© 2025. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Federal funding for public media has been eliminated — we need your help to continue serving south central Indiana
Some web content from Indiana Public Media is unavailable during our transition to a new web publishing platform. We apologize for the inconvenience.

One Farmer, Five Dogs And The Eighty Sheep They Tend

On this week's program, we meet Denice Rackley. She raises sheep and lambs with the assistance of some highly-trained border collies, but her dogs are more than just extra help around the farm:

My dogs are in when I'm in and outside when I'm outside. At 10 at night or 4 in the morning, they're right there with me. They don't complain if it's raining or if it's muddy or cold or snowing. I depend on them for everything.

Rackley lives in a part of southern Indiana where sheep farmers are few and far between. She also feels isolated as a single woman who operates a farm on her own. We hear how her business -- and her life -- is dependent on her dogs.

Then, it's planting season. For some farmers, the decisions they make today will determine whether or not their business turns a profit this year.

We go to Northern Colorado, where a new cheese factory is changing the farming landscape in some significant ways.

And, Daniel Orr's high-powered blender is the MVP of our two recipes. His vegetable-heavy take on cookout food.

News Stories:

  • Plateau But No Decline: Child Obesity Rates Hold Steady
  • Gene-Edited Corn Could Be In Farm Fields In A Few Years
  • Obesity rates skyrocket in China's rural kids
  • Organic Frozen Foods On The List Of Recent Recalls
  • Is Chipotle doing enough to get customers to come back?