Hoosiers bought more than $22 million in agricultural products directly from farmers in 2007. To find a producer near you go to the MarketMaker Web site at www.inmarketmaker.com.
Indiana exported $3.778 billion in Indiana agricultural commodities in 2008.
With 96 percent of all consumers living outside of the United States, foreign trade is fundamental to the growth and revitalization of Indiana's economy.
On your next trip to Taiwan, pop a bottle of Indiana wine from Easley Winery or Oliver winery. Both have been exporting there since 2006 as a result of connections made on a Taiwanese mission to Indiana.
Indiana has a global reputation for excellence in hardwood tree production and product manufacturing, craftsmanship and quality. This industry generates $7.5 billion dollars in value and employs more than 54,000 Hoosiers.
Dr. Seuss’ Sam- I- Am knew what he was talking about with Green Eggs and Ham. While you might still be iffy on green eggs, a three-ounce serving of extra-lean ham has only 112 calories and four grams of fat. Why is ham important to the Hoosier state? Indiana ranks fifth in the country for hog production.
The Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency was established in 1975 to reduce risk to Indiana grain producers. In 2008 it was the first grain agency in the country to “go green” and pilot new software (e-Zam) for a paperless auditing system.
Corn is the leading source of income for Indiana farmers and amounted to $4.069 billion in 2008.
You’ll find locally grown produce, meats and a cornucopia of other tasty food products at more than 120 farmers’ markets across Indiana.
Try on Indiana's new Signature Wine, Traminette! Traminette is a white wine made of a hybrid grape bred exclusively to survive Indiana's harsh midwestern climate. Perfect for the up-and-coming wine aficionado, Traminette lures those attracted to the dry and the sweet.
Indiana has 61,000 farms with an average farm size of 243 acres covering 14.8 million acres in cropland.
Indiana’s poultry industry has a lot to crow about. Eggs and poultry were the fourth leading source of income to farm families in 2008 and amounted to $1.008 billion.
ISDA, through the guidance of the State Soil Conservation Board, administers the Clean Water Indiana Grants program to provide funding resources and programs to improve Indiana’s water quality and reduce erosion and sediment in our streams and rivers. Since 2005, $5.77 million in grants have been awarded to Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout the state.
Indiana keeps America “minty-fresh” with peppermint production that ranks fourth in the country and fifth in spearmint. An apple tree is at its prime when it’s about 50 years old. Indiana harvested 33 million pounds of commercial apples in 2007.
Today, Indiana has more than 130 E85 public pumps and numerous biodiesel pumps. To find a biofuels pump close to home, visit Indiana’s biofuels website at www.biofuelsindiana.com.
The Jeopardy show with host Alex Trebek, listed one of its categories as SMALL TOWNS. The answer was The Place Where Popcorn King Orville Redenbacher Comes From. And the question was “What is Brazil, Indiana?” This is also home to the annual Popcorn Festival of Clay County in October.
The only National Maple Syrup Festival is right here in Indiana. Always the first and second weekends in March, the Festival is located on the Burton’s Maplewood Farm in Medora, Ind. You can find maple syrup from every maple syrup producing state in the country, live music, activities and believe it or not—even a MAN EATING CHICKEN and other oddities!! (That’s right, we said MAN EATING CHICKEN.) So, mark your calendar!
Governor Daniels and Lt. Governor Skillman have led seven trade missions around the world, with three of those agriculturally focused.
Indiana is the fourth largest soybean state and now has five biodiesel plants with a combined capacity of more than 100 million gallons of biodiesel.
Also, Indiana is 3rd in number of laying hens, 3rd in total egg production and 1st in commercial duck production.
Indiana is second nationally in both ice cream and low-fat ice cream production and therefore very grateful to Dolley Madison and Nancy Johnson. Dolley Madison is credited with inventing ice cream. Nancy Johnson is credited with inventing the ice cream freezer.
Indiana is ranked second in the United States for production of tomatoes for processing.
Nationally, farmers’ markets have grown by more than 13 percent from 2008 to 2009.
Indiana ranks fourth nationally in cantaloupe production and sixth in watermelon production.
Indiana is centrally located within a one-day drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population.
Want to see orchids, buffalo and elk all in the same day? You’ll find a farm for each in Putnam County.
The mission of the ISDA-Division of Soil Conservation is to provide farmers information and technical assistance for the implementation of conservation practices throughout Indiana.
There is more than corn in Indiana. Hoosier farmers grow more than 30 different major fruits and vegetables each year.
Indiana exports high-quality hardwoods products all over the world. In fact, Indiana is home to the only inland treatment station in the country to offer qualified U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine for hardwood exports. Treating logs in Indiana saves loggers money, prevents port delays and expands log sale opportunities.
On average, each American eats 18 pounds of fresh tomatoes and 70 pounds of processed tomatoes a year!
Popcorn pops because of the moisture content inside the shell. Each kernel of corn consists of a soft starch inside and a hard shell outside. As the kernel is heated, the moisture inside the kernel expands, the soft starch is cooked, and it bursts the outer shell with a pop. The kernels must contain at least 13.5 percent water in order to explode. By the way, Indiana produced more than 274.5 million pounds of popcorn in 2008.
Indiana currently has 12 completed ethanol plants and one more under construction. The combined production of the plants already completed and the additional one under construction will exceed 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol annually and will use approximately 423 million bushels of corn.
