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LAST-MINUTES MUSINGS: Talk to a farmer – you just might learn something
Fair fatigue is a real thing.
This is especially true here in the ol’ BG newsroom, where eight days of fair fun stretch into three weeks of typing and publishing fair results. (See Friday's final set of 4-H results in the special B section.)
So it is that in 16 summers here in Greencastle, I had never attended the Indiana State Fair, coming as it does directly on the heels of our Putnam County Fair — or in this year’s case, actually overlapping by a day.
But the truth is, I love a good fair, having spent 20-some years involved with the Warren County 4-H Fair, first as little brother, then as 4-H’er for 10 years, later as a volunteer.
Also when I was a kid, Mom and Dad frequently took me to the Indiana State Fair, which is a whole different ballgame — concerts with big-name artists, deep-fried everything, Dole Whips and literally thousands of head of livestock.
So it was with some joy that I noted that the Hodgen family of Roachdale was set to be the Featured Farmer presented by Corteva Agriscience on Friday, Aug. 5 at the State Fair.
“A good reason to get out of the office for a day and enjoy myself,” I thought.
So I thanked Abe, Paul and Jennie Hodgen when I greeted them at the Glass Barn Education Center shortly before their Featured Farmer Talk.
Though these three were the featured speakers at the afternoon session, they were also joined by matriarch Shirley, as well as the youngest generation of Hodgens — Katie, Sidney, Karlee and Ryan.
Here’s the thing about a day at the State Fair, though: It should be a lot of fun but you’re doing it wrong if you don’t learn something along the way.
That was certainly the case for me, particularly the time I spent listening to the Hodgens talk about what life is like on their farm.
I’ve talked to the Hodgens before, as well as other farmers, but I had never thought about one particular aspect of production agriculture that’s a lot like journalism.
“It’s neat to see how every year something is different that we get to work through,” Paul said.
“Start the day with a list and be flexible,” was the advice Jennie gave, “because the day is not always going to go as you expected.”
This is right in line with a sentiment I’ve heard Eric Bernsee express a thousand times about our line of work — on any given day, you can come in and be very productive while never once touching the task on which you thought you’d spend your time.
More to the point, though, the Hodgens had some interesting things to say about the advancing technology involved in agriculture.
“I have seen a lot of technology advancements. I’m about a half a generation too old to have really readily adapted to a lot of the technology,” Abe said. “But most of the stuff, give me two days with it and don’t change it, and I’m good for the rest of the month and the season.”
One place in which the advancing nature of technology was particularly noted was in the ever-increasing use of soybeans, the crop for which the Hodgens were considered Friday’s featured farmers, though it was noted they also raise corn, wheat, cattle, llamas and “some rambunctious children.”
“One of the things we get asked is, ‘Why soybeans?’” Paul said in a video featured at the Glass Barn and available at https://tinyurl.com/4cj9u9dh. “And it’s because they’re so amazing. We can make so many different things out of them.”
“Every day we wake up and find out there’s a new use for something in the ag community,” Jennie said. “And we’ve certainly seen that in the soybean.”
“As we’re going to see over time, the things we’re going to be able to make out of soybeans is going to continue to improve,” Paul added. “So here on our farm specifically, we will be raising more soybeans than any other crops because there’s just so many things we can do with a soybean that we can’t do with any other crops.”
Of particular note in the video is the use of soybean oil in concrete sealants that can add a decade or more to the life of bridges and other concrete structures.
Both soybeans and corn are now also used for fuel, a point that Abe made sure to address in the chat.
“Ethanol is a very controversial subject,” he said. “People think that ethanol robs food. In my opinion it really does not.”
He went on to note how, even with much of the corn they raise going into the ethanol process, the byproducts of ethanol production are still used to as a food source for the cattle, thus still supporting the production of food.
“The corn in our ethanol is quite versatile in the overall scheme of things,” Abe said. “I think that’s a point that’s not always understood.”
All three also wanted to note the steps they take to take care of the land as well as consumers.
“We talk a lot about all the conservation practices we practice on the farm and the stewardship for land and for animals,” Paul said. “Our top priority is making sure the farm we have today can be used by future generations. I don’t know of a single farmer or colleague who’s in the production ag business that that’s not their top priority — to care for the environment, the land and the stewardship that goes with that.”
“It’s very important to me that I leave a legacy of being an honest man who did a good job and in everything I do, trying to think of the grandkids,” Abe said.
Finally, Jennie invited consumers to talk to a farmer if they have concerns.
“We want to enjoy what you’re eating and not worry,” she said. “And if you do have questions, come ask, because we’re trying to produce food that we can feed to our family and our kids and we hope that you enjoy it as well.
“Thank you for eating the food that we’re producing.”
It’s an open invitation we could all take, particularly here in Putnam County, where a farmer isn’t too hard to find. Drive a few minutes in any direction.
And if you do find yourself at the Indiana State Fair (it continues through Aug. 21, except for Monday and Tuesday), take in all the fun it has to offer, but make sure to stop by the Glass Barn on the north side of the track.
You’ll have a chance to hear from a farmer, and you just might learn something in the process.
Click here for more observations from the 2022 Indiana State Fair.