There's an added value to the corn Charlie Schmitt grows. It's white corn, and, in most years, it sells at a premium to the yellow corn most farmers in the area grow and that Schmitt himself once grew.
"We got attracted to it (white corn) on account of the prices they were paying for it," says Schmitt, who farms 2,000 acres near Haubstadt in Gibson County.
He also had a ready market for it - Azteca Milling Co., of northern Vanderburgh County. A miller of white corn, Azteca sells its flour nationally to restaurants that make tortillas, tacos and other white flour food products.
White corn makes added demands on Schmitt. No. 1 white corn, which is what Azteca buys, must be kept dryer, has to have fewer stress cracks and has to be watched more closely for diseases than does the standard corn. "It just takes a little more management," Schmitt said.
But the extra premium on white corn helps boost Schmitt's farming income. "Everybody tries to make every penny they can out of every acre they farm. That's what you've got to do," Schmitt said.
Schmitt isn't the only farmer looking for those extra pennies. Farmers throughout the Tri-State and the nation today look for ways to stay on the farm and boost their income. They are taking up what Jerry Nelson calls "new ventures."
Nelson, who is a New Ventures Educator with the Purdue University extension office in Vincennes, Ind., said the business of agriculture is changing. There is increased consolidation and concentration of farms; and, because it is so difficult to make a living from the farm today, many farmers take other jobs in the city to make ends meet.
To stay on the farm and make a good income from it, farmers must increasingly turn to new ventures, Nelson said. These can take a variety of forms.
New ventures include producing "value added" goods for which consumers will pay a premium, such as the white corn Schmitt grows, and such goods as free-range poultry or pastured pork. Some also produce more exotic livestock such as alpaca and bison.
New ventures can include processing products to create extra value, as in processing farm-produced cheese or farm-grown livestock, and preparing them for sale to the public.
"People are going back from just buying bulk stuff out of the grocery store," Nelson said. "They want this specialty stuff, and they're willing to pay more for it."
New ventures can also include developing new products or entering new industries, Nelson said. Farmers who are involved in the production of ethanol, soy diesel or other bio-fuels are expanding the market for farm products.
New ventures also includes the rapidly growing industry of agri-tourism. These farmers open their farms to the public by offering tours, establishing restaurants or providing farm-style bed-and-breakfast accommodations, Nelson said. "We've found that, as generations get further and further away from the farm, they want to go back there," Nelson said.
In fact, new ventures can be almost anything a farmer can think of that can help the family earn extra income from the farm.
Kathleen and Michael Crews have a farm near Lincoln City, Ind., in Spencer County where they raise bison, or the American buffalo, and a couple of ostriches. Their farm - Buffalo Run Farm, Grill and Gifts - produces not only a value-added food that customers are willing to pay more for, but also lets them open their farm to tourists and to operate a restaurant where they serve buffalo burgers and other products.
These enterprises build on one another. Kathleen said a tour may encourage people to try a buffalo burger in the restaurant, and, later, they may come back and buy $200 worth of buffalo meat to take home.
The Crews family got into raising buffalo because of Michael's interest in sustainable systems agriculture. He received a degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania on sustainable systems, which includes such things as organic pasture, organic gardening and raising native species.
Both he and his wife worked as rangers at Lincoln Park in Spencer County before deciding to start a buffalo farm five years ago. "He wanted to fulfill a dream," Kathleen said.
Why buffalo? "They have a long life span. They need no shelter. They do not need grain supplement for food; they can survive solely on grass. They are resistant to disease," Kathleen said.
Ostriches have some of the same advantages. They are sturdy, surviving well outdoors even in winter, and they are resistant to disease, said Michael. The restaurant has stopped serving ostrich meat because ostriches are difficult to manage, being active runners and not very smart, Michael said. But they are a popular attraction for tourists who come to the farm, and the Crewses sell ostrich eggs, omelets and feathers, Michael said.
A drawback to their operation, Kathleen said, is that they can't go on vacations or far from the farm. They need to stay by their business," she said.
Mary and John Hirsch of Wadesville are lifelong farmers. They formerly ran a large farm where they raised corn and soybeans, but they changed their farming operation three years ago because it wasn't profitable.
Today, they farm alfalfa on 140 acres and run the Apple Blossom Carriage Co., offering rides in horse-driven carriages to visitors in New Harmony and on special occasions.
They got into the carriage ride business because Mary likes horses. They had saddle horses on their farm and occasionally visited saddle barns on vacation. After one such vacation, they heard there was a horse and carriage for sale. They thought they could make a profitable business from his.
So they bought the horse and carriage and began offering rides at New Harmony on Friday and Saturday nights. They also offer them for weddings and funerals and soon will be doing children's birthdays. They have five draft horses and two miniatures and three carriages.
"I love it," Mary said. She and her husband like talking and giving tours by carriage, and the extra income helps them out, she said.
The drawbacks? "You're tied down 52 weeks a year unless you can get someone to cover for you." Liability insurance is a necessity and expensive. Also, in her business, "you have to love horses and you have to love people."
To encourage new ventures such as these, Purdue, with the help of the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), offers a course to farmers on entrepreneurship. In it, Nelson will teach farmers how to do feasibility studies, develop marketing plans, make a business plan or have a stock offering to help them get started in a new venture. Those interested in the course can call their local agricultural extension office or the SBDC, or call Nelson at (812) 886-9582.
© 2005 The Evansville Courier Co.