LAGRANGE — Food remains to be among the least costly commodities in Indiana, according to the Indiana Farm Bureau. Americans spend just 10 percent of their disposable household income annually on food eaten both at and away from home.

  A “Farmer’s Share” lunch, jointly hosted recently by the LaGrange County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service for the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce, illustrated the value and importance of agriculture to the northeast Indiana community.

 All menu items were foods that are produced in LaGrange County. The meal consisted of home-baked bread (flour donated by chamber members Dave and Mary Rinkle of Greenfield Mills), butter and apple butter (from Franke’s Fruit Farm near Brushy Prairie), mashed gourmet potatoes, green beans, corn, roast buffalo (donated by Cook’s Bison Ranch, Adams Lake), chicken breast, apple and cherry cobbler and ice cream.

 According to Dona Hunter, LaGrange County Soil and Water Conservation District coordinator, the actual return to the farmer for a lunch such as this would have been $2.15, against a cost breakdown of $6.17 retail.

 The meal was prepared by Hunter, along with SWCD program assistant Julie Diehm, Christine Franke of SWCD and Erica Cook of Cook’s Bison Ranch.

 During the meeting, Purdue Extension educator Steve Engleking and Joy Sharp, Extension board member, explained the programs available to the public through the extension office. Engleking also stressed the productivity of farmers, saying, “All the food for the meal today, can or could be produced today by farmers in LaGrange County.”

 Soil and Water Conservation District board chairman Richard Yoder stressed the importance of the proper use of farm land.

 “LaGrange County has over 240,000 acres,” Yoder said, adding that anyone seeing a violation of proper soil and water conservation should report to the SWCD.

 A drawing for door prizes, supplied by Farmers State Bank, Cook’s Bison Ranch, Yoder Popcorn, Greenfield Mills and the LaGrange County SWCD was held following the meal. Yoder’s Popcorn also donated packages of microwave popcorn for everyone in attendance.