ISDA's Lamb: Farming Is About People
Published: Friday, August 25, 2023
Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb was featured at the Elkhart County Agricultural Society's annual banquet Monday night at 6:30. Lamb is a second-generation farmer from Boone County.
He highlighted Elkhart County's agricultural success and encouraged local farmers to share their stories and spread the word about agriculture in Indiana.
Annually, Elkhart County agriculture produces $313 million-worth of products. It is No. 1 in cattle, beef and kitchen cabinet production and is home to nearly half a million chickens. The county is also the No. 2 commodities producer in the state, after Jay County.
"I don't ever want you to think that you're so far north that you're not a part of what happens down in the middle part of the state because we do care, we do notice," he said.
Lamb commended farmers and farm supporters for the amount of work they put into the industry. He said that farming is all about the people.
"My dad—one reason why he wanted to farm is that he said he wanted to manage livestock and crops. He didn't want to manage people. He said, 'It took me about three weeks to figure out it's still all about people,'" Lamb said.
He experiences this himself in his leadership role in the state.
"When you think about the mission (of ISDA) that's really what it is: develop relationships, keep agriculture all on the same page as much as we can, and keep working together and keep those relationships strong," he said.
The best way to promote agriculture, he said, is to tell its story.
"We have to tell the story of agriculture better. We've been saying that ever since I was young," he said.
Where he really wants to see a difference is in the government at local, county and state levels, he said.
"Local government, your commissioners, your councils, your schoolboards, people need to understand what agriculture is worth. I want the governor to talk about agriculture in his State of the State Address."
Indiana is the eighth largest agricultural state. It is No. 1 in commercial duck production, wooden office furniture, veneer; No. 2 in popcorn production, processed tomatoes (total acreage), kitchen cabinet manufacturing; No. 3 in spearmint, tomatoes (all), cover crops; No. 4 in turkeys raised, peppermint, pumpkins; and No. 5 in corn, soybeans, watermelon and hog production.
"There's no reason in the world it shouldn't be a part of the story of Indiana, so I think that's that next step when we talk about telling the story of Indiana. Tell it so well that other people start telling it because they know it," Lamb said.
Other things he highlighted were soil conservation as economic development, a strong internal relationship to support agriculture and the struggle between development and farmland.
"One thing I don't think what we're really good at is knowing what we're worth," he said. In general, people don't know the economic impact of agriculture in Indiana.
The key, he says, is to make sure that agriculture is part of the consideration process of development. Knowing the worth of agriculture and weighing it against the worth of urban development informs decision-makers about the best course of action for the state and can lead to the preservation of farmland, he said.
Finally, he encouraged farmers to find ways to rest. He shared a running story to illustrate his point: When running with a friend, Lamb became out of breath and was told to stop.
"You've got to learn to run slow so that you can run fast," his friend told him. And the same is true for agriculture, Lamb said. If a farm "runs" too fast, the "heart" gets overworked, which is unhealthy.
"Keep your 'heartrate' steady," Lamb said. "It feels so much better."
The Elkhart County Agricultural Society honored Millersburg Lumber and Veterinarian Poultry Supply Inc. with its Agri-Business Award of Excellence, and Creekside Church of the Brethren in Elkhart was given the Centennial Church Award. Other awards include the Centennial Farm Award, given to the Loucks family of Elkhart; the Uncle Elmer Award, given to Jerry Goshert of Wakarusa; and the Farm Family Award, given to the Loucks family.
Retiring from the society's board of directors is Florence Lutes. Returning for another term are: Sally Cripe, Ben Evans, Cheryl Gall, Patty Mast, Brent Reed, Marla Snider and Gary Whirledge.
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