Lake County Farm Bureau President Dan Sutton recently sat down with national agricultural publication Ag Tech Navigator for an in-depth conversation about life and farming in Lake County, and the challenges that come with working the land in one of Indiana’s most urbanized counties.
The feature, published April 28, paints a vivid picture of what it means to be a fifth-generation farmer navigating tight margins, a shifting policy landscape, and an ever-growing divide between the people who produce food and the people who eat it.
Farming Where the City Meets the Country
Lake County is unlike most farming communities in Indiana. The northern half is home to cities like Hammond and Gary. Meanwhile, the rural southern half still supports around 300 farms including Sutton Farms Enterprises, which Dan operates alongside his brother Brian. Their 1,200-acre operation produces non-GMO soybeans, grass-fed beef, and corn sold to Cargill.
As the county’s urban and rural zones grow closer together, tensions have emerged. One of Dan’s most pressing day-to-day frustrations is traffic: not just as an inconvenience, but as a genuine safety issue. Accidents involving farm equipment on public roads have claimed lives over the years, and Dan wants drivers to remember that farmers have just as much right to the road as anyone else.
“I want to have bumper stickers made up that just say, ‘I’m going to work too,'” he told Ag Tech Navigator.
More traffic also means more roadside litter, which is more than just an eyesore. Mylar balloons and food wrappers end up in fields and pastures, where they can be ingested by livestock or degrade into the soil. It’s a small-sounding problem with real consequences for animal health and farm operations.
Running a Farm Business That Works
On the business side, Dan and Brian made a strategic move years ago to go direct-to-consumer with their grass-fed and organic beef, cutting out the middleman and capturing the full value of what they produce. It requires more coordination, such as while hauling cattle to a federally inspected processor two hours from the farm. Despite the effort, it gives the Suttons control over their margins that commodity-only operations simply don’t have.
That kind of forward thinking also showed up in how Dan handled this year’s fertilizer price spike. By purchasing all his chemicals in December and his fertilizer in February, well ahead of the disruptions caused by the Iran war, he was able to lock in costs before prices climbed. It’s a reminder of how much timing and planning matter in modern farm management.
He’s not unconcerned about what comes next, though. If fertilizer supply issues and elevated prices carry into fall, decisions about anhydrous ammonia applications could ripple into crop choices for the 2027 season.
A Nuanced Take on Government Support
One of the more candid moments in the interview comes when Dan addresses the topic of farm subsidies, something he calls “a touchy subject” among farmers.
Many farmers, he explains, would rather compete on their own terms. But the reality is that the system is structured in a way that makes opting out of government support a competitive disadvantage. If neighboring farms are receiving assistance and yours is not, you fall behind: plain and simple.
At the same time, Dan sees a potential long-term upside to reducing agricultural dependence on subsidies. Lower cash rents, natural consolidation, and more room for new farmers to enter the industry could follow if the free market were given more room to operate.
“If they were able to stop or wean agriculture off of those subsidies, agriculture, I believe, would still continue and potentially thrive,” he said.
It’s a perspective that reflects the thoughtful, honest voice Dan brings to his role as LCFB President, willing to sit with complexity rather than reach for easy answers.
Bringing Agriculture into the Classroom
Beyond running his own farm, Dan dedicates significant time to LCFB’s Ag in the Classroom program, which works to educate local students about where their food comes from and the role agriculture plays in their community. In a county where many young people grow up closer to a steel mill than a soybean field, that kind of outreach matters.
We’re proud to see Dan’s perspective shared with a national audience. The full interview is available at Ag Tech Navigator.
To learn more about Lake County Farm Bureau and how to get involved, visit lcfbin.org.
About Ag Tech Navigator
Ag Tech Navigator is an independent news and analysis publication covering the global agricultural technology industry, with a readership of senior executives, investors, and decision-makers across the ag sector. Published by William Reed, a specialist B2B media group, the outlet tracks developments in precision agriculture, crop innovation, farm policy, and sustainability — making it a significant platform for voices shaping the future of food and farming. Being featured there puts Lake County agriculture in front of a national and international audience that goes well beyond our region.
