Agriculture

Beginning in the early 1800s, pioneer settlers from Virginia, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina found this area of Randolph County particularly attractive. Prairie, marsh, and tree-lined land was cleared and drained, allowing them to make a living growing crops on nutrient rich farm ground. Over the past 200 years, Randolph County has become an agricultural leader in the Midwest, including in livestock production. Much of the county's 452 square miles is dedicated to agriculture. New uses of agricultural products beyond raising livestock increased demand for staple crops such as corn and soybeans, which are now frequently used in food, apparel, medical, hygiene, and transportation products. Established in 1921 north of Farmland, the Davis-Purdue Agricultural Center and Herbert Davis Forestry Farm is an agricultural research center and farm that includes the largest and oldest mapped forest in North America and is a registered natural landmark. Dr. Leon Hesser, born in 1925, farmed in Randolph County until age 30 before working for the U.S. Department of State, where he spearheaded programs to increase food production in 20 nations in Asia, Africa, and the former Soviet Union. He also wrote "The Man Who Fed The World," a biography of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug, with whom he worked. Cardinal Ethanol, LLC. was established in 2006 and became one of the Midwest's largest producers of ethanol for fuel and bio-products. Schoolchildren throughout Randolph County have benefited from the county's strong 4-H program, which embraces nearly all aspects of farming and homemaking. Thousands of local residents annually enjoy exhibits, competitions, trade shows, and a summer fair at the Randolph County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Winchester, Indiana · United States