Meet the Dairyland Seed Family - Melissa Wilcox
BY Dairyland Seed
Melissa Wilcox, Customer Service/Order Entry specialist at the Wabash, IN, office, strives to maintain and enhance customer satisfaction by assisting customers, the sales team and distribution. Just two years into the job, she shares that the best part of her day is picking up the phone and providing support for each caller.
Prior to joining the Dairyland Seed family, Melissa spent 15 years with the postal service starting out as Postmaster Relief in Urbana, and moving on to Urbana Postmaster and finally the role of Supervisor for the North Manchester office.
Growing up on the family farm, along with her brother and sister, gave her many cherished memories. The farm transitioned over the years from a dairy herd, farrow-to-finish pigs, and row crops to beef cows and her Dad’s passion -- Standard-bred race horses with a herd of 50 at its peak. After spending time as a hunting guide in Montana, her brother has returned and operates the family farm.
The family bonding and love for horse racing began with her great-grandpa who raised the horses, but had someone else train and race them. Her dad, however, did all his own training and raced in Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky for many years. Melissa admires her dad’s ability to take care of everything from beginning to end from doing his own shoeing to performing most of his own vet work. While serving on the Standard-bred Board in Indiana, her dad was instrumental in helping to pass the pari-mutuel bill which paved the way for a racetrack in Indiana. The farm still has broodmares that foal every year and a few still racing. Melissa says, “It was a great way to grow up! I loved it.”
After taking a four-month short course at the Kentucky Equine Institute, she returned to the farm where she and her dad bred, raised, and raced the horses. Their mare, Brooklets Pride, broke the world record for an aged pacing mare during the Invitational Pace at the Sportsman’s Park on July 3, 1984, with a time of 1:54.1. Melissa proudly adds, “Brooklets Pride was racing so well during those years that competitors were bringing geldings in from the east coast to compete against her. Fun times!”
Although Melissa did not race the horses, she was the girl behind the scenes managing everything from grooming and training the horses to feeding. Although they primarily trained their own horses, she and her dad would occasionally train for other people. When their breeding program took off, Melissa stepped up and took care of all bookwork and customer calls in addition to shipping semen. Special memories include volunteering for “foal watch” allowing her to be near the mare’s side while getting ready to foal in order to be the first one with the newborn.
Her family and community benefit from the time and talent she shares. As head of the Outreach Committee at her local church, she began coordinating Red Cross Blood Drives many years ago. Even though she no longer holds the position, she continues to donate blood on a regular basis. But, her greatest blessings are her great nephews and niece. Known as Aunt Mo by one nephew, she spends as much time as possible with them and great memories are made on the farm from tractor rides while baling to jumping on the four-wheeler while doing farm chores.
Melissa and her red heeler “Maggie” reside in Urbana, IN, about a mile away from where she grew up. Those of you attending the August PAR Plot Tour at the Wabash, IN, station, will have an opportunity to meet Melissa in person!