"Telling our family's story and helping to tell the story of agriculture in general is something I am extremely passionate about," says Heather Hill of Greenfield. "When I first heard about The Glass Barn, I didn't know quite what to expect, but I thought it was an awesome idea and I applauded the Indiana Soybean Alliance for the idea."
Heather's husband Marc is the fourth generation of his family to farm and raise hogs in Hancock County. Along with Marc's parents, Steve and Debi, they own and operate Hill Family Farms, a crop and hog operation. They are proud to be raising the fifth generation, their children Addison, Reese and Hadley.
The Indiana Soybean Alliance designed and built the Glass Barn so that Indiana State Fair attendees would be able to visit a farm virtually, meet an Indiana farmer and learn about where their food comes from. It debuted at the 2013 Fair and featured three Indiana farm families representing different areas of production agriculture.
Related: Glass Barn A Hit at Indiana State Fair
When first approached, like anyone, the Hill Family was a bit apprehensive – it isn't every day that a film crew shows up on the farm. But Hill says because of her passion for telling her farm' s story and educating others about agriculture, "I knew I had to say yes and didn't even think twice about it."
Once the idea sank in and the logistics worked out the rest of the family were great about it and in the end Hill thinks they even enjoyed the experience.
"For the most part, I would say it went better than planned. When they first talked about the live chats during the State Fair, I didn't think it would work to be honest, but it did. It amazes me what all you can do with technology," says Hill.
The family was excited to be asked to "host" visitors on their farm again during the 2014 Indiana State Fair and look forward to sharing their farm with those wanting to learn more about Indiana agriculture and the origin of their food.