Joe Huber Jr., you-pick farm owner, dies

by Indystar.com

3.12.08 STARLIGHT, Ind. -- Joe Huber Jr., an entrepreneur who turned his family's farm into a popular you-pick business and later added a restaurant serving farm-fresh foods, has died.

Huber died Monday from acute leukemia at Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Ky. He was 74. In 1967, Huber and his wife of 54 years, Bonnie, started what's believed to be Indiana's first you-pick operation in a bid to sell their fruits and vegetables wholesale.

Their fields of pick-your-own strawberries and green beans helped turn the town of Starlight, about 15 miles north of Louisville, into an agriculture-themed tourist attraction. When the you-pick business diminished in the early 1980s, Huber built a 400-seat restaurant that serves fried chicken, fresh vegetables and other farm delicacies.

The couple's children, who took the reins of the Joe Huber Family Farm & Restaurant 12 years ago, now oversee 140 employees during the busy fall season. The business includes a 260-acre farm, a market and gift shop, and two large barns for serving buffet-style company picnics.

In retirement, Huber often tooled around the property on his golf cart, inviting visitors to hop on for a tour while regaling them with stories about farming.

U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind., called Huber "one of the most decent people I ever met. He cared a great deal about his community. He cared a great deal about kids, family, and he created an environment for people to enjoy themselves."

Huber's survivors include his wife, his five children and 12 grandchildren. Viewing will be Wednesday and Thursday at Kraft Funeral Service in New Albany. Funeral services will be Friday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Starlight.

Courtesy of