Draft Horses Join St. Joe Ag Days
Published: Friday, April 7, 2023
Draft horses joined the St. Joe Ag Days for the first time this year during the event at the St. Joseph County (Ind.) fairgrounds from March 31 to April 2. Other new additions include an interactive cotton field, a potato field and a tomato patch. Roughly 6,300 individuals attended the Ag Days event.
Micah Niespodziany of Unity Garden in South Bend exhibited earthworms during the Ag Days event. She explained composting to children and adults in attendance and provided worms and dirt for youth to explore.
"This is one of the funniest booths because kids will either giggle or scream when they come," she said.
At her booth, children can dig for worm fishing lures in a box of coffee grounds or explore containers of compost soil that are home to real earthworms.
"Most people are five generations or more removed from the farm," she said. St. Joe Ag Days is important to her because farmers are "opening up so kids can learn to value their food more."
As people progress through the booths and collect various items such as Niespodziany's earthworm lures, they learn more about agriculture and the efforts farmers put into it. Because so many are multiple generations removed from farming, they have limited opportunities to learn about agriculture and its importance to everyday living, Niespodziany said.
Evan Holmgren of South Bend exhibited beef cattle at the event. He started doing this shortly after his family got involved in 4-H. He enjoys participating in the St. Joe Ag Days with his family and uses it as a way to promote beef among other fields of agriculture.
Indiana is in a unique agricultural location, he said, because nearly every aspect of U.S. agriculture can be found in the state: Hoosier farmers raise crops, livestock and specialty crops such as fruit, vegetables and Christmas trees.
"It's kind of neat how everything's mixed," he said, explaining that in other areas of the country agriculture is focused on only cattle or only specialty crops.
Arden Balmer of Lake-ville operated a sheep shearing stand at the St. Joe Ag Days. He has been shearing sheep for 25 years.
"We believe in 4-H and we believe in sheep," he said.
He explained that 4-H has helped change many lives for youth he has interacted with. One such youth was "starting to go on the wrong path" he said, but he was able to get her involved in the 4-H sheep club. Since then, she has gone on to be successful in college and was even inducted into her college's hall of fame for her success in track.
Balmer enjoys watching youths go through the Ag Days exhibits and experience agriculture, sometimes for the first time. He finds it important that they can get up close to the animals and learn about why they are raised.
"I believe in investing in the future and in the kids," he said.
Debbie Podemski, president of the board of directors for the ag team said Ag Days is unique in its nature because it is one of the few Indiana ag day events that lasts more than one day. Her favorite part about Ag Days is seeing all the children interact with the animals.
Ag Days began in the early-to-mid 1970s as a cost breakfast, which means all breakfast products were sold at the price farmers would be paid, Podemski said. The three-day event began at the local mall, but was eventually moved to the fairgrounds.
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