Aug 3, 2026 by Robert Herrington, INFB Marketing
The upcoming Indiana State Fair is an opportunity for Indiana Farm Bureau to connect to both consumers and youth. The annual Taste From Indiana Farms (TFIF) will be held at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 13-16.
“It’s the largest consumer-facing event we put on at Indiana Farm Bureau,” said Emily Young, INFB member engagement coordinator.
Coordinated by the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee, TFIF is free to the public and will highlight eight commodities.
“The whole purpose is to educate the public about Indiana agriculture, and then they get the opportunity to sample products from that commodity – it's either grown or manufactured in Indiana. We also have Indiana agriculture facts and nutritional information,” Young said.
For 2026, INFB is trying something new for the International Year of the Woman Farmer by highlighting a woman that's involved with each commodity.
“We aim for 10,000 and last year we had over 12,000 consumers come through the event in the four days,” she said. “It's a lot of fun and it takes a lot of volunteers as we have members educating the public at each table.”
Those interested in volunteering for a 2.5-hour shift should visit infb.org/events to sign up.
In addition to TFIF, INFB will be continuing its support of the 4-H youth livestock competitions. INFB will sponsor the 4-H Supreme Drive, which recognizes the champion 4-H breeding females from each of the following: ewe, gilt, dairy heifer, dairy cow, percentage breeding doe and full blood doe, on Aug. 16, as well as the 4-H Supreme Showmanship competitions on Aug. 23.
“Before those contests, INFB is the sponsor of all the showmanship competitions of the fair and will have banners and awards for the breed winners and the overall species winners,” said Annie Romine, INFB youth engagement coordinator.
When 4-H livestock exhibitors arrive at the state fair and pick up their entry packet, INFB staff will be there to greet them with a gift. Staff also will be at the market lamb check-in and dairy barn social and will offer a hat bar, where exhibitors can choose iron-on patches to customize hats.
“On Aug. 7, we will have a dirty soda bar from 2 to 4 p.m. for the 4-H livestock exhibitors. We also then have a raffle opportunity for parents from 2 to 6 p.m. for them to come up and learn about how Indiana Farm Bureau supports youth in agriculture,” Romine said. “Our presence is an opportunity for us to engage with youth in agriculture – sometimes introduce them to Indiana Farm Bureau – because more than likely, these students will be our future members.”
As the presenting sponsor, INFB also provides an exhibitor experience on the upper floor of the INFB Fall Creek Pavilion for livestock exhibitors to relax and engage with each other through games and activities during the first weekend.
“It provides a space for them to get away from the stalls for a little bit, have some downtime when they're not showing. It provides a fun space for them while they're at the fair,” Romine said.
The Indiana State Fair runs Aug. 7-23 and is closed on Mondays. Aug. 8 is Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Day at Indiana State Fair.
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P.O. Box 1290 Indianapolis, IN 46206
