Congratulations to all 4-H Participants on all your hard work!

6672 East 650 South | Edinburgh, IN 46124 | 812-526-5574 | 800-284-2676

Chris Hurt added that triple-digit tem-peratures and the driest June on record have also dried up pastures where cattle feed in summertime. Th e latest available U.S. Drought Monitor report showed nearly all of Indiana is in severe or ex-treme drought.

Purdue experts like Hurt warn that if the drought continues through August, crop losses could be as great as they were in 1988. According to USDA research, corn and soybean production plummeted by about 30 percent that year. Th e yield loss caused the cost of food to jump by more than 5 percent in the fall of 1988. Th e following year, supermarket prices rose by nearly 6 percent.

Hurt said soybean yields still may have the potential to recover if normal rainfall patterns return.

“Soybean yields are signifi cantly re-lated to August temperatures and precipi-tation,” he said. “Th ere is still a potential for yield recovery in soybeans up until late July and even into August.”

Despite the record-breaking weather conditions in June, this may not be the worst agricultural conditions Hoosier farmers have endured.

“I was told that in 1934, it didn’t rain in Greensburg from May until October,” said Decatur County extension educator Dan-

iel Wilson. While the agricultural agent could not verify that information, he does know that well-established droughts are hard to break.

“Vegetation creates vapor when the plants transpire, which allows a cycle to happen that induces moisture into the clouds,” explained Wilson. “Without the vegetation, you have a lack of rainfall. So the question is: Are the weath-er conditions causing this change in our ecosystem, or is it a cycle?”

Th e thunderstorms that crossed south central In-diana during the fi rst days of July did little to help the crops. Less than half of the normal amount of rain has fallen across much of the state since the beginning of May. Purdue experts say the parched conditions also were aggravated by a dry, mild winter.

“A break in the drought and heat for the remainder of the season would certainly minimize further deterioration of the corn crop but would not result in recovery to anywhere close to normal yields,” Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension corn specialist, said. He believes that four to six inches of

precipitation over several weeks would be required to provide benefi cial relief. Th e irony is that it may take another devastat-ing natural event to end this one.

“It usually takes a hurricane in the gulf region to move the high pressure system north and give Indiana that type of rain,”

said Wilson, who said he’d be content just to get a consis-tent two- or three-day soaker in south central Indiana.

“If we got that three or four inches now, it would limit the damage to veg-etation. It could help some of the late-plant corn that hadn’t tasseled yet, help the ponds and bring grass back to where the animals graze,” he said.

But Wilson is worried. He’s heard from several Decatur County families who say their wells are go-

ing dry. And he said there should be no doubt that negative impact will extend much further than agricultural profits and higher food prices.

“Less income for farmers mean fewer agricultural sales, which creates pay-checks for people who live here and sell equipment,”

DroughtDAMAGE LOOMS

BY MARK WEBBER

Immediate and substantial rain needed to prevent crop losses

Indiana crop conditions continue to deteriorate daily as the drought worsens to a level not seen in half a century, according to a Purdue agricultural economist.

Welcome to the fi rst issue of Farm Indiana, a monthly publica-tion of Home News Enterprises offering a local view on agriculture in southern Indiana.

Our scope will be Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Johnson counties, and Farm Indiana will be inserted the last Wednesday of each month in the Brown County Democrat and The (Seymour) Tribune and in certain delivery routes for the (Johnson County) Daily Journal and The (Columbus) Republic.

We’ll have stories on area farms and the people behind them, articles about farm business as it per-tains to those in southern Indiana, and features on new equipment, technological advances and more.

We’ll hear from area representatives of Purdue Extension offi ces, Farm Service Agency and others.

Those of us responsible for Farm Indiana want this to be your publication. We welcome your contribu-tions, whether they be 4-H news, folks we should pro-fi le, upcoming events, FFA news, photos from events that have already occurred, story ideas or whatever.

We hope you enjoy this premier issue and decide you want to be a part of Farm Indiana.

Send your contributions, thoughts, suggestions, etc., to me at farmindiana@hnenewspapers.com, or call me at 812-379-5625 or visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/farmindiana.

EDITOR'S NOTE

SEE DROUGHT ON PAGE 2

“A break in the drought and heat for the remainder of the season would certainly minimize further deterioration of the corn crop but would not result in recovery to anywhere close to normal yields.” Bob NielsenPURDUE EXTENSION CORN SPECIALIST

August 2012

DOUG SHOWALTER

Water poured over a seemingly spent wheat fi eld is actually an essential ingredient for the

success of young double-cropped soybeans pushing up, unseen, through the stubble.

PHOTO BY ANGELA JACKSON

FARM INDIANA | August 20122

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he said. “And in Decatur County, 66 percent of our generated tax dollars come from the farm. So that will have an eff ect on every taxpayer.”

While the assessment of the damage immediately sent corn cash prices skyrocketing, the high prices might not be enough to compensate for the lost income.

Th e eff ect on beef cattle could also last for an extended time. Th e weather and drought, along with the lack of feed supplies, could put an added stress on livestock.

Ron Lemenager, a Purdue animal sciences professor, is urging producers to take steps now to supplement feed and make sure

their animals are in healthy body condition in order to protect the future of their operations.

“If we’re short on forage, we have the option of sliding by. But if cows are thin going into the fall, fewer will be bred, calves will be lighter at weaning time this year, and fewer calves will be born next year,” Lemenager said. “Th en, if cows are thin heading into next breeding season, fewer cows will be bred and

colostrum quality will be lower, meaning a lower calf survival rate, which aff ects productivity in years two and three.”Th ere may be one small blessing. Crop farmers are in a better

fi nancial situation than they were during the drought of 1988.Hurt said farm incomes have been stronger in the past two

years, and that with land values at record-high levels, crop farm-ers have generally higher net worth.

Crop insurance also could play a major role in helping farmers avoid devastation this year, he said. About 75 percent of Indiana crop acres are covered by some form of crop insurance.

“But crop insurance generally does not provide for full recov-ery of losses,” he noted. “It is oft en used to help avoid catastrophic fi nancial losses.”

Crop insurance commonly covers 65 percent to 85 percent of a crop’s overall estimated value, depending on the type and levels of coverage farmers select.

Purdue Extension has compiled drought resources for grain and livestock farmers as well as consumers. Links to those re-sources are available at purdue.edu/drought.

➡ If your job is to grow food, your farm is your livelihood. Most agribusiness experts wholeheartedly agree that insuring your farm simply makes good business sense.

But as intense heat and drought continue to shrivel south central Indiana crops, one insurance agent estimates 30 percent to 40 percent of farmers in his district do not have any type of crop insurance.

And there’s little, if anything, that can be done to help them now.

“Climate insurance might have been something to consider last spring, but now, it’s become cost prohibitive,” said Kevin Carson, a Farmers Mutual representative for Shelby and Johnson counties. “If you bought it this minute, it would be 10 days before it goes into eff ect. If we go another week and a half into this drought and heat, what will that coverage be worth?”

Carson said the only policies that still could be aff ordably purchased for this year’s harvest are either crop hail or fi eld fi re policies.

Farmers did have plenty of choices before the March 15 industry-wide cutoff date for buying crop insurance. But Purdue agricul-tural risk management expert George Pat-rick acknowledged that nobody can predict an upcoming growing season one week be-fore winter ends.

“Just as you have to place your bet before the roulette wheel starts spinning, you have to place your bet and buy insurance before the spring weather happens,” said Patrick.

Since it’s a certainty now that the fall harvest will be adversely aff ected by the drought and heat, Carson said, widespread claims will cause crop insurance premiums to go up for everyone next year.

According to Patrick, the most basic forms of crop insurance are yield protection and actual production history. Based on at

least four years of past farm yield data, these two types of insurance pay growers for crop losses and cover 50 percent to 85 percent of the average yield.

But aft er that, a farmer’s choices start to get complicated.

“Th ere are so many diff erent types of crop insurance that can be tailored toward any individual farmer’s needs,” Carson said.

Some farmers prefer to buy a Group Risk Plan or Group Risk Income Protection. Both are multiple peril insurance programs designed to help farmers protect their crops from disastrous losses.

Others may buy a basic actual produc-tion history policy that makes payments when actual yield is below a yield guarantee.

And then, there are those who pay ex-tra for revenue protection policies. Farm-ers with this type of insurance will receive an indemnity check if their corn yield was below 81 percent of the actual production history yield and if their soybean yield was below 94 percent of the annual yield. 

According to Patrick, revenue protec-tion policies guarantee a certain value of the commodity.

“Rather than just talking bushels, it’s pro-tecting what the crop is worth as opposed to the physical quantity,” Patrick said. “If there was a really big crop and the price decreased from spring to harvest time, it could trigger an indemnity or payment.”

Th ere are other forms of insurance farm-ers should consider to protect their assets.

Th e most basic policy that every farmer is urged to purchase is property and casualty. It off ers protection in the event of theft or vandalism, as well as for injuries suff ered on the job by hired hands.

Th e raising of livestock can be just as risky as growing corn, wheat and soybeans. Potential dangers include changes in mar-

ket prices, sickness or death of ani-mals and a reduced yield in milk production for dairy farm-ers. So if you own livestock, experts agree it would be in your best interest to protect your investment.

But with so many choices and poten-tially high premiums, it can be daunting to determine how much insurance you will need for a year.

Th e good news is that you have good rea-sons to consider crop insurance, aside from the longevity of your livelihood.

Government subsidies are oft en off ered to farmers to off set a portion of the premi-ums. Also, there are increased coverage lev-els off ered to those who grow several types of crops.

Patrick encourages each farmer to exam-ine his ability to tolerate risk. Th e more cov-erage you want, the more it will cost. And if you can assume some of the risk, you can save yourself some money on premiums.

Can you aff ord a higher deductible? Can you aff ord a lower level of coverage? If the answer to either one of those ques-tions is yes, this also will make your in-surance more aff ordable.

Patrick also encourages farmers to re-examine their insurance needs on an annual basis and to balance their costs against their need for cash fl ow in order to maintain their business.

“Whatever coverage you have this year, it will be better than having nothing at all,” Carson said. “But one thing to always keep in mind: farm insurance is not de-signed for a farmer to make a profi t. At the best, it is designed to keep you from going out of business or to try and make you whole again.”

BY MARK WEBBER

DROUGHTCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.

Just in case

Crop insurance helps farmers

weather diffi cult conditions

Fred Hamilton, left, and Farmers Mutual agent Kevin Carson examine

the poor root system on a stalk of corn on Hamil-

ton’s farm that straddles the Johnson/Shelby

county line.

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Comments should be sent to Doug Showalter, Farm Indiana, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201 or

call 812-379-5625 or farmindiana@hnenewspapers.com. Advertising information: Call 812-379-5690.

©2012 by Home News Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited.

PHOTOS BY MARK FREELAND

FARM INDIANA | August 2012 3

TIMING IS EVERYTHING!From planting to harvesting, our ag lenders are ready to work for you. We specialize in:

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JOHNSON COUNTYTrafalgarFranklinBargersvilleWhitelandGreenwood

DECATUR COUNTYGreensburgGreensburgWestport

SHELBY COUNTYShelbyville

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTYColumbusDrive ThruColumbusTaylorsville

JENNINGS COUNTYNorth Vernon

➡ “RAIN OR SHINE … IT’S RODEO TIME!” read the Jackson County Rodeo’s Facebook page in the days leading up to last year’s event. In a twist of fate, when the road into Plumer Arena, where the event was to be held, fl ooded, the rodeo was postponed.

Th is year, Laura Plumer, who organizes the aff air, will not incur the wrath of the rodeo gods by making such a claim — though the same rule still applies. Th e show must go on.

Th e fi ft h annual Jackson County Rodeo will be Aug. 17 and 18 at Plumer hay farm, 2746 E. Road 800N, Seymour. Competition starts at 7:30 p.m.

For the fi rst time in the rodeo’s fi ve years, participants will be professional level competitors from the International Professional Rodeo Association and the Mid-States Rodeo Association circuits. In years past, the rodeo was an Indiana High School Rodeo Association sanctioned event.

“We decided to bring in a diff erent level to show another side of (the sport),” Plumer said. “But because we have also done high school, a lot of these kids have grown up and are now participating at the profes-sional level.”

Th e rodeo is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, hoping to spread cancer awareness and raise money for cancer research. Th e motto of the event is “Th e Pinkest Show on Dirt,” which Plumer came up with aft er the rodeo’s old mantra came into some controversy.

“We came up with the ‘Pinkest Show on Dirt’” Plumer said. “Before that we were doing the ‘Tough Enough to Wear Pink’ (a Wrangler registered trademark), but the company wanted money for us to use that logo. So I fi gured we could still raise the money just under a diff erent banner. Now people say I should trademark ours.”

Th is year the rodeo also has another cause it is supporting aft er the June death of Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan in Afghanistan. Hogan, a graduate of Brownstown Central High School, was a former participant in the Jackson County Rodeo and got the Plumer family interested in the sport.

“He was my son’s (Chase Plumer) best friend, and if it wasn’t for that boy meeting my kid on the bus in the third grade, we never would have gotten involved in rodeo,” Laura said. “Now the rodeo is taking a diff erent turn, and we are dedicating it to Hunter. We are going to do something special in his memory, but if you want to see how we are going to honor him, you are just going to have to come to the rodeo.”

Th e rodeo will feature seven events: bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, bull riding and an all-around.

Cost for admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students, with children 5 and younger free.“We just want people to come and have a good time,” Laura said. “We want to introduce this experience

to people; that is all we want.”For anyone who wishes to sponsor the rodeo, Laura can be reached at 812-569-4414. Th e rodeo is ac-

cepting monetary donations and items for a silent auction.

Application deadline approaches for YF awards

Aug. 1 is the application deadline for the Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmer Excel-lence in Agriculture and Achievement awards.

The Farm Bureau Excellence in Agricul-ture Award is an opportunity for recognition for young farmers (ages 18 to 35) who do not derive the majority of their income from an owned agricultural operation but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in Farm Bureau and agriculture.

Participants will be judged on their in-volvement in agriculture, leadership ability, involvement and participation in Farm Bu-reau and other organizations.

The Farm Bureau Achievement Award recognizes and rewards outstanding young Farm Bureau members whose management and community commitment set a positive example for others. In order to be eligible, applicants must earn a majority of their in-come from production agriculture. The crite-ria are farm operation (25 percent), growth and fi nancial progress of operation (35 per-cent), Farm Bureau leadership (25 percent) and other leadership (15 percent).

To qualify for consideration for either award, applicants must fi ll out the applica-tion form, which can be found at www.in-

farmbureau.org under “Programs” and then “Young Farmer Homepage.” There are sepa-rate applications for each award.

Applications must be in the Indiana Farm Bureau offi ce before midnight Aug. 1 to be considered for recognition and awards. You may email the application to meet the dead-line and mail the signature pages to us.

The winner of the achievement award will receive $6,000 from Indiana Farm Bureau In-surance, 250 hours’ use of an M-Series trac-tor courtesy of Kubota Tractor, the David L. Leising Memorial Award, and paid expenses to the national convention in Nashville, Tenn. The two runners-up will receive a $1,000 prize from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

The excellence in agriculture winner will receive a John Deere Gator courtesy of Farm Credit Services, $3,000 from Indiana Farm Bu-reau Insurance, and expenses paid to the na-tional convention. The two runners-up will get $1,000 from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

Both state winners will be recognized at the IFB convention Dec. 7 and 8 and will compete in the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers contests.

More information and the application forms are available on the IFB website, www.infarmbureau.org, or by calling 1-800-FARM-BUR, ext. 7846. — Indiana Farm Bureau

2012 4-H CampTwenty-one Decatur County 4-H’ers re-

cently returned from a fun week at South-eastern 4-H Camp in Dearborn County. The theme of the 2012 camp was “4-H Camp Pi-rate MMXII.”

Kristy Hamilton was a junior director, while Ashley Hamilton and Elizabeth Moffett served as counselors. The adult staff was made up of Purdue Extension staff from Dearborn, Rip-ley, Jennings, Jackson, Ohio, Jefferson, Swit-zerland, Brown and Decatur counties.

While there, the campers participated in classes, including such topics as recreation, captain cash, boat safety, wired for wind, fi re safety, star lab and geocaching. Afternoon activities included basketball, crafts, games, volleyball and kickball.

Special evening programs were Randy Ol-lis from Channel 8, two of the Indiana State FFA offi cers (one, Jacob Mattox, was a De-catur County 4-H 10-year member) and skits presented by 4-H campers.

Fees for the Decatur County 4-H campers were provided in full by the Decatur County 4-H Council.

2012 4-H livestock auctionJackson County 4-H’ers involved with

beef, boer goats, dairy beef, sheep, and swine have a special opportunity July 28. Each 4-H’er in these projects will be offered the opportunity to sell one animal at the Jackson County Fair 4-H Livestock Auction. The sale will start at 1 p.m. in the Show Arena on the fairgrounds and is open to the pub-lic. The sale order will be beef, dairy beef, sheep, boer goat and swine.

The auction format changed in 2011 and will continue to have buyers bid a total price (not by pound) for the animal. If the animal is sent to market, the buyer will pay the amount over the appraised price. If the animal is go-ing to a locker (non-appraised market), or the buyer is taking the animal home, the buyer will then pay the total sale price.

Buyers will have the choice of taking their purchased animals to a local locker and then home for consumption or sending the animals to market and only paying the premium to the 4-H’er. Traditionally, buyers have been area businesses and individuals who want to reward and encourage the hard work that is involved with raising and caring for 4-H livestock.

Many of the 4-H’ers have spent months rising early for feeding and many late eve-nings feeding and walking animals in prepa-ration for the 4-H Show. They have not only learned about good animal practices, but have also gained many life skills – money management, planning, responsibility, time management, etc.

More information: 812- 358-6101.

Riders upBY AARON BREWINGTON

Jackson County Rodeo returns

AG NEWS

4 FARM INDIANA | August 2012

➡Daybreak was still hours off on Saturday morning when activity started on the Abney farm.

Frozen fi let steaks, pork loins and lamb chops were loaded into a freezer in the back of a trailer. Eggs, ground goat and beef liver had to be packed into 150-quart coolers and covered in ice.

Tents, tables and price lists needed to be account-ed for and shoved into available space in their trucks and sport utility vehicles. In the pre-dawn darkness, all fi ve family members would spread out to farmers markets throughout central Indiana.

Before the day was over, they’d sell hundreds of dollars of meat.

From the time his children were young, Doug Abney tried to instill the importance of agriculture.

Th ey were up before the sun to feed the family’s chickens, sheep, goats and 50 head of cattle. Even if they never took over the Union Township farm them-selves, he hoped that they would respect the way that all of the country’s food is produced.

But the teachings stuck. His 19-year-old daughter, Angela, started her own business last year. Red Barn Meats now sells the family’s hormone- and antibiot-ic-free beef, goat, lamb and eggs through-out the area.

Th e business has emerged and helped the farm expand in a way that Doug never anticipated.

“I wanted them to learn how to work and realize that everything takes eff ort and hard work. If you work hard enough, you get the benefi t,” he said. “Th is is teaching them all about this.”

Red Barn meat currently is sold in several area farmers markets. Th e family sets up a booth in Indianapolis, Franklin and Blooming-ton, plus sells twice each week in Greenwood.

Th e business has blossomed into a family endeavor. Angela’s brother, 13-year-old Dougie, helps her sell at the weekly Greenwood Farmers Market. At the same time, her 17-year-old sister, Allie, and her mom, Sherry Fabina-Abney, sell meat in Franklin. Doug travels to Bloomington by himself with coolers loaded with meat to tap into that market.

Angela was a senior at Franklin Community High School when she founded Red Barn Meats. Th e business started as an FFA project called a Supervised Agricultural Experience, intended to teach her about sales, drawing up a budget and how to run an agricultural business.

She approached her family about expanding their existing meat business. Th ey had been selling whole, half and quarters of beef in the area but realized they could make more profi t if it could be processed into smaller sections and cuts, Shelly said.

A plan emerged. Th e Abneys would sell Angela cattle for a fi xed cost, based on the poundage and the agricultural market rate for beef. She would pay for the processing, packaging and transportation.

“We had the product she needed but didn’t have the time to market it properly,” Doug said. “She pays a fair price from us, pays for market-ing, and we get our name out.”

As she considered the proposal, Angela had one question — would she get her money back? Her parents were frank with their response, providing her with an important business lesson.

“We told her, if you work hard, you might get it back. But you might work hard and not get it back. Th ere’s no guarantee,” Doug said.

Using her savings from past animal sales with 4-H, Angela pur-chased her fi rst round of beef. Th e entire endeavor cost about $15,000, between buying the cattle and having it processed.

Immediately, she was thrust directly into the business of agriculture. She was responsible for the bookkeeping and setting prices, something she learned took more than just putting a price to her product.

Th rough market calculations and expectations of other small meat dealers, she developed her strategy. For every pound of meat, it cost her $2.63 to buy the animal, process it and pay for it to be hauled to the butcher and cut up the way she wants it.

Th at’s her benchmark. She can run sales and specials on her items, but as long as she doesn’t sell for less than $3 per pound, she can make a profi t.

Th e animals are processed by an outside company, Dewig Meats in Haubstadt. Angela drives her animals three hours to be butchered, then returns later in the month to pick up the frozen, vacuum-sealed packages of meat. Each one is stamped with the Red Barn Meats logo and the U.S. Department of Agriculture seal of approval.

Th e professional appearance has helped set her apart as they carve out a niche in the market, Doug said.

“We’re very proud of her accomplishments. She’s worked hard and made her money back. Her business has probably doubled in the last two years in sales. It’s nice to see hard work paying off ,” he said.

Farming was never going to be a full-time job for Doug. He had gone to school to study electrical engineering and worked as the man-ager of engineering and maintenance for Eli Lilly until last year.

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“Until you do that work, you don’t think about the work

that goes into food. It’s a lot more work than you think to

get to the grocery store.”

Dougie Abney13 YEARS OLD

BY RYAN TRARES | PHOTOS BY MARK FREELAND

Abney family works to expand Red Barn Meats

AnimalFARM

HOMESTEADS

From left, Doug Jr., Doug, Allie

and Angela Abney and Sherry Fabina-Abney. At right: a

variety of Red Barn Meats products.

FARM INDIANA | August 2012

But he had always been attracted to the farm. Both of his grandpar-ents were farmers, raising cattle, pigs and lambs, and sowing grains such as corn and wheat.

“Th ere was something about visiting them and helping on the farm that stuck with me. Aft er college, it’s what I decided I wanted to do,” he said.

When he started the farm, he couldn’t aff ord to do grain, since it was only his part-time job. Instead, he planted hay. Aft er he and Sherry married and started a family, the farm expanded to include livestock animals.

Angela was 8 when she asked her parents if she could buy a cow. Using money that she had saved from doing chores, she purchased a heifer. Her dad helped her raise it and then sell it to another buyer. With those profi ts, she bought her fi rst belted Galloway — a special breed known for its tender, lean meat.

Th at single animal motivated the rest of the family to start raising a small herd, and their numbers slowly grew.

Angela, Allie and Dougie were active in Union 4-H Club, with An-gela serving as past president and Allie as vice president. Th ey showed their animals every summer at the Johnson County fair, selling the best ones at the livestock auction.

Most days, the Abney children are up around 7:30 a.m. to work on the farm. Th ey start with the chicken coop, spreading grain feed and ensuring the poultry have full water dishes. At the main barns, they rotate through the indoor and outdoor pens, feeding hay cut from the family’s own fi elds. Th e four sheep and four goats come last.

Every two or three days, the children clean stalls. Th roughout the day, they will check to make sure the water is full and the fans attached to raft ers throughout the barn are working correctly.

“Until you do that work, you don’t think about the work that goes into food. It’s a lot more work than you think to get to the grocery store,” Dougie said.

But in the past year, the responsibilities around the farm have changed. Last year, Doug’s position at Eli Lilly was eliminated. Sherry’s job as a partner in the health law group at Ice Miller and the growing Red Barn Meats have allowed him to focus more on agriculture rather than pursuing another offi ce job.

Th e 125 acres of hay that the family had grown has been mostly con-verted to grazing land, with a few specialized acres left to feed the herd during the winter as well as for some custom work.

More attention has been placed on Red Barn Meats. Since the start of spring, Angela has taken in six cattle, three pigs and two goats to be processed. Because of the demand, the Abneys have stopped selling to most of their outside customers, relying solely on business at the farmers markets to move their product. Even in the off season, many

customers have started coming to the farm to purchase their meat.“Th ere’s a loyal fan base, and that’s what you need. When the farm-

ers market season ends, there’s still going to be meat in the freezer,” Doug said. “If you can develop that, you don’t have to take a half-day off to go to these markets.”

Angela has visions of expanding Red Barn Meats into a full-time career aft er she fi nishes her degree at Purdue University. Plans are also in place to fence in more of the Abney land, allowing them to expand the herd beyond 50 cattle.

People have asked if she’s hiring, and adding more people would allow her to hit more farmers markets throughout the area. But for the time being, she intends to keep it at its current size while relying on her family to help the business grow.

“Th ey know the product. Th e people at the markets want to know who raised these animals or what we fed it. I know my brother and sister can answer that, since they know these animals just as well as I do,” she said.

5

The Abneys raise Belted Galloway cattle, a breed that

originated in Scotland.

The Abney family

WHO Doug Abney and Sherry Fabina-Abney; children Angela, 19; Allie, 17; and Dougie, 13.

HOME Union Township, Johnson County

ACREAGE 121

PRODUCTS 50 head of Belted Galloway cattle; four sheep and four goats; chickens; small plot of hay

BUSINESS Red Barn Meats, the family’s brand of grass- and grain-fed beef, lamb, goat and eggs. The products are sold locally at farmers markets in Franklin, Greenwood, Indianapolis and Bloomington

FARM INDIANA | August 2012FARM INDIANA | August 20126

Jill Davenport601 North Ewing StreetSeymour, IN 47274-2305812-523-1062shelterinsurance.com/JillDavenport

➡ “I’m fi lthy,” Justin Gelfi us says as he motions to shake hands without actually reaching out a dirt-covered hand to do so. Gel-fi us is on a cellphone; he apologizes for the discussion he needs to fi nish and quickly disappears into the “shop” offi ce at his father’s home in Hartsville to continue talking.

With the door still open behind him, Gelfi us can be overheard discussing beans, bushel prices and deliveries scheduled to go to Monsanto, a customer of his family’s Bartholomew County farm-ing outfi t. A few minutes pass and Gelfi us reappears.

“If you don’t mind,” he says, walking to a utility sink nearby, “I’ll wash up.” He grabs a paper towel before offi cially extending a still-moist hand in greeting. Dressed in khaki shorts, an orange T-shirt and a ball cap, 34-year-old Gelfi us doesn’t look as what one might expect a full-time farmer to look. But then again, farm-ing, to use a little slang, ain’t what she used to be.

A typical day — if such a thing exists — for Gelfi us and his father, Bill, starts here in the shop. “We usually come in the of-fi ce and do some research on the commodity markets,” Justin ex-plains. “We have several semi trucks to haul our own grain. We go through those trucks and trailers and come in here and get caught up on the books, to be honest with you. It’s not very farmer-like.”

What is very farmer-like is the Gelfi us family’s dependence on good weather conditions to make a profi t. And the day of this visit to the farm was expected to be the hottest of the year so far. Th e heat was also coming in what 59-year-old Bill Gelfi us describes as the worst drought he’s seen since the much-discussed drought of 1988.

“If this drought doesn’t break in the next week, there will be a lot of fi elds that don’t get harvested,” Bill says. “Th is is beginning to look like the worst drought I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”

But the Gelfi us family is luckier than most. Th ey farm approxi-mately 1,000 acres of irrigated ground, which provides some relief for their plants when rainfall isn’t available. But the majority of the land they work is not irrigated. For that, the family has tried to create a cushion by growing a variety of crops.

“We try to keep ourselves diverse,” Justin explains. By varying what they grow, which currently includes soybeans, corn, wheat and tomatoes, “hopefully the odds are you’re not going to take everything on the chin,” he says.

BY SHERRI CULLISON | PHOTOS BY ANGELA JACKSON

HOMESTEADS

Three generations of Gelfi us family have farmed in eastern Bartholomew County

CARRYING ON THE

tradition

Justin, left, and Bill Gelfi us stand in the soybean fi eld behind their family farm.

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And where diversifi cation doesn’t help, crop insurance does, Bill adds. “It’s like your house. It’s never as good as keeping your house intact, but when you get an insurance payment, it keeps you going.”

Th is way of life began when Justin’s grandfather and Bill’s father, Bob Gelfi us, began farming his land — the same land where Bill and his wife, Norma, now live — in 1957. Bob was a carpenter by trade, but he decided to become a dairyman, Justin explains. Th at idea quickly morphed, and Bob began growing corn, soybeans, wheat and tobacco.

“So Dad (Bill) grew up on the farm out here,” Jus-tin says, before he left to study agriculture economics at Purdue University. Bill graduated in 1975, and in 1977 — aft er working a couple of years for a seed corn company — came home to help his father on the farm.

Justin took a similar route by heading to Purdue, where he studied mechanical engineering technology. He went to work at Cummins Inc. in Columbus for seven years as a service engineer. While there, Justin continued to farm part time.

“It was getting to the point where I spent a lot of time on the farm and at work at Cummins, and it was just too much to try to keep up with both,” he says. “My family was growing. Long term, I

wanted to be on the farm.” In 2007, he left Cummins and returned to working with his dad full time.

In the early 1980s, the Gelfi uses had left the tobacco business and, by 1992, had begun raising tomatoes, as well as growing seed corn, Justin says. “Now, we’re raising tomatoes for Red Gold, we’re raising seed corn for Pioneer, we raise seed beans for Monsanto, and we grow regular fi eld beans and regular corn.”

A lot of the corn they grow has been going for use in making ethanol. “For years, we have been raising non-genetically modifi ed corn that went to National Starch in Indianapolis and was used for ingredients for human consumption,” Justin explains. “For years, that was our market.

“Now they’ve transitioned all of that to Kansas, so we started transitioning into commercial corn. Th ere are many more markets for commercial corn, for hog feed, for ethanol plants and things like that. Th e last two years have been our fi rst years of producing com-

mercial corn on a large scale, and a majority of that is going to ethanol plants.”

Justin goes on to explain the various kinds of corn that can be grown and their many uses. For farmers, the ways to make money on what they plant are numerous … as long as the weather

cooperates. Th e lack of rainfall this year and the recent excessive heat have served as a double hit on crops, one from which many farmers may not recover.

“You have soil moisture and you have rainfall,” Justin says. “If you have adequate soil moisture, you have a buff er zone, where the roots can go deep and access that water that’s in the soil, and they don’t have to rely on rainfall at the exact time it needs to rain.

“Th e problem is this spring was dry, so that soil moisture, that buff er zone, is not there. So now we’re relying on timely rainfalls. Th ere never is a timely rainfall. So that’s the problem. Th ere is a good chance we’ll have some fi elds that won’t be worth harvesting.”

Despite the uncertainties of the farming life, Justin believes in the work that his grandfather began and that he and his father now carry on. It’s a tradition that he hopes one or more of the children that he and his wife, Chatney, have will uphold.

“My oldest is 7,” Justin says. “I’ve got two boys. I’ve got a little girl that’s 4, and we have one on the way. I anticipate that it (farm-ing) will continue down the Gelfi us family. I’m going to do every-thing that I can to make sure that happens.”

“If this drought doesn’t break in the next week, there will be a lot of fi elds that don’t get harvested.This is beginning to look like the worst drought I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”

Bill Gelfi us

The Gelfi us family

WHO Bill and Norma Gelfi us; their son, Justin; and his wife, Chatney.

WHAT They raise tomatoes for Red Gold, seed corn for Pioneer, seed beans for Monsanto, commercial corn, commercial soybeans, wheat and double crop soybeans, and a variety of cover crops in the fall for soil health and conservation purposes.

WHERE The family farms primarily in Bartholomew County and on the west side of Decatur County.

FAMILY Justin and Chatney have two sons, Crew, 7, and Ledger, 5; a daughter, Charleston, 4; and a baby due in August.

The Gelfi uses check the growth of the soybeans in their fi eld north of Columbus.

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➡ Megan Hackman kicks off her fl ip-fl ops and grabs a water hose to wash the dust and dirt from her feet and ankles. Th e tall, slender young woman doesn’t mind the dirt but wants to look her best for the photos that are soon to be taken.

Dirt, dust, sweat, sun, wind, rain — or lack thereof — are all part of life for the 18-year-old, one of the four proprietors of the Hackman Fam-ily Farm Market, located south of Vallonia not far from the Muscatatuck and White rivers.

It’s really no surprise that the name Hackman is attached to Jackson County’s newest farm market, which offi cially opened June 25. Aft er all, Hackmans have been farming in Jackson County for generations.

But until recently, the farming operation has involved 1,400 acres devoted to corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, along with 200 head of feeder cattle and 200 head of fi nishing cattle. Th is is the fi rst year for the produce market and the fi rst year the family has taken a serious stab at retail sales.

“Two years ago, we contracted melons,” Tom Hackman, Megan’s father, said, explaining that the move into the retail market began by growing watermelons on contract for another farmer. “Th is last year, we decided to go retail.”

“We planted, cultivated and sprayed them (wa-termelons),” said Victor Hackman, 12, another of the four who is in charge of the operation. “We did everything but pick them. We contracted with Kammans.”

Th ere are farm markets scattered all around this part of Jackson County, perhaps the result of the stretch of sandy soil between Brownstown and the Muscatatuck River. Th at sandy soil is conducive to

growing melons, and the area has picked up a rep-utation for the watermelons produced there. Th e Hackmans have fi ve acres devoted to watermelons and cantaloupes.

But some markets selling produce are off ering what someone else has grown. At the Hackmans’, with a few exceptions, everything has been raised right there.

“We haven’t outsourced many of our products,” Tom said. “We need to understand what people want, what people are asking for … next year we may start buying, but for starting out, we thought it just best to do our own thing.”

TEENS IN CHARGEBut what truly sets this market apart is that the

four running the operation are all teenagers, or al-most teenagers. Although Mom and Dad are there to guide, coax and encourage, this market is the result of the four’s own eff orts.

Victor, tall, slim and inevitably clad in a T-shirt and jeans with a ball cap perched on blond curls, is the youngest, approaching his 13th birthday. Me-gan, at 18, is the oldest. In between are Jacquelyn, 17, and Allison, 15, all tan, fi t and no strangers to hard work.

Th ey represent the fi ft h generation on both sides of their family tree that has opted to make a liv-ing by working the land. Th e roots on the Hack-man side are tied primarily to Jackson County, although one branch of the family can be found in Bartholomew County.

Ruth Hackman, mother of the four, has fam-ily ties to Harrison and Floyd counties and before that, Kentucky.

Th e four young people have always been in-volved with the farming operation, helping with the chores that come with running a farm. And the family has always maintained a garden.

“My mom taught me to garden,” said Ruth Hackman, who is district conservationist for Washington County. “Th at’s what the kids have grown up with. It’s something they’ve been around all their lives. It’s the way Tom grew up, the way I grew up.”

Th e family had no way of knowing, of course, that the year they chose to start selling retail would also usher in a record-breaking drought. But Me-gan said, in a way, it’s helped in that people’s gar-dens are drying up, generating more business for their produce stand.

As far as their 10-acre garden, they irrigate from a nearby pond, using two 300-foot fi re hoses that feed a drip irrigation system. One of Victor’s re-sponsibilities is swimming out into the pond each day to move the well points, which become clogged with moss.

It’s been hands on all the way for the four. Th e ed-ucational lessons provided here are especially bene-fi cial for Megan, who is planning to attend Hanover College and wants to pursue a degree in business

“Th ere’s no better way than running a business to learn everything fi rst hand,” Megan said. “With help from my siblings, we decided what to plant, how much to plant, where to plant.”

FROM BROWN TO GREENTh ey also talked

with a number of peo-ple about their plans, soliciting advice and gathering information, and studied pricing at other markets and gro-cery stores. Th e work of raising produce has been coupled with the work of transforming a building that had served as a garage into a produce stand.

“When we fi rst came in, everything was brown … there was just junk in here,” Jaquelyn recalled. “We had to power wash the walls and fl oor, cover up holes, repaint. We built a cool room, installed new doors, built all the shelves.”

It was Allison’s idea to add a garden where cus-tomers can pick out fresh herbs. She loves to cook.

“I saw the idea at another stand,” Allison said. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. I cook with them, and I fi gure other people would enjoy them.”

4-H is a big part of life for the Hackmans,

and they are very involved with St. Paul Luther-an Church in Wegan, where Tom serves on the church council. He also serves on the board of Trinity High School in Seymour, the school Me-gan, Allison and Jacquelyn attend. Victor attends Lutheran Central in Brownstown.

One doesn’t get too far into a conversation with Tom before his strong faith and spiritual values surface. Family and church are what anchors his life, and he talks of the enjoyment he fi nds working side by side with his children.

“Th e good Lord pays pretty good dividends, let-ting us do what has been done,” he said.

When asked about challenges that come from starting the venture, Tom brought up not being able to attend church as a family. Everyone still goes to church Sunday mornings, he stressed, but they split up, attending services at diff erent times at diff erent churches so someone is available to tend the market.

And Ruth mentioned the outpouring of support that has come from the community, encouraging the four as they establish their business.

“Th ey’ve become more confi dent, having the community support helps that. Th e community has been really supportive even from the talking stage,” she said.

A typical day begins before 7 a.m., when some of the Hackmans head to the garden to pick crops. Th eir single employee, Erin Bane, whom they jok-ingly refer to as their hired hand or their employee of the year, arrives around 8 to sweep the shop and help set out the produce.

FUTURE UP IN THE AIRAs far as the young people’s plans, there is un-

certainty. Th ey view the market as a way to gener-ate money for college, but they aren’t certain if the market will be-come part of their fu-ture careers. Jaquelyn mentioned Purdue and pursuing something in the agricultural fi eld, but doesn’t know what. Victor also mentioned Purdue.

But Allison is ada-mant about doing something diff erent.

“Absolutely not,” she said, when asked if the farm or market might be part of her future.

As far as the long-term plans for the farm mar-ket, Tom mentioned adding a greenhouse; this year, plants were started in a cousin’s greenhouse. As far as the market itself, he said the direction it takes is up to his four children.

“Th ey can do anything they want with this,” he said. “Th ey can go commercial, go wholesale, do retail. It’s so wide open. Th is is driven by supply and demand.”

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARCIA WALKER

Hackman children open farm market in Jackson County

FamilyTOGETHERNESS

Allison, Victor, Jacquelyn and Megan Hackman with produce to sell at their farm market. Below: Megan bags okra for a customer.

9FARM INDIANA | August 2012

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➡Th e Brown County Community Garden is feeding minds and feeding bodies.

Located in Deer Run Park, just west of Nash-ville, the garden was made possible by grant money off ered by the Brown County Economic Development Commission.

Parks and Recreation Board member Judy Henderson was among those who helped bring the idea to fruition. According to Henderson, when you live in Brown County, you are sur-rounded by trees and very little fl at land. Th e sloping, shaded yards make gardening diffi cult at best.

Th e idea for a community garden originated from area residents’ shared frustration and strong desire to grow their own food.

Th e park is called Deer Run for a reason. To keep the deer out, a 7-foot chain-link fence sur-rounds the garden. Currently, there are 30 indi-vidual plots, and they’re all full.

Teepee structures made from sticks and twine off er vining veg-gies room to stretch. Corn keeps watch from the back of the garden. Amid the sunfl owers and herbs, just about every summertime fa-vorite grows here, from rhubarb to okra and watermelon. Narrow pathways divide the plots. Wide swaths of grass divide each section.

“It has built a lot of community spirit,” says Henderson. “You never come out here where there isn’t somebody working in the garden.”

Whenever there is an overabun-dance of produce, it does not go to waste.

Th e Brown County Literacy Coalition and Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen are actively involved with the project and have their own plots this year. Excess pro-duce is regularly donated to Mother’s Cupboard for its food bank.

Gardener Jeff Tryon says the community garden offers a twofold benefit: an increased focus on the locavore lifestyle, meaning eating

food raised and harvested locally, and an opportunity to exercise. He hopes the location of the garden will also help build awareness.

“Th is is the county park, so everybody comes here,” he says.

Increased concern about the health of our food supply is also fueling interest in community gardening.

“We’re seeing the impor-tance of the foods that we eat,” Henderson says. “And every-thing you buy is waxed or has been in pesticides and herbicides. We’ve off ered totally organic, but I think you’ll fi nd that most of them out here, nobody is using anything.”

Originally virgin soil, the land on which the garden sits was over-grown with weeds just last year. Not set aside for anything in par-ticular, the land was an ideal loca-tion.

“It’s a year’s garden right now,” says gardener Dave Boeyink. “But if we can manage it well in the fi rst years, and make it a success, this

will be here for a long time.”He says if the garden helps give people an op-

portunity to enjoy gardening and raise some vegetables, he will consider it a success. Boeyink also acknowledges there is much work left to do.

Smaller, raised-bed gardens may be intro-duced for individuals with mobility issues. Th ere are also compost bins to be built.

According to Literacy Coalition Board member Mike Bube, the biggest challenge thus far has been maintaining the garden despite drought conditions. He says if it weren’t for the garden’s single hose, the vegetable plots would be in trouble.

Despite weather-related frustration, Bube says it is the people he has come to know, and learn from, on this venture who make it all worth while.

Everyone helps one another. For instance, if a gardener goes on vacation, someone will step up and off er to take care of her plot while she is gone.

Th e garden has successfully helped grow a sense of community. And everyone involved hopes to see it expand with time.

“If people would realize that we are on this fan-tastic trip around the sun and we just need to work together to make the best of the journey,” Bube says, “wouldn’t that make life all the better?”

Registration for the 2013 garden has already begun. Individuals interested in renting a plot next year can contact Steve Bassett at 812-988-5522 or visit www.bcparksrec.com.

Community garden allows Brown County residents to grow their own food

One for allSTORY AND PHOTOS BY JENNIFER WILLHITE

BY MIKE FERREE

“It has built a lot of community spirit. You never come out here where there isn’t somebody working in the garden.”

Judy HendersonBROWN COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEMBER

➡Mother Nature has dealt area producers a dif-fi cult hand at a critical time this growing season. For some cornfi elds there will be no grain har-vested. For others only time will tell how much yields will be reduced.

Purdue Extension specialists and educators have and will continue to provide timely infor-mation on ways to make the best of what the drought has caused. Much of this information is located online at our website, www3.ag.purdue.edu/counties/bartholomew. Th ere you will see the link to the drought strategies website called “IN Drought.” Th e drought information is ar-ranged by topic for livestock producers, crop producers and consumers.

For those grain fi elds that do not have much of a prospect for grain harvest, there may be an opportunity for salvaging the crop for livestock forage. If the crop is insured, contacting the crop insurance agent is the fi rst step in this process. If the crop is to be used for forage, nitrate toxicity is of concern.

Producers wanting to check nitrate levels in drought-stressed crops can submit samples to the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Labo-ratory (ADDL) for nitrate analysis. Growers should submit at least 1 pound of silage in a pa-per sack along with their name and contact in-formation. Cost of the analysis is $15 plus $10 ac-cession fee. Contact information for the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is 406 S. University Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907; 765-494-7440; www.addl.purdue.edu.

For fi elds yet to be chopped for silage, samples of standing corn can be tested by taking 25 or more random stalks from throughout the fi eld cut at intended harvest height, taking care to avoid fi eld edges, ditches, abnormal stands or other areas diff erent from the rest of the fi eld that might aff ect the test. Stalks should be chopped up and submitted through the ADDL as with silage.

Purdue Extension animal scientists Ron Lemenager, Mike Schutz and Tamilee Nennich and Extension forage specialist Keith Johnson have developed a couple of references for beef and dairy cattle producers. Th e references help to evaluate strategies for stretching feed supplies as well as considerations for alternative feed sources.

Th e documents are located at https://ag.purdue.edu/ansc/Pages/Drought.aspx and are titled “Beef Management Practices for Cop-ing With a Short Forage Supply” and “Drought Strategies for Dairy Cattle.” If you are not able to access the website, please contact our offi ce and I will be glad to assist you.

Mike Ferree is the Purdue Extension educa-tor – agriculture & natural resources, in Bar-tholomew County.

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES for the drought of 2012

Mike Bube, foreground, Jeff Tryon and Judy Henderson work in the Brown County Community Garden. Excess produce is regularly donated to Mother’s Cupboard’s food bank.

FARM INDIANA | August 201210

➡Growing, tending and harvesting watermelon, muskmelon, sweet corn and other fruits and vegetables is oft en back-breaking, sometimes heart-breaking, work.

“We just don’t see that side of it at all,” Sue Kamman says of her husband, Mark, and herself.

“We just have a passion for it,” he adds. “If you have a true passion for what you do, you don’t really work a day in your life.”

But Mark and Sue — the third generation in both their families to raise melons in the glacial sand-rich hills near Vallonia in southern Jackson County — work hard and feel the stress when weather dam-ages or kills their harvest.

Th at’s true this growing season, one plagued early by late frosts and more recently by dry and hot, humid weather.

“I think we’re just made for it,” Sue says of their lives tilling the soil and producing crisp, sweet watermelons and cantaloupes, which are actually muskmelons.

Mark and Sue learned their occupation as children, working in the fields alongside their parents and grandparents. It’s an occupation they planned for as a team while students at Brown-stown Central High School.

“We were high school sweethearts, and we always knew what we wanted,” Mark says. “We started planning on starting a market and farming the family fi elds when we were in school.”

Th ey started producing their dream and their melons when Mark graduated in 1986. Sue graduated the next spring.

GENERATIONS ON THE FARMMark and Sue trace their families’ melon production roots to their

grandparents.Her grandparents, Lawrence and Lottie Toppe, started raising mel-

ons south of Vallonia in the mid-1940s. Her other grandparents, Em-mett and Hilda Nicholson, raised melons north of town.

Her parents, Jack and Elizabeth Toppe, carried on the tradition. Elizabeth still helps out on the farm. She focuses on the family’s jack-o’-lantern pumpkin crop each season.

Victor and Norma Kamman, Mark’s grandparents, started planting melons near Vallonia about the same time. His parents, Lowell and Clara Kamman, followed them into the fi elds.

Th e family’s fourth generation — Mark and Sue’s sons, Josh, 21, and Colby, 7, are hard at it, too.

Th e farms were brought together with Mark and Sue’s marriage in 1987. Th eir retail farm market is on land that Sue’s family tilled for years.

HARD WORKFarm work never ends.Th e family plans and orders supplies

in the winter months. Potting what few melon plants they still grow themselves starts in late March, and planting in the fi elds follows in late April.

Much of that work is mechanized, but some hand-planting remains.

Irrigating and replanting as needed come next, along with praying and hoping for the best as a six- to eight-week harvest approaches.

Th e Kammans sell much of their watermelon and muskmelon crops at their farm market off Indiana 135 south of Vallonia, but they also work with wholesalers.

“We’re basically on 24-hour call during harvest,” Mark says. “We have to pick and wash the melons and have them ready for our store, which really is our focus and priority, and we have to be ready to fi ll a truck (from whole-salers) at any time of the day or night, depending on their schedule.”

Th e family produces an estimated 500,000 watermelons and 625,000 muskmelons on about 325 acres in a typical growing season, if there is such a thing.

“We’re facing drought and hot weather this summer,” Mark says. “Last summer it was too much rain at the wrong time. Another year it was hail. Other years things work out great.”

FOLLOWING THE LAWFederal farm and food regulations add to the work. Muskmel-

on plants are more fragile than watermelons and are more suscep-tible to heat stress and disease. Th ey also require more care — and work — in handling.

By law, the Kammans must wash muskmelons as part of USDA Good Agriculture Practice requirements before they can be marketed.

BY DAN DAVIS | PHOTOS BY ANGELA JACKSON

HOMESTEADS

Made toGROW MELONS

Kamman family proud to be fourth generation farming in Jackson County

Mark Kamman (center) and his 7-year-old son,

Colby, work with the crew in the melon

fi elds. Below, Mark and Sue Kamman

instruct employees about preparing the

watermelons for packaging.

FARM INDIANA | August 2012 11

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Watermelons lead the demand among melons.“Demand worldwide and in the U.S. is 10 to one for watermelons

compared to others,” Kamman says. “Th ere’s a huge demand.”And is that demand tilted more toward seeded or seedless melons?“By far, people want seedless watermelons,” Mark says.Th at consumer preference drives a change in how producers such

as the Kammans raise their crops.Years ago, melon farmers started most if not all of their plants by

seed in late winter for transplanting in the spring.Now, seed vendors almost require that producers buy plants di-

rectly from them.“Th ey have better quality control for their products,” Mark says.Th e Kammans don’t mind. It’s less work, less cost and requires

less space for starting melon plants.The family is among six or seven active producers in the Val-

lonia area, a number that’s down from 25 to 30 back in the 1950s, Mark estimates.

“Th ere’s not many of us left ,” he adds. “Probably a quarter of what there used to be.”

Th ose current half dozen producers are basically farming the same number of acres, however, if not a little more.

“You have to have the volume to make any money,” Mark says. “And not a lot of people care to do this kind of work.”

According to the Indiana 2002 Ag Census, the Kammans were among 250 Hoosier farms involved in melon production.

Th ose farmers produced $34 million in income on 3,000 acres of muskmelons and 7,200 acres of watermelons in 2003, according to Purdue University.

Love and faith sustain the Kammans’ passion for their work.“Last year, it was too wet, but then God shut off the rain and we

had a good crop,” Sue says. “It’s a rewarding thing we do. Watching the plants grow, produce their fruit and then picking it — we see the work of God up close every day.”

“And it brings us closer as a family,” Mark adds. “We have a good family life.”

Th e family works and struggles and celebrates together, Sue says.Is there anything else they’d rather do now instead?“No,” Sue says quickly and emphatically, her blue eyes fi xed as

she shakes her head.

The Kamman family

WHO Sue and Mark Kamman

WHAT They produce watermelon, muskmelon, sweet corn and other fruits and vegetables

WHERE On their farm in the Vallonia area

FAMILY Their two sons, Josh, 21, and Colby, 7, and Sue’s mother, Elizabeth Toppe, also help out on the farm

IS IT RIPE?

Jackson County watermelon farmer Mark Kamman says he’s right about 90 percent of the time on whether a melon is ripe.

“It’s an eye thing,” he says.Kamman watches for the sheen of watermel-

ons to dull.“They’ll become more like a fl at paint, and the

stripes will broaden and dull.”He adds some people judge by the little curl

or tendril where the melon sets on the plant.“If it’s dried out, it’s ready,” he says.As for muskmelon, Sue Kamman, his wife, sug-

gests that consumers look for a purple tinge that the melons can develop.

“That usually means the sugar content is high and it’s a good melon,” she says.

“And I’ve never seen that purple on one that isn’t ripe,” Mark adds.

FAST FACTS

About 70 percent of melons produced in Indiana and Illinois grow in and around Knox County, in southwestern Indiana, according to the Illiana Watermelon Association.

Among the 50 states, Indiana ranked fi fth in muskmelon and sixth in watermelon production in 2003, according to Purdue University.

Combined, Hoosier farmers harvested 10,200 acres of melons in 2003, producing $34 million in revenue, Purdue reports.

The majority of Hoosier melons are grown in Daviess, Gibson, Jackson, Knox and Sullivan counties, Purdue says. Some melons are also grown in Bartholomew County.

FARM INDIANA | August 2012

Th e Armands, mar-ried since 1990, have been especially in-volved in their com-munity over the years. Th ey received the Hoo-sier Hospitality Award in 2004 for their work with agri-tourism. Nearly 100 percent no till, Albert’s farming techniques and use of products like Landoil

have also earned him several conservation awards, including con-servation farmer of the year for 2007.

Th e couple have served on several area boards, including those associated with the Purdue Extension Offi ce and the Decatur County Fair. Th eir daughters have also been involved with the South Decatur Future Farmers of America chapter.

Th e Armand family has raised livestock for generations. Accord-ing to Albert, the cow herd can be traced back to the 1940s, when his grandparents fi rst moved to the area. He remembers his father saying he cannot recall a time when there weren’t hogs on the farm.

Th e hogs and cattle are bred and raised in open areas with as many comforts as possible, from mud holes to lie in to misters in the buildings designed to keep them cool.

According to Albert, most of their meat sales are conducted in the fall. He says if someone orders a pig, they deliver it to the locker for the customer. Likewise, beef orders also are delivered to a li-censed locker for processing.

Albert says his livestock is generally kept away from the public aspect of his farm for a couple of reasons. First, he doesn’t want to run the risk of the animals being accidentally exposed to disease. And, secondly, it is a matter of safety.

“When you have livestock around, it can, on occasion, get through a gate or a fence,” he says. “And so it’s also a safety issue if we have too much livestock around where we have a crowd of people.”

Prior to harvest one year, a lot of rain fell. Unable to regularly get into the fi elds to pick pumpkins for his wholesale customers, Albert harvested several pumpkins and built a pile beside the road. Th e stack of pumpkins, and ease with which he could load them onto his truck for delivery, inadvertently drew the attention of passersby.

“People started stopping by and saying, ‘Hey, can we buy a pumpkin?’” Albert says. “And the next thing we know, we have a sign that says, ‘Pumpkins $1.50 a piece.’”

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➡ Harper Valley Family Farms is a true family farm.Located on the western side of Decatur County, the 57-acre farm

is owned by Albert and Diane Armand. Named for an 1800s rail-way station and depot built by a local business man named Harper, the farm sits on what was once the railway’s stockyard.

In 1941, the construction of Jeff erson Proving Ground forced Albert’s grandparents, Frank and Molly, to move from their home near Butlerville to Westport. Th e couple lived on and farmed the land across the road from where the Armands’ farm sits today. When Albert’s parents, George and Onalee, married, they also settled down on a 40-acre farm nearby.

In 1980, while he was still in high school, Albert bought the land he and his family farm today.

“We’ve been here forever,” says Albert, a 1985 graduate of Purdue University with a degree in agricultural economics.

Diane, also a graduate of Purdue, says she grew up on a farm and never saw herself as one who would live on a farm as an adult.

“I’ve got three brothers and sisters who have degrees in agricul-tural economics,” says Diane. “And I’m the only one who farms.”

Th e crowd and demand grew exponentially. Short on pumpkins one year, Diane asked people if they would mind going out into the fi eld to see if there were any pumpkins out there they’d like to pur-chase. Th e next thing the Armands knew, there were cars coming the next year just to go to the fi eld.

Th e crowds became so large, they invested in a few garden carts for those who wanted to walk back through the fi eld.

“Next thing we know, we’ve got enough people coming that we can no longer let cars go to the fi eld,” Albert says. “We have a fl eet of yellow yard wagons.”

Th e Armands’ pumpkin patch offi cially opened in 1994.Albert’s business ventures haven’t ended there. He is a dealer

of Landoil, a soybean product, used to improve the penetration of herbicides on weeds and insects, while reducing the chemical drift associated with herbicide use. He is also a distributor of Hubbard-Wayne Feeds, based in Ohio.

“I see a lot of opportunities in farming in the future,” he says. “We have the local food movement giving small operations more opportunities to grow their incomes on small acreages.”

Th e Armands participate in several area farmers markets, including Columbus and Greensburg. He says his wife and daughters, Ellie and Lexie, work at the markets while he stays home to harvest more crops.

Although he doesn’t get to attend the markets as much as he’d like, Albert says when he does go, he sees a pattern.

“I see a lot of people that aren’t buying so much because it is lo-cal but because they get a better quality product, a better fl avored product than what they normally get in the store,” he says. “Th at isn’t to downplay the role of the supermarket, but when you come to the farmers market, you are going to get something that has a little diff erent fl avor and is a little fresher than what you normally fi nd in stores.”

According to Albert, most farmers want to sell a product they would be proud to put on their own table. He says he and his family approach things the same way when they participate in area markets.

“When you walk up to our booth, regardless of where you’re at, if you see something for sale in our booth it was either grown by us or a member of our family,” Albert says.

Of the Armands’ three children, Will enjoys everything about farming and hopes to one day continue to farm like his father.

Th eir oldest daughter, Ellie, says most of her work on the farm has been concentrated in the produce operation. Planting, picking and marketing produce have been her main area of focus during the summer months.

“When I was younger, it frustrated me that I had to spend my weekends and breaks working on the farm,” she says. “In the end,

BY JENNIFER WILLHITE | PHOTOS BY ANGELA JACKSON

From livestock to pumpkins, Armand family sells only what it raises

IN THE LAND

HOMESTEADSThe Armand family, from left, Albert, Lexie,

Will, Ellie and Diane.

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FARM INDIANA | August 2012 13

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though, growing up on the farm has provided me with many op-portunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Currently a student at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Ellie says she doesn’t see herself making a career in farm-ing. Instead, she hopes to one day work in advertising.

Both Lexie, 16, and Will, 13, agree it is the authentic farm experi-ence that brings people back to Harper Valley Family Farms year aft er year.

“Th ey know we grow all our products,” says Lexie. “If they come to the pumpkin patch, they are on a real functioning farm where they can see where everything was grown.”

Albert acknowledges that the local food movement has aff ected the area agricultural economy. He says the movement is enabling local farmers to increase their income using less land, while off er-ing area consumers a fresh, tastier product. He considers it a win-win for all involved. And his family’s farm is just one of many mak-ing a diff erence.

“Th is is a true family farm where you will fi nd most of the people who are here working and the owners have some kind of a blood tie,” Albert says. “My hope is that we see an increasing opportunity for younger people to return to the family farm, as the rest of us continue to age.”

The Armand family

WHO Albert and Diane Armand

WHAT They produce corn, soybeans, wheat, squash, hay and pumpkins. Their livestock consists of pigs and cattle.

WHERE On the west side of Decatur County near Westport.

FAMILY Daughters, Ellie, 19, and Lexie, 16; and a son, Will, 13.

FARM INDIANA | August 2012

and manufacturer’s label rates will be fol-lowed when applying herbicides.

CONSIDERATIONSStrip disking should be planned for the

least erosive parts of fi elds and not in places where gully formation is a problem.

CAUTION: Disking in the late fall on highly erosive sites may cause erosion to occur over the winter months. Consider broadcasting one-half bushel of winter wheat per acre to reduce erosion potential.

Consider seeding a mixture of forbs and legumes into areas that have been strip disked. See NRCS CRP Program Job Sheet Mid-Contract Management: Inter-seeding http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/pro-grams/CRP/crphomepage.html for addi-tional guidance.

Consider spot-spraying areas in advance of disturbance where noxious weeds, such as Canada thistle and Johnsongrass, or other invasive species, such as Reed Ca-narygrass, exist. Th is will reduce the po-tential for unintentional establishment of these species by disking.

Consider the habitat needs of the target wildlife species. Areas disked in late sum-mer or early fall will tend to stimulate the production of hard-seeded plants such as common ragweed. Th ese species provide excellent brood-rearing cover and winter food for quail and pheasants.

Disking in low, wet areas currently dominated by sedges should be avoided because these areas of-ten add additional plant diver-sity to the site.

Where the existing vegeta-tion is extremely thick, tall, or rank, consider fi rst using pre-scribed burns, herbicides, or mowing on those areas where disking will be performed.

Landowners should be wary of tile blowholes, groundhog

holes, fallen tree limbs and other hazards that may have developed since they were last in the fi eld.

Aft er strip disking is complete, consider planting wheat at a rate of one bushel per acre. In addition to adding food and habitat structure, wheat may suppress grass growth and increase forbs resulting in longer-term wildlife benefi ts.

Cost share assistance is available for per-forming your management practices. Fol-lowing the above guidelines should ensure proper maintenance, off er control of un-wanted vegetation and enhance the wildlife benefi ts of the practice. Contact your local FSA offi ce for further advice or clarifi cation.

Troy Hill is county executive director of Bartholomew County Farm Service Agency.

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➡ Conservation Reserve Program policy requires newly enrolled participants, start-ing with General Signup 26, to do some type of “disturbance” to certain CRP prac-tices during the life of the contract to ben-efi t wildlife, especially bobwhite quail.

Now is the time to begin planning per-formance of this practice where required.

In this article I will discuss one of the primary Mid-Contract Management op-tions available: strip disking. Normally, MCM activities are conducted between the fourth and seventh year of the contract. However, on land with existing cover, dis-turbance activities can begin as soon as technically feasible.

Once established, grassland fi elds need to be managed so that grasses do not crowd out the forbs and/or legumes over time.

In the absence of disturbance, the compo-sition of grassland communities will change over several years through normal plant succession. Th e vegetative structure changes as annual forbs and legumes are replaced by perennial forbs, grasses and eventually, woody plants. Changes also occur structur-ally, as bare ground declines, litter accumu-lates and vegetation density increases. Th ese changes lead to a decline in wildlife benefi ts.

Th e purpose of Mid-Contract Manage-ment activities is to enhance the wildlife habitat value of the enrolled acres by in-creasing the amount of bare soil under the grass canopy and by encouraging a diverse forb/legume community.

Forbs (any broadleaf plant) and legumes in grasslands are benefi cial to birds, insects such as butterfl ies and other wildlife. Strip

disking is an eff ective management tool that can be utilized where vegetation has become too thick to benefi t the target species.

Disking is especially helpful for main-taining brood-rearing habitat for bobwhite quail, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant and other early successional grassland wildlife species.

Th e insects associated with annual weed communities provide critical nutrients, in-cluding protein, and essential amino acids for growing nestlings and chicks. Reduced plant residue, along with bare ground, are also critical for young chick mobility in grassland areas.

Th e structural diversity that results from disking also improves habitat for a variety of grassland songbirds, including dickcis-sels, bobolinks and savannah sparrows.

Many of these species have experienced population declines over the last several de-cades. Disking enhances habitat quality be-cause it inhibits woody growth, promotes favored seed producing plants, reduces plant residue, increases bare ground, and increases insect abundance.

SPECIFICATIONSTh e following are specifi cations for strip

disking on CRP acreage: Grassland fi elds must be established for

a minimum of three years before initiating strip disking, and strips will not be disked more than once in a two-year period.

Table 1 shows the maximum amount of area that can be disturbed by Mid-Contract Management activities in a given number of years. However, to maximize wildlife benefi ts, participants may opt to perform MCM on one-third of the area each of three years if they so choose.

Strip disking will be avoided on environ-mentally sensitive areas including:

• Concentrated fl ow areas• Critical areas• Acreage within the fi rst 20 feet

of a practice that borders a water resource to avoid water quality resource concerns

• Other areas where gully erosion is likely

Environmentally sensitive areas will be marked on the plan map to ensure Mid-Contract Management activities are avoid-ed on these areas.

Disking of grassed waterways, riparian forest buff ers or areas planted to trees and/

or shrubs is not allowed.Disking operations will not be per-

formed from March 1 through July 15 for contracts prior to 2007, and from April 1 through Aug. 1 for contracts starting in 2008, to protect the primary nesting period for grassland bird species. It is also recom-mended, but is not required, to delay disk-ing until aft er Aug. 15 to reduce the chance of harming fl edgling birds and other young wildlife.

Strip disking operations will be per-formed along fi eld contours, or across the slope, when practical.

Erosion from disked strips will not ex-ceed tolerable limits.

Strips will parallel brushy or woody es-cape cover when feasible.

All federal, state and local guidelines

➡ Calling all agricultural enthusiasts! Check out Greensburg’s Power of the Past.

Founded in 1989, the club was organized to preserve agricultural history and heritage. Th e club’s 550 mem-bers are collectors of antique machinery, including trac-tors, combines and cultivators, used in days gone by.

Members gather once a year, during the third week-end in August, at the Decatur County Fairgrounds in Greensburg.

Th e event is intended to showcase antique farming equipment and educate people about the history, social and technological contributions made by the farming community. According to its website, the club’s mission is “to preserve a part of our heritage for all generations and historians to enjoy.”

Th e event draws agricultural enthusiasts from all over the United States. Attendees may attend demon-strations and talks or just wander around the nearly 50 acres of exhibits, fl ea markets and vendor booths. Th is year’s event will be held Aug. 16 to 19.

“We call it the annual reunion of people, collectors who get together to swap stories and talk about what they are fi nding and collecting,” says President Tom Cherry. “Back when this started, the collection and res-toration of tractors and machinery was a little easier.”

At one time, Cherry says, fence rows all over the country were the resting place of abandoned, broken and worn-out tractors and machinery. But that was years ago. Anymore, he says it is rare to fi nd such trea-sures since scrap prices have increased, and many col-lectors have already rescued most of the old machinery worth restoring.

Jill Fuel, treasurer, has been involved with the club for nearly 20 years. She fi nds the most enjoyment from the stories members tell.

“I enjoy seeing the pride people have on their faces when they talk about the equipment they own,” she says. “A lot of older people can tell some great stories about using the equipment growing up.”

Fuel says the organization plays an important role in the community by showing young people pieces of history they may otherwise only read about in text-books. Acknowledging the group has consistently grown over the years, she says they try to add some-thing new every year.

Each year, diff erent pieces of machinery are featured. Th is year will spotlight an Oliver & Case tractor, Case & Reeves steam engine and a Hercules hit & miss engine.

Individuals interested in showing a piece of equip-ment are encouraged to do so. Th ey must register upon arrival at the fairgrounds and pay a $5 membership fee.

Opening this year’s event will be a benefi t breakfast to kick off the weekend. Scheduled for 8 a.m. Th ursday, tickets are $20 in advance and may be purchased at the fairgrounds and the Decatur County Community Foundation on the square in downtown Greensburg.

According to Cherry, Power of the Past hosts one of the biggest consignment auctions around for agricul-tural items. Additional events include a toy show; fi ddle contest; and bluegrass, old country and gospel music.

Primitive and non-primitive camping is also available. Proceeds from Power of the Past’s annual events are

given back to the community through several charita-ble organizations, including the Decatur County Future Farmers of America, the Wishard Burn Center in In-dianapolis and Hospice of Decatur County.

For additional information, contact Tom Cherry at 812-593-8977 or online at greensburgpoweroft hepast.com.

CP21 CP33 ALL OTHER CP PRACTICES

MAXIMUM AREA TO BE DISTURBED

½ of the area each of 2 years, or total

area in 1 year

½ of the area each of 3 years

½ of the area each of 2 years

½ of the area each of 3 years

½ of the area each of 2 years, or

total area in 1 year

5 ACRES OR MORE

5 ACRES OR LESS

Table 1

nced l de-y be-otes

Bobwhite quailBY TROY HILL

MID-CONTRACT MANAGEMENT FOR

Conservation Reserve Program BY JENNIFER WILLHITE

POWER OF THE PAST showcases agricultural history

3 3

FARM INDIANA | August 2012 15

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Call Decatur County Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. for a quote.

We have been in business since 1878 and serve Decatur and surrounding counties.

Call 812-663-2105 for your farmowner, homeowner or auto insurance quote today.

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JULY 25-28Jackson County Fair, Brownstown.

JULY 28 Reeves Pancake Breakfast, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the historic Breeding Farm. This year’s event will feature a silent auc-tion, tours of the Breeding home, music, crafts and games for the whole family, plus an all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage meal. Tickets $10 in advance at the Bartholomew County History Center, 524 Third St., and $12 day of the breakfast. Children 9 and under $5. For directions and more information: 372-3541 or bartholomewhistory.org.

JULY 30–AUG. 4Brown County Fair, Nashville.

JULY 28 Area I Tractor/Lawn Garden Contest, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Decatur County Fairgrounds, 545 S. Road 200W, Greens-burg. Information: Heather Millett, 812-663-8388, hmillett@purdue.edu.

AUG. 2-5The Pioneer Engineers Club annual reunion, Caldwell Pioneer Acres, 3 miles south of Rushville just off Indiana 3. $5 for all four days. Camping information: erhurst@yahoo.com; reunion information: www.pioneerengineers.com or Brian Vaughn, 812-346-7640.Aug. 3-19 — Indiana State Fair. Information: www.in.gov/statefair/fair/index.html.

AUG. 16-19Greensburg Power of the Past machinery show. Decatur County Fairgrounds. Information: greensburgpoweroft-hepast.com.

AUG. 17-18Jackson County Rodeo. 7:30 p.m., Plumer Hay Farm, 2746 E. Road 800N. Information: Laura, 812-569-4414.

AUG. 18Versailles Lions Club Farm Equipment and Consignment Sale. 9 a.m., Ripley County Fairgrounds, Osgood. Will begin accepting consignment items Aug. 4 (absolutely no house-hold goods). To consign: 812-571-4115.

OCT. 24-27 National FFA Convention, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Home food preservation classesDo you enjoy or want to learn about canning and freezing fruits and vegetables,

making homemade jams and jellies, trying your hand at pickling foods?You have an opportunity to take the Master Food Preserver course.Purdue Extension Central District is offering a series of classes on safe food

preservation techniques through the Master Food Preserver Program in Franklin. Purdue Extension Area VI Consumer & Family Science Educators will provide the instructional course work and preservation labs.

The Master Food Preserver course will be offered in Area VI on the following dates from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Scott Hall on the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 100 Fairgrounds St., Franklin.

Aug. 15 — Food Safety & Freezing FoodAug. 22 — Boiling Water ProcessAug. 29 — Pressure CanningSept. 5 — Pickling and Drying FoodsSept. 12 — Jams and JelliesEach session consists of lecture including hands-on laboratory food preservation

activities. Participants will take home some product from each lab session.For more information or to register: Linda Souchon, lsouchon@purdue.edu, 317-

736-3724. Cost is $130 for the fi ve-day course and includes Master Food Preserver Notebook, preservation resource and lab materials. Deadline for registration is 4:30 p.m. Aug. 3. Class size is limited to seven people.

Mineral rights workshopIndiana Farm Bureau will host “Mineral Rights:

Knowing Your Rights Underground,” for those interested in learning more about the laws and regulations affecting mineral extraction.

“Although Indiana has a long history of mineral extraction, some recent developments have increased the need for landowners to carefully evaluate and understand the agreements they enter into,” said Mark Thornburg, director of IFB’s legal affairs team.

The seminar, held Aug. 2 at Vincennes University, will offer landowners a look at regulations, land leasing tips, and how to protect personal rights, among other topics. Shale gas development activity, coal bed methane considerations, and carbon dioxide and natural gas storage opportunities will all be covered.

The program will be focused toward the interest of landowners; however, attorneys who represent landowners may fi nd the information benefi cial. In addition, continuing legal education credits are being sought for the program.

The Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation and CountryMark Cooperative are seminar partners.Cost of the program is $10. For more information contact Maria Spellman at 317-692-7840.

Visit www.infarmbureau.org, under the Events menu to register.

Drainage school Indiana Farm Bureau’s “Drainage School,”

a seminar focusing on Indiana drainage issues, will take place on Aug. 29 at IFB’s home offi ce in downtown Indianapolis.

The seminar’s purpose is to promote an understanding of the laws and regulations that control drainage laws and dispute resolutions. It is open to farmers, public offi cials, agency personnel, attorneys and members of the public. Continuing education credit is being sought for attorneys.

This year’s seminar features federal and local regulatory issues, funding and wetlands. Sessions include assessing benefi ts and damages, federal jurisdiction and concerns for agriculture.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the program runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Lunch is provided. Registration will be accepted until Aug. 10 or until the program is fi lled, whichever comes sooner. Those interested are encouraged to register early due to limited space. Registration is not complete without payment, and there will be no refunds after Aug. 10.

Registration is $50 and can be found online at www.infarmbureau.org under the Events menu. Anyone with questions may contact Maria Spellman, 317-692-7840 or mspellman@infarmbureau.org.

— Staff Reports

Calendar of eventsAt the fair

MinInd

Knowintereregula

“Aextracincreaevaluenterlegal

ThUniveregulpersogas dconsigas s

Thinterereprebenecredi

PHOTO BY MADELINE HODEK

Marcella Whipker refi lls the water bowls in the chicken pens at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair.PHOTO BY MADELINE HODEK

Cody Schoettmer, 8, of Greensburg rides his ATV through the water trap during the timed obstacle course at the Decatur County Fair.PHOTO BY GREG JONES

Kenna Maschino, 9, wins Grand Champion in the Dairy Heifer division at the Jennings County Fair.

FARM INDIANA | August 2012