The 2016 Indiana Farm Management Tour will visit Jasper and Newton counties June 23-24.

Michael Langemeier of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture is a coordinator for the driving tour. He says the tour will begin at noon June 23 and continue until early afternoon on June 24.

Five farms in northwest Indiana are featured on this year’s tour, which is sponsored by the Purdue University Ag Economics Department and the Indiana Farm Management Association. Last year’s tour visited farms in Jay and Adams counties in northeast Indiana.

The five stops for 2016 are:

1. Remington Farms, operated by Quentin Overbeck

2. Klemp Farms, with Bob and Andy Klemp

FARM TOUR FEATURE: The 2016 Indiana Farm Management tour will visit Fair Oaks Farms. Here is a view of part of the methane digester system, which helps convert manure into methane.

3. Kingma Farms, with Jim and Mark Kingma

4. Styck Family Farms, with Cody Styck and family

5. Fair Oaks Farms, operators of Fair Oaks Dairy

The Fair Oaks tour stop will concentrate on the methane digester, which creates methane gas from manure produced by the mega-dairy, Langemeier says.

This annual tour is a driving tour, which makes it possible for you to attend any or all of the farms. Directions will be available closer to the event. Contact your local county Extension office for more details about the tour.

Master Farmer banquet

The evening program of the tour will also be the 2016 Master Farmer banquet. Four new farm families will be named to Indiana’s list of Master Farmers. An honorary Master Farmer will also be inducted into the Master Farmer ranks.

A panel discussion with the new Master Farmers and a Purdue ag economist will follow the ceremony recognizing the award winners.

For reservation information for the Master Farmer banquet, contact the Purdue Ag Alumni office. The Master Farmer program is co-sponsored by Indiana Prairie farmer and the Purdue University College of Agriculture.