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Butler County Farm-City Tour
2008 - October 4 and 5; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
WELCOME TO THE FARM 2008
The 2008 Butler County Farm-City Tour will be held October 4 and 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. The tour is provided FREE for your information and pleasure. All stops are located in the southwestern corner of Butler County. You can "drive-it-yourself," set your own pace, see as many stops as you wish. Courteous, knowledgeable guides and members of the farm family will guide you on your tour of each stop. For more information, please call 887-3722 or 887-3720.
The following six sites will be available for you to visit on this drive-it-yourself tour.
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Stop #1
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John and Marilyn Nieman have raised Norway Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Canaan Fir, Douglas Fir, White Pine, and Boxwood shrubs on this Ross Township Farm since 1962. The farm, located in a picturesque valley near Dry Run Creek, is a great place to spend an October afternoon. You can walk the paths to see tree fields, with baby tree seedlings up to 8 to 10 year old trees ready to make someone's Christmas special. Each year the Niemans plant 6,000 new tree seedlings! You will be able to see tree planters, tree diggers and other equipment used in the operation. Don't miss the wreath making demonstrations as well as the tree shaking and tree drilling demonstrations. All family members help out working with the gifts, ornaments, and holiday decor in the Christmas Barn. Displays from several agricultural interest groups will be highlighted by displays at this stop. You will see sheep sheared and wool spun. This is your chance to pet small animals. Local beekeepers will have live honey bees on display. |
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Stop #2
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See alpacas, touch alpacas, learn about alpacas at Alpaca Corner, owned and operated by the Francis family, Mary, Sally and John. The alpacas are a new venture for them. After several years of research visiting alpaca farms and shows, the family purchased their first alpacas in 2003. Existing barns were converted to meet the alpacas' needs. Fencing was designed to allow for rotational grazing. An old garage was transformed into a farm office. From the original two foundation females, the herd has grown to eleven with two babies, called crias, due in the fall. The Francis family shows their alpacas in halter classes and the fleece is entered in fiber competitions. The animals are sheared once a year and the fiber is made into natural colored yarn that is sold in their nearby shop, the Periwinkle House in Shandon. Mary, Sally and John's ancestors have been in the Shandon valley since they emigrated from Wales in 1795. From what country do alpacas come? What do they eat? What colors do they come in? Visit Alpaca Corner; learn and enjoy. |
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Stop #3
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Hesselbrock's grain farm is not your grandfather's farm. Just as typewriters have yielded to computers, farming methods have changed and farmers must learn how to use computers. At this farm Tim Hesselbrock and his son, Jon, have 1250 acres with 850 acres tillable. They rotate the crops on their fields: corn, soybeans and wheat. This year the Hesselbrocks have 340 acres of corn, 390 acres of no-tilled soybeans, and 50 acres of no-tilled wheat. Tim and Jon use global positioning satellites (GPS) to apply the correct amounts of fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. They use variable rate planting so just the right number of seeds are planted for the soil type. Hesselbrock air-dries the crops instead of using LP gas. This speeds up the drying process and improves the quality while saving energy. They use the latest technology in seed hybrids and have test plots to evaluate those hybrids. The equipment used for grain farming will be on display; see grain harvesting and tillage equipment, sprayers and planters, grain sotrage and drying facilities. Antique tractors and equipment will be on display. You will be able to learn about different types of soil in "The Greatest Show In Earth" created by the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District which looks and feels as if you are underground with a museum-quality interactive exhibit displaying soil profiles, groundwater, aquifiers, root systems, fossils and much more. |
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Stop #4
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Allen and Cathy Minges, their adult children, daughter Carrie, son Scott, his wife Sheri, and grandson Cole, are carrying on a tradition begun in 1945 by Allen Minges Sr. The tradition of raising outstanding show cattle will pass on to Cole, the fourth generation on the farm, when he is old enough. It takes a lot of work to care for cattle. They are washed, clipped and groomed for shows all over the nation. You will get up close to the calves as Scott ande Carrie clip them periodically for you just as if they were preparing them for show. To be a winner, the calf must be shown to bring out its best qualities for breeding as well as meat production. The family's interest evolved from showing cattle into breeding, raising and selling 4-H calves and breeding stock. Sale calves will be on display as the cows graze nearby in surrounding pastures. You can walk out in a 20 acre alfalfa field used for feed for the animals. Besides grass and hay, cattle eat combinations of corn, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals. You will learn about cattle nutrition from a lcoal feed company. Many beef producers use Artificial Insemination (AI) to get more calves from the best bulls. You will learn how cows are bred using AI. Come see how this modern cattle farm operates. |
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Stop #5
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At Crosswind Farm, set in the rolling hills of Morgan Township, Jay and Cathy Jacob breed and raise thoroughbred horses on their 75 acres. They have 17 horses on the farm now for you to see and enjoy. This farm has their mares bred on stud farms in Kentucky. They raise the foals to yearlings, to sell at September Kentucky sales. The Jacobs purchased the farm in 1974 to fulfill their dream of raising Thoroughbreds for racing stock. There is nothing more beautiful than a Thoroughbred mare and her foal running through the pasture, muscles rippling and coat glistening in the sun. The hay for the horses is raised on the farm: 17 acres of alfalfa, 30 acres of grass pasture as well as the grain and 20 acres of corn. A highlight of this stop is a hayride to get up close and personal with the horses. Another highlight will be to see the rare Cleveland Bay horse, originally from the district of Cleveland in England. The number of purebred Cleveland Bays today is only about 150. The breed is actually on the endangered list. For their own pleasure, the Jacobs garden and raise dahlias and cannas around their 1840s home. They hope you will enjoy the garden's beauty. |
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Stop #6
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Carl and Sarah Summe had never milked a dairy cow when they began their dairy farm along Paddy's Run Creek in 1971. They had just been married and moved to the rolling hills of the Shandon area to begin farming. As their family grew to four children, so did the size of the operation. They milk 70 Holstein cows every day, twice a day. They grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay for feed for the animals or as a cash crop. Their children are now all adults with two, Drew and Herb, and Herb's wife Sarah and their six children staying on the farm. The two girls, Carrie and Lee, are pursuing other careers. Heifer calves are raised for replacement cows and the steers are fed for beef. While you visit the Summe Dairy, you can see the cows milked from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the modern dairy parlor. The milk is nver touched by human hands. Learn how the cows are fed and the milk handled to ensure you get a high quality, safe and nutritious product. You will be able to pet a calf and also see some antique "hit and miss" engines along with modern farm equipment used in the operation today. |
