The Fall Harvest in Farmersburg, IN has kicked off with L.G. Hunt Farms, Inc. making the first gift of grain to Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute Foundation’s newest initiative.

Bobbi Hunt-Kincaid, a spokesperson for the family farm, told those gathered in a September 18 meeting that it was a “no-brainer” for her family to contribute in support of agriculture education at Ivy Tech.

She explained that hers is a decade’s long farm family, and as a way to support the community – this was a perfect fit for them. She also said her mother, Mollie, earned a business degree from Ivy Tech many years ago.

“It’s easy to do. We just decide how many bushels we want to contribute, fill out the paperwork at the elevator, and it is taken care of.”

Proceeds from this donation will go toward the capital campaign raising money for Ivy Tech Terre Haute’s newest program, Precision Agriculture Equipment Technology.

Through the Gift of Grain, farmers can seamlessly donate grain from this year’s harvest or prior years’ harvests to Ivy Tech. After the grain is delivered to an elevator and the amount of grain is determined, an Ivy Tech donation form is filled out. The elevator will sell the grain and the proceeds will be donated to the college in support of its Precision Agriculture Equipment Technology program.

A Gift of Grain provides benefits that a standard cash donation cannot, such as reduced income taxes. Costs and expenses incurred in growing the donated crop are still claimable.

This new hands-on learning opportunity at Ivy Tech provides students many opportunities to learn outside, as well as in the newly renovated 26,000 square foot Center of Excellence.

Most recently, students in the program took to the sweet corn field on Davis Drive to harvest corn for donation to area food pantries and Catholic Charities. These types of experiences help to prepare students for real-world agriculture careers – whether as farmers, or in related fields such as equipment sales, marketing, and consulting.

As an affordable option for students, Ivy Tech graduates can enter directly into the agriculture workforce in high-demand, competitive paying careers or they may transfer to many of the college’s four-year partners for further education at a significant cost savings.

“Ivy Tech students tend to stay and work in their home communities. A Gift of Grain supports Ivy Tech students, and is an investment in a strong community and the future of the agriculture industry in the Wabash Valley,” said Rachel Mullinnix, executive director of Resource Development.