Farming is big business in Jackson County. And many farmers are good supporters of our community with their time, talents and treasures.
That’s among the reasons the Community Foundation of Jackson County and Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service collaborate to serve up good eats and important information as we bring the ag sector together for the annual Farmers Breakfast, now in its 22nd year.
This year’s event is set for 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Pewter Hall in Brownstown. Doors open at 7 a.m. Admission is free. To attend, call us at 812-523-4483 or by emailing Lori Miller at development@cfjacksoncounty.org.
Michael Langmeier of Purdue University returns as the keynote speaker. Langmeier is a professor and extension economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics and serves as associate director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture.
He will provide an ag forecast at the meeting. We will hope that Jackson County farmers are looking forward to another strong year of production this summer and some strong prices to boot.
Indiana corn production in 2024 totaled 1 billion bushels, or 7 percent below a record production in 2023, according to the Indiana field office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Services. Corn acreage harvested for grain totaled 5.05 million, down 5 percent from 2023. The average yield of 198 bushels per acre was 5 bushels below 2023.
Soybean production totaled 341 million bushels, up 2 percent from 2023. Harvested acreage was 5.78 million, up 300 thousand from 2023. The average yield of 59 bushels per acre was 2 bushels below 2023.
Yield stats for Jackson County’s 2024 harvest were not available.
Langmeier joined Purdue University in July 2012. His extension and research interests include cropping systems, benchmarking, strategic management, cost of production and technical and economic efficiency.
Most of his research has focused on the efficiency of farms and ranches, and crop and livestock enterprise production costs and efficiency. He has also conducted research related to tillage systems, biomass crops and the tradeoff between crop rotation profitability and water quality.
Before arriving at Purdue, Langmeier worked 22 years in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.
He received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his doctorate is from Purdue University. His family operates farms in eastern Nebraska.
The Foundation also offers farmers an opportunity to donate to those and other funds that benefit the community through the annual Giving the Gift of Grain program and the annual Giving the Gift of Livestock program. We also conduct a light-hearted fundraising competition, the Head to Head: Green vs. Red contest.
Currently, the Green Team is in the lead with 56 percent of the vote. Votes may still be cast through cash donations or gifts of corn or soybeans. The deadline is February 9.
Joining the Foundation and Purdue Extension Jackson County as sponsors of the Farmers Breakfast this year are a number of area businesses and service providers involved with the farming community. They include Premier Ag which underwrites the cost of the buffet meal, allowing farmers to enjoy the breakfast at no cost.