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2016 Master Farmers named from across Indiana

Four families are named Master Farmers, and an Honorary Master Farmer is awarded.

Tom Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

June 23, 2016

2 Min Read

You are about to meet the newest class of Indiana Master Farmers. Officially inducted at ceremonies during the Indiana Farm Management Tour, this new class features a variety of farming operations and a deserving Honorary Master Farmer.

While the crops they grow vary and the methods they use to produce them also vary, there are similarities. All of this year’s inductees are sharp managers in their own right. They pay attention to detail, track every penny spent on inputs when they can and have the courage to execute tough decisions after weighing the alternatives carefully.

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Like previous Master Farmers, they also place high value on family and on their communities. Each in their own way serves their communities, and often agriculture across the state, by contributing their unique talents to various causes and efforts. 

The Master Farmer program dates to the 1920s, but was discontinued during the Depression in the mid-1930s. It was revived in 1968, with awards presented annually since then.

Originated as a way to honor farmers by Prairie Farmer editors, today the program is co-sponsored by Indiana Prairie Farmer and the Purdue University College of Agriculture.

New inductees

The five families and individuals included in this year’s class are noted here.

Dan Gwin, Linden. Dan Gwin raises corn and specialty soybeans in Montgomery County. Until this year he raised specialty corn. Learn why economic analysis led him to make a major change in his operation for 2016. His spouse and farming partner is Donya Lester.

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Tom and Karen McKinney, Tipton. Tom McKinney says he has been farming since he was 7 years old. He and Karen have diversified with a number of farm-related ventures. Both also serve their community in major ways.

John and Nan Nidlinger, Decatur. This couple is so serious about financial analysis that even their lender says she learns from them, instead of the other way around. They’ve built up a family farming operation over time. Both have served in key roles in community organizations. John has served at state and national levels.

Don and Darci Zolman, Pierceton. The Zolmans have an unconventional farming operation in many ways, but it’s profitable all the same. They ask questions others pass by, and that often leads to new opportunities.

Bret Marsh, Indianapolis. Indiana’s state veterinarian is long overdue to be recognized as an Honorary Master Farmer. Yet this may be exactly the right time for him to receive this honor. Marsh was instrumental in leading the effort to contain avian flu that broke out in southwest Indiana earlier this year.

About the Author

Tom Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

Tom Bechman is an important cog in the Farm Progress machinery. In addition to serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer, Tom is nationally known for his coverage of Midwest agronomy, conservation, no-till farming, farm management, farm safety, high-tech farming and personal property tax relief. His byline appears monthly in many of the 18 state and regional farm magazines published by Farm Progress.

"I consider it my responsibility and opportunity as a farm magazine editor to supply useful information that will help today's farm families survive and thrive," the veteran editor says.

Tom graduated from Whiteland (Ind.) High School, earned his B.S. in animal science and agricultural education from Purdue University in 1975 and an M.S. in dairy nutrition two years later. He first joined the magazine as a field editor in 1981 after four years as a vocational agriculture teacher.

Tom enjoys interacting with farm families, university specialists and industry leaders, gathering and sifting through loads of information available in agriculture today. "Whenever I find a new idea or a new thought that could either improve someone's life or their income, I consider it a personal challenge to discover how to present it in the most useful form, " he says.

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