In 1975, the farm that is now the headquarters was purchased.  Initially, the farm raised hogs in a farrow-to-finish operation, but when the farrowing house was destroyed by fire, the swine enterprise was discontinued.  In its place, and in order to maintain diversification, the production of fresh market fruits and vegetables was initiated in 1977, and a 3000-tree apple orchard was planted in 1981.  Processing tomatoes were added in 1995.  In 1999, tomato production grew to include several acres under center pivot irrigation on a farm 100 miles north of the headquarters.  Farm land was also purchased in Western Bahia, Brazil, in the winter of 2000.  Howell Farms harvested its first crop of soybeans and sorghum on the Brazilian farm in the spring of 2003. Watermelon production grew to a large scale in 2003 and was further established with the construction of a warehouse facility in 2004.

Maintaining diversification has always been an important business strategy.  We believed it necessary to generate revenue from sources not controlled by government program constraints or Board of Trade pricing. For these reasons, over the past quarter century a concentrated effort has been made to implement, expand and sustain fruit and vegetable production on a scale that would account for at least half of the farm's total revenue, even as the total operations were growing. This goal was achieved in the production year of 2005. Watermelons and pumpkins are grown under contract with an independent supplier of Wal-Mart and are delivered to distribution centers throughout the country. Processing tomatoes are grown under contract with Red Gold, Inc.,(www.redgold.com) the largest processor of tomatoes in the Midwest and are distributed worldwide.

Howell Farms has in place a defined, yet dynamic, business strategy, which we use in daily decision making and review annually.  Carefully planned growth is one essential element in this business strategy.  Growth is simply a necessity that defines our perspective; it is not a means to satisfy egos.  Each individual farming operation within Howell Farms is operated as a sole proprietorship and an LLC, with management, machinery, labor and land contributed to the group by all involved.  With the entire agriculture industry rapidly consolidating, we must responsibly outpace the competition to secure our place.  This is done in a variety of ways that include: minimizing fixed costs per unit of production, minimizing variable costs per unit of production or increasing production per variable cost, and improving information in order to accomplish the above.

Aaron Howell is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural business.  He earned a Master's degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University. Aaron provides management of daily operations, watermelon production and long-term planning for Howell Farms as well as his own farming operation in Indiana that produces corn, soybeans, watermelons and processing tomatoes. He has joined Adam in the planning and preparation for the Brazilian investment offerings and is a member of the management committee at Crossroads Group International.  Aaron may be contacted by phone at (765) 748-2864 or by e-mail at aaron@howellfarms.com.

Mike Behrendt attended Purdue University and Indiana University with a major in history. Mike "grew up" at Howell Farms, working with us since 1993 at the age of 13. He joined the farm full-time after college in 2002. Among many other responsibilities, Mike manages the tomato harvest for Howell Farms. He has joined Adam and Aaron in the planning and preparation for the Brazilian investment offerings and was instrumental in planting the first crop in 2003. Mike also manages Behrendt Farms, LLC, in Indiana producing corn, soybeans, processing tomatoes and watermelon shipping and billing. He may be reached by phone at 765-744-9714 or by e-mail at mikebehrendt@howellfarms.com.

Amanda Howell is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in family and consumer sciences. She returned to school at Anderson University for partial fulfillment of Master's degree requirements in elementary education and a teaching license. Amanda is employed by the Mt. Vernon School Corporation. She assists with daily operations as her time allows.

Audrey Howell Behrendt is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in speech communications. She joined Howell Farms full-time in 2003 and manages a variety of responsibilities in the office including grain and input inventory control, grain shipments and tracking, communications, watermelon and tomato production crop cost accounting and payroll, and watermelon shipping and billing. Audrey may be contacted by phone at 765-759-7432 or by e-mail at audreybehrendt@howellfarms.com.