WHITELAND, Ind. — Farming with family can be both rewarding and challenging, according to Joe Kelsay, director of Indiana’s State Department of Agriculture (ISDA).

He would know; Kelsay and his wife, Amy, run Kelsay Farms in Johnson County, in partnership with his grandmother, dad, stepmom, brother and sister-in-law.

“All family members want to do their best to further the business, and we all care very deeply about what we’re doing,” Joe Kelsay said. “But sometimes we have disagreements about different ideas and how we’re going to succeed.”

The farm was land-granted to Kelsay’s ancestors by President Martin Van Buren in 1837, and the original 80 acres have since expanded to 2,200, planted to corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. Today the farm also boasts a dairy barn with 500 Holsteins and an agritourism venture that attracted an estimated 20,000 people during the 2011 season.

The diverse nature of the farm means each family member has specific responsibilities. Kelsay’s dad, Merrill, is the general manager and his wife, Debi, takes care of the accounting and billing. Amy spearheaded the agritourism business and deals with all the educational programs, and brother Russ Kelsay is in charge of cropping, combining and tillage.

Russ’ wife, Liz, works for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council but helps promote the farm through social media, including the blog “2 Maids a Milking” that she runs together with Amy. Even Kelsay’s 85-year old grandmother, Ruth, helps out with paperwork and by providing meals.

“The neat thing about farming is that there’s something for everybody,” Joe Kelsay said. “Russ and I have different skill sets. He’s more mechanically inclined and likes to work on the combines. I like to look at spreadsheets and handle anything that’s dealing with the public. And sometimes it just boils down to ‘Who’s got time to do it?’”

He added, “Some of it is based on age and respect. When Grandpa was still alive, he was the patriarch. When he passed, my dad took over that role.”

Not only do the Kelsays work together, they also all live within a couple of miles from the farm. After a long workday, they may see each other again at a birthday celebration or other family gathering. That means the line between personal and business often is blurred, even though the family makes a point of keeping them separate.

“We actually schedule monthly meetings solely for business purposes and we keep those separate from our family dinners,” Amy said. “My suggestion to other people who farm with their family is to remember that work is work, and family time is family time.”

Kelsay has spent less time on the farm than he would like, after accepting the job as director of ISDA in 2009. But he can still be found giving children tours of the dairy, alongside Amy.

“We feel pretty strongly that we need to hold on to the tours,” Amy said. “This is a family farm, and they should hear this information from us.”

The farm had been giving tours to local schools and churches for years when, a few years ago, Amy suggested the family ramp up their educational efforts. In October 2007, the farm opened its doors to the public.

“Dad and Grandma had some valid concerns; for example, how we would control the flow of people,” Kelsay said. “But Amy is a good salesman and she told them that we needed to do this.”

“Not everybody has the opportunity to farm, so we need to teach those that don’t,” Amy said, about the tour business. “All generations agree that it’s important for us to be advocates for agriculture and involved in the community.”

Having four generations on the farm has been a “blessing” for the couple’s own three children, Jenna, 7, Josie, 5, and Jack, 2, Amy said.

“There are some great things our kids can learn from their great-grandma about the way things used to be done,” she said. “They’re still a bit young, but we may have a seventh generation of farmers in the family.”