Grazing Conference Set in Shipshe
Published: Friday, January 16, 2026
The annual Northern Indiana Grazing Conference will take place Feb. 6-7 at the Michiana Event Center in Shipshewana. The deadline for discounted registrations is Jan. 21.
The keynote speaker for day one is Kerry Estes of Fountain Town, Ind. At 8:15 a.m. on Friday, Estes will discuss "The Fun, Frustrating, Fantastic, Flabbergasting, Fulfilling, Fiasco of Farming with Your Family." At 2:30 p.m., he will address the topic of "How to Make a Sunny Day Out of a Mud Puddle" during one of the breakout sessions.
At 10 a.m., three graziers —Norman Frye of Middlebury, Raymond Miller of Topeka and Ezra W. Schrock of LaGrange—will participate in a panel discussion.
After lunch, participants can attend one of three breakout sessions. The speakers and topics are: Kenneth Imhoff of Tippecanoe, "Biodiversity on a Dairy Farm;" Gerald Yoder of Wawaka, "Herb Plants for Food and Medicine;" and Martin Gingerich of Shipshewana, "Balancing Soil for Animal Health."
Friday's schedule ends with two more breakout sessions at 2:30 p.m. In addition to Estes and his talk on "How to Make a Sunny Day Out of a Mud Puddle," Yoder will provide an encore of his previous talk on herbs.
Saturday's keynote speaker is David Miller Jr. of Sugar Creek, Ohio. He will discuss "Agrarian Roots Supporting Communities." The session begins at 8:15 a.m.
Breakout sessions will be held at 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The early sessions include a panel discussion on the topic of "Grazing: Past and Present." Panelists are Sam Mast of Topeka, Vernon Miller of Topeka and Corneal Troyer of Wolcottville.
Two sessions will be offered at 12:30 p.m. Those include "Farm Tour Opportunities of a Dairy Farmer," featuring Dale Helmuth of Shipshewana, and "Winter Pasture Walk to the Dinner Table," featuring Floyd Bowman of North Manchester.
The grazing conference ends with a final keynote session featuring Paul Miller of LaGrange. He will discuss "Farm Life and Its Changes."
Shepherd's Campfire programs will run simultaneously with the above schedule. The programs include a panel discussion, "Raising a Quality Lamb," at 9:15 a.m.; Managing Sheep for Profit," featuring Shaun Laub of Cedar Creek, Mo.; "What It Takes to Stay in Business," featuring Leroy Kuhns of Fredericksburg, Ohio; and "Maximizing Returns with Multi-Species Grazing" featuring Laub.
Registration is $45 for one day or $65 for both days. Senior citizens and children ages 3-15 pay $25 for a single day and $40 for both days. Lunch and refreshments are included each day. After Jan. 21, the cost rises to $60 for one day and $90 for both days. Send checks payable to: Northern Indiana Grazing Conference, 910 S. Detroit St., LaGrange, IN 46761.
The Michiana Event Center is located at 455 E. Farver St., Shipshewana.
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