This marks the start of a new series at little Indiana: Indiana Blogs! If you are an Indiana Blogger, please use the contact form and send me an email. You may be featured right here on little Indiana.
Indiana Blogs: FenceRow to FenceRow
FenceRow to FenceRow is an Indiana blog that will make your hungry–this Hoosier can cook! But more than recipes that go straight to your stomach, her turn of phrase will go straight to your heart.
This is one Indiana blogger that I’ve met in person! She’s the Marketing Director for the Indiana Wine Grape Council. Remember when I attended that Media Marketplace event in the Spring? Well, guess who was giving away bottles of Indiana wine? I’ve decided that Jeanette needs to be my new BFF.
Joking aside, I think you’ll really enjoy her blog. Jeanette has a lovely way with words. The recipes, the small town chatter–really, it’s a lot of fun.
Indiana Blogs: FenceRow to FenceRow
Why did you start FenceRow to FenceRow?
I started this blog as a creative outlet. My first love is communications. In my career straight out of college (a farm broadcaster and journalist) I spent every day talking and writing to thousands of people. I guess I missed talking!
You are a fourth generation farmer–what is the nicest part of farming?
The nicest part of farming? Knowing that our job is literally changing the world. Farmers are responsible for feeding this nation and beyond. Without agriculture, people don’t eat. I’d also be leaving out part of the story if I didn’t say raising our kids in the middle of a farm is priceless.
Our kids understand where their food comes from. In fact, my 7 year old told her entire class that ham comes from a pigs butt. They are happy to educate their friends too!
What are three of your most favorite posts?
This is hard!! I’d probably start with Something Funny Happened on the Way to Oklahoma. It’s the story of how my Farmer and I met!
My second, Halloween Treats for Chaotic Mom, may not be my most favorite, but is appropriate for Halloween and my life in general! Chaos rules our house some days. So when my oldest daughter spring the surprise on me that she needed treats for school for Halloween, I tried to be creative. I was proud of our cookies, only to find out three other Mom’s had made the same thing!!
The last one is very hard to choose. I should say every blog about my kids are my favorites. And by only doing one here, I’m leaving out two kids! But I was moved to tears when I wrote this blog, RFOA: The Cycle of Life of a 7 Year Old Farmgirl, about my oldest daughter and her growing up!
What keeps you ready and raring to post? Why do you blog?
Sometimes it’s just to sit down and have an outlook to write about my cool life! Sounds self-serving, but not meant too. I am beyond blessed. And I like to share!
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
To not try and do everything, but rather focus on what you are good at and tackle it! This is especially good to know when trying to figure out which social media projects to be involved with.
Not only are you a farmer, but we can add wife, mother of three, full-time job, and wine promoter to that list! How do you ever get out the door on time?
Getting everyone up and ready in the morning is tough. None of my kids are particularly motivated in the morning! I do as much as night before I go to bed as possible. This includes setting the breakfast table, packing lunches, laying out clothes and having backpacks waiting by the door.
So, what does a wine promoter do, exactly? How’d you end up in that field?
As Marketing Director for the Indiana wine industry, I have the privilege of promoting a fantastic part of Indiana agriculture! While my husband and I raise hog, corn and soybeans, it’s fun to promote something completely different.
I work with all of our wineries to promote their efforts. I work with new wineries to develop advertising and marketing plans. I spend a lot of time on social media efforts. And I plan Vintage Indiana, a huge wine festival of 10,000 people, held the first Saturday in June every year! And that really only scratches the surface of what I do every day!
I’ve often been told it’s not what you know, but who you know! And I think I got my job by who I knew. After graduating from Purdue, I spent 7 years as Farm Director of the AgriAmerica Radio Network. I was a farm broadcaster, doing radio programming for 70 stations across Indiana. I reported farm commodity prices, farm news, etc. I loved every second of that job. However, when 8 ½ months pregnant with my first child, the network was sold, and my job didn’t exist anymore. It was crushing. However, it was God’s plan.
I had my baby two weeks later and spent the first 8 months home doing freelance work and enjoying being a new mom! I got a phone call one day from someone who heard the Indiana Wine Grape Council was hiring and said I should apply. In my interview before the wine industry board of directors, I realized I had been communicating with one of the wineries there via email about his great wine! So I think a combination of what I knew and who I knew helped in getting what has been the best job!
Where do you begin if you know nothing about wine?
Start in a winery. Go through a wine tasting. You will be able to figure out what kind of wine you like. You may like sweet wine but if you visit a grocery store to buy wine, you’ll have no idea what is in that bottle based on the label only.
You may get it home and realize it’s not your favorite. A wine tasting is a great way to figure out what grape, style and wines you like!
Wine and Dine
Food and drink? Yeah, her blog is fun! Read Gone in 60 Seconds for a look at why small town life is so irresistible–even when nature does its worst! Thanks to Jeanette for taking the time out of her busy life and popping on over to little Indiana!
Small Towns: Destinations, not Drive-Thrus! I’m Jessica Nunemaker and THIS is little Indiana!
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