2022 – Bus Tour Stops

The midday lunch should be a highlight for young and old with a stop at the Melvin and Sharon Yoder residence in rural, western Daviess County. Melvin’s father Ezra settled on this historic, old farmstead in 1944. Melvin and Sharon’s family includes four sons and one daughter. The daughter, incidentally, is the wife of Derek Knepp of Knepp’s Equine, another stop on today’s tour. The four grown sons – Stanley, Daniel, Randal and Nathan farm on or near the old homestead, with their father Melvin as Chief Officer. Meanwhile, wife and mother Sharon’s cooking is delicious southern home-style. She is accustomed to cooking meals for large groups by appointment. Included in her specialties are a variety of meats and vegetables as well as homemade bread and jams and for the sweet tooth, homemade pies, cakes and pastries, and a few other things. And as if farming and feeding people were not enough, a homemade candy making business continued from Sharon’s parents begins in late fall and runs through the holidays yielding many tons of candy to wholesale and retail customers. At this stop you will be able to enjoy Southern Indiana’s trademark genuine hospitality!

The famous Daviess County Horse and Colt Sale presently held at the Dinky’s Sale barn began 45 years ago on this the farm of Henry L. Knepp. This farm is presently home to Henry L.’s grandson Derek and his family. Derek, a third generation horse enthusiast, with his wife Rachel and son Jamal, established Knepp’s Equine in 2019 and have operated it since then. In the spring of 2020 a complete renovation to the old barn, which was built in 1945 and had served Henry L. Knepp well during his lifetime, took place and a large new addition was built on. This fulfilled a dream of Derek’s for an equine reproduction and horse fitting facility. Here you will see a state-of-the-art semen collecting and distributing, breeding and ultra-sounding facility.

In 2021 Knepp’s Equine stood eight stallions and collected from them, most of them were drafts but other breeds are considered as well. Derek grew up and was surrounded by the horse activity of his father Jake and mother Jean who were named Double J Belgians, which gave him a solid foundation for supporting the breeding, presentation and promotion of the Belgian breed throughout the industry. Today’s popular sires are well represented in the mare matrons of Knepp’s Equine. They include horses like PVF Ricky J, Orndorff’s Master Encore, N.B.’s Captain Jr., Detweiler’s Prince Charming and Circle Lane Jr., to name a few. Currently he is using Freeway’s Roger, a 19 hh RKD Asset son out of Sweet Water Melody she a Concerto bred mare, as a herd sire. Here we should see some 2022 foals along with their quality mothers.

Near the outskirts of the village of Epsom located in northwest Daviess County lies a 65 acre spread of mostly tillable land owned by Verlin Knepp and his wife Shirley. They raised their family of four boys and three girls after having gotten “hitched” in 1985. All are married now except son Malon who lives at home and helps dad. Sons Eric and Andrew live on the farm too which means help is never far away.

Verlin, a third generation horseman in his own right, didn’t get serious about breeding and producing quality pulling foals until about the year of Y2K. You might want to ask a lot of questions here, especially about his program that specializes in prepping his horse babies for the annual fall Daviess County Draft Horse and Colt Sale, where they are always well accepted. Seven mares are in foal for 2022 and there is always some young stock on the pasture. Verlin is a 40-plus year worker at K and K Truss Factory but still, his mares earn their keep with some hay and corn farming. His mare’s paternal progeny include King’s Final, Neal K, OVO Cecil and Rock Digger. He even has one old King Farceur mare! Former herd sire Dolly’s Neal K.’s breeding position has fallen onto Tim Bob Supreme, and in addition for the 2022 breeding season he plans to use OVD Cecil and Breezy Knoll’s Rudy. All or most of the Verlin Knepp sons and sons -in-law are in some way endowed with a passion for pulling horses. If you are a follower of pulling horse genetics or simply enjoy the horses themselves, plan to enjoy this stop!

Siblings David and Viola Graber live near each other, back-yardish like, and they are both separately involved in two very interesting family-oriented, self-employed, sustainable business endeavors and both were raised on the farm that is now home to David and his family. In 2003 when Viola became a young widow with two young children, she moved back to the farm that was then owned by their father Henry M. Graber. She brought with her a self-sustaining mentality that included seeking a way to make an income. There was an old outbuilding on the property that she requisitioned as she dove head first into a custom upholstery business. Their elderly father Henry was very useful in dismantling and reassembling used furniture, and in giving directions. Refinished Lazy Boy recliners became a hot commodity as Henry made it his duty to find all the old ones he could find at the local auction barn and elsewhere. Thus was born Country View Furniture which in 2005 moved to its new and nearby current location.

In 2006, having grown tired of the dust and dirt of old furniture, Country View began manufacturing new living room furniture. Father Henry passed away in 2008, but in 2009 Ben Graber came on board as Viola’s new husband and a business partner who was good with his hands. In 2015 Viola’s son Martin became partially involved with the business and Country View Furniture entered the wholesale market. In 2018 they went completely wholesale, shipping into 10-12 states including Texas and Arizona, Graber Hand-Crafted Furniture was then created to sell all kinds of furniture retail. In 2019 son Martin came on full time, and now handles the CEO duties of the enterprise. And, be sure to check out the garage where you will see a special religious scene that was strangely created. It’s a surprise you won’t want to miss.

The only tour stop that includes a full-time produce growing entity lies on the gently sloping knobs of eastern Daviess County in rural Loogootee Indiana. After a bit of coaxing, the Graber family will let us take a peek at their dirty-knuckle sweat-wiping family venture that is heavily dependent on manual labor. If muscle spasms can be controlled, their kind of work does lead to a good night’s sleep. Here is a joint partnership that is comprised of grandparents Abe N. and Rebecca Graber, son Abraham Jr. with his wife Martha who were married in 1998 and whose children are grown, and son Andrew and his wife Karen who married in 2015 and have small children. All live either on the farm or very nearby.

The daily workforce is made up of several teams, including the grandchildren and others. This peace-loving and soft spoken family which for the better part of three decades relied on carriage and buggy manufacturing and restoration for their livelihood, is now completely reliant on produce and animal farming. The revenue nosedives showered upon many types of enterprises in the recession of 2008 are what led this family into a new and rewarding livelihood. Seeking other sources of income, this self-reliant family planted a quarter acre of produce consisting mostly of sweet corn and tomatoes, something which everyone eats. Thus was born Graber Family Farm Produce. Today’s crops include 35 acres of watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, potatoes, and other things. Most of the produce is marketed at the local produce auction and at local farmers’ markets. Again, this is what Horse Progress Days endorses; a sustainable family operation, not absent hard work, but reliable and dependable for the teaching of the basics of growing food and more importantly, the roots of our Christian heritage.

Rose Acres Percherons is located on a hundred acre spread just below Odon, Indiana. Row crops and hay are the crops that are farmed with some of the 14 mares, four geldings and one stallion kept on the farm. Enos L. Wagler, born in 1940, moved onto Rose Acres farm with his wife Viola, their growing family and of course the Percherons in 1989.

You will be inspired by the variety of sprawling enterprises that have transpired here, now owned and operated by the three generations of family who live here. Elam, youngest son of Enos and Viola was 15 years old when the family moved here. He oversees the day to day endeavors which include a 600 sow farrowing operation, a custom fence building crew, fiberglass parts sales and service, selling hay wagons, the farm operations of course, and the Percheron horses. And oh yes, he is also a licensed auctioneer. There should be eight baby Percherons frolicking in the meadow by the summer of 2022, most sired by their stallion Kerwin’s Lincoln who stands at Jacob Yoder’s in Ohio. Lincoln is sired by Pleasant View King and out of the world champion mare Kerwin’s Emma. Elam is married to Ida Graber and their children, the third generation and a major part of the operation, are daughter Leann and son Eldon. You will enjoy this spacious yet hidden nook.

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