Bloom where you are planted: Indiana journalist and farmer grows community connections

Washington, Ind.—At 12, Lindsay Owens started working on her family’s farm when her grandfather Jim Mayall suggested she could earn money to help pay for her college education. “I don’t think he thought that would include multiple degrees or thought that agreement would last 28 years, either, but it did!” Owens said.

An IU alum with degrees in journalism and history, Owens now serves as the editor of the Washington Times-Herald when she is not picking produce for her family’s Mayall’s Market and Greenhouse in Oaktown. A food-as-medicine initiative sparked a new connection between her alma mater and the farm.

While interviewing staff at the Area 13 Agency on Aging and Disability about its recently launched food prescription partnership with the IU for a news story, she scanned the produce list. “I knew I could help this program,” Owens said.

The food-as-medicine initiative, led by Julia Valliant at the Ostrom Workshop in collaboration with the Center for Rural Engagement and local partners with support from the I-HOPE initiative, is designed to strengthen local food systems and increase health and well-being across the Indiana Uplands region through the distribution of meal boxes. Inspired by popular food subscription boxes available on the commercial market, these nutrition boxes included local produce, recipes, and tools for making meals. Residents managing chronic illnesses, food insecurity, or limited access to fresh produce participated in the program in Crawford, Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Jackson, Orange, and Washington counties.

“Even though we are in an area that's deeply rooted in agriculture, we still have food deserts,” Owens said. “We still have a lot of people who don't have access to food because they're homebound, or just don't have a vehicle, or whatever their situation may be. I feel like it's important, obviously, for overall health that people eat fresh fruits and vegetables,” Owens said.

Mayall’s provided several items for the weekly meal boxes distributed in Daviess County. On Thursdays, Mayall’s hosted a mobile market, packing a truck and selling what the store had on hand. Program participants had $15 vouchers, and they could purchase fruits and vegetables to make a recipe, make something new, or can and preserve for later. Owens started receiving calls to place orders in advance.

“Our region is really starting to see the value, monetary and otherwise, in buying local,” said Owens. “I have done the farmer’s market for 22 seasons. In the beginning, there were customers, but the number of people seeking that produce has increased exponentially. Now people are planning their meals around what they can purchase from a local vendor.”

Owens recalled that her grandfather, who she calls “Rabbit” because of his propensity for eating carrots, maintained traditional methods for farming that weren’t well-suited for the mass-production demanded by large food distributors. The farm has 250 acres of green crops and specialty produce, with some ground rented and sharecropped.

Farming was a part-time gig for Mayall, and he supported his family working security at a coal mine in Carlisle. He made it clear to Owens that he expected her to go to college, pursue her dreams of being a journalist and find work outside of the farm before returning.

When she graduated and later returned, she brought new ideas to the market. “I set up a Facebook page, and in one day, we sold 47 Boston ferns,” said Owens. She led the specialty crop production, including watermelons and hard-to-source produce like heirloom tomatoes.

Tragically, Mayall was killed in a car accident in July 2023. Owens and her family work to keep the farm running in service to the community  while navigating the pain of his absence.

“He was an integral part of the farm—my picking buddy and planting buddy,” Owens said.

Owens finds new ways to connect with customers while building on the traditions her grandfather instilled in her.  Through participation in food-as-medicine programs and the mobile markets, she formed new friendships with residents from across the community. Now, Mayall’s offers homebound clients a fresh fruit and vegetable bag filled with in-season produce and works with the Knox County Health Department with the supplemental voucher nutrition program. In addition to its Oaktown market location, Mayall’s participates in the Vincennes Farmers Market on Saturdays and accepts Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers. Mayall's is also a member of Indiana Grown.

“They can come here, and they can ask questions if they don't understand or if they don't know how to pick something, and we want to provide them with fresh quality produce straight from the farm,” Owens said.

“As a grower, it is important to form relationships with them.”