Holmes County Farm Tour a great teaching tool for those near and far
What’s in your backyard?
OK, maybe not literally, but figuratively, are you familiar with some of the many businesses in your area that help make agriculture in Holmes County such a huge part of the county’s economy?
The annual Holmes County Farm Tour, sponsored by the Holmes County Farm Bureau, is designed to inform both local people and tourists about some of the many businesses that are directly and indirectly related to the agricultural world in Holmes County.
On Saturday, August 20, a four-plus mile trip provided a glimpse of several farms and businesses that make the agricultural wheels turn.
The 10-stop tour began at the Holmes County Fairground, taking a counter-clockwise trek around the northwestern portion of the county. The first stop was at Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, where families could take bucket rides, learn about electricity safety issues and operate a heavy machine crane drill. The company also served lunch to customers as part of their fundraiser for their Holmes County Relay for Life team, which walks for cancer awareness each year.
Craig Duncan, who has been with the company for more than three decades, was operating the energy safety display, teaching children and adults about the danger of live wires.
“Teaching people is a big part of what we do here,” said Duncan. “We’ve been busy since the morning, and it hasn’t really left off. We started at 6:45 this morning, and we have had people come in from around here, and people from Florida, Michigan, California, North Carolina... it’s been pretty fun, and we have had a blast meeting and greeting people and answering questions.”
One stop later at Paint Valley Farms, which showcased shorthorn cattle, including a newborn which came into the world three days earlier, patrons got a view of a large cattle farm, as well as a tour through Lee Miller’s other business, which makes parts for large machinery and ships all around the world.
Between giving tours of the distribution center and driving people into the field to see the shorthorn cattle and their babies, it would have been a busy enough day for Lee and Dawn Miller and their staff. But they chose to provide sandwiches, watermelon and water for patrons, as a way of keeping them around and interested.
“I think we have had everyone from complete farm novices to professional breeders come in today to check out the cattle,” said Miller. “We’ve talked about how we raise the cattle and how we do some of our embryo work and bull breeding. I think people have really enjoyed seeing the little babies up close.”
After stopping at Agri-Sludge Inc., which works hand-in-hand with area farmers to fertilize their fields, the next stop was Spring Hill Farm. When people think farm tours, this is probably what they envision.
A large, rolling, family-owned farm that has been in the Lang family since 1819, this 300-head milking farm features barns, cows, tractors, acres of corn, manure pits, the farmstead home... pretty much everything people think about when they think farming.
Tom Lang said they had a very nice turnout, and was pleased that they decided to go ahead and join in the tour.
“One thing we wanted to do was to be proactive and tell the story of our farm our own way,” said Lang. “Most of the people who stopped in here were not even farmers, they just were curious as to what takes place on the average milking dairy farm. We have had some very interesting questions from people, and it has been fun to interact and tell people about our farm.
“We had a lot of people from out of state, and some locals saw the tour advertised in The Bargain Hunter and decided to take the tour to see some of our agriculture from a little different perspective. We even had some people tell us that they had stopped off at other places not on the agenda, just because they looked interesting, and it made their experience more enriching.”
Just down the road, Carey and Elaine Hulin were answering questions about their pottery business, Holmes County Pottery. Cary was busy working on finishing up a number of thrown pieces throughout the day, which is always entertaining for patrons to watch.
“I think it is neat to be a part of this because it gives local people a chance to see what is in their own backyard,” said Elaine Hulin.
Stop seven was that of The Shepherd’s Market, an old family farm owned by Joseph and Marion Yoder, who not only provide local produce through their baskets of goodies through the community supported agriculture plan, in which they grow and distribute produce for families who are unable to grow their own fresh produce, but they also head up the Tri-County Beekeepers Association, and had several hives on hand for people to watch.
“This tour works so well because it not only promotes agriculture and serves as an educational tool for our county to show people what goes on here, it also helps us promote our own businesses, so it is a win-win for us all.”
While Joseph manned the store, Marion was giving tours every 30 minutes, taking patrons on a quick tour through the patches of asparagus, okra, herbs, Swiss chard, grapes and countless other produce products the farm grows for their CSA customers.
“It has been a steady job of giving tours since we started at around 9:30,” said Marion Yoder. “We have been living off the land all our lives, and this is Joseph’s family farm, so it is nice that we can share a little bit about what we do here with others. So many people don’t seem to know what goes into a lot of our agricultural businesses here, so this really is a great educational tool.”
Once the tour was done, patrons were off to the next stop, Spring Ridge Alpacas, when Denny and Connie Snell were showcasing their herd of beautiful animals.
In addition, Nancy Davenport, the Yarn Doctor, was busy spinning fleece and even allowed patrons to take a shot at it. The day was so hectic for Denny, who has spearheaded the tour the past five years, that he said he didn’t even have time to demonstrate his new invention, a hoist that allows owners to strap their animals in and raise them off the ground for easy access to either harvest their fleece or do other work on them.
“This has been a really good day,” said Snell. “We have really been busy, but it has been a good opportunity for us to share about our passion for raising alpacas, and what we do on the farm.”
The tour then moved its way to Loudonville, where patrons got a colorful look at how greenhouses play a vital role in the area economy. Sisters Rinda Sloan and Robin Volz gave tours and provided ample knowledge about how people can spruce up their homes and landscaping.
Oak Bridge Timber Framing, Ltd. and Mohican Parochial School rounded out the tour, providing a glimpse into the life of a small Amish parochial school that has been instrumental in educating countless students who have since gone on to the farming industry, as well as relating how the forest industry has been a big part of the agricultural outlook in the area for decades.
“I think overall we had a really good day,” said Snell. Considering the weather, which was a nice 70-plus degree day of sunshine without a lot of humidity, it was a perfect way to introduce Holmes County’s agriculture to those who hail from outside the area, while perhaps opening the eyes of the locals who learned a little bit about businesses that they may not have even known existed.
“It’s about education,” said Snell. “And hopefully along the way people who toured found out that not only is this area incredibly beautiful, but the people are some of the best anywhere.”
To see what the public thought of the tour, check out their story in this week’s Holmes County Journal, on newsstands now, or on our website at: http://www.holmescountyjournal.com.
OK, maybe not literally, but figuratively, are you familiar with some of the many businesses in your area that help make agriculture in Holmes County such a huge part of the county’s economy?
The annual Holmes County Farm Tour, sponsored by the Holmes County Farm Bureau, is designed to inform both local people and tourists about some of the many businesses that are directly and indirectly related to the agricultural world in Holmes County.
On Saturday, August 20, a four-plus mile trip provided a glimpse of several farms and businesses that make the agricultural wheels turn.
The 10-stop tour began at the Holmes County Fairground, taking a counter-clockwise trek around the northwestern portion of the county. The first stop was at Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, where families could take bucket rides, learn about electricity safety issues and operate a heavy machine crane drill. The company also served lunch to customers as part of their fundraiser for their Holmes County Relay for Life team, which walks for cancer awareness each year.
Craig Duncan, who has been with the company for more than three decades, was operating the energy safety display, teaching children and adults about the danger of live wires.
“Teaching people is a big part of what we do here,” said Duncan. “We’ve been busy since the morning, and it hasn’t really left off. We started at 6:45 this morning, and we have had people come in from around here, and people from Florida, Michigan, California, North Carolina... it’s been pretty fun, and we have had a blast meeting and greeting people and answering questions.”
One stop later at Paint Valley Farms, which showcased shorthorn cattle, including a newborn which came into the world three days earlier, patrons got a view of a large cattle farm, as well as a tour through Lee Miller’s other business, which makes parts for large machinery and ships all around the world.
Between giving tours of the distribution center and driving people into the field to see the shorthorn cattle and their babies, it would have been a busy enough day for Lee and Dawn Miller and their staff. But they chose to provide sandwiches, watermelon and water for patrons, as a way of keeping them around and interested.
“I think we have had everyone from complete farm novices to professional breeders come in today to check out the cattle,” said Miller. “We’ve talked about how we raise the cattle and how we do some of our embryo work and bull breeding. I think people have really enjoyed seeing the little babies up close.”
After stopping at Agri-Sludge Inc., which works hand-in-hand with area farmers to fertilize their fields, the next stop was Spring Hill Farm. When people think farm tours, this is probably what they envision.
A large, rolling, family-owned farm that has been in the Lang family since 1819, this 300-head milking farm features barns, cows, tractors, acres of corn, manure pits, the farmstead home... pretty much everything people think about when they think farming.
Tom Lang said they had a very nice turnout, and was pleased that they decided to go ahead and join in the tour.
“One thing we wanted to do was to be proactive and tell the story of our farm our own way,” said Lang. “Most of the people who stopped in here were not even farmers, they just were curious as to what takes place on the average milking dairy farm. We have had some very interesting questions from people, and it has been fun to interact and tell people about our farm.
“We had a lot of people from out of state, and some locals saw the tour advertised in The Bargain Hunter and decided to take the tour to see some of our agriculture from a little different perspective. We even had some people tell us that they had stopped off at other places not on the agenda, just because they looked interesting, and it made their experience more enriching.”
Just down the road, Carey and Elaine Hulin were answering questions about their pottery business, Holmes County Pottery. Cary was busy working on finishing up a number of thrown pieces throughout the day, which is always entertaining for patrons to watch.
“I think it is neat to be a part of this because it gives local people a chance to see what is in their own backyard,” said Elaine Hulin.
Stop seven was that of The Shepherd’s Market, an old family farm owned by Joseph and Marion Yoder, who not only provide local produce through their baskets of goodies through the community supported agriculture plan, in which they grow and distribute produce for families who are unable to grow their own fresh produce, but they also head up the Tri-County Beekeepers Association, and had several hives on hand for people to watch.
“This tour works so well because it not only promotes agriculture and serves as an educational tool for our county to show people what goes on here, it also helps us promote our own businesses, so it is a win-win for us all.”
While Joseph manned the store, Marion was giving tours every 30 minutes, taking patrons on a quick tour through the patches of asparagus, okra, herbs, Swiss chard, grapes and countless other produce products the farm grows for their CSA customers.
“It has been a steady job of giving tours since we started at around 9:30,” said Marion Yoder. “We have been living off the land all our lives, and this is Joseph’s family farm, so it is nice that we can share a little bit about what we do here with others. So many people don’t seem to know what goes into a lot of our agricultural businesses here, so this really is a great educational tool.”
Once the tour was done, patrons were off to the next stop, Spring Ridge Alpacas, when Denny and Connie Snell were showcasing their herd of beautiful animals.
In addition, Nancy Davenport, the Yarn Doctor, was busy spinning fleece and even allowed patrons to take a shot at it. The day was so hectic for Denny, who has spearheaded the tour the past five years, that he said he didn’t even have time to demonstrate his new invention, a hoist that allows owners to strap their animals in and raise them off the ground for easy access to either harvest their fleece or do other work on them.
“This has been a really good day,” said Snell. “We have really been busy, but it has been a good opportunity for us to share about our passion for raising alpacas, and what we do on the farm.”
The tour then moved its way to Loudonville, where patrons got a colorful look at how greenhouses play a vital role in the area economy. Sisters Rinda Sloan and Robin Volz gave tours and provided ample knowledge about how people can spruce up their homes and landscaping.
Oak Bridge Timber Framing, Ltd. and Mohican Parochial School rounded out the tour, providing a glimpse into the life of a small Amish parochial school that has been instrumental in educating countless students who have since gone on to the farming industry, as well as relating how the forest industry has been a big part of the agricultural outlook in the area for decades.
“I think overall we had a really good day,” said Snell. Considering the weather, which was a nice 70-plus degree day of sunshine without a lot of humidity, it was a perfect way to introduce Holmes County’s agriculture to those who hail from outside the area, while perhaps opening the eyes of the locals who learned a little bit about businesses that they may not have even known existed.
“It’s about education,” said Snell. “And hopefully along the way people who toured found out that not only is this area incredibly beautiful, but the people are some of the best anywhere.”
To see what the public thought of the tour, check out their story in this week’s Holmes County Journal, on newsstands now, or on our website at: http://www.holmescountyjournal.com.
Published: August 25, 2011
