By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

THORNTOWN, Ind. — When Campbell Soup Co. and the National FFA Organization last year announced a competition, in which the winners would get a barn makeover, Tom and Kerry Dull of Thorntown, Ind., entered with the goal of placing in the top five. They ended up getting nearly 40,000 votes for their barn, earning 4th place and a complete restoration of the 122-year-old barn that’s an integral part of their Christmas tree operation.

During two busy days in April, close to 100 volunteer workers descended on the farm, and the result is nothing short of stunning.
“There were a lot of people here and they did a tremendous job. I was exhilarated to see the transformation the barn went through in two days,” said Tom Dull.

Most of the workers were active FFA students, but FFA alumni and staff also joined the restoration project, as well as local and county volunteers. Students from the local Western Boone and Clinton Prairie FFA chapters were joined by FFA students from Cissna Park, Ill., two hours away, who had been involved with two previous barn renovations and thought their experience would be helpful on the other side of the state line.

“They were such diligent workers and really put their elbow grease to work,” said Lucy Whitehead, an FFA alumnus who coordinated the Dull barn makeover. “We thought it was going to take three days, but on the second day we had to brainstorm to come up with extra projects to do.”

Together, the volunteers replaced siding, built and replaced doors, installed new tracks for all doors, and put three coats of bright, red paint with white trim on the barn. The volunteers also sided and painted an accessory building, landscaped the entire farmstead and put in a brick sidewalk.

“This project is a big part of the overall mission of the FFA Alumni Association,” said Whitehead. “We’re all about creating tomorrow’s leaders in agriculture, and this project allows alumni to be mentors. The students get to see production agriculture up close, while also providing a service to a wonderful family.”

Ten barns were originally selected for the competition, and the five with the most votes received the makeover. The other four winners were located in Climax, N.C., Union Bridge, Md., Bloomfield, Mich. and Bark River, Mich.

For Campbell’s, the competition – branded “Help Grow Your Soup” – is a high-profile marketing event, as well as an attempt to reconnect people with the origins of their food. The company donated $1 for each vote cast on the barns, up to $250,000, to the FFA. Other companies also stepped up to the task and helped sponsor the project. Valspar, for example, donated all the paint for the Dull barn.

“This doesn’t get mentioned very often, but I think Campbell’s has showed that the company cares about local farms and the FFA. It was neat to see the human element of such a large company,” Whitehead said.

For the Dulls, who run a 2,000 acre corn and soybean operation aside from their Christmas tree farm, the excitement over the coming holiday season, though it’s still quite a few months away, is evident.

“I can’t wait to see and hear the response from our tree customers this Christmas, when they drive around the bend and see this red beacon,” Dull said. “Our customers always want to know what’s new on the farm, but this year they won’t have to ask. It’ll be obvious.”
The historic barn houses a petting zoo, and Dull said it is integral both to the tree customers’ on-farm experience and the educational school tours the family offers. Though the barn has always been structurally sound, his customers will notice several improvements inside and outside this year, including a new stairway and railing leading up to the haymow. “The intent is to let our Christmas tree customers get up in the haymow – both the kids and their grandparents!” Dull said.

Dull called the barn restoration project a “win-win” for everybody involved. “The fellowship of working together, the new friends we made, the learning we did ourselves – that’s the real value of this experience, aside from the barn face lift.”