"Ways to Grow" is a program developed by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and offered as a pilot to southeastern Indiana through Historic Hoosier Hills. The purpose is to help farm families establish a secondary or supplemental farm enterprise that will utilize farm resources that are unutilized or underutilized. This program started as an effort to help tobacco growers find replacement high-value, management-intensive crops as tobacco quotas are reduced. It has evolved into a broader program, with 27 farm families in the 1998 class, 67 families in the 1999 class, and over 90 in the 2000 class. The focus of the program is to provide the families with technical support, business plan development, assistance with finding and connecting to markets, entrepreneurial training, etc. The emphasis is on providing the tools to succeed. One major strength of the program is a full-time field coordinator who works directly with the participating families, one-on-one, checking with them monthly to monitor progress, provide encouragement and support, and connect them with any help that is needed.
- Agricultural Products Processing Facility
This is a result of the success of the "Ways to Grow" Program (above). This project proposes to construct a wholesale and retail marketing facility along with a processing facility where producers of specialty crops can add value to what they grow and receive more income than they would from selling the harvested crop. It will also provide marketing staff that will help producers sell what they bring in. The project will also include space for "tailgate" sales and will include arts and crafts and seasonal products so the facility will have year-round use.
This project committee is a subcommittee of the Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District and was created to protect farmland from urban development pressures in an urbanizing county which borders the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area. Other land trusts exist, but do not focus so extensively on farmland protection. In addition, some will not guarantee they will keep a piece of land once donated since their focus is broader than one county and their interest is broader than farmland. They are in their formative stages and still developing policy, but will serve the Clark County, Indiana area when operational. Historic Hoosier Hills provides the nonprofit umbrella they need to operate until they are ready to secure their own 501(c)3 status.
- Concord Community Church Restoration Project
The Concord Community Church is 116 years old and fits the description of the "Little White Church Down the Lane", nestled in a pastoral community between cornfields and the Ohio River. The building is host to numerous community events each year in addition to church services and activities. Remodeling done over the years has covered up part of the original structure, including a dropped ceiling in the sanctuary. The project calls for restoring the church building as nearly as possible to its original appearance and upgrading the heating, plumbing, and electrical service. The committee's goal is to preserve a spiritual piece of Indiana history. Historic Hoosier Hills will provide planning assistance and grant seeking and grant administration support.
- Historic Hoosier Hills Endowment Fund
This fund was created in 1995 within the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County to provide stable, long-term funding for HHH for operations and to seed new projects. The long term goal is 1 million dollars in the endowment. The Endowment accepts donations, bequests, memorial and honorary gifts in others' names, and other long-term cash gifts. For more information on how to contribute, contact HHH or the Community Foundation.
- Ohio - Indiana - Northern Kentucky (OINK) Theater Group
This group is operating under Historic Hoosier Hills to secure grant funds to stage theatrical productions for the tri-state region. They are in the process of securing their own 501(c)3 status currently.
- Sand Creek Watershed Steering Committee
This project committee is affiliated with Historic Hoosier Hills and attached to the Decatur County Soil and Water Conservation District. Their focus is community education on conservation land treatment and public activities to improve the quality of water in Sand Creek.
- Versailles Historical Society
This is a new historical society organized for the Town of Versailles and operating under the Historic Hoosier Hills 501(c)3 umbrella. Their goals are to restore some of the historic perspective to the town and particularly to the town square. Most recently, they have been successful in securing funding to replace modern lighting with a series of historic lights.
- Riverboat Restoration Project
This is a group that has secured a historic sternwheeler towboat that is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. They are in the process of restoring it and using it as a floating museum on the Ohio River.
- Ohio County Outdoor Laboratory
The Denver Siekman 4-H Environmental Park; the Ohio County Cooperative Extension Board is leading an effort with many partners to develop a 65-acre tract of land outside the City of Rising Sun into an outdoor classroom to "provide the community with life-long learning experiences outside the traditional educational setting by creating and operating the Denver Siekman 4-H Environmental Park."
- Friends of Muscatatuck River Steering Committee
This group organized to clean up the Muscatatuck River in Jennings County and to educate the public about how to improve and protect the water quality of the scenic and historic river. www.muscatatuckpark.com/friendsmuscatatuck.htm
- Tri-State Farm Marketing Conference
This project was supported by partners from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio to plan and conduct a two-day conference for agricultural producers in the three-state region. The purpose of the conference was to introduce growers to alternative enterprise crops or operations, and to focus on identifying, and connecting to markets for those products. The conference was attended by about 200 and will be followed by a second conference in February 2004 hosted by Kentucky.
- Jennings County Growers Cooperative
This group formed in Jennings County to help producers find and connect to markets for specialty crops. They are also sponsoring research in partnership with Purdue University on additional crops that will grow in the region as well as efforts to extend the growing season of existing crops.
This is a land trust formed under Historic Hoosier Hills whose Mission is to "preserve, protect, and conserve land and water resources that have special, natural, agricultural, scenic, or cultural significance. OHC will strive to educate the public about the critical importance of honoring land, water and local culture." The group initially is focusing on ten counties in southeastern and south-central Indiana.
- Coon Den Stewardship Farm (Jennings County)
This is a 240-acre farm that is being donated to the Jennings County Community Foundation and will be managed by the Jennings County Growers Cooperative. The donors want to see the farm kept as a working farm for school programs, adult education, farm demonstrations, etc. It will include alternative or supplemental farm enterprises as part of the demonstrations.
- Ohio County Indiana Mound Project
A local historian has spent a considerable amount of time identifying and researching the location of every Indian mound in Ohio County, and has thoroughly documented his efforts. This project is intended to take his study and reproduce it in a form that is useful and interesting to the general public. This will initially be a printed booklet, with the longer term goal of developing an interactive DVD for student use.
- Canaan Masonic Lodge Restoration
This structure in Jefferson County was built in the early 1800's and is still in its original condition, including lack of indoor plumbing. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Sites. It is suffering from lack of funds to keep up with routine maintenance over the years and needs funding to replace some window frames, complete some basic repairs and paint the entire structure.
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