It's a Family Affair---And a Healthy One!

GALION -- Sixth-generation farmer Mendy Sellman and her husband, Russ have one word to describe the way they run their farm -- healthy.

The couple raise their cattle, hogs, turkeys and chickens with no hormones, antibiotics or other chemicals that would make their products less healthy on their farm, Rus-Men Farm, located at 710 Iberia Road about a mile and a half from Ohio 19 between Galion and Bucyrus.

"We also raise them in an atmosphere where they behave naturally and are not stressed. We do everything the healthiest way possible," Mendy Sellman said.

The Sellmans also grow corn, wheat and beans on the farm that their three children, 22-year-old Emily, 18-year-old Jesse and 13-year-old Elaina, help out with.

"We work together as a family," Mendy said.

Mendy's Sellman's relatives own farms that encompass the Rus-Men Farms, also known as Beach Farm.

"Our ancestors are buried just a road over on the original family plot. They were German Mennonites and passed down the farm down the road. My grandpa added this farm in the 1950s and added the Nigh Farm in 1971. We all still live here and I love it. I am 45 years old and have always lived here," Mendy said.

After she married Russ Sellman in 1993, he moved to the farm from his home in Loudonville.

"I grew up around farming so it was not new to me," said Russ Sellman, who was able to leave his job at Covert Manufacturing in Galion about a year ago to work on the farm full-time.

The Sellmans try to do everything they can locally to help support the economy.

"We do business with Link's in Leesville, we buy seed from Paul Lust and Jim Nigh, along with Central Ohio Farmer's Co-op in Monnett, and get our peeps from Eaglenest Poultry in Oceola. We try to do as much as we can locally," Mendy said.

Mendy noted their meats are processed at the nearest state inspected facility which is in Baltic, Ohio.

The Sellmans offer Thanksgiving turkeys each year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

"We start at 7 p.m. on that Tuesday. This year, we pulled in to our driveway at 6:30 and there were about 20 carloads of people waiting already. It was amazing," Mendy said.

She said that is one of things she likes best about selling her products at local farm markets in Galion and Mansfield is the people.

The Sellman's have constructed a store at their farm. "We connect with so many people, I just love it," Mendy said.