (Quickly) with Pride

Expected to open in August, the distillery can be found in a warehouse tucked away in the industrial area of Gnaw Bone. On one end of the building are the distillery’s offices and reception area. On the other: the barrel storage and bottling and distillation lines. Between each end, guests can settle into the tasting room, which was built with native poplar lumber and faux tin ceilings, and offers a sampling of the distillery’s spirits. With a horseshoe bar and bars lining each wall, the tasting room offers a view of the distillation area through a wall of adjacent windows.

The pride and joy at Bear Wallow is an old-style 250-gallon copper pot still, which was hand-crafted by Vendome Copper & Brass Works in Louisville, Kentucky, a 150-yearold company that also makes stills for Jack Daniels.

The still can produce enough whiskey each week to fill about 1,000 bottles. Some of the spirits will be available immediately as un-aged Indiana corn whiskey, more commonly known as moonshine.

The majority of the product, however, will go through an aging process. After the grains are cooked and fermented, the resulting

As they built a rustic, native lumber, tasting room with windows onto the distillery line, the family received encouragement in the form of two real stuffed bears, also from Indiana.

“We were looking for bear artifacts for the store, and we came upon this family up near Muncie, who were selling off the stuffed bear collection of their husband and father, a hunter who had just died,” Susan says.

“When we contacted them and told them our story, they decided they wanted to donate this gorgeous doublemount bear display to the distillery, because the rest of them were getting sold, and this way they could kind of come and still see his bears.”

“They’re going to kind of be our mascot,” Spagnuolo says.

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 15

Full-Circle

Ferment Since beginning production, Bear Wallow has become a boon for local farmers from both ends of the distilling process. Local grain producers Glick Farms of Columbus provide wheat and corn to be used to make the spirits at the distillery.

Brett Glick says grain that is sent to market from his farm often ends up at distilleries to make products for Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Canadian Mist, but this is the first time he has sold directly to a local distillery.

“This way, we’re cutting out the middle man, and we’re able to get more of the revenue directly to our farm,” Glick explains. “We really appreciate being able to capture a part of that market.”

Buying direct from the farmer makes the grain cheaper for Bear Wallow, too.

It eliminates any competition with big companies in big markets, Glick says.

For the Spagnuolos, keeping everything as local as possible is top priority.

Wheat, rye and malted barley are all sourced from within the state. “We are using 100 percent local grains,” Susan says. “It is a true local artisan craft spirit.”

On the other end of the distillation process, Mike Speaker, a hog farmer who

an online marketplace of locally grown and produced food

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Our pigs are born and raised in Hancock County. We take care of the pigs ourselves and raise the corn for their grain-based diet. Our pigs are only given antibiotics when needed as pigs are a lot like humans in this regard. As most livestock producers do, we take better care of our pigs than we do ourselves. We are very proud of the high quality pork that we are able to produce and are excited to share our products with you and your family as we do with our own family.

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also works for animal feed company Kent Feeds, picks up used mash from the distillery and feeds it to his pigs.

The mostly liquid leftovers serve as a good supplement for sows during gestation. “We kind of use it as a liquid slop diet with some dry feed in it,” Speaker explains. “It helps cut our feed costs.”

Speaker, who has a food sciences degree from Purdue University, explained that there’s no alcohol left in the mash because all carbohydrates have been removed. In other words: There are no drunk pigs to worry about. “They’ve (the Spagnuolos) done a fabulous job because there’s no fermentable product that I can see,” he says.

Speaker started working with Bear Wallow because of his interest in local, sustainable agriculture operations. “They’re not a distillery that’s going to compete against Jim Beam or Jack Daniels; they’re there in Brown County to do agritourism (and) sustainable agriculture,” he says. “I’m just happy to try to help them out.”

WHEAT & SOYBEANS SEED An Independent Seed Company Ample Supply of High Yielding, High Quality Wheat Seed Conventional Soybeans & Roundup Ready Soybeans Trevor Glick 812.343.8119

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15120 East Base Line Road Columbus, IN 47203

Bear Wallow Distillery 4484 Old State Road 46, Gnaw Bone, (812) 657-4923, bearwallowdistillery.com

Old barrels that once contained alcohol are now repurposed as a countertop.

RIGHT: Mike and Susan Spagnuolo.

Tours of the distillery are available. Hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

liquid goes through two stripping runs before a final spirit run produces what Spagnuolo says is a “nice, smooth” 150-proof distillate.

The more you distill, the more you purify.

The process strips off the bad flavor profiles and alcohols. The raw whiskey is finally aged in charred American white oak barrels, which mellows it and gives it a characteristic amber color.

Susan says they will initially use a shortaging process, which employs smaller barrels for a higher surface-to-volume ratio. “You start with the small barrels and work up to the big barrels,” she explains.

With the short-aging process, some bourbon could be ready in six months to a year, although two-year aging will be the standard length of time for processing. Initially, only the moonshine will be available for purchase, while the bourbon is being aged. The owners also plan to make rum and flavored liqueurs in the future and to offer seasonal cocktails made from the distillery’s spirits.

Small batch distilling allows businesses like Bear Wallow to create a pure product with distinct flavor profiles. The personal attention and the ability to focus on cutting the blend help the distiller perfect the outcome. “That’s the difference between us and the big guys,” Susan says. “They’re more of a production facility. As smaller guys we can take off more of the heads and tails and keep more of the heart.” *FI

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 17

Nature’s Pharm

Natural Food Stores

One-Stop Shops They provide cooking classes, wellness workshops and community events to promote health and better eating. If you search for it, you can even benefit from a little bicycle repair. Oh, and they offer a good bit of organically grown and sustainably raised food, too.

Here, a look at some of the state’s many (and multifaceted) natural health food stores. There are so many, in fact, that it’s becoming increasingly harder to say — at least with a straight face, anyway — that you can’t find fresh, local food.

By Jenn Willhite, Sherri Dugger and Caroline Mosey photos by josh marshall

Bloomingfoods Market and Deli Established in 1975, this member-owned food cooperative offers locally grown and produced consumer goods and has become a staple in the Bloomington community. The co-op carries products ranging from organic fruits, vegetables and meats to natural health and beauty, pet and specialty items, including an assortment of exotic and domestic beers and cheeses.

Bloomingfoods also features a variety of specialties that reach beyond the market shelves, including a garden center, a deli, event catering and a vast range of community workshops and classes, from cooking, permaculture and garden planning to bicycle repair.

3220 E. Third St., Bloomington, (812) 336-5400; 614 E. Second St., Bloomington, (812) 822-0235; 200 Daniels Way, Room C133, Bloomington, (812) 822-0143; 419 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, (812) 336-5300; 316 W. Sixth St., Bloomington, (812) 333-7312); bloomingfoods.coop

Cornucopia >> This independent Franklin-based health food store, which opened in 1993, has been under the ownership of Donna Booth since she purchased it in 2001. A certified nutritionist, Booth has worked in the nutrition field for 24 years, and her shop carries an assortment of “gluten-free, organic and fermented whole foods, along with body care products and vitamins, herbs and supplements,” she says. But beyond the shelves, Booth loves to help her customers find the right foods and products to fit their needs.

She loves a good opportunity to chat, she says, to help consumers make educated decisions about their health.

2797 N. Morton St., Suite C, Franklin, (317) 736-8300

Cornucopia manager Mendy Williams.

18 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

Country Nutrition

Earthen Treasures

Country Nutrition in Greenwood is well-versed and well-stocked when it comes to special diet needs.

“We specialize in it, in fact,” says manager Audra Nicholls. “We have lots of products geared toward gluten-free, dairy-free and all different types of diets.” The small staff offers its collective years of experience and knowledge when it comes to nutrition, so don’t shy away from asking health-related questions. Country Nutrition doesn’t carry fresh produce, but it does stock plenty of refrigerated, frozen and packaged foods, as well as health care products and supplements.

Personalized customer service is the cornerstone of Earthen Treasure’s mission to help shoppers discover the wisdom of nature. Located in the rural, Swiss community of Berne, this health food store has been family-owned and operated for more than 30 years. Committed to carrying natural, dry and frozen grocery items, Earthen Treasures also offers a variety of body care products, bulk herbs, coffees and supplements. “We’re very particular about the product lines we offer,” says Linda Gifford, owner. “We screen everything before it gets placed on the shelf.” Can’t stop by? No problem.

Earthen Treasures offers a daily mail-order service and can special order any item that’s not in stock.

1480 Olive Branch Park Lane, Greenwood, (317) 889-1305, countrynutritionstore.com

906 N. U.S. 27, Berne, (260) 589-3675, earthentreasuresonline.com

Elbert’s Natural Food Market This 4,000-square-foot market has taken the lead in offering Evansvillearea residents one-stop shopping for organic groceries. Unlike traditional grocers and markets, Elbert’s doesn’t stock items with artificial ingredients here. Customers don’t have to worry about reading labels for pesky allergens or chemicals, says owner Catherine Elbert-Burkempber. “We don’t have a single item in our store that has artificial ingredients,” she explains.

“If it’s in our store, you know it’s clean.” In addition to groceries, this family-owned market also offers a range of personal and baby care items, as well as supplements, pet products and housewares.

5614 E. Virginia St., Evansville, (812) 471-5071, elbertsnaturalfoods.com Audra Nicholls

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 19

Natural Food Stores

Georgetown Market This family-owned and operated market has served the Indianapolis area for 40 years. The 9,600-square-foot market offers a fresh selection of organic produce and meats for meat-eaters and vegans, alike. The market staff ’s primary goal is to meet the health and wellness needs of its customers, says Lisa Patterson, general manager, regardless of their lifestyles. “We tend to spoil our customers and get to know them on a first-name basis,” she explains. “We’re very conscious about the products we sell and try to offer alternatives for all lifestyles.”

4375 Georgetown Road, Indianapolis, (317) 293-9525, georgetownmarket.com

<< Natural Choices for Healthful Living

Nature’s Cupboard

For nearly 20 years, Carolyn Behrman and her staff at Natural Choices have offered the Columbus community natural products to support healthy lifestyles. The 5,300-square-foot store features personal care products, homeopathic remedies and supplements, along with one of the largest selections of gluten-free products in the state. All meat and poultry products are sourced from local producers, including Fischer Farms in Jasper and Ortman Natural Beef in Westport.

1825 Central Ave., Columbus, (812) 375-1677, naturalchoicesindiana.com

Nature’s Cupboard, founded in 1981, has provided shoppers health food and supplements for more than 30 years. Passionate about organic and clean food, owner Mylese Tucker and her staff provide customers with a range of natural products, from groceries to health, beauty and pet products. “We work with local farmer Matt Hayes of Mooberry Farms in Rolling Prairie to get our locally raised chicken and beef,” Tucker says.

Nature’s Cupboard also serves as a drop-off point for local community-supported agriculture, including Crème de la Crop and Fairstream Farm in northern Indiana.

1806 U.S. 20, Michigan City, (219) 874-2335; 575 Indiana Boundary, Chesterton, (219) 926-4647, naturescupboardonline.com

Carolyn Behrman at Natural Choices for Healthful Living.

Photo by Greg Jones.

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<< Nature’s Pharm One of three locations, the Greenwood Nature’s Pharm promises customers a large selection of health and gluten-free foods, organic produce and supplements on the southside. The store boasts both fresh and frozen items, beans and grains, baby foods, herbs, spices and wines. “We belong to the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, which keeps our prices competitive,” says owner Matt Smith. “We really emphasize customer service here, as we have lots of regulars and a rewards program.”

Despite the varied selection of health food products, Smith swears by a few of his favorites — one being a relatively new addition to the store. “It’s called Fire Cider,” he shares. “It’s a health tonic made with apple cider vinegar, and you take it from a pre-marked shot glass. It’s intense!”

8215 S. U.S. 31, Greenwood, (317) 888-0557, natures-pharm.com

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GREENWOOD 1100 N. Ind. 37 Greenwood, IN 46143 317-888-4189 Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 21

Natural Food Stores

Named after the Indianapolis waterway, Pogue’s Run Grocer is part of Indy Food Cooperative Inc. This small-scale, full-service grocer serves the Indianapolis urban community by offering natural products, including bulk goods, produce, fresh and frozen items and baked goods. The cooperative exists because of the community, says produce buyer Twon Schroeder.

All products are sourced from vendors within a 100-mile radius, including South Circle Farm and Waterman’s Family Farm, both in Indianapolis.

“What we offer isn’t just cans on a shelf,” Schroeder says. “We also have in-house made grab-and-go stuff that we offer in our deli, including a salad bar.” Have a special occasion coming up? Pogue’s Run also provides event catering.

2828 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, (317) 426-4963, poguesrungrocer.org

Photo courtesy of Sahara Mart

Pogue’s Run Grocer

Sunspot Natural Foods

For exotic, organic or international products in Bloomington, make a stop at Sahara Mart. Family-owned and operated since 1986, this local grocer offers a variety of hard-to-find items, such as spices, simmer sauces and seaweed. There’s also a diverse selection of organic produce, fair trade coffees, teas, supplements and locally produced and imported beers.

This family-run health food store opened in 1977 and prides itself on offering natural products, including organic produce, groceries and supplements, free of preservatives and artificial additives. Owner and master herbalist Joan Johnson has taken a personal interest in making sure customers have plenty of options to support their healthy lifestyles. “I started this because I was very interested in plants and herbs,” she explains.

“Through the years I’ve screened all the products before putting them on the shelf to ensure we offer our customers the best possible products.”

2611 E. Third St., Bloomington, (812) 339-6222; 106 E. Second St., Bloomington, (812) 333-0502, saharamart.com

3717 S. Reed Road, Kokomo, (765) 453-5555; 500 W. Sagamore Parkway, West Lafayette, (765) 4641555, sunspotnatural.tflmag.com

Sahara Mart

The Good Earth Natural Food Co. Green products, apparel, pet supplies, health and beauty items, supplements and groceries can all be found at The Good Earth in the popular Broad Ripple neighborhood in Indianapolis. Since 1971, this health food company has provided its customers with natural products both in-store and online, building a reputation for itself, as well as a committed and loyal local following. Got questions? No problem.

Family-owned and operated, The Good Earth’s staff has a combined 150 years of professional experience in the health food industry.

6350 Guilford Ave., Indianapolis, 46220 (317) 253-3709, Good-earth.com

an online marketplace of locally grown and produced food

Visit us at www.hoosierharvestmarket.com to learn more and purchase products from these local, trusted vendors.

Unique 2 Eat Farm believes as our grandparents did, raise it yourself and buy local. We live a sustainable and organic life for ourselves and our animals.

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We’ll open Friday at 12pm www.hoosierharvestmarket.com 22 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

THE BIG BOX

These national chains offer their unique lines throughout the Hoosier state Earth Fare

The newest addition to the lineup of natural food stores on the southside of Indianapolis, Earth Fare opened to serve the Greenwood area this past summer. Earth Fare prides itself on the variety of products that don’t line its shelves, namely anything containing high fructose corn syrup, synthetic growth hormones, trans fats, artificial colors or sweeteners and bleached or bromated flours. The store also stresses the origin of its products.

Labels point consumers to foods that have been shipped from locations 100 miles or closer.

2110 E. County Line Road, Indianapolis, (828) 281-4800, earthfare.com

Fresh Market

This gourmet food store chain based in North Carolina has more than 100 stores throughout the U.S., with five of them in the Hoosier state.

With an Old World, open-air market atmosphere, Fresh Market offers aisles of meats, seafood, fresh produce and sample cups of fresh-brewed joe.

2490 E. 146th St., Carmel, (317) 815-1970; 6401 E. Lloyd Expressway, Evansville, (812) 402-5361; 9774 E. 116th St., Fishers, (317) 845-3467; 6306 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, (260) 459-9691; 5415 N. College Ave., Indianapolis, (317) 259-9270; thefreshmarket.com

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market

Trader Joe’s

What started in the 1950s as a small convenience store chain has blown up into one of the most popular freshfood grocery chains in the United States. Shoppers flock to Trader Joe’s as much for the hard-to-find organic cheeses and meats, as they do for the sense of community and overall goodwill to be found at each store.

Greenwood is home to the first Fresh Thyme Farmers Market location in Indiana. The health food retailer, which has stores throughout the Midwest, doesn’t follow the layout of more traditional grocery stores; rather, the shopping space (no numbered aisles here) reflects how diets should be structured. Produce, much of which is grown locally, stands in the center of the store. Surrounding fresh produce are bulk foods like organic grains, hormone-free meats and dairy, organic coffee, cleaning supplies, vitamins and supplements.

2902 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, (317) 337-1880; 5473 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, (317) 595-8950; traderjoes.com

Whole Foods Market

Organic farming, community, animal welfare … these are all part of the mission statements of Whole Foods Market, a chain of grocery stores more than 360 strong. Whole Foods has a number of nonprofit organizations under the umbrella corporation; when company leaders aren’t hocking natural and sustainably farmed foods, they’re working the streets to encourage community health and wellness year-round.

1300 E. 86th St., Indianapolis, (317) 706-0900; 14598 Clay Terrace Blvd., (317) 569-1517; wholefoodsmarket.com *FI

8750 U.S. 31, Indianapolis, (317) 215-5185, freshthyme.com

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Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 23

Natural Food Stores

Stand and Deliver Local farmers set up shop to help growers and educate the community

The Downtown Farm Stand

By garrett kelly photos by josh marshall

N

ecessity is the mother of both invention and The Downtown Farm Stand located in Muncie. Dave Ring and his wife, Sara, opened their store in 2007 after spending several years as organic farmers. “We would go to two or three farmers markets a week, and we couldn’t always sell everything we produced,” Dave Ring says. “We thought it would be great if a store bought our produce so we could get back to the business of farming.”

The Rings still work their own farm, but with a $10,000 budget they set out to open a store that gave local farmers a place to unload their produce. They leased a space and spent over a year cleaning and renovating in order to prepare it for the public. Once they were ready to open, Ring says, they stocked the store with staple items that would get customers’ attention. “It was a small selection,” he says. “But it was

24 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

the right selection to keep us going.”

Today, Ring says, The Downtown Farm Stand carries nearly every ingredient needed to stock a kitchen. Deliveries from local and organic farmers are made to the store all week long. A key component of growing the business is maintaining relationships with current providers and creating new relationships with farmers.

Most of the time, the Rings work with people they know, but he says he always has his ear to the ground to find new producers and products. “It’s a constant process, and it’s easily a full-time job in and of itself,” he says. “You wear a lot of different hats, but it keeps you from getting bored.”

Michael O’Donnell owns Pinehurst Farm in Daleville. He and his wife, Sara, supply pastureraised eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, beets and more to The Downtown Farm Stand. O’Donnell says he

125 E. Main St., Muncie, (765) 288-3775, downtownfarmstand.com

and his wife have been supplying items to the store for three years and feels like Muncie is the perfect place for this type of business. “It’s a smaller market, so it works nicely for small farmers who don’t have a large volume (of produce),” he explains.

O’Donnell, who also serves as the Purdue Extension agriculture and natural resources educator in Delaware County, says the Rings’ store is unique because they are farmers themselves.

O’Donnell says The Downtown Farm Stand’s success is based on trust, and Ring works to educate the public on organic practices. “He hosts events at the store, has speakers and shows films to educate about

Dave Ring stands in front of his downtown Muncie storefront stocked with locally grown produce and locally raised meats.

food and agriculture,” O’Donnell says. These events, he believes, have benefited both growers and consumers.

Ring says his mission has a two-pronged focus. The first goal is to help farmers move their products. The second is to provide healthy food to consumers who might not otherwise have access to it. “We’re on the edge of a food desert,” he explains. “Grocers are pulling out of the city; we lost three last year.” The Downtown Farm Stand is located along a bus route, which gives more people the opportunity to shop there.

In 2009, the Rings opened a deli in the store, where customers can pick up signature paninis made with homemade bread and sandwich trimmings supplied by local and organic farms. The Rings also started a delivery service in 2011. These efforts all work toward

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making the store a fixture in the community.

Muncie resident Dawn Montague has been a patron of The Downtown Farm Stand since it opened and shops there several times a week to purchase pasteurized butter, raw cheeses and grass-fed and grass-finished meats. “When I found out the store was opening, I was really interested because it’s hard to get those items,” she says.

Montague says besides carrying the products she needs, the store has a community feel that she enjoys. She also feels good about shopping with the Rings because they help the local economy. “I know he’s buying directly from Indiana farmers,” she says.

“He will buy local before he goes elsewhere, and that means a lot to me.” *FI

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To Roger Wenning, the health of his farm is centered on the soil

By clint smith photos by josh marshall

26 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

t’s a soggy Sunday morning on the outskirts of Greensburg as Roger Wenning emerges from a plastic-covered, semi-circular shelter filled with hay. And it’s fitting that Wenning, who carries himself with an air of welcoming affability, is shoeless — just a big kid playing in the mud.

A lifelong resident of this area and graduate of North Decatur High School, Wenning, a second-generation farmer, was raised a little over two miles east from the property that he currently calls home. Walking past huge spools of plastic, corrugated pipes, he passes by one of the “shops,” which houses a number of farm vehicles and pieces of heavy-duty excavating equipment. (Excavating and drainage businesses are a pair of Wenning’s family professions.) “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” says Wenning of being a farmer. “This is what my life has been since I was 10 years old.”

It isn’t long before Wenning is standing on the edge of a field, this one set in a rotation of soybeans, not far from a ½-acre pond containing freshwater shrimp (yet another supplemental hobby for Wenning and his family). He fans his hands down toward the ground and out across his gently sloping field. “We’ve spent a hundred years making this unhealthy,” says Wenning, of course referring to what’s underfoot — the soil. “Through years of plowing we’ve depleted the organic matter out of our soils.”

Wenning’s family farming operation has experienced the traditional livestock businesses — poultry, hogs and so forth — “until,” as he says, “the big guys shoved us out.”

Yet he was still out in the field. Back in the mid1990s, he began altering his methods to no-till farming. Also known as zero tillage, no-till is an agricultural technique in which crops are produced without disturbing the soil. “We stopped full-till in 2003,” he

explains, “and now it’s (no-till farming) just a staple.”

As a fortifying method, Wenning employs the use of cover crops, rye grass, radish and rapeseed, to name a scant few, to further feed the soil. Fertilizer alone, in his estimation, just won’t get the job done.

“Using the cover (crops) with no-till adds such nutrients and holds them into the soil,” he explains.

“And then the ground releases those nutrients to the cash crops in the spring.”

This year, Wenning is working with soybeans, corn and wheat. “The top growth makes mulch on the soil,” he says. “And cooler soil equates to saving money.”

He submits that his “soils are right around 2½ percent organic matter, and average content in tilled soils is about 1 percent to 1¼ percent. And the microbial activity is “unbelievable,” he says. “Earthworms,” he says with a wide, proud grin, “yeah, those are our guys.”

One of Wenning’s agrarian allies is Hans Kok, coordinator of the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI). Kok runs an educational and demonstration program for farmers on soil health and conservation tillage. These practices, he says, in addition to techniques in nutrient and pest management and precision agriculture, make up CCSI. “We have seen some dramatic advances in erosion control (and) nutrient and pesticide reduction by innovative farmers we work with,” Kok says. Wenning is, of course, one of these innovative farmers.

“Roger is sincerely proud of his farm,” says Kok. “He’s genuine; he’s emotional about it. He wants to create something on his property to pass on to his family.”

Kok says it was the drainage business that made Wenning realize how important no-till farming was and that having grown up exposed to traditional methods, Wenning knows there’s a big difference between the two. “Going to all no-till sort of puts Roger in the minority,” says Kok. “But in a lot of ways that’s a good thing for him.”

Wenning is actively involved in the no-till cam-

paign away the farm as well, holding the chairman’s position for the Decatur chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation District and serving as a board member for the Indiana General Assembly. Not long ago, he was invited to Omaha for a conference on soil health, where he met with Howard Buffett (son of billionaire Warren Buffett). “(Buffett) invited 300 people to speak from all over the world,” says Wenning, who believes those involved want to help humanity. “We all ask, ‘How do we make this work?’ And really, Indiana is so unique in that we have the largest network of farmers, and we all work together,” he says. “Do you think Chrysler is going to tell Ford industry secrets?

No — that’s where farmers are different: we don’t mind sharing secrets that help what’s good for our farms and what’s good for our livelihood.”

He goes on to point out that in many cases, the Indiana Legislature has forced farmers to make choices that, in the long run, go against what is best for their properties. “There are a lot of us (farmers) who are being extremely proactive — just doing as much as we can to keep government out of what we do. We need to show them that we are constantly doing things, coming up with innovative methods, to make things better.”

Wenning points out that anyone can get involved and become better educated. “Come out to the (CCSI) field days. We have training days held all over the state.”

The sky out west is darkening to deep blue, slatetinted clouds are clustering together. Wenning passes by several small gardens not far from his house. “I have children of my own and six grandchildren now,” he says, “and I want them standing here on a healthy farm, on very healthy soil, and I want them to talk about how grandpa tried to save it for us. I want them to know they have a very viable farm.”

Departing, he says from a distance: “This is my duty as a steward of the land. God only gives us this much soil. … It’s our job to take care of it.” *FI

LEFT: Roger and Mary Beth Wenning with their children and grandchildren. TOP ROW: A flower grown for Wenning’s niece’s wedding. Joseph Wenning, 4, feeds a young Brown Swiss calf.

BOTTOM ROW: Wenning shares the green beans he grows with family and friends. Nick Wenning casts a net to check the approximately 10,000 prawn the Wennings raise on their property.

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 27

The sun sets behind Steve Ritter’s Black Angus cattle. MIDDLE: Ritter with his1958 Farmall 450.

BOTTOM: He grows and harvests ear corn each year to feed his livestock.

Good Sense Steve Ritter treats his animals and the earth with respect By marcia walker // photos by josh marshall

It just makes good sense.

That’s the reason that Steve Ritter, a farmer in western Jackson County, gave for his decision to participate in the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Certified Livestock Producer Program.

That statement also sums up Ritter’s approach to farming and life in general: It makes sense to take care of his animals, his equipment and his land.

Ritter farms 140 acres at Shady Springs Farm, where he makes his home with his wife, Pam, and rents another 30 acres. He raises corn, soybeans and alfalfa hay, in addition to about 50 head of Angus.

After earning his livestock producer certification this year, Ritter is now one of just 96 farmers in Indiana who have done so. To qualify, producers have to meet standards in environmental protection, animal health, bio-security, emergency planning and good neighbor relations.

“I’m doing most of this anyway,” Ritter says, referring to the standards he had to meet to earn the designation. “It was a challenge for me to see if I (would) qualify.”

Ritter was given a binder full of information; he filled out dozens of pages of paperwork and was visited by a state official

28 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

associated with the program. He had to sign a “Producer Promise,” making a commitment to honor the program’s standards and guidelines. The program is about “taking pride in what you do and taking care of your animals,” Ritter explains.

Though he isn’t sure why he took an early interest in agriculture — his father was a custodian at Indiana University and his mother worked in the sewing room there — Ritter says he has wanted to farm since he was in grade school. By fifth or sixth grade, he began putting up hay for people, he says. He later purchased a small tractor and hired himself out at harvest.

By the time he was a senior in high school, Ritter was farming 12 rented acres. He graduated from high school in 1970. By 1978, he owned Shady Springs Farm, located on State Road 50 west of Brownstown.

Even before becoming a certified producer, Ritter was taking advantage of programs offered through Farm Service Agency and

Steve and Pam Ritter in their field of alfalfa.

Natural Resources Conservation Service, including EQUIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program), receiving technical and financial assistance to implement conservation practices.

One of those practices is taking care of the springs that give the property its name. There are two springs that have been developed on the property, and Ritter believes there may be a third as well. One Ritter discovered by accident after noticing cattle standing in the shade of a sycamore tree on a hot day. He took a stick, poked it into a nearby bank and water flowed out.

With assistance from the Department of Natural Resources and FSA, Ritter installed underground pipes to carry water to his cattle and farm shop. Any runoff is captured and piped to another tank.

Over the years, Ritter also has held an off-farm full-time job, first working for 30 years at Rogers Group, then retiring from there and taking another full-time position as director of facilities and employee safety at Bedford North Lawrence High School. “I was too young to retire,” he says.

As far as his cattle, Ritter is interested in genetics, studying the traits of a sire to match to the cow. He is also a strong believer in vaccinating, taking good care of his herd. “Every female on this farm is a mama, and we treat them like that,” he says. “We treat them with respect.”

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 29

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Ritter feeds his Angus cattle. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: His still operational 1948 H Farmall. BOTTOM: Ritter says Angus are an easy breed to raise.

He also makes his own livestock feed. “I’m one of the few people who pick and grind ear corn,” he says.

Ritter uses artificial insemination, and replacement animals usually come from within his own herd. He rarely brings in an outside animal; the intent: to keep out disease. “I’ve only brought in three feeders since 1994,” he says.

He raises Angus in part because they are easy to keep and easy to market. “I like Angus,” he explains. “I think Herefords are pretty. … I know people who do both. They (Angus) have a good record for calving ease. … With me having an off-thefarm job, that’s pretty important.”

Richard Beckort, Purdue Extension agent for Jackson County, describes Ritter as a conscientious farmer. “He wants to be sure his farm is around for the next generation,” Beckort says.

Ritter isn’t exactly sure who will take over the farm one day, but “we need to conserve Mother Earth, respect it,” he says. “I think about the next generation. Someone’s going to be here, probably my family, and I want to leave it better than I found it.” *FI

Shady Spring Farms 11386 W. U.S. 50, Norman

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Farms offering school tours

Back to Basics Farm to School efforts rooted in active learning

Kelsay Farms

Cost: $5 6848 N. Road 250E, Whiteland (317) 535-4136, kelsayfarms.com

The Apple Works

Cost: $5 8157 S. Road 250W, Trafalgar (317) 525-7851, apple-works.com

Waterman’s Family Farm

by ryan trares Throughout the spring and fall, the dairy barns at Kelsay Farms in Whiteland transition into something quite different — an elementary school classroom.

Students walk from stall to stall to investigate the farm’s 500 dairy cows and to learn how the animals are fed and cared for. They get to watch farm employees lead the cows to the milking barn and see the milk being collected.

To tie the lesson together, the kids get to sample cheese, milk and ice cream made with the finished dairy products.

“Kids don’t have that experience anymore (in everyday life),” says Amy Kelsay, who owns the farm with her husband, Joe. “Many of the kids we see haven’t been on a dairy farm,” she says, “So we make that connection to where their milk and cheese come from.”

Field trips like those to Kelsay Farms show kids how the milk they drink, the hamburgers they eat and the apples they snack on make their way into the school cafeteria.

Schools all over Indiana are making an increased effort to educate children about the food they eat. Food service directors are serving more local food for lunch.

Students are starting their own vegetable gardens, and in some cases even raising chickens on school grounds.

These efforts by school districts across the state are part of a larger Farm to School initiative. Participants say the efforts make for a healthier, more knowledgeable generation of students, while supporting the producers in the surrounding communities.

32 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

“If they’re introduced to Farm to School, it’s a vehicle to encourage healthy eating,” says Chelsey Simpson, spokeswoman for the National Farm to School Network. “Kids will be engaged with this fresh food more and eat more of it.”

Simpson explains that Farm to School is a set of ideas and practices that school systems can take part in, not necessarily a solidified program.

“It can look different in different areas, depending on how far in they are to implementation,” she says. “One school may start with a local apple taste-test day or a local pumpkin celebration day. Or one school may start with an herb garden as part of their biology class.”

Throughout central Indiana, the practice of pairing local farms with schools is becoming more common.

The Apple Works, a farm market and orchard in Trafalgar, offers regular tours during which students are asked to identify different varieties of apples. While on the tour, students are able to observe how the apple farm workers tend to existing trees and how they plant new ones to add to the orchard. When the fruit is in season, The Apple Works sells its produce to surrounding schools.

Pike Township schools have been cultivating their own gardens every year since 2011. Garden beds are created, tilled, planted and harvested at 13 schools in the district.

Ginny Roberts, an urban garden program assistant with Purdue Extension Marion County and organizer for the Indiana Farm to School Network, says students now

Cost: $5 7010 E. Raymond St., Indianapolis 1100 N. State Road 37, Greenwood (317) 356-6995, watermansfamilyfarm.com

Distelrath Farms

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Anderson Orchard

Cost: $4 369 E. Greencastle Road, Mooresville (317) 831-4181, andersonorchard.com

Hunter’s Honey Farm

Cost: $5.25 6501 W. Honey Lane, Martinsville (765) 537-9430, huntershoneyfarm.com

have fresh vegetables in the fall and can learn how to grow carrots, pumpkins and other products.

Another Indianapolis school, St. Luke’s Catholic School, has established its own chicken coop. The thirdand fourth-graders there are responsible for taking care of the three hens currently living in the coop. The students feed the animals and clean the coop. Lessons have been built around composting, tracking the weight of the chickens and their eggs, and understanding the biology of the birds.

The benefits of these practices go beyond the classroom. Local farmers, for example, get an expanded market for their products. “It’s a huge market,” Simpson explains. “Schools across the country serve thousands of students every day, and that’s a lot of food. That’s a market if you’re trying to direct-sell to consumers; schools can offer an excellent opportunity.”

Clark-Pleasant School Corp. also has worked with its food supplier, Piazza Produce of Indianapolis, to provide the school with fresh produce.

Piazza partners with farmers throughout central Indiana to bring tomatoes, green beans and cantaloupe to Whiteland-area schools. The company offers more than just local products. According to Kim Combs, food service director at Clark-Pleasant, it presents significant benefits to the community as well.

Let us protect you...

...and your farm

“If they’re introduced to Farm to School, it’s a vehicle to encourage healthy eating.”

— chelsey simpson, National Farm to School Network “It’s a way to support the economy,” she says. “It’s nice to think that the food the kids get is being shipped less distance and (has) been packaged for less time.”

Schools also can serve as a market for products that farmers might not otherwise be able to sell. For example, chicken farmers may be selling a number of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to area restaurants, but have legs and wings left over.

“Those would be great for schools,” says Simpson. “What does a third-grader like more than a chicken drumstick?”

Distelrath Farms, a co-op located southeast of Indianapolis, hopes to open a private school that revolves around farming.

“The whole point is the practical application,” says Andrew Distelrath, who owns the farm co-op with his wife, Sarah. “Whether it’s through the arts, whether it’s through construction, whether it’s through agriculture, the practical application is what we want to focus on.”

The school would teach lessons in caring for livestock, growing crops, handling farm administration and building new structures.

Students would use math skills to help build animal pens and plot farm fields. They would have to know the intricacies of plant and animal life in order to keep the farm healthy. Older students would need to work out crop demands and market fluctuations.

“What’s the point of taking a test and learning,” Distelrath asks, “if you can’t use this knowledge in real life?” *FI

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 33

Aaron Forgey, left, and his dad, Mike, stand among some of their 62,000 trees. LEFT: Aaron holds a sprout that is collected and kept cool before being delivered to Purdue University within 24 hours of collection for DNA testing.

Living Legacy

Tree farm serves dual purposes as a Purdue research farm and as an investment for future family members By garrett kelly photos by josh marshall

M

ike Forgey and his son, Aaron, started planting their 100-acre tree plantation five years ago. Mike says he and his wife, Loretta, began purchasing farmland about 20 years ago, and the tree plantation is on the second piece of property they bought. According to Mike, he had to start planting soon for any chance to see the harvest, which will take place in 35 to 40 years. “I had a deadline,” he explains. “I wanted to get a tree in the ground before I turned 50, so I could potentially see that harvest. It gives me something to get up for every day.”

The Forgeys’ farm, located in Rush County, consists of 62,000 trees planted in a grid. Of the 100 acres, 50 are part of a Conservation Reserve Program and the other 50 serve as a research plot for Purdue University. The trees researchers at Purdue University are studying are red oak, white oak,

34 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

black cherry and black walnut. Aaron, a recent graduate of Purdue University with a degree in forestry, says the goal of the research plot is to improve the tree species by improving their genetics. “Every 15 years there should be a new generation of trees that are improved upon by the last one,” Aaron says.

Mike, who has a day job at Miller’s Health Systems, says the genesis for his partnership with Purdue University started with a simple phone call. Once he had the idea to plant trees, Mike says he looked at the forestry section of the Purdue University website and contacted Lenny Farlee, Purdue Extension forestry specialist. Farlee then passed the message on to the head of the department, Charles Michler, and Mike received a return call within a few hours. “By the next year, we had our first planting started,” Mike says.

Purdue researchers have an established schedule for when they visit the farm and monitor the growth of the trees. The Forgeys have a 13-year agreement with Purdue from the time they plant each group of trees, giving the university complete research control and access in that time frame. According to Aaron, it’s important to note that these tests do not modify the genetic structure of the trees at all.

The goal is to identify parent trees with favorable DNA so the next generation can grow faster. “These are not genetically modified in any way,” Aaron says. “They’re bred just like a dog would be.”

To showcase the farm and the benefits of trees, the Forgeys will host an event with several partners, including Purdue Extension and Purdue University’s Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center. Susan Houston,

Several hundred trees on the Forgey property.

Forestry Field Day at

Forgey Family Farms Open to the public Date: Sept. 25 Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(Lunch will be provided.)

Location: 7159 E. Road 500N, Rushville RSVP by Sept. 15 by calling (765) 544-2051, ext. 2.

Farm Service Agency executive director of Rush and Shelby counties, says Mike has been wanting to share his farm with the community for quite some time. “He’s wanted to do this for three years,” she says. “The trees are finally at a point where it’s beneficial to educate the public.”

Houston says the event, which takes place Sept. 25, will allow attendees to sit in on information sessions put on by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Purdue University and other organizations. “We have several individuals that will provide informational sessions,” Houston says. “In the afternoon, we will do a walking tour of the plantation.”

Mike hopes to show the local community what his family has been working on and highlight how important hardwoods are to the Indiana economy. He says Indiana is a large furniture-producing state, and other industries, such as Batesville’s casket industry, utilize a lot of hardwood. He says some of his neighbors didn’t seem to understand why

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he stopped planting crops in order to plant trees that take a long time to grow, and he hopes the event will clear up some of that confusion. “I think it’s a neat part of agriculture that doesn’t always get a lot of attention,” Mike says.

Once the partnership with Purdue University ends, the Forgeys hope to continue on the path to harvest the trees and sell the veneer quality wood logs. Veneer quality trees sell for thousands of dollars. Mike sees this as an investment for the family’s future. While he may not see the full fruition of his labor, future generations of Forgeys will reap the benefits of his and Aaron’s hard work. “A project like this involves a lot of work from everybody, but it brings everybody together,” Mike says. “It’s a generational project that I find interesting.”

In the near future, Aaron will be gathering seeds on the farm and building relationships with nurseries in order to have them produce the Purdue trees from the Forgeys’ farm for individual and bulk sale. At Aaron’s business, Legacy Hardwoods, the goal isn’t only to sell a product, but to get these improved genetics to meld with trees existing in nature. Instead of starting his own nursery, Aaron also hopes to help struggling businesses by giving them a genetically superior product to sell. “Why not help somebody who needs it?” Aaron asks. “You don’t have to start each section of your own company.”

Mike says a unique selling point for Aaron’s business is the visual aspect of seeing the farm for someone who has an interest in purchasing his trees with their improved genetics. “When you see five years of this vision come to life, it’s pretty darn impressive,” Mike says. “You can see row after row of what you would want to buy.” *FI

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Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 35

RAISING the Past

Local efforts move forward for preserving Indiana’s historic barns By cj woodring

hreatening clouds hung low in the mid-summer central Indiana sky. But spirits were high as the first members’ meeting of the Indiana Barn Foundation (IBF) got underway at the capital city fairgrounds.

“Our goal is to save as many barns as possible and to raise funds to help preserve those barns,” foundation President Carolyn Rahe told supporters who gathered in the Normandy Barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

“We want to be known throughout the state, creating an inventory of state farms, hosting barn tours and instilling pride in ownership through these tours.”

Board member Judy O’Bannon followed Rahe as keynote speaker.

The former first lady’s “barning” passion is sincere and personal: Her Harrison County home is a restored 1866 log barn.

“I feel this is a celebration,” she told the audience. “We often save the wrong things. We look in the wrong places to find where we come from.

“You’re all here because you’re connected to the world. Each of you has your own story about being in, or seeing, a barn and then seeing it go down.”

Guests represented all parts of the state, from Angola to Aurora, confirming widespread interest.

36 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

But the Indiana coalition may never have gotten off the ground without the efforts of IBF board members Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, who introduced HB 1046, Heritage Barns (openstates.org/in/ bills/2014/HB1046/), and artist Gwen Gutwein, whose lifelong passion for barns led her to preserve the endangered structures—on canvas.

LEGISLATION MEETS ARTISTRY According to its Facebook page (facebook.com/NationalBarnAlliance), the National Barn Alliance has been working since 1995 “to preserve and protect America’s historic barns and rural heritage.” At local levels, a handful of states formed barn preservation groups some years ago, most notably Iowa and Michigan. And while other states have sought to preserve the rural giants, Indiana has been less rigorous in doing so.

Cherry is local government relations coordinator for Indiana Farm Bureau. He’s also a farmer. In his travels, he says, he notices great barns going down.

“When I talk with owners, they say the reason they don’t improve their barns is that taxes would be raised,” he explains. “And they still can’t use them because they’re not large enough for today’s equipment.”

Cherry introduced the Heritage Barns bill twice before, beginning

three years ago, but it failed to garner support. Early this year it passed —with 23 co-authors—and was signed into law March 25.

In 2003 Gutwein launched “Indiana Heritage Barns Series,” a collection of plein air paintings that showcases two historic barns from each of the state’s 92 counties. It’s a part-time venture for Gutwein, who also teaches painting in her Fort Wayne home.

About three-quarters of the barn series project is finished, with a completion date estimated within two years.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would take this long,” Gutwein says, “and within those 10 years, more historic barns have gone down.”

Serendipitously, at the time Cherry’s bill was moving through the Indiana House, a newspaper article about Gutwein’s undertaking appeared that captured the artist’s zeal and prompted an upsurge of interest in the historic structures.

Picked up by several regional publications, the article caught Rahe’s attention.

ABOVE: The inner structure and open space of the Strauther Pleak Round Barn’s second story.

Located just north of Greensburg, the barn is owned by Richard Reed, left.

OPPOSITE PAGE: The barn was purchased in 1996 and renovated.

She grew up in Marshall County, near Bremen, where she spent many hours visiting farms and viewing barns with her father, a veterinarian.

Now married and with three children, Rahe lives in Bourbon in an 1883 home –– with a red barn. It’s a small working farm, she says, and in 2013 the barn’s accumulated roof damage needed to be addressed.

“I was faced with a $10,000 roofing bill and knew there was no preservation group in Indiana,” she says. “I wondered if owners could get matching grants for this repair work, as they do in Iowa.

“After reading the article, I called Gwen and Marsha Williamson Mohr, photographer for the book ‘Indiana Barns.’ She referred me to Mauri Williamson, who’d been cited in the article as a ‘barn expert’ and who happens to be her dad.

“Mauri was very inspirational, had a lot of ideas and suggested I call Farm Bureau and Indiana Landmarks,” she says.

Indeed, Maurice “Mauri” Williamson, longtime executive secretary of the Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association and co-founder of the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association, was the ideal go-to.

An IBF board member, Williamson founded the fairgrounds-based Pioneer Village and managed it for 45 years. Writing from his second home—a Hagerstown log cabin—he penned text for “The Quiet Path: Covered Bridges of Indiana,” which features his daughter’s photographs and poetry.

At 89, the West Lafayette resident remains a relentless advocate for preserving America’s agricultural history.

“We have found quickly that this is an organization people want,” Williamson says. “There’s been a vast acceptance of it. Our goal here is not to save everybody’s barn, but to make them aware of this and help them financially or historically.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE The Indiana Barn Foundation was formed as a private, nonprofit organization; organizers currently are seeking 501(c)(3) status. The 15-member volunteer board, which Rahe calls a “dream team,” is composed of diverse representatives from throughout the state.

Artist preserves barns

—on canvas

Gwen Gutwein grew up on a farm in Francisville (Pulaski County), where she developed an affinity with the orchard and outbuildings –– in particular, the barn.

Although her family’s barn burned to the ground when Gutwein was 12 years old, she retained her barn fervor throughout the years.

Thus, when seeking an altruistic endeavor in which to feature her talent, Gutwein decided to preserve at least a few of Indiana’s historic barns by painting them.

“I had to paint something that touched my heart, something I would never tire of,” she says.

Gutwein, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University-FW, cites the barns’ structural beauty, character and history as to why they hold her interest.

And the fact the icons are slowly disappearing from the American landscape.

“Barn building was an art,” she says. “Venture into any old barn, and you’ll be amazed at the building materials, quality and diversity of construction and the history it holds. I wanted to spark an awareness for the demise facing these rapidly dwindling treasures.”

Gutwein plans to publish a four-volume set of books. Each will feature paintings of about 46 barns and their history, along with archival photos, notes on unique architectural details and journal entries made throughout the project.

The first 50 of Gutwein’s completed barn paintings were exhibited for four years at statewide galleries. Their broad appeal drew farmers, historians, architects and artists.

A second 50-painting series will be displayed at the Midwest Museum of American Art (midwestmuseum.us), 429 S. Main St., Elkhart, Dec. 12 through February.

“I keep pretty busy, but the barns are my passion,” she says. “And the barns are getting tired of waiting.”

To see Gutwein’s work, or to contact the artist, visit gwengutwein.com.

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 37

The foundation will join forces with the Indiana Farm Bureau (infarmbureau.org), Indiana Landmarks (indianalandmarks.org) and the National Barn Alliance (barnalliance.org), among others, in establishing a grant program for owners of historic barns who seek to maintain them.

Projected undertakings include financing educational programs; presenting conferences and workshops; producing learning materials; and surveying and documenting existing barns.

Additional support will come from the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (OTD; go-indiana.com/Indiana-Dept-of-Tourism-IN), which House Bill 1046 charged with developing print and electronic media, promoting opportunities that feature the barns.

“Indiana’s agricultural output remains an internationally known symbol of the Hoosier state,” says Jake Oakman, director of communications and media relations for the OTD. “Preserving historic barns provides an important link to our history while also enhancing the allure of Indiana’s rural communities.”

Any barn built before 1950 is considered historic, Cherry says. “That’s the mortise and tenon timber barn or ‘pin barn.’ If they’re used in agriculture today, they don’t get an exemption. You can store wagons or do anything non-productive, such as hold barn tours, and as long as you show you’re not using it for its original intent, you’d get the tax exemption.”

Feedback from owners has been positive, he says. “I’ve had legislators tell me they’ve had so many people thank them.

“Not only was it a ‘feel good’ thing, but there was a real purpose in saving these barns. Our grandkids aren’t going to experience what I did if they’re not saved, so it’s important to keep some of that heritage around.”

O’Bannon echoes those sentiments. “You can read a barn like a book,” she says. “There are stories in your barns yet to be discovered, and they tell about the craftsmen who put them together.

“In my barn, I hear the voices of people who experienced what I’m experiencing. I feel connected to those people and with eternity. It is life’s song that is sung in a barn, and our biggest job is to convince people to save ‘that old thing.’ And to support their efforts.”

She then poses a question, challenging fellow Hoosiers: “What do you think your greatgrandchildren would wish you had done to make a difference?”

To join the Indiana Barn Foundation, download a membership form (indianabarns.org/ media/annual_meeting/ibf_signup_2014.pdf), and join the group on Facebook (facebook.com/ IndianaBarns). For more information, contact Rahe at carolynrahe@indianabarns.org. *FI

Upcoming Events

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9 a.m. to 5 p.m 14 will be held 10 e ur at Barn Tour 20 fe will lf-guided tour Sept. 27. The se l, St. Joseph al sh ar M in cated to 12 barns lo per person; s. Price is $10 tie un co t ar ll and Elkh mitted free. Ca ger than 12 ad n. children youn io at for inform (574) 209-1443

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Tips for saving an older barn Within the past decade, the Hoosier state has lost more than 10,000 wooden barns, leaving about 20,000 still standing. Although Indiana still has more barns per square mile than all but five other states, according to a USDA Census of Agriculture, the iconic structures continue to lose ground.

If you own a historic barn — one built before 1950 — please consider preserving it. If you’re not an owner, but enjoy the barns’ historical and cultural significance in Indiana’s rural landscape, you can support efforts of

• Learn about the barn’s significance with regard to age, type of structure and significance as a local landmark, if any. Visit blog.preservationnation. org/2013/05/21/10-on-tuesday-10-tips-for-findingclues-to-your-homes-history/#.U8Qi7Vb3VsQ for more tips on researching history.

• Meet with fellow barn preservationists through Indiana Barn Foundation to provide assistance with barn tours, historic resource surveys and public educational programs, such as a lecture series and hands-on workshops held in barns in need of repair.

the Indiana Barn Foundation (indianabarns.org) and its growing membership (facebook.com/groups/indianabarnfoundation.com).

While it’s not feasible to try to salvage every older or historic barn, the following are ways in which you can help to preserve those worth saving.

Speak with the owner, when possible, and with their neighbors and colleagues if owners aren’t present. In any event, respect property and privacy, and don’t trespass.

• Learn what specific threats are unique to the barn, whether financial aspects, safety issues, future development, ownership change or the like.

• Research the property. Will local regulations affect it or prohibit future adaptive reuse? What local or state programs are available in the way of financial or technical incentives?

• If the owner is committed to saving the barn, does he have community support? Who will help, and what are they willing to provide, be it financial or repair assistance or other support?

• To gain more support in preserving the structure, attract those in a position to support and further publicize your intentions. In addition to Facebook postings, consider placing the barn on an endangered list (preservationnation.org).

—Adapted from blog.preservationnation.org/2013/07/02/10-on-tuesday-how-to-save-your-older-or-historic-barn/#.U4DBXMb3VSw

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Unique 2 Eat Farm 544 N. Jacksonburg Road, Cambridge City, (765) 541-1403

Speckled quail eggs. TOP: Becca Selkirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goat eats a limb from a sassafras tree, one of their favorite treats. RIGHT: Selkirk holds one of her meat rabbits.

40 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

Heaven on Earth Becca Selkirk runs her Wayne County farm with gratitude

By shawndra miller photos by josh marshall

ecca Selkirk of Unique 2 Eat Farm sits on the wide front porch where, years ago, her grandparents presided. Just a mile south of the town of Jacksonburg in Wayne County is her “little slice of heaven,” as she calls it. The house sits on six acres of the 400 that made up her childhood playground.

She grew up across the road from the home she and her husband, Bill Selkirk, have lived in since 2001 — the place her grandparents owned from 1951 until they died. Here at Unique 2 Eat Farm, where she raises poultry and rabbits and formulates top-quality animal feed, her childhood memories imbue every square foot of the property.

She remembers lighting out after breakfast and playing all day. “I grew up in a different time,” she says. “As a child you left the house at 8 in the morning, and you maybe came back for lunch at noon. ... But look at this — this was all ours.” Across the quiet lane, farmland stretches to the woods in the distance.

Now she gardens where her grandparents gardened and keeps chickens in her grandfather’s coop. With her dog, Tippy, in tow, she roams the adjoining woodlot that has been sacred to her since girlhood. The front porch remains a sanctuary and home base, but it’s just one of several peaceful spots she enjoys.

Out back is a covered deck overlooking a flower garden, one of her favorite retreats for a meal or reading break. (A stack of books about weeds is testament to her primary work as a partner in Sterling Formulations, the soil amendment company she and Bill co-own with Vince Plowman.)

“I love the back garden,” she says. “We dine out here as much as we can, because to me it’s very soothing. It’s kind of like I can look at my mother every day. Those are her flowers.”

She transplanted her late mother’s day lilies, lavender, veronica, Echinacea and Shasta daisies near a rosebush planted by her grandmother way back in 1952. Selkirk’s grand-

children made stepping stones incorporating her mother’s jewelry, and these decorate the flower garden.

In a sunny spot of the backyard is a raised U-shaped bed of strawberries — Selkirk’s own construction. (“I can’t play on the ground the way I used to,” she says.) In its second year, the bed is riotous with strawberry plants. Nearby is a volunteer blackberry bramble, and beyond that, the vegetable garden, in the same spot as her grandparents’, but smaller. This is where she grows corn, peppers, tomatoes and other standards and tests Sterling Formulations’ soil amendments.

As much as she loves green and growing things, though, the animal kingdom has her heart.

“When I was younger,” she says, “I was always bringing critters home.” One Sunday when she was about 8 years old, something caught her eye in the field out front. “I walked out here, and it was a buzzard. And it didn’t fly away. It was hurt, so I picked up that buzzard.”

Though the bird was almost as big as she was, she struggled up to the house where her extended family had assembled for Sunday dinner. She delivered this prize into the hands of the astonished grown-ups. “I said, ‘It’s broke!

Something’s broke!’” she says. “We put it in a cage, and Dad took care of it.”

Eventually the buzzard mended and flew away, but Selkirk never lost her love of animals and concern for their care. After years of keeping chickens for her family’s egg and meat needs, in the past few years she’s branched out in a couple of new directions — rabbits and quail.

“We always had the chickens,” she says, “and rabbits were next.” Initially the rabbits were intended to augment the household self-sufficiency. This protein source was a good addition to eggs and the occasional stewing hen. But the experiment went so well that she decided to sell the meat.

So last year she dabbled in selling eggs and rabbit meat.

Then her chef daughter, Jessica Selkirk, who worked for Bluebeard in Indianapolis, wanted to add quail eggs to the

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 41

restaurant’s menu. Quail eggs, growing in popularity for their nutritional qualities and delicate taste, boast 13 percent protein, while chicken eggs are 11 percent protein.

So Becca Selkirk researched quail and eventually started her own flock. She sells their eggs to individual customers as well as Bluebeard.

The meat is also prized as a delicacy, and Selkirk has served it for dinner numerous times. She expects to have fryers on the market once she works out the logistics of processing.

She can’t butcher the quail herself for public consumption, and she’s had trouble finding a USDA-certified facility that butchers quail year-round. The state-inspected sites she has contacted are all too busy with their own butchering to take on hers in the summertime.

“It’s hard to build a flock knowing in 10 weeks that you’ll need to be butchering, and you don’t know where you’re going to take them,” she says. “So I’m just taking baby steps for now.”

As far as their care, her initial plan was to set up a natural quail habitat, but a Department of Natural Resources adviser told her it would be a waste of money. Commercially raised quail lack the survival instinct to hide from predators; in a naturalized setting, they’d be doomed.

So to maintain sanitary conditions and

protect the birds from the elements, she keeps her growing flock of Coturnix and T&M quail in metal tiered cages in the same climate-controlled outbuilding where the breeding rabbits bunk down. Eventually she’d like to have up to 60 females for egg and meat production.

With nature as her guide, her goal is to give the animals as healthy and natural a life as she can within the limits of safety and sanitation.

Though the quail must live indoors, she moves weaned rabbits to a covered run so they can “get out and be a rabbit.”

In a funny parallel to her childhood rescue of the buzzard, her dog once brought her a baby

42 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

bunny, a wild cottontail. Surprisingly, it was unharmed by the rambunctious young terrier.

“I don’t know where she got it,” she says. “I put it in the cage with one of mine, and she nursed it.” After it was big enough to be viable, Selkirk took it down to the creek and let it go.

She wasn’t tempted to add to her bottom line with this freebie, even though she’s growing her meat rabbit operation. Her breeding stock of New Zealands, Californian and Rex rabbits has a decidedly heftier profile than the long, lean cottontail. Her goal is to keep six females producing; litters range from four to eight kits. Depending on size, harvest comes

eight to 12 weeks later.

Meanwhile the chicken coop built by her grandfather is home base for both chickens and goats now. Nutmeg and Clove, two female goats, play with everything in the pen, turning old water barrels on their side and tossing buckets about. She raised these two intending to butcher them for household consumption.

But then she grew attached to their funny ways, and the jury’s still out on whether they’ll end up in the freezer.

The Barred Rock, Buff, Americauna and Rhode Island Red chickens roost in their coop at night and spend days in the covered run. It’s a system that allows them some freedom while also protecting them from hawks, raccoons and other predators.

To make up for the fact that the hens can’t forage for insects the way they could if they were totally free-range, Selkirk ensures they get a diet rich in high-end proteins. She favors locally grown golden flax seed to boost omega-3 fatty acids in both quail and hen eggs.

In fact, feed is Selkirk’s newest endeavor. She recently began marketing the feed she specially developed for chickens, made from all certified organic grains, seeds and beans — most grown

by Fields of Agape in Rush and Henry counties.

The ingredients are cleaned, milled and packaged at Carthage Mill, a new cooperative mill developed by Fields of Agape’s Anna Welch.

The result is a high-quality feed that’s been certified by Ecocert, an organic certifying organization in Johnson County. The layer feed offers 19 percent protein, which is well over

TOP: Becca Selkirk tends to her goats.

ABOVE: Contents of the Unique 2 Eat’s blend of feed. LEFT: A quail she raises for eggs.

OPPOSITE PAGE: The sun sets through the trees and behind the rows of corn on a field next to the Selkirks’ property.

the industry standard. A second product called Corn Flakes contains freshly milled cracked corn, organic and local.

Twenty-five pound bags of feed are available at Carthage Mill or through Hoosier Harvest Market’s online marketplace (as are Unique 2 Eat chicken eggs and quail eggs). Selkirk has been working to get product in stores as well.

Devon Hamilton of Carthage recently switched his layers from mass-produced feed to Unique 2 Eat’s blend. A desire to buy local was his prime motivator. “I liked that I knew what was in it,” he says. “It’s all ground right there. The stuff going into it is either from Anna’s (Welch) farm or Becca’s corn.”

Hamilton was pleased to find a texture that’s neither too fine nor too rough, and apparently his birds were also happy with the switch. “They ate it right off the bat,” he says. “Usually that’s really hard to do, when you have them on one feed for so long and put them on the other one without first weaning them off it. But the feeder was empty when I got back.”

He can tell already that the birds are healthier and their egg quality has improved — shells are thicker, and the yolks a richer color.

He credits the calcium and protein content of Selkirk’s blend. “It’s better quality ingredients,” he says. “If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d probably rate it a 12.”

Though Unique 2 Eat’s price point is slightly higher than what he was feeding, he considers it money well spent, given the results.

Quail feed is next on Selkirk’s list. The

growing demand for Sterling Formulations’ products has kept her too busy to focus on this task, but she’s eager to work out a formula that addresses quail’s higher protein needs. Eventually she may branch out to other livestock feed.

Keeping her own animals healthy through a high-quality, locally grown diet fits with her overall emphasis on sustainable and natural methods. She rarely needs to treat a sick animal, but when she does, tea tree oil is her first line of defense in restoring their well-being.

Her deep respect for the animals also informs her last moments with them. Making sure they are processed humanely is a high priority. As an animal lover, she doesn’t take their sacrifice lightly, and she works hard to keep them calm on their last day. “They’re all creatures I respect and am thankful for,” she says. “That’s what I tell them when I take them to the butcher — ‘thank you.’ I do.”

That gratitude infuses every part of her life on this beloved homestead, where she picks berries to sweeten breakfast and snips herbs to season dinner. She cherishes memories of sitting on the porch in midsummer, listening to the wind and watching it stir the field next to the front yard. Where corn now grows was once a rippling field of bluegrass, mown for hay. The young nature-loving Selkirk delighted in its sight and sound.

“Once that bluegrass got to a certain height,” she says, “(I’d) listen when the wind rolled across that bluegrass. It was like an ocean, you know — just waves.” *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.

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 43

HEART to HEART Formal discussions are necessary for passing on family land By sharon mangas

Statistics tell the story. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture, the average age of an Indiana farmer in 2007 was 52.9 years, which means many Hoosier farmers are in the midst of planning for retirement, or at least thinking about slowing down. Today’s farm estate planning can be complicated, and every farm family in the 21st century should consider the issue of farm succession.

Prior to World War II, family farms were usually handed down from generation to generation. Estate planning was uncomplicated. But today, not every farmer has children interested in carrying on the family tradition. Creating a business plan for retirement that includes farm succession is important.

Kris Medic, Bartholomew County Purdue educator for agriculture and natural resources, often hears from area farm families on this issue. “I get regular calls from farmers who say, ‘None of my kids wants to farm, but I want my land to stay in agriculture.’” According to Medic, there are many resources available to help farm families interested in conserving farmland.

County extension offices are a good place to start.

“We can help connect farm families to estate planning resources,” says Medic. “For instance, there are experts

in the Purdue department of ag economics who will sit down with families one-on-one to help them plan for the future of their farms.” Purdue typically offers the farm succession workshop “Farming Together” every winter. The workshop covers topics such as legal and tax issues involved with farm transfer and other aspects of estate planning. Medic plans a local program in December, featuring conservation tools.

For those interested in reading about farm estate planning in depth, Medic recommends books by author and attorney Steve Small, a leading authority in private land protection options and strategies. “Small has written a definitive series of books on the subject, titled ‘Preserving Family Lands.’”

Medic admits getting the succession discussion started is often the hardest step. “No one likes to talk about ‘when I’m gone,’” she says. “Those are uncomfortable conversations, but when they don’t happen, disaster can follow.”

Medic knows from personal experience.

“My family’s farm in Pennsylvania is the poster child for worst-case scenarios,” says Medic. When Medic’s great-uncle, John Quick, died in 1968 without an heir, his 80-acre farm in northeast Pennsylvania was willed to a niece (Medic’s aunt), but life-estate rights were given to a foster son. This meant Quick’s foster son was given the legal right to live out his life on the farm. The intention was he would manage it, too. Unfortunately, Quick’s foster son was developmentally disabled, and though he had helped around the farm for years, he was incapable of running it on

his own. Within a few short years, the farm began to go downhill; crops weren’t planted, buildings deteriorated. The family was distraught.

“My great-uncle had a will,” says Medic, “but he didn’t plan for farm succession. In hindsight, I don’t think my Uncle John had any idea his foster son wouldn’t be capable of running the farm … and my aunt’s generation didn’t have the tools or know-how to remedy the situation.” What followed was years of estrangement and dysfunction, and the farm slowly deteriorated. Today there is neither a house nor outbuildings left on the farm. The cropland is overgrown with trees. “It’s really a tragedy,” says Medic. “The farm I remember from childhood as a proud working farm ended up in a shambles.”

Things are looking brighter in Pennsylvania, since Medic’s aunt obtained full possession of the farm in 2012. Medic has power of attorney for her now 81-year-old aunt, and they’ve applied for an Agricultural Land Conservation Easement from the state. The easement will protect the land as agricultural land in perpetuity. “The farm was originally half in timber, so we’re getting it under management as a tree farm now,” says Medic. “We studied various types of conservation programs, including private not-for-profit land trusts, but the government ag conservation easement program had the most financial advantages for our situation. I hope my family’s story is a cautionary tale from which other farm families can learn.”

Mary Lu Orr of Columbus, whose family owns the

“There are experts in the Purdue department of ag economics who will sit down with families one-on-one to help them plan for the future of their farms.”

— kris medic

44 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

Kolb Homestead Farm near Princeton in southwest Indiana, has a happier succession story. When Orr’s father, J. Wilbur Kolb, passed away in 1990, the Kolb farm, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was inherited by Mary Lu and her sister. The two sisters formed a partnership to continue the farm operation.

The Kolb family has deep roots in Gibson County, and the farm is dear to Orr’s heart. It has a rich history, dating back to 1822. The first Kolb ancestors who lived on the farm were her grandparents, who rented the farm in the early 1900s. Orr’s father, Wilbur, spent part of his childhood there. The family moved on from the farm in 1918, following the death of Wilbur’s youngest sibling.

Wilbur and his brother, Leotis, purchased the farm in 1945. “My parents were schoolteachers during the Depression,” Orr says. “They had to leave Indiana to find work, but their objective was always to return home and buy land in Gibson County, specifically in Washington Township, where our farm is located.”

After many years spent teaching in other places, Orr’s parents finally landed teaching jobs in Princeton. “My parents never actually lived on the farm,” she continues, “but investing in land was very important to them, especially after living through the Great Depression. So many banks failed back then. … Land seemed like the most secure investment.”

In the mid-1950s, Orr’s father purchased his brother’s stake in the farm. When Orr and her sister took ownership in 1990, many of the farm buildings, especially the historic barns and the farmhouse, were beginning to deteriorate. She knew before long the structures could be lost forever.

In 2008, Orr and her adult sons, David Orr, an investment banker living in Houston, and Daniel Orr, chef and owner of FARMBloomington restaurant, purchased the 58-acre homestead acreage from the partnership. The homestead sits in the middle of the farm, atop a hill overlooking the grain fields and the Patoka River. The parcel includes an 1850s farmhouse, the barns and other outbuildings.

Though the Orr family is spread out, they’re united in their efforts to keep their legacy farm going. What they’ve accomplished in a few short years is a true labor of love. The farm’s historic barns, all originally built in the early 1900s, have been rebuilt to the highest specifications. “Amos Schwartz and his son, Kenny, Mennonites from Geneva, Indiana, did most of the barn restoration work for us,” says Orr. “They were our cheerleaders with Barn Again.”

Barn Again is a program of the National Trust for

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Kris Medic’s family farm.

Historic Preservation. It offers advice and assistance to farm families interested in restoring historic barns.

The Orrs are proponents of organic gardening and sustainable agricultural methods and have developed extensive vegetable and flower gardens on the homestead. Currently, most of the produce and flowers go to son Daniel’s restaurant. A roadside market is being planned for one of the barns. Another barn will be the event barn, available to Princeton area groups for programs and parties. The Orrs are raising heritage animal stock, such as Large Black pigs and Cottonpatch geese, as well as chickens and turkeys. The historic farmhouse will eventually be a bed-and-breakfast.

It’s not always smooth sailing. “The Cottonpatch geese refused to nest in the poultry house we built for them,” Orr says. “And most of them flew away.” Finding local craftspeople and contractors near Princeton is difficult. (Most of their workers come from in and around Columbus.)

Their biggest challenge has been finding and keeping an on-site farm manager. A new farm family — a young couple with four children — with an interest in sustainable farming, is settling in. “We don’t let anything deter us,” Orr

See us for full service application of fertilizers and crop protection

says. “We keep moving forward.”

Their successes far outweigh the failures, and a new generation is eager to keep the vision going. Orr’s three grandchildren, who live in Houston, love helping out at the farm. Grandson Matthew, a college student, spent the month of July on the farm this year. His enthusiasm is infectious. He’s studying foreign languages in college but is a walking encyclopedia of information about permaculture and other sustainable farming methods.

When a visitor suggests he might consider changing majors, Matthew grins and says, “Maybe.”

The Orr family uses proceeds from their grain farming operation to fund the restoration projects. “There are government programs we could apply for that would help with our undertakings, but the amount of paperwork required just to apply is unbelievable,” says Orr, “not to mention the challenge of meeting all their required deadlines for projects. It’s easier for us to do it ourselves.”

With the Orr family’s united front, their vision for the future and keen business acumen, the Kolb Homestead Farm should enjoy a secure future for years to come. In the end, it’s a story of successful succession. *FI

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Jackson Leonard stands on land surrounded by commercial urban development on the west side of Indianapolis.

His Natural

environment Farm living is the life for Jackson Leonard By garrett kelly photos by josh marshall

46 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

J

ackson Leonard’s recent life journey mirrors the classic television show “Green Acres.” The 18-year-old moved into his grandparents’ home in rural Eminence from Indianapolis about three years ago with no knowledge of farming. But that quickly changed. “It’s (farming) something I wasn’t exposed to living in Indianapolis,” he says.

“I’ve loved learning to live off the land.”

Leonard has a hunger to acquire new skills.

He says his grandparents had enough land to grow crops, but it wasn’t being used because his grandfather hadn’t followed in the farming footsteps of his father. So, when Leonard’s interest in organic farming was piqued, he solicited the help of his great-grandparents to teach him the ropes. “It’s empowering to have the ability to grow your own food,” he says. “Ever since I learned, I’ve been addicted to that.”

“You work with the environment instead of against it.”

— jackson leonard

Eminence High School

Through reading books and searching the Internet, Leonard says he sculpted himself into someone with a strong love for the environment. He prefers working with the soil and rotating crops instead of using fertilizers or genetically modified organisms. He relies on his colony of honeybees to help with pollination of his plants. “Organic farming is a way to farm with an awareness of the environment,” Leonard says. “You work with the environment instead of against it.

“We have been consuming and destroying the environment more than ever,” he adds. “We can’t get to a good place in a bad way.”

Climate change is a major concern to Leonard, and he feels that it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Weather pattern changes and drought directly affect farmers. He says he’s thoroughly enjoyed working with Earth

Charter Indiana and Youth Power Indiana in the fight for change on a state level. He was involved in the successful petitioning of the Environmental Rules Board for a climate action plan. “Hopefully it will be an environmental plan to help farmers reduce emissions,” he says. “Farmers just need help, and no one is telling them (how to reduce emissions) yet.” The next hearing on this petition will be held in October.

Eminence High School has also benefited from Leonard’s move to the area. As a junior, he joined its chapter of Future Farmers of America. The school’s FFA adviser, Shelby Wolford, says she was impressed with his passion for organic farming when she first met him. “He didn’t seem like a kid who’d be enthused about organic farming, but I knew he was very smart by talking with him,” she says. Wolford says Leonard

wrote a couple of grants for the school during his stint in the FFA and one was for a community garden at the school.

The grant gave the school $4,000 to create a community garden that students can work in to gain high school agriculture credit. The area has 14 raised beds and produces tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, onions, carrots, corn and much more.

“I’m embarrassed at my garden when I look at the one at the school,” Leonard says. “It’s (the garden at the school) fantastic.” The food grown in the garden is sold to fund next year’s crop, and any remaining produce is donated to local food pantries. The garden has a rain collector to water the plants and make it more self-sufficient.

Since graduating from high school, Leonard has joined the Marine Corps. He sees this as an excellent opportunity to build his leadership skills even more and as a way to pay

for his education. He will be graduating from boot camp in San Diego on the same parade deck where his grandfather, who served in the Navy, graduated.

Leonard, who sees himself more as an advocate for peace, says joining the Marines comes with a reputation and a camaraderie he couldn’t pass up. “The way they (Marines) carry themselves and conduct business is something I wanted to be a part of,” he says. He hopes his time in the military will give him the confidence to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to do.

A career in the military is not his goal. It all comes back to building his skill set to better the environment. After his stint in the Marines, he wants nothing more than to share all he’s learned.

“I want to spread knowledge to communities on sustainable living,” Leonard says. “I want to leave the earth better than I found it.” *FI

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 47

Fresh

focus By jon shoulders

Farmers and community leaders endeavor to make healthy food more accessible for all residents

P

icture this scenario: You feel the familiar pangs of hunger start to creep into your stomach, so you decide to peek into your refrigerator and realize you don’t see much by way of healthy options. You have every intention of going out and grabbing something nutritious to energize the rest of your day, but somehow you end up just around the corner at the nearest drive-through burger joint. Sound familiar yet?

Now, further imagine that you live in an area that has no groceries, no supermarkets, no produce stands or any other outlet for procuring fresh, healthy food for several miles in any direction.

Compound the situation with the fact that you have no car or other steady means of transportation other than walking. How long might it take until you realized the vast majority of your diet consisted of processed food purchased at fast-food chains and corner convenience stores?

As it happens, in a recent study conducted by Walk Score, a Seattle-based Web service that rates cities by walkability, Indianapolis was ranked worst in the nation for percentage of residents living in food deserts — a term defined by the USDA as rural or urban census tracts with a substantial number of residents having little convenient

48 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

access to grocery stores or other means of obtaining fresh, nutritious food.

The USDA Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million people live in food deserts in the U.S., and 13.5 million of them are considered low-income. Residents in these areas tend to rely heavily on processed foods from gas stations, convenience stores and fast-food chains, since groceries and other options for healthy food often lie beyond a convenient and cost-effective traveling distance.

According to the March 2014 Walk Score study, which focused on U.S. cities with more than 500,000 residents, only 5 percent of people living in Indy can walk from their homes to a grocery store within five minutes. Eastern Marion County and portions of northern Johnson County are particularly troublesome areas based on the USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Desert Locator map, accessible on the department’s official website.

“If you have a car, and many in food deserts do not, you can get to a grocery store with healthy foods in a few minutes,” says Zach Adamson, Indianapolis city councilman and co-founder of Pogue’s Run Grocer, a community-owned cooperative grocery store on Indy’s near eastside. “If you don’t, you have to walk, bike or take a bus, all of which could limit your access. When getting to a grocery store is difficult and coming back with bags

of groceries is even more difficult, you may choose to buy food at the gas station or convenience store with next to zero healthy food choices.”

Several local farms and community organizations see this as an avoidable situation and are pooling their efforts to combat the problem of food inaccessibility from a variety of angles.

Market Solutions Chris Baggott, a livestock farmer at Tyner Pond Farm in Hancock County and vice president of Hoosier Harvest Council, believes farms can do more than partake in farmers markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs to help alleviate food accessibility problems. Last year, Baggott teamed with Roy Ballard, a Purdue Extension educator in Hancock County, and a handful of local volunteers to establish the Hoosier Harvest Market (HHM) food hub (hoosierharvestmarket.com), an online service where customers can order fresh local food year-round from multiple farms and pick up their orders once a week from one of several pickup sites throughout central Indiana. The program is geared toward all residents of central Indiana, including those with inadequate transportation options and those living in areas that do not regularly host farmers markets or CSA stands.

“We are pulling in customers from all segments of society

— people who are getting the message about food and its relationship to health, and also people who want to keep their money local,” Baggott says. “For the farmer, they get the benefit of having to only drop off at the aggregation point once a week, and the HHM team will take care of order assembly and delivery.” Many of Baggott’s fellow central Indiana farmers are taking additional steps to get their product into local hands, including home delivery services and on-farm stores where customers can place call-ahead pickup orders.

Baggott says that 99 percent of Tyner Pond Farm’s customers now order online, and he feels social media can affect even those with the most limited access to fresh, nutrient-rich food. “If your friends think that cooking is a waste of time and food doesn’t matter, then you will likely feel the same way,” he says.

“However, if people you know start talking about the healthy food they eat and buy or a recipe they are proud of, that’s going to influence your behavior as well. We have to make carefully choosing and cooking the new normal. On our farm, we spend a lot of our marketing energy just getting our customers to submit pictures of what they cooked and getting them to share our content. Other than a little bit of time, this is almost free marketing. Internet and social media have really changed the game here.”

Last season, the Hoosier Harvest Council began farmers markets in downtown Greenfield and Fortville, while existing markets in Cumberland and the Hancock County Fairgrounds have continued successfully. Farmers markets offer local residents living in food deserts the convenience of buying a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, grains and dairy in a single trip, and Baggott hopes increased awareness through marketing and education will boost attendance. “A big part of the problem has been simply educating the public as to what’s available,” he says.

“If all they know is coming from TV, it becomes pretty hard for them to understand that they have a choice and where to find it. If someone sees that a friend or relative has tried something, or in our case supported local food, that becomes hugely influential to that person to try the same thing.”

Seeking Council If one thing is certain about the inaccessibility of healthful food in certain areas around central

Indiana, it’s the fact that there is no single, salient solution to the problem. The Indy Food Council (IFC; indyfoodcouncil.org), originally conceived in 2012 as the Food System Action Group and formally launched in February of this year, is taking a comprehensive approach in making nutritious food available in low-income areas, increasing the amount of food grown locally and raising awareness about healthy eating choices.

This year, the IFC’s Indy Food Fund awarded micro-grants to 12 local projects focused on local food availability, economic development, education and community-based programming. Winning grant recipients included, among others, the Concord Urban Farm Center at South Circle Farm, which is currently using the grant money to expand educational programs, and the Indy East Food Desert Coalition, which is attempting to increase the amount of community garden plots and farm stands offering fresh produce throughout the eastside of the city. The majority of the IFC’s 2014 grant funding, which totaled $63,550 divided among the 12 recipients, came from a funders’ network grant and fundraising efforts.

“It’s not always the case that individuals don’t know how to eat healthy. Often they are at mercy with what’s in their environment,” IFC’s program manager Whitney Fields says. “If anything, we need to re-educate individuals on what healthy looks like, and that education can come in many forms. This can also be achieved in a variety of ways, from community gardens to community-led cooking classes to casual conversations.”

Tim Carter, director of Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology (CUE) and board member of the IFC, says creative approaches are essential in seeking realistic solutions to food access and health awareness. “It won’t be successful to assume that if you just educated people, their behavior would change,” he says. “For example, time is a valuable resource, particularly in single parent households, and so there may need to be other combinations, like growing operations at child care facilities or cooking classes in a community center where children can be cared for while outreach activities take place.”

Four years ago, Butler’s CUE began its own campus farm near the university intramural fields, and through gradual expansion of funding and physical space, the farm currently offers student internships and a CSA program that is open to the public. The university itself sits at the middle of a food desert, according to the USDA’s Food Desert Locator, and Carter hopes the farm will serve as a model for additional local urban farming and gardening projects.

Fields adds that local farms can help raise awareness while expanding their own customer base — an ecological and economic win-win at the local level. “Farmers can educate about the skills and knowledge needed to grow food,” she says. ”They can also offer programs that make local produce available to lower-income families, such as income-based CSA options or work-share programs. Even a simple conversation at the farmers market can get people thinking differently about their food choices.”

From Crop to Co-op Pogue’s Run Grocer (poguesrungrocer.org), located at 10th and Rural streets in the near eastside of Indianapolis, exemplifies what can be accomplished if community residents take matters of health and food accessibility into their own hands with

a little help from local farms along the way. The store officially opened in December 2010 as Indy’s only community-owned cooperative grocery, after almost four years of planning. Nearby Kroger and Marsh supermarkets had closed several years prior to Pogue’s Run Grocer’s official opening, leaving many neighborhood residents — particularly those with limited means of transportation — to rely on convenience stores as their primary food outlets.

The Indy Food Cooperative, a nonprofit organization that began with a group of eastside Indy residents to provide natural, healthy and local food to its members, obtained a business development loan and eventually struck up relationships with local farms to stock the grocery’s shelves. Nathan Roberts, general manager at Pogue’s Run Grocer, says getting farmers involved was the easiest part of the process and hopes small farms throughout the region will take note. “We’ve had a great relationship with South Circle Farm, which is a farm here inside the city that offers organic produce. We really wanted to stay with central Indiana farms for what we offer. It would be great to have more local farms both outside and inside the city, so competition can be there and the price point can come down.”

What exactly is a “food desert”?

Congress’s 2008 Farm Bill defined a food desert as an area of the country with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly an area composed of predominantly lower-income neighborhoods. A group composed of members from the departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services and the USDA further defined a food desert as a low-income census tract where a substantial number of residents have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. Visit usda.gov/fooddeserts for more information and an interactive national Food Desert Locator map.

Roberts says food inaccessibility is a much more complex problem than simple geography. “Real food is expensive in comparison to fake food, and to break down the economic and cultural barriers that play out as a result of that is what we haven’t figured out as a culture,” Roberts says. “We try to do the best we can with an open door policy and doing creative things with the plants of this world to better serve the population here, but it’s difficult.”

The Pogue’s Run Grocer staff offers classes on cooking and do-it-yourself products like homemade deodorant, and the blog on the store’s official website offers class updates and vendor information.

The store is open to the public, and members of the cooperative pay a flat fee in exchange for discounts, a members-only newsletter and the ability to serve on the board of directors.

Roberts adds that part of Pogue’s Run Grocer’s success can be attributed to creative niche marketing. “We have white bread, conventional milk and some other things that your normal grocery store would have, and we try to create different things for different types of people,” he says. “For example, we have Mexican Coke, and when people ask why, we’re able to tell them it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it. That can start a longer conversation. Sometimes you have to start with an educational moment first.” *FI

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 49

Local Food

Bar None By clint smith photos by scott roberson

I

f you’re in the vicinity of downtown Franklin — which continues to undergo an impressive face-lift — it would behoove you to stop in Benjamin’s Coffeehouse, a locally owned and operated hangout just a few strides from the Franklin courthouse. Since 1995, says co-owner Ashley Shively, Benjamin’s has been serving coffee, made-from-scratch scones, cookies and bars, fresh-cut salads, homemade soups and deli sandwiches. “Multiple coffees are brewed each day featuring different regional

50 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

and flavored coffees,” she explains.

Whether you’re a loyal patron or thirsty tourist, the coffeehouse’s “cozy environment makes a great place to meet friends, study or grab a fresh brewed cup of Blueberry Crumble coffee before work,” says Shively. “There are plenty of tables, comfy chairs, local artwork on the walls and, of course, the wonderful aroma of fresh ground coffee.”

But about those made-from-scratch bars: Here, a recipe, compliments of Benjamin’s.

Co-owner Ashley Shively.

With the crops in the ground and summer well under way, it’s time to look forward to new crop marketing decisions.

Let Rose Acre Farms help you with your pre-harvest marketing plan. Call us today to speak to one of our commodity merchandisers to see what options we can offer you!

Jenacre Feedmill—North Vernon, IN (812) 522-8692 corn, soybeans, wheat Cortacre Feedmill—Cortland, IN (812) 522-3964 corn Rose Acre Mill —Hwy 258, west of Seymour (812) 497-2557 soybeans-GMO and nonGMO

Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Bars

www.goodegg.com

SERVES 12

Crust / Topping

1 cup softened butter 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups quick oats 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda Mix ingredients until crumbly. Divide topping in half. Press half of mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan until crust covers bottom evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with filling.

Filling

1 cup sour cream ½ cup sugar 1 large egg 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons vanilla ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup dried apricots, chopped Mix all ingredients until well blended. Top filling with reserved oat topping, pressing down slightly. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely before serving.

Benjamin’s Coffeehouse 49 E. Court St., Franklin (317) 736-0048 benjaminscoffeehouse.com

Farm Indiana // september 2014 // 51

Local Food

Sloppy Joes For this recipe, Bob Ridenhour suggests: “Don’t forget the napkin!”

The Real Food Shoppe 208 E. Main St., Plainfield, (317) 203-4097

By clint smith

B

ob Ridenhour may have been ahead of the food-conscious curve in the early 1990s with his creation of New Life Natural Foods in Brownsburg, which specialized in naturally grown produce and central Indiana’s first antibiotic- and hormone-free chickens. The small business eventually transitioned to a health food store, featuring vitamins, supplements, herbs, bulk foods and packaged health foods.

Fast forward to December, when Ridenhour opened The Real Food Shoppe in Plainfield. “We work hard,” he says, “to bring the farm to our store.” His goal is to offer real food while supporting artisans and local farmers. “Our … selection includes 100 percent grass-fed beef, butter, yogurt, milk and raw pet food,” he says. “Local, farm fresh eggs are delivered weekly … Indiana honey and maple syrup restocked regularly … and a complete selection of fermented foods and beverages line our refrigerator shelves.”

The Real Food Shoppe also offers local buffalo, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, seafood and wild caught salmon.

Education has also become an integral component for Ridenhour. “The Real Food Shoppe’s mission is to teach all of those who want to learn more about real food: what it is, where to get it and how to grow it,” he explains.

Here, Ridenhour refines a classic recipe. “This recipe adds some old school medicine — organ meats — to a family favorite: sloppy Joes,” he says.

“It not only tastes awesome, but has a lot of health benefits. If you use the meats and butter suggested, you will be nourishing your body with omega 3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), glandulars to support your heart and liver, and beef tongue, a rich source of zinc, as well as a source of iron, B12 and potassium.”

Of the recipe, Ridenhour says: “We like to add all the fixings, just like it was a cheeseburger: lettuce, tomato, onion slices, pickles, mayo and even coleslaw.”

52 // Farm Indiana // SEPTEMBER 2014

The Real Food Shoppe’s Sloppy Joes What You’ll Need:

Serves 6 to 8.

Serve on hamburger buns.

2 tablespoons Hartzler Grass Fed Butter 1 organic green bell pepper, fine chop 1 organic yellow onion, fine chop 3 Roma tomatoes, diced One 20-ounce bottle Tree of Life Organic Ketchup ½ pound Uncured Natural Meat ground heart, tongue and liver (comes blended in one-pound tubes) ½ pound Seven Son’s 100 percent grass-fed ground beef 1 tablespoon mixed spices to taste: Starwest Botanicals organic rainbow pepper, organic garlic granules and Himalayan sea salt

what you’ll DO: In a large iron skillet over medium heat, add butter, dash of salt, chopped onion and bell pepper; sauté until translucent (you can even caramelize them).

Keeping skillet on medium heat, add the beef-heart-tongue-liver-ground meat and ground beef to the sautéed peppers and onions. When meat has completely browned, stir in Roma tomatoes and ketchup. Season to taste. Simmer on medium-low heat for five to 10 minutes for flavors to develop. Adjust seasonings before serving.

Photo courtesy of The Real Food Shoppe.

By clint smith

Rita Beck from Rita’s Backyard (ritasbackyard.com) offers a recipe for a cake that regularly appears in her popular tea room in Fishers.

“The rocky road cake is my favorite,” she adds, “and doesn’t even need frosting, as it really stands on its own.”

yields

12

servings

What You’ll Need:

SEPTEMBER 2014

1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup seedless raisins 1 cup miniature marshmallows 6-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips 18½-ounce package devil’s food cake mix (with pudding in mix) 4 large eggs 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup water

what you’ll DO: Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and flour a 12-cup, fluted tube pan. In a small bowl, mix walnuts, raisins, marshmallows and semisweet chocolate chips. Using a whisk attachment in a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, mayonnaise and water just until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for two minutes.

Stir in nut mixture and pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Thoroughly cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove and cool on rack. If desired, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

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Local Food

Curing, Brining and Smoking By clint smith | photos courtesy of new harmony inn The Red Geranium Restaurant — a centerpiece of the New Harmony Inn Resort and Conference Center in New Harmony (newharmonyinn.com/dining.php) — is in the midst of celebrating its 50th anniversary. And in the restaurant’s kitchen, chef Conner Odde continues to offer American fare and “Midwest favorites,” with pairings ideal for the restaurant’s extensive wine list. He has a few pointers for those seeking to take advantage of all this season has to offer.

“During this time of year,” says Odde, “the availability of fresh and ripe product is abundant and plentiful. Farmers markets are thriving, (and) the amount of available homegrown (food) is astounding.”

One of his favorite aspects of the harvest season is to utilize products with precise timing: “a perfectly ripe tomato, the soft juicy flesh and tender skin, overwhelming layers of flavor and aromas that tantalize the senses. To capture food at its best is one of my main goals in cooking.”

Odde adds that “when food is at the peak of ripeness and availability it should be enjoyed with the least amount of manipulations; savor the pure flavors of the perfectly ripe tomato. The tomato, simply sliced with fresh cracked pepper, sea salts, extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Perfect.”

But he also employs methods and techniques to prolong the flavor profiles of food products. Here, some of his suggestions:

Curing with salt:

Brining:

Smoking:

“The salt draws out water, blood and other impurities found in a product that is to be preserved,” he says. “The basic process salt plays in the preservation role are as follows: osmosis, dehydration, fermentation and denaturing proteins.” For instance, in a dry cure method for meats Odde says the cure can simply be composed of salt alone or a mixture of salt, sweetener, assorted flavorings or a pre-mixed blend, with the ratio of 8 ounces of dry cure to 10 pounds of meat.

“Dissolving a dry cure in water is known as a wet cure or brine,” he says. “The product is submerged in the brine and allowed to rest for hours or days depending on the product (brined cow’s tongue needs about four weeks). Aromatics, flavoring agents and seasonings may be added to the brine to add more complex flavor profiles to the product, resulting in a secret recipe for grandma’s pickles.”

A process where food is exposed to heat and smoke, altering the texture and flavor of a product, is a classic method of preservation.

“Many types of wood are available for the smoking process,” he explains, citing cherry, oak, walnut, chestnut, alder, mesquite and citrus trees as ideal varieties. “Each type of wood gives the product a unique and distinct flavor profile. Controlling the temperature during hot smoking (185 to 250 degrees F) will result in a moist, flavorful product; when the internal temperature rises too fast the product will be prone to shrinking, splitting or buckling.

Maintaining a low and slow cooking time/temperature will result in the perfect smoked piece of meat.” *FI Chef Conner Odde

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