By NANCY VORIS
Indiana Correspondent

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — The back roads of Shelby County were buzzing recently with cars and SUVs filled with families. License plates revealed central Indiana origins, as well as some from nearby states.

Their mission: Visit three local farm-related operations and learn as much as possible about agriculture on a Sunday afternoon, all while keeping children entertained and sampling some farm-fresh cuisine before heading home.

It was a successful mission, thanks to the Shelby County Extension Board, the three host farm families and scores of volunteers. The 2008 Farm Festival hosted 4,156 people, said Shelby County extension Director Diana Stone.

The event is rotated annually in the counties surrounding Indianapolis and is targeted especially to city families who want to get out in the country and taste what farm life is all about. Planning sessions began a year ago to ensure a safe and enjoyable day for the visitors.

Tour stops included Fischer Family Farms, Interstate Farm Gifts and Meltzer Farm.

The Fischer family legacy goes back to Charles Fischer, who established the family farm in 1933. He founded Fischer Seeds in 1938 and produced high-quality seed, which earned him the title of “World Corn King” six times from 1940-65.

His sons, Mark and Jim, joined the business in the 1970s and later started producing food-grade corn. The Fischer Food Grade provides corn to markets, including snack food, corn meal, grits, hominy and tortillas. The tour helped visitors understand the process from a bag of seed corn to a bag of chips, and the tour ended with a sample of those products.

Stationed on the tour stop was the Biofuels Mobile Learning Center – which has hosted 16,000 visitors this summer – helping participants learn about the economic and environmental benefits of biofuel. The center is funded by Indiana corn and soybean checkoff dollars.

Though taken for granted by most farm kids, dirt was the big attraction at Interstate Farm Gifts. A giant mound of it, complete with pails and shovels and other implements, drew plenty of squealing youngsters along with parents, who undoubtedly weighed the benefits of play against the hazards of staining Sunday clothes. (The dirt usually won.)

The Settles family offers produce including pumpkins, straw bales and Indian corn, along with quality farm gifts, including painted gourds and crafts. The farm features a large play area and corn maze and offered a petting zoo for the festival.

The 150-year-old Meltzer Farm’s emphasis is on protecting historic woodlands, buildings and artifacts for new generations to enjoy. Visitors toured the original homestead, 1882 farmhouse, 138-year-old barn and 1875 one-room schoolhouse. Next year’s Farm Festival will be in Hancock County.