Meet the Indiana Farmers

Did you know 94 percent of all Indiana farms are family owned? And many of them have been handed down and taken care of for generations.

At the Glass Barn, visitors have the chance to meet five local Indiana farmers. Learn about these Indiana farm families below.

Elaine Gillis

Elaine and her husband Craig help manage Gillis Farms in Dunkirk, Indiana. The Gillis family grows enough acres of soybeans to create 107 million soy crayons. Third-generation farmers, Elaine and her husband work alongside his dad and brother to grow soybeans and corn. Elaine has a B.S. from Purdue University and enjoys researching and incorporating new technologies into her family’s farm operations. In her free time, Elaine enjoys running, being active in her church, traveling and volunteering at her son’s school.

Heather Hill

The Hill family raises so many pigs, they could provide 70,000 people each week with two pounds of pork chops. Hill Farms in Greenfield, Indiana has been in Heather’s husband’s family for four generations and she and her husband Marc share management duties with her in-laws. At Hill Farms, they raise 13,000 pigs and 1,300 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat. The corn and soybeans they raise are used to feed the pigs, and the manure from the pigs is used to fertilize their crops – a true circle of life. Heather has a B.S. from Purdue University and enjoys sharing her insights about pig farming and parenthood on her farming blog: 3kidsandlotsofpigs.com.

Paul Hodgen

Paul Hodgen farms 3,000 acres of corn and another 2,300 acres of soybeans in rural Putnam County near Roachdale, Ind. in a partnership with Abe and Shirley Hodgen. The farm stretches from Putnam County and into Montgomery, Tippecanoe and Hendricks counties. Hodgen started farming in 2012 after working for Monsanto from 2008-2012. Hodgen earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in soil science from Oklahoma State University. He earned a doctorate’s degree in agronomy and soil fertility from the University of Nebraska. Through his career, Hodgen has participated in many farm groups including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, Indiana Farm Bureau, the American Society of Agronomy, the ICMC, and the Soil Science Society of America.  Paul currently serves on the board and is also a member of the Executive committee.  Paul additionally serves as an Indiana delegate to the U.S. Grains Council. 

Denise Jamerson

Denise is a fifth-generation farmer of the historic Lyles Station farmland, once recognized by the Smithsonian as an 1855 homestead. Through this multigenerational operation, she focuses on closing the gap between local food producers and the consumer. Denise and her family are passionate about empowering Indiana farmers to become self-sustaining and economically sound. Their mission is carried out through education, community networking, and sharing resources on how to build a healthy lifestyle.

Mike Koehne

Mike Koehne raises 400 acres of soybeans and 400 acres of corn on his farm, Kingdom Farm, Inc., near Greensburg, Ind. in rural Decatur and Franklin counties. He has been on the board of directors for the Indiana Soybean Alliance since 2016. Koehne also operates a farm drainage business and a trucking company. Koehne is also an Indiana Farm Bureau member, and he was Decatur County’s Young Farmer representative in 1997-98. He has also been a member of the Indiana Beef Cattlemen Association and the Indiana Land Improvement Contractors Association. Koehne and his wife, Jill, have four children: Rebecca, Luke, Logan and Caroline.

Denise Scarborough

Denise Scarborough grows soybeans as well as producing commercial corn, seed corn, and wheat on her family farm in LaPorte County near LaCrosse. She started farming in 2003. Scarborough works off the farm as a loan officer at The First National Bank of Monterey, and she is involved in the family excavation business. Scarborough has been a District 1 board member of the Indiana Soybean Alliance since 2017. Scarborough is involved in Indiana Farm Bureau where she has served as a county board member, as past chair of the State Young Farmer Committee and on the oversight committee, in addition to serving on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. Denise is actively engaged in volunteering with 4-H and livestock programs.  Scarborough earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. She and her husband, Mark, have two children, Madison and Parker. 

INDIANA SOYBEAN ALLIANCE

INDIANA CORN MARKETING COUNCIL

INDIANA CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

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