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MARK POTTEBAUM Mark Pottebaum raises show sheep. Story on page 30.
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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, Plymouth 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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April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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PLYMOUTH COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY
PASSIONATELY TELLING THE REAL STORY OF AGRICULTURE
by Bob Fitch
Lowell and Judy Vos on their farm west of Kingsley. 6
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
You might call Lowell and Judy Vos fighters. On their farm west of Kingsley and south of Le Mars, they’ve fought the same battles that all farmers fight – the weather, the markets and the other daily trials of agriculture. On top of that, they’ve also fought federal intimidation. But, more accurate than calling them fighters, Lowell and Judy are perhaps best identified as advocates because they’re passionate about telling the real story of farming and food production. “My dad, my brother and myself fed a lot of cattle,” Lowell said. As Idlewild Farms, Clarence, LeRoy and Lowell Vos fed 10,000-12,000 cattle annually. “We custom-fed some and we owned some, about half and half. I continued to feed cattle after my dad and brother passed away. But in 2010, I quit feeding cattle. Fifty years was enough. “One of the reasons I quit is, in 2008, Judy and I had a serious run-in with the EPA regarding runoff and their computer modeling. There were four
producers who were picked out and cited by the EPA. Judy and I decided to fight it and took it to court. There were a lot of negotiations, back and forth. We weren’t getting anywhere. The EPA people were in my house, taking my feed records. It got to be very bad intimidation.” Lowell and Judy fought the citation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which ended up in a 12-day trial in federal court in Des Moines. “To make a long story short, we won. We beat them. But we have
always said, we won but we lost. We never got paid back all the legal fees. It hurt bad. But I think that we helped the cattle industry a lot. The computer modeling they were using at the time was thrown out because we proved it wasn’t accurate. The judge ruled in our favor,” said Lowell, who was a long-time leader in the Plymouth County Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Judy said, “It was like David and Goliath. They had 12 attorneys on their side.” Lowell said, “After
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In September, the Vos farm will again host the “Dine at the County” line event. Photo by the Morningside College Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department and Morningside Ag Club
we won that lawsuit, I don’t know how many phone calls we got thanking us for what we did.
live a good life. They take just as good of care of that cow or that pig as they do their own kids.”
“Since that lawsuit, the EPA is way better to work with than the way they were before. That’s a big plus right there. They’ve changed their ways a little bit. But the EPA is not going away. We’ve got to work with them. But they’ve got to play fair – and they didn’t play fair with me,” he said.
Another avenue for their advocacy is the “Dine at the County Line” event which they will host on their farm for the fourth year this September. Presented by Siouxland Ag in the Classroom and Iowa State Extension & Outreach of Plymouth County, Dine at the County Line is an evening of socializing and informationsharing at the Vos farm (which is located right on the PlymouthWoodbury County line). The goal of the event is to provide a setting for local consumers and community leaders to connect with area farmers who personally share agriculture’s story. Sponsored by pork, dairy, corn and soybean associations, and businesses such as American Bank, Iowa State Bank, Northwest Bank and Prime Bank, the dinner also includes a guest speaker who explains a relevant agrelated issue in terms an average consumer can understand.
“I don’t regret it a bit even though it was a terrible thing for us. But, if I had to, I’d do it again.” And Judy added: “And I’d be right there behind you.” Lowell said, “It was the right thing. My dad always said ‘What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.’ “People talk about corporate farming. But that’s not what we’ve got here in Iowa. It’s farm families. They were born here, they live here, they raise their families here. They just want to
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
“Farmers are too proud and we don’t like to have people around. I think we’ve got to open ourselves up and have people come out and look at the cows, look at the pigs, and how we take care of them. We’ve got nothing to hide,” Lowell said. “Consumers have more questions today. They want to know where their food comes from. They want to know the history of the animal before it’s harvested. There’s nothing wrong with that. If we have a good product, let’s show them and be proud of it. We’re here to make a living. We eat the same food they do,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, the food in the United States is the best there is and the cleanest there is. I’m not saying it’s perfect because we have problems here and there. But we get after it and we correct it. I’m very proud of our agricultural system, not just cattle, but hogs, chickens and dairy, too.”
Judy said, “People think we’re polluting the air and the water. But farmers don’t put on any more nutrients than they absolutely have to. People don’t get it – they think we’re out there just dumping a pile of nitrogen or phosphorus ruining the soil.” Lowell added, “Judy and I go to First Presbyterian Church in Sioux City. We’re the only farmers there. You can’t believe the questions we get. They get the wrong story. It’s like a game of telephone. You try to leave the land better than when we started. It’s our bread and butter, that field out there. You can’t treat it badly or it will break us.” New developments in the world of consumer food products also concern them. “Something that
really bothers me a lot is what I call ‘food bullying.’ Fake meat, fake milk. I’m not saying they are so bad you’ve got to stop them. They’re already here. But people need to learn how to read the ingredients of the food they buy. Don’t buy it just because it says organic on the front. These marketers, they have so many gimmicks. I call that ‘food bullying’ because you really don’t know for sure what the reality is,” Lowell said. “Fake food is going to be an option. It’s not going away. Tyson and Cargill have announced that they’re going to put big bucks into that. They don’t want to miss the train. It’s all about the money. But if you really study it, you wouldn’t want to eat it. We have
to prove to the shopper that our food is better and safer,” he said. Judy, who grew up in Jefferson, S.D., also played another role as an agricultural advocate through her 30-year career at the Farm Service Agency in Woodbury County. That was in addition to her job as the mother of three children. Their oldest son Mark is a realtor with Keller-Williams Real Estate in Sioux City. Daughter Suzanne is the CEO of the JC Penny store in Davenport. Judy said Mark and Suzanne have taken the hard work lessons of the farm with them in their careers. “I laugh to think of our daughter Suzanne. She hated to load cattle in the morning before school.
During the Dine at the County Line event in September, local consumers and community leaders have the chance to connect with area farmers who personally share agriculture’s story. This year will mark the fourth time Lowell and Judy Vos will have hosted the event. Their farm sits on the road which divides Plymouth and Woodbury County. April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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She’d come down with ear flappers on, boots up to her knees, a big winter coat, and say ‘Oh, it’s so cold.’ Today, she loves to tell the stories of how terrible it was,” she said. Youngest son Mike has made the family farm his career. Lowell said their son is happily engaging with today’s rapidly-emerging technology. “Mike bought a new planter two years ago. It gets pretty bad when the manual for the monitor was thicker than the manual for the planter.
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“Farming is easier now because the equipment is so much better – whether it’s green, red or blue. And it works. Back then, you used to hope the equipment would make it through the day, and then you’d work on it half the night to make it work for the next day,” he said.
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Even with the rapid technological advancement, a strong work ethic is still a fundamental requirement of farming. “When you talk to agriculture families, they’re all pretty happy. It’s not that they haven’t had hard times, but they’re happy.
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“It’s probably the best place in the world to raise a family,” Lowell said. “Don’t tell everybody – because it’s getting kind of full. We’re the luckiest people in the world right here.”
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Our publications are based on families and their stories. Our goal is to build community and connections within the Ag circles of Sioux, Lyon and Plymouth counties. If you have a fun story or would like to suggest a family to feature, reach out to us at Bob@agemedia.pub.
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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE
Johnny Niggeling finally made it to the big leagues at the age of 36.
BASEBALL SEASON IS BACK! TIME TO REMEMBER A REMSEN GREAT Labeled by the online blog “thepostgame.com” as one of baseball’s greatest knuckleball pitchers, John Arnold Niggeling was born in Remsen, Iowa, on July 10, 1903. Growing up, he primarily played infield for St. Mary’s High School in Remsen. He bounced around various baseball minor leagues for about a dozen years before finally becoming a regular at the major league level with the Cincinnati Reds in 1939 at the age of 36. According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR, www.sabr.org), Johnny Niggeling’s “epic journey spanned nearly two decades, playing in ten different leagues, punctuated with two brief chances in the majors. Finally, at the relatively old age of 36, the tall right12
handed pitcher took root in the big leagues, first in the National, and then the American League.” Before becoming a permanent major leaguer with the Reds in 1939, he made two appearances with one win for the Boston Bees in April 1938, but returned to the minors for an additional year. In nine major league seasons, he finished in the top 10 in ERA three times and strikeouts twice. Besides the Reds and Bees, he also played for the St. Louis Browns, the Washington Senators and Boston Braves. An article on Wikipedia said his final career record was 64–69 with a 3.22 ERA. After high school, Niggeling played infield for Remsen’s town team as well as for other area
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
squads including Spencer, Storm Lake and Cherokee. According to the SABR article, “When not on the ball field, he earned a living as a barber in area shops, an occupation he maintained throughout his adult life.” “Niggeling signed his first professional baseball contract with the Nebraska State League around 1926. His big opportunity came in 1929, when he landed a position with the Waterloo Hawks of the Class D Mississippi Valley League,” said SABR. “After playing 40 games at either short or second, happenstance caused by a dearth of pitchers landed him on the mound one day. He put in such a good showing then that he continued in that position for the remainder of his playing days. He ended that season with
a won-loss pitching record of 15-4, and the league leading W-L% of .789.” Sportswriters began referring to him as “Johnny” (instead of John or Jack). He moved up in the minor leagues but bounced around, playing for Evansville, Des Moines, Wilkes-Baare, Nashville, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Newark, and Indianapolis. His onefingered knuckleball was becoming famous and he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1932 and made the squad – but suffered an acute gastric hemorrhage before the season opened. SABR said he was in the hospital for a month and required several blood transfusions. After he was released from the hospital, but still recovering, he nevertheless bowled a perfect 300 game at the Remsen bowling lanes. Finally joining the Cincinnati Reds in August 1939, he won two and lost one that month. His first loss happened at Ebbets Field against the Brooklyn Dodgers – which just happened to be the first game ever televised. While Cincinnati claimed the National League pennant that year, SABR said Niggeling watched the World Series from the bench. The next season, he was claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Browns. The Society of American Baseball Research article said: “Approaching his 37th birthday that spring of 1940, the seasoned butterfly twirler came as a welcome relief to the hapless Browns. Mired in and around last place for nearly a decade, the club hoped to gain some respect. Although 1940 was not his best year, Niggeling helped strengthen the St. Louis pitching staff, playing the role of spoiler against the league leaders.” Niggeling struggled when pitching against the legendary Ted Williams of the Red Sox, but he fared better against another legend, Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees. “Regardless of his problems with Boston’s left-fielder, Niggeling’s pitches, primarily knucklers and fastballs, started to perplex Joe DiMaggio. On the heels of the Clipper’s 56-game hitting streak during the season of 1941, he started working on another. But after 16 games, it came to an abrupt halt in New York on August 3 when he went 0 for 4 against the lanky Iowan. Such performances kept Niggeling in the Browns’ lineup the following season,” said SABR. The year 1942 proved to be a good one. First, at age 39, he got married to Ruth Puglesa, a 24-year-old native of Dell Rapids, S.D. Then he had the best year of his career with a record of 15-11 and an ERA of 2.66 for the St. Louis Browns. After the season, Niggeling was turned down for service in the armed forces, most likely for his persistent stomach problems. The Browns traded Niggeling to the Washington Senators in late August 1943. The District of Columbia agreed with him – his record in August and September 1943 was 4-2 with an ERA of 0.88. He was the opening day pitcher for the Senators in 1944. Thepostgame.com said that in 1945 “Niggeling was
Johnny Niggeling of Remsen
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one of the four pitchers in the Senators' famous allknuckleballer rotation.” SABR said, “Niggeling’s knuckler was different from that of the other three Senators, in that he used one finger. The others used two or three. He gripped the ball with his index finger, pressing against the smooth surface, avoiding the seams. He threw in a nearly overhand motion with a sidearm delivery.” Senators owner Clark Griffith said, “I never saw Niggeling pitch a bad game in four years.” His stomach problems flared up in 1946 and he left the major leagues after a final brief stint with the Boston Braves. Unfortunately, the end of Niggeling’s story is a tragic one. After retiring from baseball, he and his wife purchased a movie theatre in Jasper, Minn., but it burned down. Returning to Remsen, he and his wife divorced in 1959. According to Wikipedia, he worked as a barber in Le Mars before eventually committing suicide in 1963, after suffering years of back pain and soon after his exwife and children moved 250 miles away. He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery at Remsen. Remsen honored their hometown star by naming the downtown baseball park Johnny Niggeling Field, which is located just across the street from Remsen Farmers Coop. Johnny Niggeling of Remsen
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FINANCIAL FOCUS
HOW DO I TRANSITION THE FARM TO THE NEXT GENERATION? By Dale Kooima, Rock Valley Location President Peoples Bank
How do I pass on the family farm to the next generation, and how do I start? I have been fortunate to work at Peoples Bank for over 30 years, and this question has been asked pretty much every year I have worked here. Even after all of these years, I have not found a specific easy answer, and there is no quick solution as every situation is a little different. A couple of consistent items I have seen in a majority of the successful transitions are getting the entire family involved and having open lines of communication among everyone. The hardest part for me is to see a loving, functional family torn apart after the parents have passed away, and the children didn’t know what the parents wanted for the next generation or how to get there now that the parents are gone. One of the most challenging transitions are when one or two children want to farm or have started farming with the parents, while the rest of the children have either moved away or have no ties to the farm. Sometimes the hardest part for the parents is to communicate between each other on what they want the transition to look like. Once they have decided what that looks like, they should create a “team” to help get this accomplished. This team should consist of your banker, a CPA, an attorney, and a wealth management group. All of these professionals bring something different to the team, but if they are doing their jobs correctly, they will all help get the farm family to work together and get the assets transferred according to what the parents want. Another item that shows up consistently in successful transitions is that the parents start the process in the middle of their farming careers and not wait until they are retirement age or ready to move off from the farm. This also makes it one of the most difficult as the parents are still trying to accumulate assets and the children are just starting their farming careers. They have to try and determine what the farm will look like 15 – 20 years from now. This is another reason to have a 16
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
Dale Kooima
team as all of those professionals can assist the farmer in addressing items such as taxes, trusts, life insurance, and multiple other items. We live in the best agricultural area in the world, and our strengths are the family farms. This will hopefully continue long into the future. Don’t be afraid to ask how you can transition the family farm to the next generation. With a lot of communication and putting the correct team together, the next generation of family farmers can continue your family’s farming legacy. Be safe, and may 2020 be a blessed year for all of you.
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April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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LYON COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY
Myron, Brett, Darin and Clark Knobloch in one of their production areas at Knobloch’s Greenhouse. Photo by Bob Fitch. All additional photos courtesy of Myron Knobloch.
GROWING A BEAUTIFUL CROP by Bob Fitch
The crops grown by Myron Knobloch and his sons – Brett, Clark and Darin – are not the traditional corn and soybeans of northwestern Iowa. Nevertheless, success at Knobloch’s Greenhouse of rural Alvord requires the same inputs as their neighboring farms: good soil, timely water, the right fertilizer, sound business decisions, and hard work.
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Having grown up on a traditional farm (which his brother Lance now operates), Myron’s career in horticulture started by accident. “I ended up taking horticulture as a junior in high school because I didn’t get into the class I wanted and I found out I had an interest in it. During my senior year, as an FFA project, I started with a little tiny greenhouse that measured 7 x 16.” After graduating from West Lyon High School, he attended Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg where he
Knobloch’s Greenhouse sells more than 4,000 hanging baskets each year. Their baskets and pots feature multiple species of annuals in a wide variety of combinations.
studied general horticulture. He followed college with eight years of work at Wally’s Nursery in Hills, Minn. In 1987, Myron and his new wife Beth decided to strike out on their own, planning to grow strawberries and apples. “In 1988, our first strawberry crop cooked on the vine – literally. The day before we should have harvested, it got to 106 and no wind. And that was zero harvest. We had to do something different – we were young and newly married and needed to make a living. “We had a very big garden, so we grew for the farmer’s market to help the cash flow side of things for eight years. In the meantime, we started the greenhouse and it slowly took off.” By the mid-1990s, they found that trying to grow strawberries and apples conflicted too much with the crop cycle for the annuals, perennials and vegetables in the greenhouse. “At that point, we just focused completely on the greenhouse, from 1997 going forward. We had quit selling at the farmer’s market a year or two before that.” Knobloch’s Greenhouse grows predominantly annual flowers, but Myron said they’re also proud of their selection of both vegetables and perennials. They sell some shrubs and miniature trees, but no shade trees. “Pretty much anything you plant in the spring, other than shade trees, we sell.” Beginning March 1st each year, Knobloch’s begins planting hanging baskets, most of which include multiple species of plants in a wide variety of combinations. “We have a lot of not-so-common annuals that you’re not going to find just anywhere,
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like 50 varieties of trailing petunias. We use a lot of unique colors and grow plants you’re not necessarily going to find anywhere else,” Myron said. Over the course of their 11-week retail season, they typically sell 4,000 hanging baskets. The Knobloch family in 2012 when the company celebrated its 25th anniversary. Beth and Myron are front and center with their children Laura, Darin, Brett, Clark and Amy.
Myron and Beth Knobloch with their daughter Laura in 1990.
Yesterday: The Knobloch horticultural operation in the early days with their 7x16-foot greenhouse and the garage they used as a sales area.
Today: Knobloch’s Greenhouse operation as it looked on Mother’s Day 2017. The retail sales area is at right center. The other hoop houses are for plant production. 22
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
In addition to the baskets, they grow Memorial Day planters and thousands of annuals and vegetables in 4-inch and 4.5-inch pots, as well as in multi-packs. There are three crop cycles to stagger production for the retail season. “We don’t want to sell plants that are too small or overgrown,” said youngest son Darin. Knobloch’s grow more than 40 varieties of tomatoes, 20 varieties of peppers, and close to 1,000 different types of flowers. “Everything we grow, we sell and it goes out our own front door,” said Darin. Beth Knobloch, who died from a brain tumor in 2015, was the family’s retail expert and her expertise continues to guide the retail experience the family delivers to their customers. “This was our 10th year in this facility and it handles a crowd really well,” said Myron. “Our retail sales area is all indoors, it’s all concrete and it’s all handicap accessible. So that minimizes the impact of the weather on us. They can still shop even if the weekend weather is bad.” Darin added, “We’ve got wide aisles for carts, scooters and wheelchairs.” Myron said, “Beth was an interior decorator by education, but retail was her specialty. There’s a lot of things you’ll see that you won’t see everywhere, such as our angled benches and signage galore. Her motto was if you get asked a question more than once or twice, you need a sign. The angled benches are important because, first, it helps the appearance of the sales area. Second, if the benches are
straight, you only see the plants on the corner. At an angle, you can see all the way down. It catches your eye more. “Every variety has a sign with a picture and key points such as height, width, and price; and, for vegetables, days to maturity. All those with yellow stakes are sun-loving plants; and those with blue stakes are part-sun/part-shade plants,” he said. Another one of Beth’s priority was cleanliness in the greenhouse sales area. In fact, when the family was traveling and visiting other greenhouses on the road, “The first place Beth would go when we visited a greenhouse was the restroom,” said Myron. “If the restroom was presentable, then we could spend time there. She said if the place couldn’t figure out how to take care of the restrooms, then there wasn’t much else we could learn from them.” This attention to detail has helped the business build an extremely loyal customer base, one willing to travel 3050 miles, the final stretch on a gravel road. Darin said positive word-of-mouth about their quality plants, reasonable prices and customer service has been their primary avenue of marketing. Through word-of-mouth, the medical community in Sioux Falls has become one of their largest segments of customers. Social media marketing also helps drive traffic. Myron and Beth’s oldest daughter, Laura, is married and lives in Michigan, but still does media for the company, including social media, ads and design of signage. She and her husband have two children who come back to Iowa for a couple weeks in the spring. Daughter Amy lives in Rock Valley and works as an ultrasound technician for Sioux Center Health. She helps
GROWING
GROWING C A P I T A L
T O S E R V E O U R FA R M I N G FA M I L I E S
community C A M P A I G N
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All five Knobloch children won the Nursery Operations Proficiency Award from the Iowa FFA during their senior years at high school. Myron said, “Bigger isn’t necessarily better. It’s what you learned and how you’re going to apply it in life. After sales ended in 2019, Knobloch’s remodeled and enlarged their play area. It includes a playhouse with a huge chalkboard, a music wall (pots and pans to bang on), pretend kitchen, a pretend planting area, a rope-and-pulley system, and more. “In the big scheme of things, it doesn’t sound important, but it is,” said Myron Knobloch. “If mom’s not interrupted, she buys more.”
at the greenhouse on weekends in the spring when she’s available. Knobloch’s have 30 greenhouses in production, totaling 60,000 square feet under plastic. Myron, Brett, Clark and Darin each are in charge of specific greenhouses. In addition, Myron is in charge of perennial production; Brett manages seeding, spraying, and retail; Clark manages cuttings and vegetable retail; and Darin handles office work and the front end of the store. After graduating from West Lyon High School in 2017, Darin enrolled in the small business program at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, S.D. He followed that with an extended internship at an accounting firm in the Watertown area before returning to the greenhouse last October.
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Darin’s focus on the numbers follows from his high school FFA experience. In 2017, he was the national winner in the FFA Nursery Operations Proficiency Awards program. “It’s a record keeping project that I started when I was a freshman and kept going through to my senior year,” Darin said. The application for the state award includes the record of where you started, what you learned, where you’re at now, and what your plans are for the future. After winning the state contest, the application competes against winners from all the other states. The judges narrow it down to four who are then invited to the National FFA Convention where the finalists compete via a rigorous interview process. “Ultimately, it tested my record keeping, writing and speaking skills.”
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
“The kids all grew up in the business. From their earliest moments, they were in the greenhouse. A greenhouse is a good environment for kids. There are not a lot of safety hazards. Once you get to two years old, there are things you can do to help like putting labels in packs or sweeping. Then you graduate to restocking plants. The older you get, the more responsibility you get.” While the four Knobloch men are the only ones working year-round and full-time, it takes a lot more hands from the time production starts in March until the retail season finishes at the end of June. The greenhouse employs about 20 seasonal workers, three of them full-time for the season and the rest part-time. “We’ve done pretty well on getting help,” Myron said. “A lot of housewives like the idea of working (outside the home) a little bit because then they can justify their habit of planting.
That’s what motivates a lot of them to work.” Most of the employees return year-after-year so not much re-training is needed, plus many of them have a farm background which provides at least a basic understanding of planting. When Knobloch’s Greenhouse opens to the public on the third Saturday in April, Myron said they usually get to build into the busy month of May. But the late snows in April 2019 put their crew to the test. “When the weather got better in May, we did three weeks of business in less than two. It crunched it all together and it was just ‘hang on for the ride.’” Darin added, “Our employees were really good at adapting and keeping the benches full.” In addition to the quality plants and customer service, Knoblochs try hard to provide the advice and tools to help their customers have success with the plants once they’re home. The greenhouse has its own special fertilizer mix which they also bag and sell at retail. Likewise, the custom potting mix in their baskets, pots and packs is bagged and sold in the store. The quality of the seed, cuttings, soil mix, fertilizer, and the right watering regimen are all about establishing a solid root system. “You have to have a good root system underneath to make it look good on top,” Darin said. Knobloch's Greenhouse opens for the spring on Saturday, April 18. The business is located southeast of West Lyon Community School at 1873 Dipper Avenue, Alvord. For more information, find them on Facebook, see www.knoblochsgreenhouse.com, or call 712-473-2293.
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The staff team at Little Rock Community Foods: Dixie Kruger, Donna Meyer, Jen Stave, Suzy Wiertzma and Jackie Olson.
LITTLE ROCK STICKS TOGETHER TO HELP COMMUNITY GROCERY STORE SUCCEED by Bob Fitch
What’s special about Little Rock, Iowa? According to long-time Little Rock resident and volunteer Darrell Ver Steeg, “People in this town are really proud of the community and we stick together. We help each other out.” Helping out others was what another town leader had in mind 17 years ago when he purchased the building which had housed a grocery store. “There was quite a turnover of people who had the store prior to that time. The last party that was in here, he was going to fold up – he just said ‘we’re done with it.’ He and I got together and I bought the store 26
building and whatever was left in it in the early spring of 2003,” said Little Rock resident Gene Peters. “We were real fortunate that Gene purchased this building,” Ver Steeg said. “He didn’t want to see it used for a junk store or whatever. He wanted to see it used for something good. He rented it to us and over time allowed us to buy it for really a good price. Gene’s a good community man.” The town came together in 2003 to cooperatively open Little Rock Community Foods, a full-service
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
grocery store and deli in this town of about 500 people in northeastern Lyon County. “There were so many older people in town. My idea was if we didn’t serve them, how would they get their groceries without help? We’d have to go at least 9 miles to Sibley,” Peters said. Ver Steeg said, “My brother and I brought the idea to the Town & Country Club. We had some public meetings to garner support.” Peters said, “ There was a lot of older ones who came in to the public meetings we had. They pretty much all agreed on the idea.”
The right care. The right place. The right time.
Fresh produce is brought in twice per week to ensure freshness and fresh meat is cut on-site.
To build an inventory and do some repair to the building and fixtures, $25,000 was needed to get the project off the ground. Shares in the amount of $250 were sold to local citizens. “Well, it wasn’t long and we had that $25,000. The public really backed us,” Peters said. After seeking legal counsel, the grocery store was set up as a limited liability corporation. Ver Steeg is the president of the corporation; Sam Chase is the secretary/bookkeeper; and the other two directors are Nate Voss and Rod Borer. “On paper, the LLC’s directors are the ‘owners’ of the store,” Ver Steeg said. “But really the community owns it. If the store is ever sold, the Town & Country Club would be the beneficiary.” The original plan was to pay back the $250 shares at $25 a year over 10 years. However, after four years, payments stopped – some people took their remaining payments in groceries, while others just considered the initial investment a gift. “We opened up on July 7, 2003. Since then the progress has been great. It holds its own,” Peters said. The LLC has never had to issue another stock call to help pay for improvements. Ver Steeg said they’ve had to borrow money from the bank a couple times for freezers, coolers and other major capital improvements. But store revenues – and some donations here and there – have paid for expenses and paid back the bank loans. “We’re constantly updating a little bit as we can so we don’t get hit with big bills all at once,” Ver Steeg said. “We usually end up breaking even at the end of the year. If we have extra money, we buy equipment for the store.”
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When Peters still owned the building, one of the significant improvements was to install a small seating area to allow locals to enjoy a meal from the deli on-site. In addition to items such as burgers, burritos, chicken wraps, and chicken strips salad, there are daily specials – Monday is hot dish (such as chicken hot dish or goulash or tater hot dish); Tuesday is Cook’s Choice (which might be meatloaf, hot beef or chicken croissant); Wednesday April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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Key volunteers for Little Rock Community Foods include: Gene Peters, Darrell Ver Steeg, Gerald De Boer, Randy Freerks, and Kenneth Kanengieter.
is taco day; Thursday is chicken strips and fries; and Friday is stuffed baked potato. “They don’t complain about the size of the portions,” said Jen Stave, who has been the store manager for 15 of the past 17 years. Stave said the store’s pea salad, ham spread, cheese spread and subs are also made on-site. Ver Steeg noted that the store’s potato salad is widely known and loved, and served at many local funerals and events. Stave said, “It’s really my mom’s recipe. She’d better not give it out!” Her mom is Mavis Kanengieter. During the winter, the store has a soup option most days. In addition, fresh meat is cut instore by Tim Dammann, who formerly operated a locker in Little Rock with his father. The store has a broaster plus has softserve ice cream in the summer. Fresh produce arrives every Monday and Thursday morning. Ver Steeg said, “I take my trailer over to George the night before and, on Monday morning, Judd (at the Total Stop Store) from George calls me when he’s ready for us. And then volunteers come 28
in to help us get unloaded.” Stave praised Judd Reifers of Total Stop for the extra time and effort he puts into helping Little Rock Community Foods. Regular volunteers who unload the trailer in Little Rock are Gerald De Boer, Randy Freerks, Kenneth Kanengieter, and Ver Steeg. Hours are 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday. Both Peters and Ver Steeg praised the store’s employees for their efforts and dedication. Stave is the only full-time employee. The parttime employees are Dixie Kruger, Donna Meyer, Jackie Olson and Susie Wiertzma. Peters said, “We’re pretty fortunate because there are a lot of communities that wouldn’t support something like this.” Ver Steeg agreed: “We’ve got a lot of older, single-person households who depend on us. I think people really appreciate having the store here. One thing about our community is that most everybody works out of town. They have access to other grocery stores. But they still come back here and support us. We give all
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
the credit to the people who live here and support it.” Little Rock Community Foods is just one example of the strong community spirit. The Little Rock Town & Country Club sponsors many events, especially for youth. In addition, the local newspaper is community-owned and the Little Rock Corn Show in August is famous for its success being driven by volunteers. Ver Steeg said everyone pitches in to help on the Corn Show. “It takes a lot of people to do that. It’s community unity. That’s why we succeed, we all stick together. “The community cares about each other. People are friendly, outgoing and welcoming to people not from our community. To me, it’s a great place to live,” Ver Steeg said.
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April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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SIOUX COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY
Mark Pottebaum raises show lambs on his farm on the edge of Alton in Sioux County.
SELLING GOOD SHEEP TO GOOD KIDS by Bob Fitch
“There’s a saying out there: You don’t have kids to raise livestock, you have livestock to raise kids. And it’s so true,” according to Mark Pottebaum of Alton. 30
Mark is an advocate for the life lessons provided to youth through the raising and competitive showing of livestock. “Livestock is an avenue for kids to learn. It could be beef cattle, it could be hogs, it could be sheep, it could be arts and crafts, it could be cooking. 4-H is an avenue to teach kids. It’s a safe space to learn. If you fail, you learn. If you fail, get up and reflect – what did you learn? The kid who placed fifth learned a
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
lot – he learned what it takes to place fourth next year and then third the next year. Every step of the way, you learn.” While Mark works full-time as the director of plant operations for Orange City Area Health System, he’s also passionate about the show lambs he raises and sells. He said, “We grew up raising commercial sheep as a family. We had cattle, hogs and sheep. But sheep is what fits the farm I have
Age Media Qtr Page 1-8-20.pdf 1 1/8/2020 Mark Pottebaum with his family: April, Autumn, his mother Barbara (who just passed away in Color December), Crystal11:21:34 and AM Dalton; plus Autumn’s children Avah and Jaxson.
here. When our kids started showing sheep, I said, ‘Oh shoot, if you’re showing them, you might as well raise them too.’ Over time, I just totally transformed to show sheep. “They are sheep like any other sheep, but they’ve got to be a lot more correct. The difference between first and third place is pretty minor. We’re raising them not just for how they walk, but for their hip structure, the level lines, the loins, the chest floor etc. The little tiny details are tens of thousands of dollars. From being good to being great to being phenomenal, it’s tough. Trends change, you’ve got to follow along,” he said.
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“But there are a lot things done that I’ll never do. We’re going to do it the right way, the family way. I’d rather not sell livestock than do it the wrong way. I’m not going to photoshop pictures for our online sales because I want to be as honest as possible because I want the kids who show them to be as honest as possible. There are people who like us and follow us for that reason. I’m not here to sell sheep, I’m here to sell projects. “My lambs are not broke to show. They’re being raised as sheep. They haven’t been caught 20 times and haven’t been held by me in the barn. You buy them, they’re straight up the way you see them. They’re kind of like me – what you see is what you get. People aren’t calling me saying their sheep fell apart. I want its worst day to be the day you picked it up and its best day to be the day you’re showing it three months from now,” Mark said.
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April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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“During lambing season, I go to bed at night and get up at 5 in the morning and don’t get up in between. Some guys live in the barns, but we don’t. My sheep have got to raise their babies. We sell ewes for that reason – they know our ewes are going to be good mothers. “Yes, I want to make money selling sheep, but, more importantly, it’s a way of life. I want to sell good sheep to good kids.” Mark sells sheep across a large part of the country including to
Utah, Ohio and Texas. “It’s kind of funny. Sometimes people can’t shop at home … to be an expert, you’ve to be from more than 300 miles away. A friend and competitor of mine in Utah is a good guy and raises good sheep. He’ll sell more sheep this direction and I’ll sell more in that direction and we’re both selling a similar type of sheep. We’ll both knowingly smile at each other and not try to understand that. When you figure it out, let me know.” In the past, it could be a challenge to transport sheep from a distant producer, but no more. “There are guys who move livestock around the whole country. It used to be you’d have to think about how you’re getting that sheep home, but you don’t have to think twice about it anymore.” Online sales have changed the business a lot and depersonalized it somewhat. “There are people you sell to that you never meet. I don’t like it, but it’s the world we live in. If you don’t have good pictures (for the online sales), you’re done. Picture day is a big day.” In addition to selling show lambs, Mark also supports youth through
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
community involvement. He was a Sioux County 4-H leader from 2005-2017 and was on the Sioux County 4-H Youth Committee from 2008-2015. He’s been on the Sioux County Extension Council since 2013 and has been the chair since 2015. He’s also on the 4-H Endowment Board to help raise money for the future development of the 4-H programs in the county. In addition, he coached Alton recreation teams from 1997-2006 and was on the Alton City Council from 1996-2005. “When I first got elected to the Extension Council, my very first meeting, I said ‘I’ll take every penny I can get from Extension for the youth in our communities and 4-H.’ I’ve been doing it long enough, I understand the bigger picture now. But, still, I’ll take every penny I can for our 4-H programs,” he said with a smile. “4-H is invaluable. Employers across the country will tell you, when it comes to job interviews, those 4-H kids have got a leg up. Now I know 4-H is changing and there’s less livestock. There’s specialty groups. But the core values are still there. It’s a safe place to learn. You don’t make mistakes in 4-H – you learn from them. That didn’t work out, so
what’s plan B, what’s plan C? “You can’t put on a video game what it’s like to get up at 5 in the morning when it’s 20 below to do chores. You can’t put on a video game what it’s like when you go out to the barn and your favorite animal is dead. There’s no way to explain it if you haven’t lived through it,” Mark said. “I believe the food chain is healthy. God made animals as animals to be eaten. They’re here to be respected and taken care of, but they’re here for a purpose – there’s still a food chain. It’s very important to teach this to everyone we can because many only understand the misconception they see on social media. “In the show world, these kids are working the animals two or three times a day, you know the animal’s personality inside and out. If you think you don’t have a tear walking out at sale time, you’re lying. Even as an adult, with certain livestock, you have tears when it’s time. What you learn on the farm doesn’t mean there isn’t sorrow or sadness, but it’s ok.” His son and three daughters were all involved in showing livestock.
“With my first two daughters, losing wasn’t an option. We rarely celebrated a win, but we agonized over a defeat. But my third daughter taught me it’s ok to lose if you still had fun.” His daughter April and her husband Shawn live in St. Louis, Mo., where April is a clinical pharmacist. Daughter Autumn and her husband Rick live in Alton with their two children, Avah and Jaxson. Autumn works at Animal Health International. Mark’s daughter Crystal is a teacher at the International School of Abuja in Africa (and will soon be moving to Bangladesh). Son Dalton is studying veterinary medicine at Iowa State University.
people at Orange City Area Health System or selling lambs to 4-H’ers, Mark adheres to the Lou Holtz “do-right” theory. “Just do right. It goes a long ways for me. If you do what’s right, life will work out. Whether that means your personal life or your financial life, just keep making the right choices and life will work itself out,” he said. Supporting youth in 4-H programs is Mark’s role in the do-right life theory. “You can meet kids where they’re at, you can help them get a piece of life going, and give them a place in life where they can get up every day and feel valued. I think that’s why God put us on this earth, at least that’s why he put me on this earth, and that’s to help make someone’s else’s life better. We don’t know what struggles kids are going through – whether it’s self-hurt thoughts or kids with special needs – we don’t know what their struggles are behind the scenes. Just be nice and try to help them.”
As his children were growing up, he always tried to make the farm a welcoming place for their friends. “I bought this farm over the noon hour one day. It’s on the edge of town. The kids were able to walk to town to the pool and, in the summer time, it was easy for their friends to come down here and hang out,” he said. His kids went to Spalding Catholic School through fourth grade, then moved to MOCFloyd Valley Schools. With questions...
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April 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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FROM THE KITCHEN
KUGELHUPF
(German version of the American Bundt Cake and the Italian Panettone)
Pioneer Tradition; Modern Nutrition. Published by Freeman Junior College Women’s Auxiliary, 1961.
DIRECTIONS: Dissolve 1 pkg. yeast in 1/4 cup water Heat together until butter is melted-cool to lukewarm
• 1 cup evaporated milk • 1 cup water • 1/2 cup butter or margarine Sift into large bowl
• 8 cups sifted flour • 1 1/4 cups sugar • 1 tsp. salt wo Photo source:
Combine yeast, milk mixture
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• 2 eggs, beaten • Grated rind of lemon or orange Add to sifted ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let dough rise until doubled in bulk or about 2 hours. Punch down. Divide in 2 parts. Roll out one part in rectangular shape and spread with:
• 2 stiffly beaten egg whites
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• 3/4 cup sugar April 2020 | www.AgeMedia.pub
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
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of Sioux County
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April 2020 | www.AgeMedia.pub
of Lyon County
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• 1 cup very finely chopped almonds Roll as for jelly roll. Place in angel cake pan, being careful to seal edges. Let rise until double in bulk. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. May be frosted. Use remainder of dough for kuchen or rolls.
Meet the
Mark Pottebaum raises show sheep. Story on page 30.
-Mrs. Richard L. Waltner
KNOBLOCH Family
Meet
MARK POTTEBAUM Myron, Darin, Brett and Clark Knoblock. Story on page 20.
SIOUX COUNTY
LYON COUNTY
Meet the
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
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of Sioux County
TO RECE A DIGIT IVE COPY O AL F MAGAZ THIS EVERY M INE TEXT SI ONTH, O TO 7272 UX 7.
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E VA N M E T ZG E R Rock Rapids 712 472 2537
SHEILA KLAASSEN Little Rock 712 479 2286
ASHLEY JOHNSON Rock Rapids 712 472 2537
BRIAN EBEN Rock Rapids 712 472 2537
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2020
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George 712 475 3000
Rock Rapids 712 472 2537