Past Events
Oct 17, 2022 7-8pm - SARE Grants - BIPOC Farmers Share their Expertise
Synopsis of the event
We heard from three BIPOC farmers (Vivian Muhammad, Joyce Randolph, and Lauren Volpp) who have received SARE grants in the past. SARE Farmer-Rancher Grants can fund on-farm trials of innovative sustainable farming ideas, and we want more Indiana farmers to apply for these grants! Grant applications are due each December.
Host / Co-hosts / Sponsors / Funders
Co-hosted by The Elephant Gardens, 3 Flock Farm, Legacy Taste of the Gardens, Faith CDC, HYFC, and Partners IN Food and Farming, with generous funding support from NCR-SARE.
Links to resources, recordings, additional events in the series, etc.
Webinar recording available here.
Oct 11, 2022 9am-3pm - Beginning Farmer Field Day: Pastured Poultry
Synopsis of the event
Over thirty farmers and ag professionals joined HYFC President Liz Brownlee and her husband, Nate, for a full day field day at their farm. This was their ninth year raising animals and selling meat at Nightfall Farm, where they rotationally graze 150 laying hens, 1800 meat chickens, and 175 turkeys each year, plus sheep and pigs. The walking tour of the farm let us look at three different shelter options for pastured poultry, plus different types of fencing, waterers, feeders, and brooders. We saw firsthand how rotational grazing (and labor) works for these different systems, and then retreated to the shade for lunch and a talk from NRCS Grazing Specialist Robert Zupancic about establishing pasture for poultry.
Host / Co-hosts / Sponsors / Funders
This field day was hosted by Purdue Extension and co-hosted by HYFC, Partners IN Food and Farming, Urban Soil, and NRCS, with financial support from SARE.
Oct 4, 2022 9:30-4pm - Beginning Farmer Field Day: Soil Health
Synopsis of the event
Over twenty farmers and ag professionals spent the day focused on working with beginning farmers around soil health, including:
Classroom: We dove into crop rotations with cover crops and reduced tillage management strategies, and Urban Soil introduced us to a new planning tool to select cover crop species and termination methods in vegetable systems.
Farmer Presentation: Lauren McAllister, beginning farmer and manager of Bloomington’s People’s Market shared about her SARE Project – “No Waste Mushroom Cultivation… for small-scale and urban farmers."
Tour: We toured Maple Hill Farm and learned from Elliot Dale about his farm’s approach to soil health, and how their practices have evolved over time. We walked the farm, and saw (and felt!) how they bring a new piece of land into crop production with cover crops and rotational grazing. We saw their low-till methods of bed preparation and management, as well as their season extension strategies.
Host / Co-hosts / Sponsors / Funders
This field day was hosted by Purdue Extension and co-hosted by HYFC, Partners IN Food and Farming, Urban Soil, and NRCS, with financial support from SARE.
Sept 7, 2022 - Beginning Farmer Field Day: Farm Finances and Farm Viability
Synopsis of the event
We spent a full day at Schoentrup Farms, gathering over thirty farmers and ag professionals to talk about money: how to know if you’re making any money, when to scale up, and what resources are out there for farmers who want to create financially viable businesses. Olivia and Paul Schoentrup led us on a tour of their 6-acre farm, where they raise chickens, cattle, and pigs on pasture. They’re working hard to show that a small farm like theirs can be genuinely profitable, so each stop focused on grazing practices as well as the financial pro’s and con’s of each animal group.
Host / Co-hosts / Sponsors / Funders
This field day was hosted by Purdue Extension and co-hosted by HYFC, Partners IN Food and Farming, Urban Soil, and NRCS, with financial support from SARE.
Sponsored by FarmBelt Financial, an Indiana based agricultural lender dedicated to family farms. They regularly work with FSA loans, and they want to see beginning farmers thrive.