The 2013 Indiana State Fair starts 4 weeks from Friday and a new attraction this year is the Glass Barn presented by Indiana soybean farmers. The glass concept is to give fairgoers a clear look inside Indiana farming. The state soybean checkoff, the Indiana Soybean Alliance, sponsors the Glass Barn on the north side of the state fairgrounds. Other barns are located there but ISA president Kevin Wilson says this isn’t your typical barn.
“We wanted it to be a little bit different to showcase that we are open and we have nothing to hide. We want people to understand that we’re doing what we think is the best and this barn design-wise will demonstrate a lot more of what the future in ag is really all about.”
Visitors will see Indiana farmers at work live on their own farms via the installed technology. Wilson thinks the experience will help the non-farm public to have a better understanding of at least a couple of elements of modern agriculture.
“First of all three of the farms are family farms. It may be a corporation but they’re a family corporation and it’s probably been pass onto everyone there by 2, 3, 4 or 5 generations. We just continue it on.”
Wilson also wants visitors to understand that the technology today is different, “but we’re still the same people that we were many generations ago and doing a lot of the same careful things that we did then, and that’s still the backbone of what makes agriculture successful.”
ISA will be featuring Indiana soybean farmers and their families in the barn so they need family photos for a daily display during the fair. To submit a photo, visit www.indianasoybean.com/upload. Farmers are also needed to volunteer during the fair. Visit www.indianasoybean.com/beanteam to learn more and sign up or call the ISA office at 317-347-3620.
“The Glass Barn is a great opportunity for Indiana soybean farmers to get involved in this project that is being funded through their checkoff investment,” said Wilson. “We want visitors to the Glass Barn to walk away feeling good about their food, about Indiana farmers and about how we raise our crops and animals. Having friendly, knowledgeable volunteers throughout the building will enhance the experience for each and every fairgoer who walks in the door.”
To learn more about the Glass Barn, visit www.indianasoybean.com/glassbarn.