Ring Family Farm - Muncie, IN by Diane

Friday, August 31. If you ever wonder if one person can make a difference, you should go meet Dave Ring, owner/farmer of Ring Family Farm in Muncie, Indiana. Muncie is known for Ball State University (David Letterman went there) and Ball Jars (which are no longer made there) and is not really considered a hotbed of sustainability. It’s also the 9th poorest city in the country, for its size.

We wanted to visit Muncie because we heard there were some sustainable things happening there. And we quickly realized that most of them centered around Dave Ring. He has a five-acre farm where he grows vegetables and chickens, and runs a CSA program (community supported agriculture) for 15-18 members. He’s not certified organic but he staunchly uses organic practices, and I’d go as far to say that he’s beyond organic. He’s been farming for seven years on what used to be a hay field that had become worn out, eroded, and was in bad shape. He’s worked hard to replenish the soil and said that now after seven years he’s starting to see really fertile soil.

He also recently opened The Downtown Farm Stand in downtown Muncie with his business partner Tom. The space is used as a pick up point for his CSA shares and is a way for him to not only sell his products, but to also sell products from other sustainable farmers in the area. (And, yes, Dave’s not the only sustainable small farmer around Muncie!)

The store is small but has some great stuff, like Traders Point Dairy products. This store is the only supplier of these products in Muncie – they do milk, yogurt, ice cream and cheese (at least that’s what I saw in the case). I tried the chocolate drinkable yogurt and it tasted amazing! They also sell Swiss Connection products – it’s a family farm in Clay County, IN, that has a Swiss heritage and produces cheese and meat from 100 percent grassfed cows and uses organic methods.

The eggs were from Johnson’s Natural Harvest in Henry County, from 100 percent free range chickens. The Downtown Farm Stand also had local organic popcorn from Mozinga Farms in Brownsburg, IN, and unfiltered honey from the ‘industrious bees’ as their label says at Gordy’s Bell Creek Farm. They also sell local bison when in season and meat from Rice’s Quality Farm Meats.

We spoke with Dave a bit at his Pie Across America get together and asked him about sustainable farming in Muncie. He said that one problem with small scale sustainable farming is that most farmers are shut out of stores (which is why he opened one up!), and that farmers markets aren’t the most efficient way to sell – the majority of farmers are way too busy to attend farmers markets, especially with some of the long drives farmers do. He believes small farmers need stores where they can drop off their goods – and because there weren’t any in Muncie, he opened one.

This is a perfect example of one person making a huge difference. I’m sure Dave would say that it’s not about him, that if he didn’t have all the other farmers, he wouldn’t have products to sell, but without Dave, these farmers wouldn’t have a place to sell. This is how communities are coming together to support, enhance and grow the local sustainable food movement – it can start with only one or two people, but I’m sure that what Dave’s started will only get bigger and bigger.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the event, they had a variety of delicious quiches and pies that were out of this world. The pecan brandy was a huge hit, as was the gooseberry pie – tart green gooseberries with a sweet, cinnamon sugar type crust. Dave reckoned around 120 people showed up, many who he didn’t know (which is a good sign and shows more people are becoming interested in local sustainable food). The bluegrass band, Pray for Mojo, were also a huge hit. So, all in all, it was a wonderful night for everyone. And I’m interested in seeing what happens in Muncie – seeing what Dave’s already been able to do, I’m sure he’ll continue to have a huge impact on sustainable food in the Muncie area.

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