La Porte County Row Croppers Host Ag Tour and Barbecue

PurPurdueLogoThe La Porte County Row Crop Food Producers, along with La Porte County Farm Bureau Young Farmers, conducted its annual ag tour and barbecue at Schafer Farms of La Crosse, on Wednesday, August 6. Started in 1976, the purpose of the agricultural tour and barbecue is to foster a greater appreciation for the county’s production agriculture and a better understanding between the rural and urban citizens of LaPorte County. Over 250 people from ag and non-ag businesses, academic institutions, elected officials and candidates for office, as well as former tour hosts, Row Crop and Farm Bureau members participated in the farm tour.

Participants learned about several aspects of agriculture during stops on the evening’s walking tour around Schafer Farms. They learned about the diversity of crops grown in La Porte County and represented on Schafer Farms (seed corn, commodity corn, specialty corn, soybean, hay and cucumbers) and how the grains are brought to the farm at harvest time, dried and stored in the state-of-the-art grain storage and handling system. Myron Schafer, a partner, explained that they are able to segregate the various grains so that specialty crops can be sold to companies like Cargill where they are used for special purposes. Jamie Meagher from Cargill, Inc., a company that purchases and processes specialty grains, described some of the special uses of waxy corn, including its use in the food industry as a starchy thickener. Vern Schafer, Myron’s brother and farm partner, displayed the covered and diked load-out area that is used for storing fertilizer and crop care chemical and filling sprayer and fertilizer tanks before going to the crop fields. Guests also learned from Bill Bohling, Vern’s son-in-law, about some of the equipment and technology that modern agriculture employs to help produce the abundant crops. Matt Schafer, Vern’s son, described the farm’s beef enterprise, which was started in 1952 by Matt’s grandfather, Harold Schafer. The cow herd of mostly Hereford breed of cattle uses only replacement heifers from within the herd; then uses high quality genetics to produce crossbred cattle with Hereford, Angus and Simmental influence, which is direct marketed for freezer beef.

After the tour, guests were treated to a pork chop dinner, prepared on site by Row Crop members. The menu also included fresh sweet corn and baked potatoes prepared at the farm under a shade tree, fresh salad, bread and ice cream treats. The meal was sponsored by local bank branches that support agriculture through their loans and financial services as well as local agricultural input suppliers and farm organizations.

A short program following the meal gave a chance for Greg Werner, Row Crop president, to acknowledge and thank the meal sponsors. He also invited the hosts, Schafer Familes, to describe their farming operation and its history. Myron described the importance of the business community that supplies needed inputs and supplies as well as those businesses that purchase what they produce on the farm. He said “whether it’s the veterinarian, tire dealer, machinery dealer or grain merchandiser, we are all business partners; what we do on our farm also impacts those we do business with.”

The Schafer family moved from Crown Point, IN, to this location near La Crosse in 1972. Besides growing the farming operation’s land base, they added irrigation and began raising specialty crops including seed corn, waxy corn, cucumbers and green beans. Schafers are also active in their local church, the La Porte County Row Crop Food Producers Team, local and county level 4-H club work, La Porte County and Indiana Farm Bureau, leadership on the La Porte County Co-op and Purdue Extension involvement. Schafer Farms maintains a website to describe their farming operation: www.schaferfarmsin.com.

Row Crop scholarships were also awarded during the evening to two recipients who are studying agriculture or a related field after high school. In cooperation with the Unity Foundation of La Porte County, which administers the scholarship endowment fund, scholarships were awarded to Ed Babinec of Michigan City, son of Edward and Julie Babinec, and Nolan Sampson of Union Mills, son of John and Dawn Sampson. Ed will be a junior this fall at Purdue University, West Lafayette, where he is pursuing a major in ag systems management; he is currently completing an internship with ADM in Camanche, Iowa. Nolan, who is a roommate of Ed’s, is also a junior at Purdue where he is majoring in Agricultural Economics. He plans to complete his BS degree in three years and return to the home farm. He has been busy this summer doing an internship with Agri-Gold and marketing freezer beef, helping on the farm and raising honeybees.

The Row Crop group works in cooperation with Purdue Extension – La Porte County to conduct this annual event. They also hold an annual business meeting in conjunction with La Porte County SWCD and invite La Porte County’s 4th grade students to learn about agriculture during Ag Days in January.