The Farming Families of Lyon County-October 2019

of Lyon County OCTOBER 2019

Meet the

DE BOER Family

Front: Janessa, Greg, Sharon holding Brooklyn, and Kristi holding Harper.

Back: Kayla holding Landon, Dustin, Brandon, Katie holding Kase, and Joel

FAITH

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FAMILY

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FRIENDS

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FARMING

Photo by Artistic Expressions of Rock Rapids

Plant it. Raise it. Harvest it.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

of Sioux County

OUR PHILOSOPHY There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn.

Every year, he won the award for the best grown corn.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it.

The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, crosspollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. ~ Author Unknown ~

Call it power of collectivity.

Call it a principle of success.

Call it a law of life.

The fact is, none of us truly wins, until we all win!

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

~ Proverbs 11:24-25 ~

October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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FITCH FOR FARMING FAMILIES

SHARE FARMING FAMILIES WITH YOUR FRIENDS The companies who advertise in Farming Families pay the cost of printing and mailing this magazine.

Their goal is to reach farmers who are actively making purchasing decisions in order to influence the farmer’s buying habits and positively reinforce their advertising brand. Because advertisers are trying to reach active farmers who make purchasing decisions, simply owning farmland does not qualify for a free subscription to Farming Families.

However, here’s some good news … now anyone can receive a free electronic copy of Farming Families each month. From your cell phone, type in the number 72727 and text the message SIOUX or LYON. Anyone who signs up will receive a text every month with a link to that month’s issue. No charge, no catch, no tricks. When you get each

FOLLOW OUR GROUP & LIKE OUR PAGE

If you know a retired farmer or others who want to receive a printed copy of Farming Families every month, we do offer an annual subscription for $50. Email me at Bob Fitch bob@agemedia. pub and I’ll be glad to send you the subscription form. Maybe this would be an easy way to check someone off your Christmas list?

Thanks for reading Farming Families since we launched in May. If you enjoy the magazine, be sure to say thanks to the companies who foot the bills through their advertising.

Facebook.com/groups/farmingfamilies facebook.com/farmingfamiliesmagazine

Bob Fitch, Area Manager, AGE Media 4

month’s text, copy the link to your computer for easy reading.

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

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(712) 551-4123

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bob@agemedia.pub

of Sioux County PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media IOWA MANAGER Bob Fitch, AGE Media DIRECT ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, STORY SUBMISSIONS AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE TO:

712-551-4123 bob@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural Sioux and Lyon Counties. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without the written permission of the publisher. The Farming Families assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Content in articles, editorial and advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by The Farming Families and Age Media & Promotion.

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SIOUX COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY

DEFINITION OF THE GOOD LIFE: FARMING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

By Bob Fitch Cheryl Ten Napel doesn’t hesitate when asked what makes for a good life. “The fact that every Sunday, we are all right here. Lots of families are scattered. Kids live in different parts of the United States and they don’t get to see them. Our kids are all here in a 2-mile radius. They can run over any time to get some groceries they’ve run out of or for the grandkids to show us something,” she said.

Robert and Cheryl Ten Napel farm southeast of Ireton with their two sons, Chris and Eric.

Their daughter Abby also lives just down the road and works in Hawarden.

“We all work together every day and we all get along good.

We’re all doing what we love,” said oldest son Chris. “It’s all I know how to do. Since I could walk, I’ve been out there working.”

Robert and Cheryl Ten Napel with eight of their nine grandkids. They are holding Ella and Olivia. Standing on the combine are Keira, Hailey, Ian and Luke.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

Cheryl said Chris’ preschool and Sunday school teachers at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church used to tell her: “Every time we ask him to draw a picture about something, it’s always about farming.” Chris attended Iowa Lakes Community College, enrolled in the farm management program. “I liked school, but I was always thinking about being back on the farm, working outside,

Cheryl, Robert, Chris and Eric have their business meetings “on the island.”

working with the livestock.”

After graduating from West Sioux High School, his brother Eric worked off the farm in construction and trucking. “I tried other things, but I always came back.”

Eric said the ability he and Chris and their dad have to work seamlessly together is one of the enjoyable aspects of farming. “When we’re working on something, we know what the other’s thinking.

It just gets done without much communication since we’ve worked with each other for so long. We set a pretty fast pace and just do it. Before I even ask for a tool sometimes, Chris or Dad has got it in his hands ready to hand to me.”

Cheryl joked, “They’re very hard to work with. I have to look at them and say ‘use your words.’ I don’t quite have that mental connection to know what to do.”

In addition to growing corn and soybeans, Robert said he’s been raising hogs his whole life. “Dad had cattle and hogs.

But it always seemed like the cattle were up and down. Quite often, it took the hog money to make up for what we lost on the cattle.”

For many years, they were a farrow-to-finish operation, but got out of the farrowing end in 2008 and switched over to custom feeding. “Back in 2008, grain prices were starting to go up. Every bushel we were feeding to those hogs, we’re losing money. We decided to call it quits.

“And that’s been good,” Robert said. “If it was possible, I didn’t want to market pigs, I didn’t want to worry about feed. I just wanted to take care of them.

It’s worked remarkably well.

We’ll let others be involved in the other end of it.”

“Robert and the boys do what they do best – they take care of the pigs,” Cheryl said.

The four of them hold their business meetings on the island – the kitchen island.

Cheryl laughed, “Our island time is not quite what most people imagine island time to be.” Robert said, “The island is our office where we spend a lot of time debating about buying equipment or changing something or whether to sell grain. We all sit and hash it over.”

Because their sows were outside, their pre-2008 hog operation was very labor intensive and they employed as many as 12-14 people. “When we quit, we probably had the best group of employees we ever had. We had some of them with us for 20-plus years,” Robert said. But on the less experienced end of their crew, they faced a lot of turnover.

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adding some new equipment in recent years,” said Eric.

“It’s not that easy to expand in Sioux County, so you’ve to grab any opportunity. That’s why I bought the acreage because it came with about 500 acres to rent.”

Chris and Jill Ten Napel with their children Luke, Ella and Hailey.

Abby Stainbrook and her children Keira and Ian.

Now nearly all their labor needs are handled by family, including most of the facility construction. Chris said, “Other than power washing the hog barns, we do pretty much all our own work.” Robert said, “As we keep getting bigger, we’ve got to delegate certain jobs.

Power washing the barns was the first one and an easy one that everyone agreed upon to delegate.”

Robert and Cheryl bought the acreage they live on when they were married in 1982. “Pretty much every building here, we 8

built. The barn and the old bin are all that was here in the beginning,” he said.

Cheryl said, “They’re a talented trio. I don’t believe I’ve ever called a carpenter, electrician or plumber; except for the kitchen remodel.”

Both Chris and Eric have nursery barns on their homesites. Eric was fortunate recently to be able to purchase the acreage of a retiring neighbor and also to be able to rent the adjacent crop land. “We’d like to add a few more acres and we’ve been

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

In addition to the custom feeding, they also do a little bit of custom crop farming. “Back five or 10 years ago when everything was soaring, there was ground that was pretty poorly managed,” Robert said. “With high money, I don’t think people paid that much attention to how things were managed – they just wanted high rent. Now, the last couple of years, people are noticing when you take good care of stuff. That’s where we’ve been picked up a lot. They notice how we take care.”

Chris said, “Even though we don’t own the hogs, we treat them like we do. And the land we rent or custom-farm, we treat it like we own it too. We try to do it the way we would want it done. We like to keep things mowed, weeds sprayed, equipment cleaned. Years ago, when a guy was thinking about having us feed his pigs, he came into the yard and we started talking. After a while, he said ‘oh, I’ve got to go.’ And I said, ‘well, don’t you want to see the barns?’ He said, ‘no, I can tell by how you keep your yard how you well take care of your pigs.’”

Robert said, “That’s probably one of our stronger points. We try to take care of stuff to the best of our ability whether it ours or someone else’s.”

The Ten Napels said the northwest corner of Iowa benefits from its pro-livestock approach. “Many of the young

Liz and Eric Ten Napel with their children Jackson and Olivia.

Cheryl and Robert Ten Napel of rural Ireton.

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October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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people stay here,” Chris said. “You get around to other parts of the state and the towns are just dead. You drive through Sioux Center, Orange City, Rock Valley, look at what’s happened in those towns in the past 10 years – I bet there’s no other rural county that has done what Sioux County has in the whole United States.”

Robert said, “You hear people from these other counties come up here and, with the livestock, they wonder how we do it and how the people get along.

In other counties, you see fights about hog buildings that are really not that big and here we put them up without a blink of an eye. People don’t understand that when the farmer does have it good, they spend it back in town. It turns over in the community so many times.”

Chris said, “The jobs it creates – you got the feed, the trucking, the vet, the construction. When you have a booming agriculture, everything else just blooms.”

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

Cheryl said, “The domino effect – one does good and they all do good. It’s a good area to be a farmer.” She said the positive economic impact of farming carries over into other career fields like the good jobs their daughter and daughters-in-law have. “We’re pretty well set for retirement aches and pains because Abby’s a physical therapist, Jill is a nurse and Liz is a dental assistant. We’re good to go.”

Their daughter Abby Stainbrook and her late husband James have two children, Keira (8) and Ian (5). Eric and his wife Liz have two children, Olivia (3) and newborn Jackson. Chris and his wife Jill have three children, Hailey (8), Luke (6), and Ella (3).

Cheryl said they’re pretty certain at least one member of the next generation will farm in the future. “Luke was not excited to go back to school. He said, ‘no, I want to stay home and farm with daddy.’”

Chris said, “The other day, we got a new load of pigs in. At 3:30, Luke got off the bus, he threw his bag in the front yard and headed straight for the barn to be with the new pigs. He’ll drive with me all day long in the field. We’ve got one room in the basement that’s all his tractors.” Cheryl said all of the grandkids love to ride in the tractor, combine or truck, no matter who is driving.

They said farming is a yearly gamble that comes with plenty of challenges. But the Ten Napels can withstand the tough years like this one because they have that family-together time whether it’s in the combine, at Sunday dinners, or relaxing and playing at the family’s new vacation place at Spirit Lake.

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October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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LYON COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY

‘WE WOULDN’T GIVE IT UP FOR NOTHING’

by Bob Fitch

Greg De Boer said there’s never a dull moment in their farm operation near Little Rock. “Between loading pigs, getting little pigs in and vaccinating pigs – and all the other stuff that goes with it – there’s never a moment when we say ‘what are we going to do today guys?’”

Greg feeds hogs and grows corn and soybeans in Lyon County with his cousin Doug De Boer. Not only do the cousins work together, but they all take a week’s vacation together at a lake near Alexandria, Minn., each summer.

Greg’s wife Sharon said the pigs are not her job. She sticks with feeding her two ponies and the kitties – plus owns and operates Country Boutique in Rock Rapids (see related story on page 15). Greg’s son Brandon and son-in-law Dustin are part of the farm operation, as are Doug’s sons, Dawson and Dustin. Hired man Bob Kruse has been with them for 20 years.

Son-in-law Dustin Reck with his son Landon and his daughter Janessa in front; Greg and Sharon De Boer; and Brandon De Boer holding his son Kase.

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In addition to the iso-wean pigs that arrive from Canada every seven weeks, they also custom-feed pigs.

They got out of farrowing in 2012 when their sow unit burned down.

“The marketing end of the hog industry has been, by far, the

Sharon and Greg De Boer farm near Little Rock.

toughest part of raising pigs,” Greg said. “Getting them in, vaccinating them, raising them, that’s the easiest part of it. The marketing end of it, whether it’s grains or hogs, has just been so volatile the last several years.

You’ve got to have a pretty good stomach to take it. I think it’s especially hard on the young guys.

“The big thing about hogs the last couple years is lack of shackle space. We market anywhere from two loads to six loads of pigs a week. We want to be able to make a phone call and say ‘hey, we’re bringing three loads of pigs next week.’

But, for a while there, they were saying ‘we can’t take any pigs next week.’ Then all of sudden you get behind the 8-ball and your pigs were getting too big,” he said.

The De Boer team recently signed a contract with JBS in Worthington. “That is taking

the volatility out of it for the next three years. I won’t hit the highs, but at least I’ll avoid the lows. Now at least we have an outlet.”

Greg said, “When my dad started the farm, he milked cows. Dad went from dairy cattle to stock cows. He personally never owned hogs.

Dad didn’t want any part of pigs. I started with 30 sows as a freshman in high school.”

Greg’s dad, Gary, moved to Rock Rapids in 1989 when Greg and Sharon moved to the homeplace. Gary, 78, works part-time as a maintenance man at the new hospital in Rock Rapids.

Greg and Sharon built a new house three years ago when their son Brandon and his wife Katie became the third generation to live on the farm’s original homeplace. Brandon is a graduate of George-Little

Rock High School and South Central Technical College in Mankato, Minn. Katie works at Lyon County Chiropractic in Rock Rapids. They have one son, Kase.

Daughter Kayla is married to Dustin Reck who grew up on a nearby farm and went to Central Lyon High School and Minnesota West Community & Technical College in Worthington.

Kayla is an accountant at De Noble, Austin & Company PC in Rock Rapids. They have two children, daughter Janessa and son Landon.

Daughter Kristi works at Sanford and is married to Joel Tiedeman, who is an engineer for Sudenga Industries in George. They have two daughters, Harper and Brooklyn.

Brandon said that it’s very rare that they hire anyone outside

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assistant coach from 2002-2012 when he retired. But two years ago, the district called him off the bench. He now co-coaches with Brian Luenberger. “This has gone real well and I have to say I have loved the experience as well as the kids who have gone through the program.

Brandon and Greg De Boer and Dustin Reck feed hogs and raise corn and soybeans with Greg’s cousin Doug and his sons Dawson and Dustin.

“When the harvest is early, coaching works out well. But the weather we’ve had the last couple years – farming has been just such a battle. The spring went pretty well for us, but it was long. We began planting in April and went until the end of June. It was quite a battle.” They got all but 10 percent of their acres in.

Brandon is vice president of the Lyon County Pork Producers.

“It’s fun to get out in the community and promote pork and remind them why all the confinement buildings are going up out here,” he said.

Greg said when the country moves past the current tariff problems with China the future will be all right. “But the shortterm is killing us,” Brandon said.

Janessa, Kase, Landon and Greg have fun with the pony at the De Boer farm in Lyon County.

the family for any of the regular farm work. “It’s kind of unique that we do all the planting, tillage, manure hauling, and all our own power-washing.

During planting and harvest, it’s all hands on deck. We all do what needs to be done.

“Dustin is more the diesel mechanic and does the maintenance side of things.

His dad is an electrician and so they do electrical and welding jobs and work on the tractors,” Brandon said.

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“Dustin and I barter hours of work for rent where we live.

We don’t keep track of hours per se, we just get the job done.

If everyone’s happy, that’s what matters. Of course,” he joked, “we could get paid a little more.” Greg replied in jest: “Let’s make some more money on hogs and then we’ll all get paid more.”

In his so-called spare time, Greg coaches varsity boys’ basketball at George-Little Rock High School. He was the

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

“We hope things will get better and better,” Greg said. “The farmer is the eternal optimist.

You have to be. If you didn’t think it was going to get better, you’d get out. That’s a farmer’s attitude.

“It’s been a struggle the last three years – but we’ll just keep battling. We wouldn’t give it up for nothing. It’s better than checking in at 8 in the morning and checking out at 5 in the afternoon. We’re kind of our own bosses and you do what you want to do.”

ENJOY THE SWEET SMELL OF A SMALL TOWN AT COUNTRY BOUTIQUE IN ROCK RAPIDS

by Bob Fitch

For almost 23 years, Sharon De Boer has been a fixture in downtown Rock Rapids at Country Boutique, the last 13 years as the owner.

“In my opinion, in a small town, it’s hard to specialize. Diversity is what’s worked for me. Even on days when we don’t have foot traffic, we still have floral orders to fill. The store has all kinds of little niches,” Sharon said. There is a lot to discover in every corner of the shop: • Fresh floral and silks • Home décor and gift items • Tuxedos and rental of wedding items such as candelabras and glassware • Clothing, purses and jewelry • Kid’s toys and gifts • Sympathy-related gift section including wind chimes, lanterns, crosses and angels • Farming-related gifts • Sports-related gifts • A small selection of food and wine Country Boutique delivers flowers throughout Lyon County and beyond, stretching into southern Minnesota. “Fresh flowers are the favorite part of my job. It’s also the most challenging part because, when

Sharon De Boer has owned Country Boutique in Rock Rapids for nearly 13 years and worked there for almost 23 years.

you have a funeral or a wedding, you have deadlines, you have to move fast. At the beginning and end of new chapters of people’s lives, they deserve the best possible flowers we can design.

I love to make deliveries because then I get to see the customers’ happy faces.”

She said she appreciates the great efforts of part-time staff.

Sharon also feels blessed to have her mother help with tuxedo alterations plus regularly work one day each week.

Sharon is active in Rock Rapids on the Retail Trade Committee.

“We try to get all the businesses

to participate in joint activities such as spring, fall and winter open house events; Crazy Days; vendor fairs; a new Wine Walk; and Thanks With Franks where we serve hot dogs and chips to thank the public for shopping in Rock Rapids.

“At Christmas time, we do a live nativity and we’ve done living windows with different Christmas scenes being acted out. We even had a live camel at the nativity for several years. We have soup supper at the Forster Community Center and different people have played Santa and Mrs. Claus. My parents did it last year and really enjoyed it. The

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elves help children write letters to Santa and decorate a Christmas Cookie,” she said.

Also at Christmas, she has a shed outside her store where she sells spruce tips and garland.

Country Boutique then offers a class on making holiday pots.

“In the future, I intend to open my upstairs and have Christmas year-round up there. I haven’t had the chance to put the touches on it yet. The style is rustic so it won’t take too much work.”

Rapids vibrant. “It’s great to see all the different people we meet from all over. We had a lady in just this afternoon from Sioux Falls. She said, ‘you know, we don’t have little shops like this in Sioux Falls. We like to come to your small towns and see your gift shops.’”

She

encourages

other

enterprising people to take a look at the advantages of starting a new business in towns such as Rock Rapids or buying an existing business like she did and building upon established success. At some point, Sharon said she’d like to spend a little more time at home with her five grandchildren since they grow up so fast.

She finds is gratifying to be part of keeping downtown Rock

The seasonal window display at Country Boutique grabs the attention of drivers on Highway 9 through Rock Rapids.

In addition to fresh floral, tuxedos and wedding decoration, Country Boutique includes a wide variety of merchandise including farm-related gifts, a kids area, and a small selection of food and wine.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

CROP DUSTING IN NORTHWEST IOWA. PHOTO BY BRETT DAVELAAR BD PHOTOGRAPHY October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

This is a promotional painting from the early 1900s of the Sioux Falls Brewing & Malting Company located on the 800 block of North Main in Sioux Falls. Notice both the brewery and malting facility were multi-story. The cheapest and most efficient industrial power-source is gravity and most large-scale brewing operations at that time had 3+ floors—one for each phase in the brewing and packaging process.

TODAY’S CRAFT BREWERIES ECHO YESTERYEAR’S BREWING INDUSTRY The old is new again. The rise of craft breweries in Sioux City, Okoboji, Sioux Falls and elsewhere over the past 20 years is an echo of a brewing industry that was important to this region from the earliest days of white settlement.

The first European settlers to come to Iowa and the Dakotas brought with them items which made life a little easier on the untamed prairie ... from hammers and nails to lumber and lamps and raw goods like coffee and sugar.

For many settlers, especially those of German descent, beer 20

was part of their list of needed items. Even before German immigration accelerated from 1840-1890, the United States was a beer-loving country. In 1830, the annual per capita alcohol consumption in the U.S. was 5 gallons. Today, it’s 2.3 gallons per adult.

Commercial brewing of beer requires several key ingredients. The first is demand from a thirsty public. Water is obviously a crucial ingredient. Next, grain, hops and yeast are provided by hard-working farmers. Finally, entrepreneurs with access to capital are needed

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

to build the breweries. In the mid- to late 1800s, all those variables were either quickly emerging or plentiful with the booming railroads connecting to cities in Iowa and Dakota Territory. Sioux City’s first brewery opened in 1859, one opened in Yankton in 1866, and Sioux Falls’ first brewery tapped the keg in 1875.

Because of on-and-off state prohibitions of alcohol beginning in the 1850s, commercial beer production was a challenging business enterprise. In 1854, Iowa passed an alcohol prohibition law which proved

to be unenforceable. The law was amended in 1858 to allow the sale of beer and wine made from fruits and grains, in part to appease the growing German-American community, according to Rev. George McDaniel, professor emeritus of history at St. Ambrose University, as quoted in the Quad Cities Dispatch.

McDaniel said, "(Beer) helped define who they were as Germans and was a reminder of what they left behind when they immigrated."

Sioux City’s first brewery was the Simon Hotz Brewery which operated from 1859-1875. The Steam Brewery opened in 1860 and later operated under the names of The Pioneer Brewery, Selzer’s Brewery and Selzer’s Steam Brewery. In 1871, Franz Brewery, originally known as Sioux City Brewery, was established in Sioux City.

Iowa lawmakers passed prohibition laws again in 1880 and 1882, with voters affirming their support by approving a constitutional amendment. When Iowa’s prohibition went into effect on July 4, 1884, it had violent consequences. According to historian Marlin R. Ingalls, writing in Little Village magazine, three breweries operating in Iowa City at the time ruled the Northside community there. They were known as the German mafia. Ingalls said the law left Iowa brewers with hundreds of thousands of gallons of beer that was illegal to sell. The situation turned ugly that summer. In the worst beer riot in Iowa City history, lynch mobs ranted, women and children were threatened, city lawyers were tarred, and drunken mobs reigned in the streets. Later, leading brewers attacked and tarred County Justice John Schell.

But Iowa beer business revived later in the decade when a local option law allowed each county’s residents to decide their own liquor laws. In Sioux City, the J. Arensdorf Weiss Brewery operated from 18981903. The second entity to use the name of Sioux City Brewing opened in 1899. The Interstate Brewing Company opened in 1908. Both Sioux City Brewing and Interstate Brewing lasted until 1916 when Iowa again passed a state prohibition on alcohol.

Construction at Sioux City Brewing Co. is nearly finished prior to its opening in 1899. Photo courtesy Sioux City Public Museum.

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Across the border in Dakota Territory, the Sioux Falls Brewing Company started operations in 1875.

They produced 250 barrels in their first year (a barrel equals about 31 gallons). Production levels grew quickly. By 1885, Sioux Falls Brewing Company employed 25 people and produced more than 10,000 barrels per year.

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A staff photo of the Sioux Falls Brewing Company in front of their new brewery taken in 1905.

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22

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

ing was able to survive by shipping their beer to “wet” states until South Dakota repealed its state prohibition in 1896. This change in the law enabled the owners to ramp up production and expand into the malting business and the Sioux Falls Brewing and Malting Company was formed. This is when the company really expanded, and distribution increased throughout the region. In 1900, Sioux Falls Brewing Company paid out $200,000 for barley alone, and it was reported that over 300,000 bushels of barley were used to produce beers like Bohemian Lager, Kumbacher, Anberger, Maerzen and their popular Blue Label beer.

Local farmers could receive 5 to 10 cents per bushel more by selling to the brewery rather than to their local elevator. As a result, many farmers grew grains exclu-

sively for the brewery.

Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

In 1901, Sioux Falls Brewing Company sold 30,000 barrels of beer and over 1.4 million bottles of their Blue Label beer.

The following year the company expanded their malting operation and, in 1904, opened their 6-story, castle-like brewery which cost more than $200,000 to build (about $5.7 million in today’s dollars).

The new facility had a capacity to produce 100,000 barrels per year as 92 employees worked for the company with six traveling salesmen calling on accounts in neighboring towns and states. By the end of the first year of operation, the boilers in the new brewery consumed more than 400 railcars full of coal and 15 refrigerated railcars stood by ready to distribute product at railroad stops around South Dakota,

Nationally, in the pre-prohibition economy in the U.S., proceeds from federal excise taxes paid by breweries accounted for up to 70 percent of the overall federal budget (this is not a misprint). Keep in mind, this was at a time before a federal income tax and Social Security; and pre-World War I when the federal government’s budget was nothing like it is today.

The growth of Sioux Falls B rewing C ompany was stopped in its tracks in 1917 when a second statewide prohibition was enforced. The company tried to produce non-alcohol drinks as did other large breweries, but to no avail.

The 1920 Volstead Act crippled the company. The assets of the company were valued

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23

Blue Label was one of the Sioux Falls Brewing Company's top selling beers. However, perhaps due to pressure from the makers of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, SFBC renamed this beer in 1910, The Reverend Curt Taubert of Leola, SD was given the prize of $50 in gold for submitting the name "Ambrosia" in a statewide naming contest.

Western Brew, Ace Beer and Heidl Brau were three of the favorite brands produced by the third iteration of Sioux City Brewing Co. Photos courtesy Sioux City Public Museum.

Our publications are based on families and their stories. Our goal is to build community and connections within the Ag circles of Sioux and Lyon counties. If you have a fun story or would like to suggest a family to feature, reach out to us at Mindy@agemedia.pub.

24

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

at over $1 million, but it was worth nothing as it couldn’t legally produce any product. The company was sold to Crescent Creamery which produced butter, ice cream and milk for area consumers, and that company eventually sold to Foremost Dairy.

The name Sioux City Brewing had a third life after national prohibition was repealed in 1933. The new firm manufactured Heidel Brau cone-top cans, Ace Beer, and Western Brew flat-top cans. Kingsbury Breweries of Manitowoc and Sheboygan, Wisc., purchased the Sioux City Brewing Company in 1959. The brewery was renamed Kingsbury Sioux City Brewing Company and continued production of Heidel Brau as well as producing Kingsbury brands until operations ended in 1960.

On display at Remedy Brewing Company in downtown Sioux Falls are these original beer crates from Sioux Falls Brewing Company, Blume Brewing Company, Schwenk-Barth Brewery and Black Hills Brewing Company. Also, at Remedy, is a room dedicated to the original Sioux Falls Brewing Company with several other artifacts and advertising pieces.

The Farming Families magazine extends credit and thanks for assistance on this article to: • Ken R. Stewart and the South Dakota State Historical Society.

• Sioux City Public Museum.

• Rev. George McDaniel interviewed in the Quad City Dispatch.

• Marlin R. Ingalls, writing in Little Village magazine.

• Garrett Gross, Remedy Brewing of Sioux Falls.

• www.angelfire.com/ia/beercans.

• Wikipedia.com.

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25

FINANCIAL FOCUS PROFITABILITY, EFFICIENCY, SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE PRECISION AGRICULTURE

By Eric Haveman, Vice President/Ag Lending American State Bank

As I think back to my days growing up on the farm, a favorite memory of mine was riding on the fender of my dad’s 3020 John Deere tractor during planting season.

The tractor was smaller and had no cab. It pulled a fourrow John Deere planter, and I still remember the excitement with the first day using a new planting monitor. The monitor was about the size of a shoe box, had four small lights, and about two or three switches. As the memory is not very distant in my mind, the technology used in that small 3020 tractor, the planting monitor, and other technology used in farming 30 years ago is distant.

Advances in agricultural technology are all around our farming communities. New technology gives farming operations the ability to improve productivity and increase efficiencies with the overall goal of increased profitability.

At American State Bank, we are dedicated to our customers, aiming to serve them by providing the best products available. We have

26

Eric Haveman

both qualified ag loan officer and ag support staff in each of our 9 locations throughout Northwest Iowa and Southeast South Dakota. As the cost of improving technology does not always seem attractive, it is our desire to provide opportunity and financial options so our agricultural customers can take advantage of and implement technologies in their farms or businesses.

You do not have to look very far to see that precision agriculture is already widely used and growing in relation to

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

crop and livestock production.

The list includes variable rate technology, GPS guidance and GPS-based soil sampling, robotics, drones, autonomous tr a c to r s , a n d a r tif icia l intelligence (AI).

As robotics in dairy farming continues to expand, high tech computerized systems used to milk and feed dairy cattle continue to increase. Other agricultural robots are being developed to handle many essential farming tasks such as harvesting crops at a higher and more efficient volume

than human laborers. Other examples include robotics that boast more precision in protecting crops from weeds by more focused spraying.

This technology reduces the amount of chemicals normally sprayed on crops, reducing herbicide expense and adding environmental benefit. With cattle, new technology is now used to track animal health through ear tags equipped with sensors. These sensors help detect sick animals sooner, often before the human eye, increasing herd viability.

Three areas of focus guiding precision agriculture will continue to be profitability, efficiency and sustainability.

Profitability will be impacted by choosing the right crops and employing tools to better understand cost and margins, which in turn allows the ability

to take advantage of market oppor tunities. Improved efficiencies lead to smarter farming and the ability to gather data for measuring farm performance and sustainability, guiding our responsibility in environmental and economic aspects of our farms.

Today’s farmer has access to a wide variety of metrics.

Technology gives each farmer, agronomist, seed salesmen, and nutritionist the capability of analysis, putting data to work, using it to make the best decisions within each farming operation. With technology continuing to evolve, precision agriculture will most certainly play an important role in the future. American State Bank works with loan agencies such as Small Business Association (SBA), Iowa Agricultural Development Division

(IADD) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). At American State Bank are confident that together we can provide the best products available at the most competitive price for our customers.

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October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

27

SPONSOR PROFILE

Melissa and Tyler Baker with children (left to right): Sydney, Sean, and Ryan

BAKER AUDIOLOGY & HEARING AIDS Photos by Jeff Veire Sioux Falls audiologist Melissa Baker and her husband, Tyler, founded their business, Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids, with the mission to devote the care and time needed to address the hearing concerns of patients.

Melissa, a Custer, S.D., native, said, “I wanted to create a family dynamic with patients of all ages and stages that is established on trust and my South Dakota values.”

Melissa’s grandfather Jack Carr, from White River, S.D., was a 28

rancher and worked in Fort Pierre. “He was around a lot of machinery and loud cattle his whole life,” she shares. “He told me his first cattle roundup was when he was 4 years old and he traveled from Valentine, Neb. to Omaha in 1928. He had a hearing loss, and we always talked about his hearing aids.”

His hearing impairment inspired her passion to help people with hearing loss.

grandfather Clayton Baker also had a severe hearing loss.

“Tyler’s Grandpa Clayton served in World War II and started a sawmill logging business in Rockerville, S.D. (Baker Timber Products). Exposure to loud noises caused his hearing loss.

“Between these two people in my life—my grandpa and Tyler’s grandpa, I knew I wanted to help people hear better,” said Melissa.

While attending the University of South Dakota, Melissa met her future husband, Tyler. His

After graduating from USD in 2004, Melissa completed her clinical fellowship in

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

Indianapolis, Ind., at a company called Prime Source Healthcare Systems Inc. There, she had the opportunity to travel to different hospitals, assisted living centers, and nursing homes. “I saw around 20 to 35 patients per day for seven years. I learned a lot about hearing, hearing aids, and people,” she said.

Tyler and Melissa returned to South Dakota in 2011 with their children. They knew Sioux Falls was a great city to raise a family. Melissa worked in a private practice for two years, then was recruited by an ENT business, where she worked for nearly five years before officially opening her own business last year. “I knew that only I could carry out my vision to provide service the way I believe people deserve to be served and treated. I love being personal with my patients, helping them with their individual needs, and truly caring for them the way they deserve.”

In addition to hearing assessments, hearing aids, and hearing aid repairs and services, Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids offers: • Earwax removal • Customized earmolds and earplugs • Musician’s earplugs and monitors • Customized Bluetooth devices or custom wired devices • Hearing care for infants and children • Tinnitus evaluation, treatment and management • The latest hearing instrument technology • Custom fit hearing protection

• Diagnostic testing for middle ear disorders • Hearing and listening counseling • Hunter ear protection and customized ear protection • Aural rehabilitation • Amplified listening devices • Pediatric hearing service • OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) hearing testing • Acoustic reflex testing • Repair hearing aid lab • VA services working with LHI and VES • Hearing aid batteries and other ear and hearing aid supplies

far away. As we all know, the weather in the Midwest can get bad, and the drive may be an inconvenience. Today’s hearing aid technology allows me to remotely adjust hearing aids, so patients remain in the comfort of their own homes,” she said.

Because of the nature of farmers’ and ranchers’ work, they are at risk for noiseinduced hearing loss. Melissa said that being able to hear properly is vital for the safety of the farmers—from being able to hear the important equipment alarms, normal operation of heavy equipment, as well as in their lives.

Melissa says the hearing aid industry is continually releasing new technology and Melissa shared a true story advancements to help people about a farmer who is a patient hear better. “I think of my of hers. “He had called his grandpa’s hearing aids decades ago. Even now, it changes so fast— especially when I look at hearing aids three years ago and how much EVERY PERSON DESERVES they have changed!

TO HEAR WELL. Now, hearing aids are rechargeable, • Free one-on-one screening with our specialist hearing wellnes s B l u e t o o t h Free demonstration of the • compatible, can LIM ITED TIM E ONLY latest in smart hearing s tre a m p h o n e technology call conversations • For those with devices — through the cell free cleanings & evaluations phone and even be • Up to $800 off a set of Advanced Digital remotely adjusted Hearing Aids FREE ONE-ON-ONE SCREENING from anywhere Limited time offer UP TO $800 OFF PAIR OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY HEARING AIDS* in the world! It’s pretty amazing, FREE CLEANING & EVALUATION OF HEARING AIDS really.”

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429 W 69th St. • Sioux Falls, SD 57108

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Melissa Baker M.A. Baker, CCC-A, M.A. FAAA CCC-A, FAAA Melissa Owner/ Clinical Audiologist Owner and Clinical Audiologist

Appointments are limited - Call (605) 610-2886 today! * Limited Time Offer October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

511244

29

Melissa and Tyler Baker with children (left to right): Sydney, Sean, and Ryan

doctor who informed him to take a larger dose of medicine.

Luckily, he told his wife, a retired nurse. She thought that sounded off and called the doctor’s office. Sure enough, he heard the information incorrectly. He almost tripled the dose of his medicine.”

Melissa visits three nursing homes once each month, and Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids is involved in Feeding South Dakota and a member of the Sioux Falls Noon Sertoma Club. “Sertoma Club is a service organization that helps people with hearing loss.”

Without proper hearing protection, the loud sounds most farmers and ranchers experience while operating heavy equipment, power tools, ATVs, etc., can cause permanent damage to their hearing. Additionally, farmers are also at risk for developing tinnitus, or a ringing-in-the-ears sensation. Some people hear a “buzz” or a “humming” or other sounds. Tinnitus can be present with or without hearing loss, and while not life-threatening, can seriously deteriorate the quality of life for an individual.

If you’re concerned you or a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss, you are not alone.

Because hearing loss can come on gradually, it’s often the people around you who notice your hearing problems before you do. Typically, it takes people an average of seven years to seek treatment.

Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids includes four employees who work alongside Dr. Melissa Baker. Renae Luitjens, hearing instruments specialist; Stephanie Ochowicz, business manager; her husband, Tyler, is co-owner. Melissa joked that her mother, a retired teacher, often “substitutes” for an employee, if needed.

30

If you exhibit the following symptoms, consider visiting Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids: • You hear mumbling when people are speaking to you • You have to ask people to repeat what they said • You laugh at jokes even though you may not have heard the details • You frequently complain that people mumble • You need to ask others about the details of a meeting you just attended

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

• You play the TV or radio louder than your friends, spouse or relatives • You cannot hear the doorbell or the telephone • You find that looking at people when they speak to you makes it easier to understand • You miss environmental sounds, such as birds chirping or leaves blowing • You find yourself avoiding certain restaurants because they are too noisy • You hear a ringing sound in your ears, especially when it is quiet.

Finding the right ear protection is vital for everyone—including farmers and ranchers—to not only perform their jobs but also to prevent hearing loss. If you need additional information or assistance in purchasing earplugs, consider visiting Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids. They can evaluate your hearing concerns and ensure you find the right product for your specific need.

Melissa Baker M.A., CCC-A, FAAA, Clinical Audiologist Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids 429 W 69th St Sioux Falls SD 57108 (Waterfall Plaza next to Tinner’s Restaurant at the corner of 69th Street and Minnesota Avenue.)

(605) 306-5756 siouxfallshearing.com baker@siouxfallshearing.com

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31

RURAL ENTREPRENEURS

Friends for 30 years, Fonda Van Beek and Linda Van Der Brink opened The Church Vintage & Antiques in Alvord last year.

OLD FRIENDS TRY SOMETHING NEW WITH SOME OLD THINGS

By Bob Fitch Two old friends keep finding new ways to have fun.

Linda, finishing her friend’s sentence.

Fonda Van Beek of Rock Valley and Linda Van Der Brink of Alvord have known each other a long time. “We’ve been friends for 30 years. And we’ve pretty much worked together somewhere for 30 years,” said Fonda. In years gone by, Fonda owned The Economy Shop in Rock Valley and Linda was an employee. “Then I put up Nearly New Town in Rock Valley and Linda followed me there.”

“We’ve been collecting from auctions and things like that for a long time,” Fonda said.

Linda continued, “And we used a lot of those antiques to display product at Nearly New Town, but when the new owner took over, she wanted a more updated look.”

Fonda said, “We’ve just been friends and we’ve always loved …” “… the same things” said 32

It just so happened Linda had a great place to move those fixtures. About 10 years ago, she and her husband Ed, who runs Van Der Brink Trucking, acquired the former St. Mary’s Catholic Church building in Alvord. Linda said, “Somebody

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

wanted to use (the church building) as a garage and fix old cars and things in here.

But the Catholics didn’t want to see the building used that way. They came to Ed and asked him if he wanted to buy the church – and he said ‘no way!’ Well, they said, ‘just make an offer.’ He made a real low offer and they said ‘it’s yours.’”

But then the church building sat empty for almost 10 years.

Meanwhile, a couple of years ago, Ed and Linda purchased a house across the alley from them which had been unoccupied for 25 years. They remodeled it into a “bunkhouse” for truckers to use for overnight

Antiques and collectibles are set in vignettes such as a pantry, a den and a bathroom, each reminiscent of rural Iowa homes in the 1940s or 1950s.

accommodations. But before the remodeling could be done, it had to be emptied. Linda said, “It was the home of a hoarder and we bought it with everything in it.” Fonda said, “Oh, that was exciting. It was chock full.”

The hoarder’s former house had been unoccupied for 25 years. “The brown sugar was still in the cupboard and it just melted hard in the bottom. The corn flakes, the salt and pepper were all still there – like she was going to come back real soon and never did.”

They spent an entire winter emptying the hoarder’s house and moved a lot of the antique furniture from there into the church building. Then last year they began moving the vintage furniture they had at Nearly New Town to the church building. Fonda said, “Needless to say, we both had a whole lot more in our attics. And we hauled it all down here. We got really surprised we had this much stuff. We’ve been collecting from auctions and things like that for a long time.”

After leaving Nearly New Town, Fonda said, “We were bored right away. We started thinking about what to do before we even got out the door over there. Our minds never stop.”

The two of them combined their years of retail experience, their love of antiques, the availability of the St. Mary’s structure and their friendship to open The Church Vintage and Antiques store in Alvord last year.

They’ve been surprised that it’s not the pristine antiques that sell these days. Fonda said, “The crusty is what sells.” Linda said, “The old dark wood furniture and glassware don’t sell all that much right now. Anything that’s chipped sells. Old doors and fences sell. They’re painting everything.” The store is set up in vignettes such as a bedroom, a bathroom, a pantry and a men’s den. In a way, it’s like walking through a rural Iowa home in 1946 or 1956.

They regularly get customers visiting from Sioux Falls and southwestern Minnesota. The Church has welcomed Beta Sigma Phi groups, red hat ladies and garden clubs. In fact, garden club members who came to town to specifically see the incredible garden and landscape at Linda and Ed’s nearby home ended up spending more time browsing through the collectibles, the unusual and the memories at The Church.

After trying regular hours in 2018, they decided this year to

be open when it works for them, which is about one Saturday a month. “The anticipation of waiting that long brings people in. I have more people asking us now when we’re going to be open than I did when we had regular hours,” Fonda said.

The Church Vintage and Antiques will be open Saturday, September 28. Follow them on Facebook to learn their open dates for October and November. The shop is also open by appointment for individuals and groups. For an appointment, call 712-473-2121.

Alvord is located northeast of Inwood, southwest of Rock Rapids and straight north of Rock Valley.

The store will be closed December through March.

Some groups who come to Alvord to visit The Church Vintage & Antiques also stop to see the spectacular gardens at the nearby home of Ed and Linda Van Der Brink.

October 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

33

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of Lyon County OCTOBER 2019

Meet our new Ag Bankers S E R V I N G O U R LO C A L C O M M U N IT I E S O F N O RT H W E S T I O WA

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I O WA38 The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2019

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