New honorees will be added to the standing list of Master Farmers in Indiana during the Indiana Farm Management Tour evening program next week. Hal and Ty Brown will host the second stop on the tour on June 26. Afterwards, the Master Farmer program will take place in this new, spacious air-conditioned shop and tool storage facility.

The Brown's farm is located north of Frankfort. Consult your county Extension office for exact directions. The Master Farmer reception should begin around 5 p.m., following a general discussion on the farm. After, we'll reveal this year's recipients.

Gracious host: Ty Brown, Mulberry, will be one of the hosts for the Master Farmer awards program, held for the first time on a working family farm.

The program will also include a panel discussion about farm management techniques used by the master farmers. A Purdue specialist will serve as emcee and lead the discussion, which is designed to give you an up close and personal look at how these outstanding farm families manage their operations. Their stories will also appear in the July issue of Indiana Prairie Farmer.

There is no cost for the farm management tour, but there is a $25 per person charge for the Master Farmer dinner. Reservations for the meal must be made by June 19 by calling the Purdue Ag Alumni office at 765-494-8593.

The Master Farmer program started in the 1920s, but was discontinued due to the Great Depression, then restarted in 1968. Farmers and farm families have been honored every year since then. Previous winners are encouraged to come back and help welcome the new class of Master Farmers. There is never a shortage of farmers to consider for the award. The Purdue University College of Agriculture is now a co-sponsor in the award program.

The entire program, including the panel discussion, should conclude by about 8:30 p.m. So you won't have to make it a late night to get plenty of tips on farm management that might fit in your operation.