One business with multiple entities working within it.
Maple Farms, Inc. was the main business entity that ran the farm. Now Maple Farms GP is the main Operating and renting entity. Maple Farms Inc. will still be a land holding entity looking for purchasing opportunities. Maple Drainage is our side business which is where we operate our drainage and excavation company out of.
A Brief History.
In 1930, Clifford Maple and his wife Edna, purchased a 160 acre tract of land in Taylor Township of Howard County. This was the beginning of what is now known as Maple Farms, Inc., a third generation farm transitioning to a fourth generation farm. Although that same farmstead still serves as the hub of the operation, this family business produces a variety of different crops.
Approximately half of the land the Maple's farm is owned by family members and portions of the farm are rented. Some of the land that is currently operated was initially rented in the early 1960’s. Many of the current landlords began renting to the operation over 20 years ago. Having numerous landlords, there are also numerous varieties of rental agreements.
These range anywhere from the straight cash rent agreement to the traditional 50/50 share crop arrangement. Between these two extremes, there are several cash rent arrangements which are tied to the land’s production. The arrangement which works best depends on the amount of risk the landowner wants to take on. For the landowner who is willing to take all of the risk (and like wise receive all of the reward) without the burden of machinery or labor, the option of a custom agreement can also be considered.
Approximately half of the land the Maple's farm is owned by family members and portions of the farm are rented. Some of the land that is currently operated was initially rented in the early 1960’s. Many of the current landlords began renting to the operation over 20 years ago. Having numerous landlords, there are also numerous varieties of rental agreements.
These range anywhere from the straight cash rent agreement to the traditional 50/50 share crop arrangement. Between these two extremes, there are several cash rent arrangements which are tied to the land’s production. The arrangement which works best depends on the amount of risk the landowner wants to take on. For the landowner who is willing to take all of the risk (and like wise receive all of the reward) without the burden of machinery or labor, the option of a custom agreement can also be considered.
Who Is At Maple Farms.
When Clifford and Edna established their farmstead, they brought their 4 children with them (Margaret, Julia, William, Charles). The 2 sons, William (Bill) and Charles (Charlie) eventually took over management of the farm during the early 1950’s. When Bill and Charlie first began operation of the farm, the business of the farm was handled as a simple partnership. As the farm grew, so did their families and they saw advantages to incorporating the family farm. In 1972 Maple Farms Inc. was established and became the umbrella under which all of the farm production was run for 44 years. Charlie’s son, Tom, continued the legacy following high school in 1974 as did Bill’s son, Mark, in 1976 after completion of an agronomy degree at Purdue. Another of Bill’s sons, Scott, joined the operation in 1994 following 12 years of teaching vocational agriculture. In 2016 Maple Farms made a large transition to keep the legacy intact. Maple Farms Inc. who was comprised of Bill and Charlie along with their wives and children got to be quite the corporation with lots of shareholder's. At this point the next generation running the farm was also not apart of the voting shares of the corporation. So instead of buying out all the shareholders or dissolving the corporation, the decision was made to keep Maple Farms Inc. a land holding and asset company. This also allows all the shareholder to still have a piece of the farm and be able to pass it down to their children. These alleviated the third and fourth generation from buying out everything and also keeping the operating members the ones making all the decisions for the farming entity. Also at that point Maple Age Inc. and TMS farms who were renting farms formed Maple Farms General Partnership or Maple Farms GP for short. They will now be the owner of the main farm operation and become the only farm renting entity. Maple Farms GP is currently owned by Tom Mark Scott Daryl and Jason.
In 2007, Tom’s oldest son, Daryl, completed a degree in Ag. Economics at Purdue and in 2010 Tom’s youngest son, Jason, completed a degree in Ag. Systems Management (ASM). They have both since returned to the farm as full time employees. They mark the beginning of the fourth generation of Maple Farms. Ryan Maple (son of Mark) has also graduated from Purdue in 2010 with a degree in Ag. Economics and is currently working for Reynolds John Deere store in Atlanta, IN, but helps the farm part time. Additionally, two more family members, Kyle (son of Mark) and Aaron (son of Scott) graduated in May 2011 from Purdue University with bachelor degrees in Agri-business and Ag Systems Management. In 2012 we hired Justin Horner, who is a grandson to Bill Maple. In 2017 Caleb Maple (son of Scott) came back to the farm part time in the fall and we hired him full time at the start of 2018. In addition to the family members, the farm has one other key full time employee. Matt Pall joined the farm in the summer of 2010 after graduating with an Bachelors degree in Building Construction Management. He has taken on various roles on the farm including our soil sampler, leads our ditching crew running the tile plow, and runs most of the equipment on the farm. Our Part time help includes Gary Horner(son in law of Bill Maple) Brain Maple (son of Bill Maple) Joe Johnson(retired fertilizer salesman and friend of the family).
In 2007, Tom’s oldest son, Daryl, completed a degree in Ag. Economics at Purdue and in 2010 Tom’s youngest son, Jason, completed a degree in Ag. Systems Management (ASM). They have both since returned to the farm as full time employees. They mark the beginning of the fourth generation of Maple Farms. Ryan Maple (son of Mark) has also graduated from Purdue in 2010 with a degree in Ag. Economics and is currently working for Reynolds John Deere store in Atlanta, IN, but helps the farm part time. Additionally, two more family members, Kyle (son of Mark) and Aaron (son of Scott) graduated in May 2011 from Purdue University with bachelor degrees in Agri-business and Ag Systems Management. In 2012 we hired Justin Horner, who is a grandson to Bill Maple. In 2017 Caleb Maple (son of Scott) came back to the farm part time in the fall and we hired him full time at the start of 2018. In addition to the family members, the farm has one other key full time employee. Matt Pall joined the farm in the summer of 2010 after graduating with an Bachelors degree in Building Construction Management. He has taken on various roles on the farm including our soil sampler, leads our ditching crew running the tile plow, and runs most of the equipment on the farm. Our Part time help includes Gary Horner(son in law of Bill Maple) Brain Maple (son of Bill Maple) Joe Johnson(retired fertilizer salesman and friend of the family).
For many years, the members of our operation have recognized the impact that proper drainage can have on profitability. As the demand for drainage work increased during the 1990’s, we found it increasingly difficult to hire a quality contractor to install drainage tile in a timely manner. There was such a demand, that in 1998, TMS Farms decided to purchase a Spiecher
wheel ditching machine in order to take care of the drainage needs on the ground they operated, as well as, do custom work for others in the area. It was decided then that this part of the business should be a separate subsidiary enterprise which was given the name Maple Drainage, LLC.
Although our primary motivation behind starting this business was to address drainage problems on land we owned and land we farmed, the business grew to doing custom drainage work. The income from this business has allowed us to grow our equipment fleet to provide a wide range of drainage and excavation services.
In 2010 we decided to place Daryl in charge of the ditching operation. We have purchased a pull type tile plow to be able to increase the amount of lateral tiles we can install on pattern tile applications. Our wheel type ditcher takes a lot of abuse and wear digging and hitting rocks and with the help of the new technology and the tile plow we can extend the life of our machine and be much more efficient. We always take into account of all drainage aspects and we use our wheel machine to make sure we never interfere with neighbors drainage when we pattern tile a field. The hope is that with the advancement of technology, pattern tiling, and drainage management, we can improve our fields productivity, soil health, reduce erosion, and nutrient runoff.
wheel ditching machine in order to take care of the drainage needs on the ground they operated, as well as, do custom work for others in the area. It was decided then that this part of the business should be a separate subsidiary enterprise which was given the name Maple Drainage, LLC.
Although our primary motivation behind starting this business was to address drainage problems on land we owned and land we farmed, the business grew to doing custom drainage work. The income from this business has allowed us to grow our equipment fleet to provide a wide range of drainage and excavation services.
In 2010 we decided to place Daryl in charge of the ditching operation. We have purchased a pull type tile plow to be able to increase the amount of lateral tiles we can install on pattern tile applications. Our wheel type ditcher takes a lot of abuse and wear digging and hitting rocks and with the help of the new technology and the tile plow we can extend the life of our machine and be much more efficient. We always take into account of all drainage aspects and we use our wheel machine to make sure we never interfere with neighbors drainage when we pattern tile a field. The hope is that with the advancement of technology, pattern tiling, and drainage management, we can improve our fields productivity, soil health, reduce erosion, and nutrient runoff.