Four feet, 10 inches. I remember when I couldn’t wait to be four feet, 10 inches.

That’s how tall you needed to be to stand over a table in order to count chicks in our hatchery. Or at least that’s what my dad told me. It’s one of my earliest memories, as I imagine I was too young to help around our farm.

My name is Mindy Creighton Truex and I’m a third-generation egg farmer in Warsaw, Indiana. I’m a little older (and a little taller) now. My grandfather, Hobart, and his brother, Russell, transformed 38 acres on the old Creighton homestead into what is now our family farm, Creighton Brothers LLC. Staking their future on 1,200 young hens, they established themselves as a major part of the “Egg Basket of the Midwest.”

Growing up, I always knew that this farm would be my life. My dad believed strongly in education — both hands-on experience and the academic variety — so I went to Purdue to study agribusiness management and I’ve also done just about every job around the farm. A lot of what I do here now is in the office, but being out in the fields or in the henhouse are still my favorite things. I love being out there getting my hands dirty when I can, and I love this way of life.

It is so rewarding to share our farm’s eggs with families who will enjoy them. That’s one of the reasons I love Easter. I think of Easter and I think of community and of sharing what you have with others. And, of course, I think of all the eggs Americans across the country will enjoy celebrating Easter. In 2018, there were 242 million dozen eggs sold during Easter; that’s 2.9 billion eggs eaten during the Easter season alone!

In a way, it is Easter every day at Creighton Brothers. Years ago, we began organizing farm tours for local schools and community organizations. We had so many great conversations during these tours, often talking for hours, that I realized we needed to add a lunch to the tour agenda. That omelet lunch evolved into the idea for a café. Today, we still love to take any opportunity to educate people about our farm and also provide a farm-to-table experience — at our Crazy Egg Café.

At the Crazy Egg Café, visitors enjoy the freshest eggs (because they’ve never left our farm) and other ingredients from local farms across the Midwest. And, we have fun with our menu! For example, our Crazy Egg Waffich features our farm fresh eggs sandwiched between delicious Belgian waffles.

For me, the best part of the Crazy Egg Café is engaging in tableside talks with guests. I listen to their perspectives and priorities when it comes to choosing nutritious food for their families. For example, next to great nutritious eggs we offer gluten-free options and we’re also a nut-free facility. That’s a part of our role as farmers we take very seriously. We like to say at Crazy Egg Café, we are the reason the chicken crosses the road.

I think I can speak on behalf of my peers when saying that we are all proud to be farmers. The upcoming White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 22 brings together farmers, families and eggs on one of the most famous lawns in the country. This year, America’s egg farmers are proud to donate a record-breaking 74,000 eggs for the event!

Whether farmers are talking to people over a Waffich at the Crazy Egg Café or sharing the story of how eggs go from hen to home at the White House Easter Egg Roll, our goal is the same. We want you to know we work hard to provide the very best eggs every day.

–Mindy Truex