1965: 50 years ago

A large barn was destroyed by fire on the Lonnie Meek farm of North Vernon, Ind. Losses were estimated at $35,000, which included farm equipment, hay, straw and corn.

The first Agriculture Hall of Fame is due to open in Kansas City, Mo. The center is being built to honor leaders in fields of agriculture and serve as a museum of agricultural history. Elmo Mahoney of Kansas has been secured as the first curator of the center.

Real estate for sale: 40-acre farm one mile west of Spiceland and half-mile south. Farm and equipment $12,000 – Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Craft.

1975: 40 years ago

Double-digit inflation, growing concern over recession, a wet spring, a dry summer, an early frost and marginal returns from livestock production frustrated Hoosier agricultural producers and consumers in 1974, reports David H. Bache and J. William Uhrig, Purdue University extension economists on the review of 1974 Hoosier farm market scene.

Demand was great, as a total of 1,939 feeder pigs were sold last month at the Southeastern Indiana Feeder Pig Auction. The feeders average 66 pounds and brought $49.28 per hundred for a total of $32.67 per head.

Used equipment for sale: 806 F.H.T.A.W.F. tractor, $6,850; 706G F.H.T.A.W.F., $5,850; 2-bottom two-way plow, $650; 12-foot J.D., $650; S.P. Massey Picker, $850; 30-foot grain trailer, $2,250 – Harrison Farm Equipment, Harrison, Ohio.

1990: 25 years ago

Dairy farmers James and Martha Tipton of Spencer County were recently awarded the American Farm Bureau Outstanding Young Farm Family for the state of Kentucky and will represent Kentucky at the national convention in  Orlando, Fla. They own and operate 522-acre farm and milk 100 dairy Holstein cows.

The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, (ATI) will join ranks with John Deere Co. offering the John Deere Ag Tech Training Program. The program is designed for students seeking the opportunity to obtain a two-year associate of applied science degree from ATI in a curriculum specializing in John Deere equipment.

Ray Becher, Adams County; Robert Bennett, Linden; and Leon Tucker, Milford, will have their portraits hung in the ILBA Hall of Fame, located in Purdue’s Lilly Hall of Life Sciences.

2005: 10 years ago

Expressing confidence in the safety of Canadian beef, the George W. Bush administration said it would stand by its decision to renew Canadian cattle imports beginning in March.

Used equipment for sale: 2000 Case/IH 2388, 955 sep. hour, $108,900; 1999 Case/IH 2388, 827 sep. hours, $102,900; 1998 Case/IH 2388, 1009 sep. hours, $89,900; 1997 Case/IH 2188, 1232 sep. hours, $72,500 – Koenig Case IH, Huntington and Marion, Ind.

Portions of the state of Kentucky received a white Christmas when a record-breaking winter storm moved through western and central Kentucky just days before the Christmas holiday. Gov. Ernie Fletcher declared a state of emergency for 22 counties and four cities. Paducah set a record for single day snowfall with 14 inches.