Stay Informed

County fairs are great opportunities for county Farm Bureaus to connect with consumers and with their local communities.

Here is a sampling of how some of Indiana’s county Farm Bureaus plan to take advantage of this opportunity in 2025.

Grant County – Grant County Farm Bureau hosts a youth pedal pull during their county fair, working with an Indiana-based company to get the equipment for the pedal pull. The county board has also hosted a canned food drive as part of the FAIRs Care program. In 2024, all donations were given to a local food pantry.

Hancock County – In addition to their famous chocolate and vanilla milk shakes, the Hancock County Farm Bureau dairy bar also serves a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches, said county secretary Vickie Ramsey. They also sponsor a pedal pull, and last year they sponsored a 4-H “Farmer Olympics,” which included events such as “shearing” shaving cream off a sheep cut-out, a straw bale toss and an egg-and-spoon race. “We’re going to do it again this year,” Ramsey said. “I’m sure it’s going to grow.”

LaGrange County – 2025 is LaGrange County Farm Bureau’s 100^th anniversary, and the county has some big plans, many of them centering around the county fair.

“We’re going to go all out with it, especially at the fair,” said Mike Patka, county president. “The message is ‘What is the value of LaGrange County Farm Bureau?’ What have we done for the past 100 years?”

The county will continue to serve fairgoers at its ice cream stand, offering chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and a non-dairy ice cream, but the stand will be festooned with a special anniversary banner. Customers will be entered into a prize drawing, the winner of which will receive 100 pounds of ground beef.

“We have special plans for our annual meeting, too,” Patka said.

LaPorte County – The county Farm Bureau has been selling white and chocolate milk at its county fair for at least 50 years, according to Nancy Parkman, county education and outreach coordinator. But this year, they will be doing so from a brand-new milk cabin, replacing the old one, which was falling apart. Prior to the fair, the county plans a picnic that will serve as a dedication but also as a way to thank the nearly 100 donors who helped make this possible.

“We hand out milk for a quarter – both white and chocolate milk. It’s one of the best bargains on the fairgrounds,” she said.

Ohio County – At the Ohio County 4-H Auction, the county Farm Bureau organizes a much-anticipated pork chop dinner. They collaborate with various local vendors to source the meat and side dishes. Throughout the afternoon, they grill the pork chops and assemble the plates.

Putnam County – Putnam County also operates a milk barn, offering white and chocolate milk along with almond milk for those who can’t digest cow milk, said county President Steve Cash and his wife, Patti.

“We don’t charge more than a dollar – it’s the cheapest drink on the fairgrounds,” Cash said. “The county does make some money on the venture – around $2,000 on a good year – but it’s also just a really good contact point with the community,” he said, adding that they’ve been operating the milk barn for “well over 50 years.”

Scott County – Scott County Farm Bureau sponsors the Agricultural Heritage Barn at their fairgrounds. Displayed there are historical farm items and machinery for the raising, planting and harvesting of several different commodities and livestock. A few years ago, the county implemented a “Book Walk” where, set up on tables for fairgoers to walk around and read, are several copies of the current INFB Book of the Year, each one opened to a different page.

Warrick County – The county Farm Bureau’s booth includes an ag trivia wheel, free popcorn, membership information and a coloring board. “We try to put up a display to show what the board has done over the past year and kind of answer questions,” added county President David Schnur. The county also sometimes uses the fair as an opportunity to educate fairgoers on local issues, and in 2025, volunteers will be handing out information on a property tax issue involving the county assessor’s office and timberlands. “I hope it’s settled before fair time, but it may not be,” Schnur said.

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INFB offers a toolkit to provide advice and assistance on ways to promote your Farm Bureau at your county fair. You can find it at infb.org/toolkits. The toolkit includes templates for press releases, radio PSAs, social media posts, and information on how to order banners and yard signs.