June 6, 2005
Farm Management Tour will feature entrepreneurs
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 2005 Indiana Farm Management Tour will take place June 28-29 and will include visits to southern Indiana farms in Clark and Scott counties.
In addition to farm management education, this year's tour participants will learn about each stop's particular human resource and entrepreneurship aspects.
"These farmers have aligned themselves with current issues in agriculture, one being local economic development," said tour coordinator Alan Miller. "In addition, these farms have also found ways to keep their families involved in farming."
The tour will begin on June 28 with a 1 p.m. stop at the Comer farm in Scott County, which will feature more traditional tour topics of grain farming and working with different landowners. How to manage and organize a multigenerational business also will be discussed. Chris Hurt, Purdue University Extension marketing specialist, will speak at 3:30 p.m. on the outlook for crops and livestock.
The June 28 evening program, which will begin at 6:30 p.m., leads into the following day's stops. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman will speak at Scottsburg Senior High School on issues such as agritourism, agricultural economic development and rural economic development in Indiana.
Tour stops and topics on June 29 include:
• Koetter Woodworking Inc. and The Forest Discovery Center. Starting at 8:30 a.m., visitors will have the chance to watch dry lumber be processed and tour the Discovery Center to learn about the importance of forest management. Operated by the Koetter family, the company produces hardwood cabinet components and flooring materials.
• Huber's Orchard & Winery. Mini-tours beginning at 10 a.m. will showcase the on-farm market, bakery and ice cream facilities, the wine cellar and distillery area, and the orchard and petting zoo.
• Joe Huber Family Farm. Lunch will be served at noon. The Huber family will share their management story beginning at 12:45 p.m., and then participants may tour the daylily garden, corporate outings business and barnyard.
The Farm Management Tour, which is free and open to the public, will go on rain or shine. For those wanting to eat lunch at the Joe Huber Family Farm and Restaurant, there is a $10 meal charge for adults, $6 for children ages 4-12, and children ages 3 and younger are free. For more information, call 1-888-EXT-INFO or send e-mail inquiries to millerwa@purdue.edu.
The Indiana Farm Management Tour is sponsored by Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics, the Purdue Extension Service and the Indiana Farm Management Association.
Writer: Jennifer Culy, 494-8402, jculy@purdue.edu
Source: Alan Miller, 494-4203, millerwa@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page
To the News Service home page