Greetings from Rural Whitley County!
This is what happens when you answer a survey asking what you’d like to see more of on Talk of the Town. I promptly replied “more agriculture news,” and the rest is history, so to speak. My dear friend and genius media mogul Jennifer contacted me with an idea, suggesting I pen a column on farming and agriculture in the 21st century. What an opportunity to promote agriculture, I thought. 
And then I thought, hey, I’m not really an expert on this topic and I, for the most part, have a very private family. But, I do live it every day and absolutely love it (usually), so the chance to share a part of our lives with you is a chance I’m going to take (with permission from my husband!).
I didn’t grow up on a farm…I was a “suburban girl” who longed to have hoards of animals and a farm in my youth. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and everywhere we went there was always a farm to pass as we went for groceries or headed to the mall. It looked so peaceful and easy, kind of like a Norman Rockwell painting. That passion never dimmed, but the picture of reality became much clearer. When I submitted my application to Penn State there was no question I wanted to be in the College of Agriculture. Back when I entered school to pursue my degree in animal science, there weren’t a lot of kids from the same background as me. Most had been raised or exposed to some kind of farm; I was thrust into a world I knew nothing about and it was great! The people in agriculture are some of the most friendly you’ll find.
Fast-forward to Larwill, Indiana, where I have the privilege to work with my husband and his family on a hog, cattle and grain operation in Etna-Troy Township. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still learning – oh, and still making plenty of mistakes. One thing I’ve learned very quickly around here is that you are much more quickly informed of your screw-ups than rewarded for your successes! But I’m so proud of our farm and others who have the courage, determination and love to continue on in agriculture.
For many farm homesteads, there is a “mud room” or “mud porch.” You see, when you come in from the barn or field it’s not quite the same as walking in the house from the office. Chances are there’s mud, straw or something else on your shoes and your clothes (depending on what you’ve been doing that day) have a distinct odor you might not want to infiltrate the rest of the house. Thus, “Musings from the Mud Room” became the title for this retrospective on rural life in Whitley County.
I’ll try to share something with you once a month; it may be a peek into farm life, a personal perspective, or something else. I just know it’s a pleasure to be able to open the door to agriculture and livestock farming to Talk of the Town’s many readers.
I’ll close with one more thing…although Whitley County continues to grow and change, the community’s rural roots are strong and still very evident. I had never heard of Whitley County, Indiana was when I moved here. Now I now it is a segment of a very strong and thriving agricultural community in the state. One of the greatest points of pride is the talent we have in the youth who dedicate endless amounts of hours to showing livestock. You can go to a cattle show in Indy or a pig show in Louisville, Kentucky, Duncan, Oklahoma, or Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and chances are you’ll find at least one family from Whitley County in attendance. As a matter of fact, at some events I’d venture to say Whitley County has one of the best showings of any county in the state. Almost every year, there is a 4-H’er from this community in the State Fair Sale of Champions, and many livestock magazines feature someone from Columbia City, South Whitley, Churubusco or points in between who has been successful in placing with their animal.
There is a quite sense of pride in our agricultural community. That pride is exhibited every day in the time a farmer takes to care for their operation and animals. And when the day ends, it is great to have a “mud room” to rest our shoes, ready for the next day’s work.
Kelley Sheiss and her husband, Donnie, are the proud parents of a son, Dillon, and operate a family farm in Etna Troy Township. She is the executive director of Leadership Whitley County, enjoys volunteering for many local organizations and cooks a mean pot of chili.