The Purdue University Farm Management Tour returns in grand form for 2021. The tour was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jim Mintert, director of the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture, says three outstanding Indiana farms will host visitors wanting to learn about farm and crop management on July 8-9. The tour will begin at 12:30 p.m. CDT at the Koester Brothers Farm near Wadesville in Posey County. Note that all times for the tour are central daylight, local time, one hour behind EDT.

The late-afternoon program on July 8 will honor the 2021 Master Farmers. The Master Farmer award program is sponsored by Indiana Prairie Farmer and the Purdue University College of Agriculture. It will begin at 3:30 p.m., and will be held at the New Harmony Inn in historic New Harmony, Ind. The event will include a panel discussion moderated by Mintert that will feature the new award recipients. This is your chance to learn more farm operations and management strategies from a group of Indiana’s outstanding farm managers.

On the morning of July 9, the tour will continue at Kron Farms near Evansville at 8:30 a.m. It will conclude at 1:30 p.m. at Seib Farms near Poseyville.

COVID-19 protocols will be followed at each stop. This is a driving tour, and you can attend any or all tour stops, including the Master Farmer event.

There is no charge for the tour or the Master Farmer program. However, registration is required. Register at purdue.ag/farmtour.

If you have questions about the tour or Master Farmer event, email [email protected] or call 765-494-7004. 

Mintert notes that a block of rooms for tour attendees is reserved at the New Harmony Inn. Mention the “Purdue Master Farmer event” when registering to receive a discounted rate.

Closer look

Here is a brief look at each of the three host farms:

Koester Brothers Farm, 11751 Diamond Island Road, Wadesville. Four brothers — Ray, Duane, Dale and James Koester — currently head this crop and dairy farm. The brothers are poised to transition the farm’s leadership to the next generation of family members soon. Four robotic milkers were installed in 2012. Koester Brothers prides itself on having a diversity of enterprises to maximize profitability and hedge against risk.

Kron Farms, 17245 Owensville Road, Evansville. Randy and Joyce Kron are first-generation farmers, although they credit both sets of parents for supporting them in their efforts. Their son, Ben, is now a partner in the operation. Joyce, Ben and longtime employee Steve Glazer handle day-to-day operations. Since 2016, Randy has served as president of Indiana Farm Bureau. The Kron farm features a recently built shop and various types of precision technology.

Seib Farms, 6801 High School Road, Poseyville. Mark and Wayne Seib provide senior leadership to this farm, which dates to 1898. This farm is also in the process of transitioning to the next generation of family members through a comprehensive transition plan. Mark has served off the farm in leadership positions at the state and national levels for soybean associations. Also, Seib Farms has long cooperated with agribusiness suppliers and others to conduct on-farm research. Recently, Seib Farms started using cover crops to sequester carbon on the farm.