Agriculture News

April 14, 2016  

Purdue offers 10 beginning farmer tours statewide

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue's Beginning Farmer and Rancher program is offering new and aspiring farmers an opportunity to visit 10 Indiana agribusinesses and learn from Purdue Extension educators, producers and other experts about topics ranging from organic produce to aquaponics.

The series of tours runs from May through October and includes stops throughout the state.

"In our second year we are very excited to be able to expand the number of tours as well as the scope of the topics we will address," said Kevin Gibson, professor of botany and plant pathology and one of the leaders of Purdue's Beginning Farmer and Rancher team.

Tour stops and topics:

May 17: JT Shrimp, Wheatfield. Shrimp production, aquaponics and working with restaurants.

May 26: South Circle Farm, Indianapolis. Urban agriculture, organic farming and key tools for managing small-scale farming operations.

June 25: Silverthorn Farm, Rossville. Organic fruits and vegetables, pastured pork and working with restaurants.

July 10: Harvest Moon Flower Farm, Spencer. Flower production and selling at farmers markets.

July 14: Melon Acres, Oaktown. Community-supported agriculture and agritourism.

Aug. 16: Greystone Farm, Lawrenceburg. Pasture management and the production of pastured-raised meats, eggs, honey and herbs.

Sept. 8: Becker Farms, Mooreland. Multi-species grazing systems and producing your own feed for livestock and poultry.

Sept. 29: River Ridge Farm, Roann. Four-season vegetable farming, operating an on-farm store, and farm-to-school programs.

Oct. 7: Hawkins Family Farm, North Manchester. Poultry, hogs, cattle and vegetables and a discussion on processing meat.

Oct. 20: Fields of Agape, Carthage. Developing partnerships and infrastructure to support small grain farming.

Lunch will be provided during each tour.

The tours are free, but registration is required. Registration is now open for the first six tours at https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_group.asp?wk_group=BeginFarmer. Registration for the remainder of the tours will be available in early June on the same website.

For more information about the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program, or the farm tour schedule, contact Kevin Gibson at 765-496-2161 or kgibson@purdue.edu.

To join a mailing list to receive updates on the farm tours and other events planned by the Beginning Farmer team, send an email message to beginningfarmers@lists.purdue.edu.           

Writer: Darrin Pack, 765-494-8415, dpack@purdue.edu 

Source: Kevin Gibson, 765-496-2161, kgibson@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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