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Faith / Family / Friends / Farming
Hutchinson | Lincoln | Minnehaha | Turner
Meet the
ALDERSON FAMILY VREUGDENHIL FAMILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
KUPER FAMILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
EISENBEIS FAMILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Joyce, Brian, Erin, Evan and Lincoln Alderson. Story on page 24.
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ADVERTISING SALES Garrett Gross, AGE Media (515) 231-9367 garrett@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural southeastern South Dakota. 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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FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE McRIB APPROACH:
SCHEDULE CHANGE COMING FOR FARMING FAMILIES
Trust Your Local
Roofing Experts Over 25 Years Experience
Dear Readers: Change is a constant in this old world of ours. But it sure seems like we’ve faced more than our fair share of change in the last couple of years. It’s not easy, but we’ve all got to make adaptations to prosper and thrive.
James Hofer, Owner/ Founder
AGE Media and The Farming Families magazine are adapting to change. In the last seven years of producing Farming Families, we’ve featured over 350 families and entered the homes of thousands of readers each month. It’s an awesome experience. Your great feedback tells us we’re achieving our goals of building community, not by telling people how to farm, but instead by telling the stories of the people who farm and operate supporting businesses. Based on the success we’ve had with Farming Families, other doors have opened for AGE Media. We now produce the SD Soybean Leader for the South Dakota Soybean Association, The Bridge for the Harrisburg Chamber/City/School District, Growing Places for the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance, and a northwest Iowa edition of The Farming Families. Among our other projects, we also publish an annual community guide for Hartford and have a successful SMS text service. AGE Media & Promotion is a small team of four people – the two of us, plus our editor Bob Fitch and graphic designer Jeremy Peters. We like having a lean team, but have decided to adjust the portions on our very full plate. To match up with the quarterly schedule of SD Soybean Leader, Growing Places and The Bridge, we’re moving The Farming Families to a quarterly schedule as well. Each quarterly issue will continue to deliver the local, family-friendly feature stories you’ve told us you love.
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One of the tweaks to the format will be a focus on a theme in some issues. For example, our next issue will arrive in your mailbox in late June. The emphasis will be on fairs – county fairs, the State Fair and other end-of-the-summer special events. You might say we’re taking a McRib approach. Why doesn’t McDonald’s sell the very popular McRib year-round? Because the company actually does better by offering it as a seasonal special. We are proud of what we’ve built together with our advertisers and the families we’ve featured, and we look forward to continuing these relationships on our new quarterly schedule. Thanks for your continued readership and support. Garrett and Mindy Gross Publishers, The Farming Families magazine Owners, AGE Media & Promotion
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HUTCHINSON COUNTY FAMILY
‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE, BUT THE COWS DO TALK BACK’ By Bob Fitch
People will sometimes look at Del Vreugdenhil like he’s crazy because he chose to farm over continuing a career as an electrical engineer. His response: “There's pluses and minuses to everything.” His son Phil added: “You don't have to deal with people, but the cows do talk back.” “But when the cows act stupid, it's because they’re cows,” laughed Del.
Phil, Sasha, Mitzi and Del Vreugdenhil and Nala. 6
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2023
Del and Mitzi Vreugdenhil transitioned into management of the Parkston area farm of her parents, Harvey and Berniece Bialas, in 1994. Del commuted to the farm from their home in Yankton for four months before the family moved. A graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Del had a successful career at Dale Electronics (now Vishay), but decided life’s scales were tipped in favor of farming. His parents, Edwin and Loretta Vreugdenhil, farmed in the Corsica-Stickney area until he was about 12. Then his father ran an implement dealership in Corsica and later was a trucker. “If you would have said something about me farming when I was in high school, I would have said you were crazy.”
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Phil was just a 1-year-old when the family moved, so the farm has always been his home. Fortunately, his wife, Sasha, has the same affinity for farm life. “I'm really glad I never really lived anywhere besides a farm. I can't imagine not being on the farm,” she said. “We're also expecting our first child in July. So we're excited to raise our child, and hopefully some future children, on the farm to instill all those values that we learned growing up.” Sasha’s parents, Terry and Debbie Roth, farm near Scotland with her brother, Levi. Sasha graduated from South Dakota State University and works as a nurse at Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston. During her downtimes on nightshifts, she might take a peek at her phone and the video feed from their calving barn. She’ll call to wake up Phil if she suspects a calf is about to be born or if a mother looks to be in trouble. DEDICATED FROM THE GET-GO After graduating from Parkston High School, Phil initially enrolled at the School of Mines to become a mining engineer. But he quickly decided he didn’t want a desk job and, instead, transferred to Lake Area Technical College where he earned a degree in precision agriculture. Whether he was in Rapid City or Watertown, he made frequent trips home to help in the family’s cow-calf and crop farming operation, which includes corn, soybeans, winter wheat, alfalfa and prairie hay; plus cover crops to help extend the pastures. “So he was pretty dedicated from the get-go,” said Sasha. Del said, “When Phil was at Watertown, he told me I’d better not dare start selling down the cow herd. So I had to take care of the cattle while he was gone. There's been some years the cattle paid the bills and then other years the row crops paid the bills. And then there's years when you wonder what you did to make ends meet, especially when you have four kids.” The Vreugdenhil’s retain their own heifers, helping them know what to expect each spring. They A.I. their cows and breed for calving ease and good maternal characteristics. “I think I bought 14 heifers the first year. I’ve probably bought only 4050 cows since I took over the farm. Otherwise the rest have been bred up. I’ve got all the records on the computer so I can trace back the genealogy of most everything.”
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Phil and Sasha’s wedding day, October 3, 2020. Kirk and Michelle Lee (Mitzi’s sister and her husband), Del and Mitz, Justin, Phil and Sasha, Austin, Berniece Bialas, Dawn and husband Justin VerHoeven. In front, Kaden and Alyssa, children of Dawn and Justin.
NEVER A DOWNTIME “In the springtime, you're grappling with spraying and planting and wrapping up with calves,” Phil said. Del added, “Then you’re trying to get cows out to the pasture and get the calves their shots. When you’ve got livestock, there's really not a downtime. “And this year there's a whole bunch of fence-fixing to do because of the snow. When it comes to springtime, just because the sun goes down doesn't mean your day is done.” “There’s a lot of things you can learn on the farm from that hard work,” Sasha said. “Perseverance is one,” said Phil. Last summer’s challenge was keeping the herd fed and watered during the drought. “We were 8
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2023
hauling 5,000 gallons of water out every day with a water truck. We were consuming 130,000 gallons a month and then had to feed them every two days, from the middle of June until the day they came home,” Phil said. Mitz continued, “The water was always running. It was always filling the tank.” Phil said, “The good thing out of all that was the animals became super tame. You can get close and scratch their ears. There’s always the ones that are going to be spooky or whatnot, but when we go to check them and we’re walking between them, you darn near have to roll them out of the way to get where you’re going. And now the calves are phenomenal.” “Thankfully this baby is coming during a less busy season,” Sasha
said. But Phil gave her a look and she said, “Well, yeah, there’s winter wheat harvest, but that’s not as big as fall harvest. Even if there’s nothing going on with calving or crops, Phil will usually find a project to keep him and Del busy all summer long.” Phil has removed a lot of old fence and a lot of old trees – and cleaned up a lot of junk that was hiding in the trees. “My grandparents’ philosophy was out of sight out of mind.” The work is always there, but a farmer needn’t bother about a timeclock. Del said, “When I first moved out here, Mitz’s dad told me the first thing to know is you do not keep track of how many hours it takes to do stuff – because you will get kind of discouraged.”
MEMORIES AND FAMILY Both Del and Mitz were in high school when they met in the summer of 1976 in Milltown. Neither the girl Del was supposed to meet nor the band showed up, but Mitz was there. They started dating about a year later. Growing up, Mitz said her sister, Michelle, was better at helping out their dad with the farm work. Mitz was more likely to be inside helping their mom or playing piano. Their other two sons followed in their dad’s footsteps, going to the School of Mines. Justin is a chemical engineer and is head of production for a food-grade vegetable oil company in Savannah, Georgia. Austin is a mining engineer finding platinum and palladium in Laurel, Montana. He recently got married and inherited three step-sons in the process. Sasha said she and Phil first met when they were both in middle school. They re-met at a high school “social gathering” when she was a senior in high school. They dated for about eight years. She pushed nuptials off because she didn’t want to be in nursing school and planning a wedding at the same time. A month after she graduated
Sasha and Phil never get too close together in the pickup because their sidekick Nala is always there. They describe her as “our first child.” The German shepherd isn’t a trained cattle dog, but likes to help. She does her best to keep the cows back off the gate. She doesn’t nip at the cows, but actually pushes them with her paws. Nala was clipped by a car last year, shattering her femur and dislocating the other hip. To see her running, chasing the squirrels and rabbits again is “pretty phenomenal.”
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from SDSU, Phil blindsided her with a proposal on the beach when he substituted for his dad on a seed corn sales trip to the Dominican Republic. They were married three years ago in October. His older brothers Justin and Austin came home to help with harvest – the first time their dad had given them the keys to the combine. According to Sasha, “Usually the brothers will come home once or twice a year around the holidays and in the summer. Phil will usually find a project for them to do.” Phil said, “You can tell they work at a desk job. They’ll say, ‘This is work, but it’s kind of fun.’” “But they’re ready to go home again afterwards,” said Sasha.
The Harvey and Berniece Bialas farm in 1983.
TALES OF TWO GRANDFATHERS Del’s dad, Edwin, would often come help at harvest. According to Phil, “He never wanted to sleep. Some nights would be an all-nighter. He didn’t like to stop; he wanted to unload on-the-go into the wagons. All he needed was a thermos of coffee and a jar of candy.” Del said his father-in-law, Harvey, was a very successful cattle feeder. Phil was too young to remember his Grandpa Bialas well, but he does remember Grandpa taking him and Austin fishing. “From working on the farm, he had some of the thickest calluses I’ve ever seen and he was strong as an ox. Austin and I would catch bullheads which would try to sting Grandpa when he was taking them off the line, but that didn’t phase him. He’d just rip that hook out.” Mitz said her dad always liked to have fun and even goof off a little bit. According to Phil, “You could tell he still felt young because he laid a big ol’ blackie with his pickup right over there in front of the county building.”
The Vreugdenhil farm in 2017.
Phil going to help his Grandpa Harvey Bialas with the bottle calves. 10
Del with his father, Edwin Vreugdenhil.
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LINCOLN COUNTY FAMILY
KUPER SEED AND SUPPLY: WORK HARD, BUILD TRUST, HAVE FUN By Bob Fitch
Dave Kuper didn’t have to think too hard to come up with a name for the business he started with his sons three years ago. His father, Myron, had built a great reputation with local farmers at his longtime Lennox business, Kuper Feed & Supply. Dave changed the “F” to an “S” and Kuper Seed & Supply was born in 2020. He and his sons, Nate and Kip, are building their Pioneer Seed business on the strong foundation of the previous dealerships of Lloyd Poppens and Craig Stearns, who both retired about the same time, providing an opportunity for the Kupers to merge the two enterprises into one. “The boys and I sat down and kind of threw this out at each other and said, ‘Should we build a new place and take on the challenge of these two dealerships in a centrallylocated spot?’ We decided if we helped each other get this going, it'd be kind of a neat adventure,” Dave said. “We decided we’d stick our necks out as far as we can. And now we’re having fun and enjoying it.”
Dave, Nate and Kip Kuper. 12
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After growing up on the family farm with milking cows, farrowto-finish hogs, and chickens, Dave went to South Dakota State University where he got a degree in ag business. He also studied at National College. His summer job in high school was working at the
Sioux Falls Stockyards and he made his way back there after college. “My cousin, Jerry Westra, was a buyer at Savage. He got me started there in the summertime, just filling in for guys that went on vacation. That's when the stockyards had 10,000 hogs a day. You'd get there at 4:30 in the morning and you wouldn't be home till 7 at night. I made a ton of money – at three-anda-half bucks an hour. It was pretty amazing to get to do that.” After college, he got back in at the stockyards through Jerry's brother, Joel Westra. Beginning in 1989, he spent 25 years buying and selling cattle at the Sioux Falls Stockyards, working there until it closed. Then he worked for Tri-Ag Sales in Hurley for 12 years.
Nick and Tara Siemonsma; Kip, Dave, Nate and Erin Kuper; and the star of the show, Bo.
Oldest son, Nate, also went to SDSU and got a degree in ag business. He worked for RCIS (Rural Community Insurance Agency) and as an associate in Craig Stearns’ seed dealership. Younger son, Kip, got his ag business degree at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown. He interned at CHS for two summers. A LITTLE HELP FROM A FRIEND The first spring of their seed business was conducted out of Lloyd Poppens’ place as they worked
to identify a site to build their warehouse and office. Construction and their business were delayed when they ran into unexpected opposition at the first site they chose and were sidelined in the permitting process. “I lost what hair I had left on the permitting deal. My sons stuck with me and kept saying, ‘Dad, it’s going to be ok.’” Kip laughed and told his dad that his hair was long gone before this ordeal.
They went back to the drawing board, had another stumble, and then an old Lennox classmate who owned land along Highway 44 between Lennox and I-29 gave them a call. “He had heard of our troubles and he told us, ‘You're going to build this building and I got the land for you.’ He let us pick out where we wanted to put it. There’s not a lot of people that would do that for you,” Dave said about Kurt Schneiderman.
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Dave was able to return the favor to Kurt by performing the wedding ceremony for Kurt and his bride, Kim, owner of Kim’s Korner Bar & Grill in Worthing. “We’ve had some pretty good times and laughs with each other,” Dave said. Kupers were also fortunate because Cory Groenwald of Reeves Buildings held true to his labor and material quote, even as Covid was causing prices to rise and Kupers struggled to get their building permit for more than a year. Concrete prices did go up substantially, but if Groenwald hadn’t held firm on the other pricing, the project would not have happened. “We finished the building in the spring a year ago, but there was no time to have a party. So we had an open house last fall. About 400 people showed up. Central Catering served about 500 pork chops and 1,500 pieces of chicken. There were only 13-14 chops left and just one container of chicken. This whole parking lot was full from front to back. And it was a steady flow of people from 5:15 until 10 o'clock,” he said. “We had a lot of my friends, the kids’ friends, and friends of my folks who came. It was fun. Man, I could hardly talk any more by the end of the night.”
TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS Kupers built the building big enough to accommodate future expansion. However, they’ve turned down requests from people who have asked to rent storage for their boats or cars. “We built it for ourselves and our families. We had Thanksgiving here. Part of the shop is heated, so we played wiffle ball and some bags and had fun in there. We built the front area big so it’s kind of a nice place to entertain with our family and friends. If SDSU is playing a football game, we can throw it on the TV. We had a taco day in here; we made up 20 pounds of chicken and whatever else and called our customers to see if they wanted to watch the game here. We ended up with 30-40 people. You work hard, you want to have some fun, too,” he said.
Mankato and is a nurse at Avera’s Spine and Brain Recovery Institute in Sioux Falls. She lives at Dell Rapids with her husband, Nick Siemonsma, who is a pork producer. Nate got married in December 2021. He lives in Beresford with his wife, Erin, who is a native of Michigan. They met when both were students at SDSU. She’s a physical education teacher at Elk Point Jefferson schools. The couple had a baby boy named Bo this past November. Grandpa Dave said with smile, “Bo was out here yesterday. He’s rolling over. It’s fun times. Kip and I, as grandpa and uncle, are in charge of buying toys that are very noisy.”
A lot of their fun revolves around sports. Dave and Tara were both basketball stars at Lennox Area High School. Dave was then recruited to play at SDSU. One of the big highlights of that experience Dave said 2023 will be nice with no was when the Jackrabbits (still pandemic, no permit hang-ups and Division II at the time) traveled to no construction. “We’re all here and the University of Kansas to play done. We can just work hard and the Jayhawks. Many of the Kansas Whether enjoy it. The boys’ grandpa always you’re would se e k players and coaches later in g living comm a skilled, ass used to say to me ‘Get up early in unNBA. ist ity fo“We able thingmove up to the lost to r y o u the morning and get your work rs e s lf is o a r se fo n r se a we’re numb love f waor by onlyofive rmseven th anpoints, done. Then you can enjoy the dayer onethem d comfort. . L e against one of the best lineups t Ti when work is over.’” Kansas ever had. I was redshirted, Nate and Kip’s sister, Tara, went so I didn't play. But getting to to Minnesota State University in watch and shake hands with them
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was probably the biggest deal of everything.” The family has been down to the University of Kansas several times to watch basketball and always appreciate the warm welcome the Jayhawks give to even those wearing the colors of another school. Kip said, “We buy tickets for every session of the Summit League Tournament and like to take our customers there.” Dave added, “We get the same seats every year. And I think our customers who can make it really enjoy that.” One of his early sports-related memories is watching the VikingsRaiders Super Bowl with his Uncle Alan. He’s still waiting to celebrate a Vikings win in the Super Bowl. HELPING CUSTOMERS FIND SUCCESS “For the time being at least, we’re not going to farm. It gives us a chance to provide extra service to our customers at their busiest times of the year. It’s always a challenge for them to get the crop planted and combined. We try to do simple things to help them out,” Dave said. Kip agreed, “Customers are our priority. During the fall we like to bring out pork loin sandwiches to them. We put two loins on the
The Kupers like to take their customers to the Summit League Tournaments. They’re joined here by Taresa and Brad Smidt.
smoker every morning. Then we'll go and visit guys. Nate and Dad and I split up and bring sandwiches out to the fields. We enjoy the conversation and we like seeing first-hand how our product is doing. We like to ask them if there is anything we can do to help them.” Dave laughed, “If the pork loin sandwiches are really good, we can usually get by if one of our varieties is not doing so good. We’ve got a lot
Kip, Tara, Dave and Nate Kuper at a Minnesota Twins game.
of loyal customers and they’re just great people to be around, to help, and to have fun with.” The father and sons take an oldfashioned approach to business. Kip said, “Our main thing is just to be honest, to be who we are. I don't think we had to try to change anything in that aspect. If you’re honest with people, they’ll trust you to help them be as successful as they can be.”
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SPRING GOOSE NEST. PHOTO BY JON KLEMME.
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TURNER COUNTY FAMILY
A PRIVILEGE AND BLESSING TO INTERACT WITH CUSTOMERS By Bob Fitch
Direct marketing agricultural products is a lot of work. “It takes time, it takes public relations and it takes a lot of communication with our customers,” said Tim Eisenbeis of Marion. Tim and his wife, Anita, own and operate Happy Grazing Dairy, a producer of raw milk from organically-managed Jersey cows. A large share of their customer base is in Sioux Falls; and they also regularly deliver to Yankton and Vermillion. Although their method of production and sales may be more work than today’s standard approach, Tim wouldn’t trade it for an easier way. “The marvelous thing about this direct marketing is you become friends with your customers. I mean, I'm sorry for other farmers because they don’t get to enjoy that – they don't have that privilege. It's a real blessing to find these new friends and we get all kinds of moral support from them.”
Anita and Tim Eisenbeis. 18
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2023
Another difference is that Happy Grazing Dairy has full control of the price of their product. Even though their geographic footprint is small, the farm has a waiting list of customers. In fact, Tim’s father, Larry Eisenbeis, is quick to point out that their raw milk business was started because of customer demand. He said young mothers wanting to keep their children healthy were looking for a producer
of raw milk at the Sioux Falls Farmers Market. “Young housewives got interested in what goes into the body and they surfed the web and came across Weston Price, and they really push raw milk. Five young women came to my table where I was selling Tim’s broilers, eggs and flax. They pounded on my table saying ‘We want raw milk, we want raw milk.’” The Weston A. Price Foundation is an advocate for scientificallyvalidated information on traditional foodways to achieve good nutrition and health. Their “Wise Traditions Diet” is inclusive, not exclusive. It doesn’t condemn food groups, whether it’s grains, dairy foods, meat, salt, fat, sauces, sweets or nightshade vegetables. According to Tim, “Dad brought a sample of his milk to share with a friend at the market. Other people saw that and asked ‘What is that? Can we get some of that?’” After their relentless inquiries, Larry told the young mothers, “It’s against the law, but I’ll do it anyway.” At the time, Larry had one dairy cow to produce enough milk for their own family. Tim said, “So Dad got another cow and then another. He had three or four cows and was just supplying a few families, but they were real gung ho. They wanted it raw.” For a while no one really paid attention to the fact that he was selling raw milk. But at the time the South Dakota Department of Agriculture was very anti-raw milk. So the Eisenbeis family tried “herdshare,” where customers actually pre-paid to own a share of the herd. In return, the customers received milk. Then Horizon, an organic dairy company, started a route of organic dairies which the Eisenbeis farm became a part of. Neither of these sales methods was ideal. In 2014, a more open-minded South Dakota secretary of agriculture invited all stakeholders to help
The Eisenbeis family: Jesse, Andre’, Lillie, Tim, Anita, Gabriel and Kelly. Photo by Leslie Unruh.
completely revamp law and rules for raw milk, opening the door for Happy Grazing Dairy to begin to grow its direct-to-consumer marketing and delivery. Three times a week, they do home delivery to Sioux Falls. Tim’s brother, Philip, delivers on Mondays and Wednesdays; and Tim’s son, Andre’, delivers on Fridays. Larry sold his half of the herd to Tim a number of years ago, but, at age 88, he still delivers milk oncea-week to central locations in Yankton and Vermillion. For a number of years, Larry was the primary care-giver for his wife, Anette, who had Alzheimer’s disease. Driving the once-a-week route was his social time, staying connected with customers, an interaction he enjoys. Anette passed away in November 2022. Larry has always
been something of a rebel, trying different approaches to agriculture. Their pastures became certified organic more than 20 years ago. He did strip-till and band-spraying long before others tried it. He
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The milk delivery crew includes three generations of the Eisenbeis family: Larry, Philip, Tim and Andre’.
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In the winter, Tim and Anita grow barley to feed the cows. Here, Tim shreds the barley with an old chicken plucker adapted for the task.
experimented with raising Longhorn cattle. Tim said, “Dad has never been very shy about trying things and so that laid the groundwork for what we are doing today.” Tim inherited his father’s experimental nature. For several years, he raised pasture-fed, no antibiotics hogs. He also raised Murray Grey cattle, an Australian breed of polled beef cattle known for its marbled beef without excess subcutaneous or inter-muscular seam fat. Tim attended Bethel College in Kansas and also did post-graduate studies at Michigan State University. After that, he and Anita worked for about a dozen years in northeast Brazil for the Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, development and peacebuilding agency of the Mennonite Church. There he worked with small-scale farmers on rainwater catchment cisterns, organic vegetable production and marketing, beekeeping and participation in government programs through coops.
The Eisenbeis Jerseys at Happy Grazing Dairy.
Tim and Anita returned to Turner County in 2001, becoming the fifth generation of the Eisenbeis family to farm here. Anita is an integral part of the operation, not only working on getting milk ready for delivery, but she also does all of the bookkeeping. In addition, she helps manage the thrift store in Freeman. She was born and grew up in Brazil, the youngest daughter of life-long American missionaries.
or beef is the products are high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is known to fight cancer or help prevent cancer. In the winter, the cattle are fed organic barley sprouts grown indoors at the Eisenbeis farm.
Healthy soil is the starting point for why the couple chose to farm organically. “If the soil is healthy, then the plants will be healthy, and the animals that live from it will be healthy – and the humans will be as well,” he said. Without synthetic fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides, the soil biota, the living things in the soil, will be there in greater numbers, which helps to cycle nutrients and hold water. The biggest benefit to grass-fed milk
Furthermore, he said raw milk is good because it contains the enzymes that naturally occur in milk that helps the human system digest lactose. “Some people who believe they are lactose intolerant aren't really. It's just that they are drinking milk that's dead, meaning it has been heated too much. Many people who can't otherwise consume milk can handle raw milk fine.” The Weston A. Price Foundation promotes studies that show a
Tiim Eisenbeis with his cows.
statistically significant inverse relationship between consumption of raw milk and asthma and allergies. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture tests the milk at Happy Grazing Dairy twice a month, once for pathogens and once for coliform and components. And, Tim said, just like handling raw meat, it’s important to pay attention to cleanliness when handling raw milk. During the past 12 years selling raw milk, Tim is grateful that neither he nor the Department of Agriculture have received any reports of illness caused by consumption of the farm's milk.
April 2023 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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FARM TECHNOLOGY
NEW ORDERING PLATFORM Steven Valencsin grew up in Yankton and his family still lives in eastern South Dakota. After high school, he joined the Navy which took him to the East Coast. After his service, he attended North Carolina State University. Today he lives in the Piedmont area of North Carolina in a small farming town called Browns Summit. He is the founder and CEO of GROWERS in Durham, North Carolina. TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY I founded GROWERS over a decade ago because I saw an opportunity to push technology forward in the ag industry. It started out as a precision ag services company and has evolved over time to make technology that provides value to ag retailers and farmers. I believe there is a real opportunity to add significant value in agriculture through the adoption and advancement of technology. Since its founding, GROWERS has grown to over 50 employees who all share a similar passion and respect for agriculture. Today, that passion is focused on championing the relationships between farmers and their ag retail partners.
gives farmers access to the things they need to run profitable, sustainable businesses. HOW DO FARMERS GET STARTED? Steven Valencsin The GROWERS App is free for farmers to sign up. They can create an account at app.growers.ag/ farmingfamilies and immediately start building their request for ag inputs to send to their local retailers, the GROWERS Retail Network, or both. The app is simple to use and farmers can gain exposure to new retailers and cooperatives, products and services as well as gather pricing on farm inputs, organize and compare offers, then select the best offer. Transactions can even be completed in the platform if so desired.
TELL US ABOUT THE GROWERS APP The GROWERS app is an input management and ordering platform for farmers. To help farmers make informed buying decisions and have access to more retailers and products, GROWERS connects farmers to their retailers while also allowing them to research products, request pricing and then consolidate retailer offers in one convenient location.
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MINNEHAHA COUNTY FAMILY
Erin, Lincoln, Evan and Brian Alderson. Photo by Beth G Photography.
TIME AND FAMILY ARE THEIR MOST VALUABLE ASSETS By Bob Fitch
As one month turns to another and one year turns to the next, Brian Alderson has realized the value of time as an asset.
“When you're young, you’ve got so much more energy and ambition; and the one thing you had to sell was your time. So you spent every waking minute working because you didn't have money,” he said. “As you gain equity, all of a sudden, you’re not selling your time cheap anymore. Time becomes your most valuable possession.” Brian farms with his wife, Erin, and their two sons, Evan and Lincoln, south of Hartford. He grows corn
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and soybeans, but stays zeroed in on his custom cattle feeding operation. “I was spending two grand in parts every spring just to get my planter functioning. Finally, one year I had it custom planted and it cost me $2,400. It didn’t take a week of my time to plant anymore and now it got done with row track and row shutoff. After planting, I brought nine bags of seed back. I didn't know I was wasting that much in the field at 270 bucks a bag. I
mean, I was losing money planting my own corn,” he said. “When stuff like that starts happening, you realize those intermediate assets drag you down on your balance sheet if you're a young guy and have to finance all of it. That makes it hard to invest in other areas because you've got that big chunk you’re paying interest on. As long as it's not vital to your operation and doesn’t have to be done this minute, there's usually a better way. Somebody else can do it cheaper.” Located on Highway 42 directly west of Sioux Falls, the price for crop acres there is at a premium. “I know I can't own a baler and a planter and a disc and a combine for 400 acres. You can't do that. To justify it, you'd have to go out and do custom work for another couple thousand acres, and who has that kind of time?”
Brian with his parents and siblings in 2019: Laura, Joyce, Brian, Larry, Beth and Amy. Brian was inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame that year. He was a three-year starter, a two-time All-American and a two-time finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award granted to the nation's top lineman. The 2005 squad led the nation in both points scored and yards gained.
So where does Brian spend his time? “I know I can feed cattle as efficient or more efficient than just about anybody. So good. Let's do that. Let's focus on that.” TIME WITH EVAN AND LINCOLN Not being consumed with field work, he’s able to spend more time with Erin and their two boys. Even without the field work, he realized often the time he spent with the boys was when it was cold and snowy and windy. He enjoys coaching baseball, so he put in batting cages in the shed to help provide bonding time. In addition, they’re in the final stages of having SportCourt installed for a basketball half-court. “The goal is to make the shed the place where their friends all hang out together. Some of the other dads have asked how they can help. I just tell them, ‘Keep bringing your kids in.’” Their oldest son Evan is 8, is in third grade and loves all sports. Erin said, “During the children’s moment on
Lincoln, Brian, Evan, and the late Larry Alderson
April 2023 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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whether it’s sports or board games. He picks things up quick.” His younger brother Lincoln turns 7 in May and is in kindergarten. According to Erin, “Lincoln loves all things farm … engineering, figuring out how to build his pens. He does a lot more pretend play, while Evan wants to follow the rules.” Brian added, “It’s amazing how different two kids with the same parents can be, but they play well together.”
Brian, Erin, Lincoln and Evan. Brian was the boys’ coach just like his dad was for him.
Super Bowl Sunday, the pastor asked what the kids’ favorite things to do were. Evan said, ‘Winning.’ It caught us off-guard because he’s never one to speak up in children’s moment.” His grandmother, Joyce Alderson, added, “Evan is a good student, loves to read and play board games. He’s competitive,
He said Lincoln likes the cattle. “When he was in junior kindergarten, he’d come out with me to do chores. He was really living his best life. He and Evan and their friends go down and pretend to load cattle. The kids leave the paddles everywhere and the gates are kind of in disarray, but we can watch them on camera and it’s ok.” Lincoln had Dad help him recover some old gates tucked in the trees so he could create his own cattle pen. “He herds his basketballs and footballs into the pen.” DERECHO DESTRUCTION It’s too bad Lincoln is not a little older because they needed someone with engineering and construction skills after the farm was hit by the derecho on May 12th last year. “It really did a number on us,”
Brian said. They lost their shop and half the roof from their cattle shed. A few cattle were injured and had to be put down. However, Erin said the worst thing was trying to care for them while they were standing on black mats during the summer’s dry and hot conditions. “We had nowhere to go with them,” Brian said. “The guy I feed for was going to take them out, but then he had more cattle coming in and he had nowhere to put them. Plus we were in the midst of feed trials with a company. To break off our obligations in the middle of a feed trial would have been pretty shady.” Because it’s a deep pit cattle barn, the snow didn’t accumulate this winter – it just went to the bottom of the pit. But their feed conveyor was bent and twisted and exposed to the elements. “Stuff that’s supposed to take me one hour now takes three,” he said. The storm left the commodity shed adjacent to the feedlot “just kind of hanging there.” On June 20th, as they returned from taking the boys and their friends to the College World Series in Omaha, Brian was thinking about what rental equipment he needed to tear down the remaining pieces of the commodity shed. But, no worries, by the time they got
STAY ALERT AS PLANTING SEASON IS UPON US. Don’t let your attention drift while driving during planting season. Local farmers are busy nurturing the world’s food supply, so remember to prioritize their safety. Trust in Tomorrow.®
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2023
Joyce with her grandchildren. Front: Kylie, Cortney, Clayton, Lincoln (on Grandma’s lap), Ellie and Evan. Back: Max, Kaitlyn, Layne, Jackson and Brock.
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home that night the second derecho had saved them some labor and blown the rest of that shed down. They expect the cattle shed to be back up in May. “It’s got to go back up because it’s our main source of income.” When Brian bought the feedlot from his parents, it was an outdoor set-up. Initially, he bought a hoop barn, the first of several which were destroyed by weather. Erin said, “If we get hit again, we might take it as a sign that we’re not supposed to do this anymore. Of course we say that, but we’d just put it up again.” Brian added, “I’m a sucker for the pain. It is what it is. You just keep moving on.”
‘IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE WORK MOST OF THE TIME’ After graduating in 2006 from college and a stellar five-year football playing career at the University of South Dakota, Brian wasn’t sure what was next. He didn’t plan to return to the farm. His best friend was working in the booming Wyoming oil fields, so he went that direction. When his dad, Larry Alderson, had a heart attack, Brian returned home to help for a while, but then returned to the “bachelored-up life” in Wyoming. When his dad had a second heart attack, Brian told him: “I keep leaving, but you keep keeling over. I better stay here.” After his year of bouncing around, he decided, “I wasn't good at anything else, so I might as well come back.” Joyce said, “Larry was pretty happy when Brian decided to come back to farm.” He represents the family’s fourth generation on the farm which was homesteaded in 1876. Erin grew up in Watertown and attended Minnesota State - Moorhead for business administration. After college, she lived in Sioux Falls since her dad had moved there. She worked in sales and customer service, including a seven-year stint as sales assistant at Hi Roller Conveyors up until last August.
In 2021, the Aldersons were featured on “Homegrown,” a program produced by the NBC affiliate in Rapid City. To watch the program, Google “Homegrown The Alderson Family.” 28
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2023
“I wanted to be home when the boys got off the bus. We’d been working for quite a while towards the goal
of me staying home,” Erin said. “I've always enjoyed helping on the farm, managing the books, and helping to make everything run more efficiently.” He and Erin moved to the farm in 2012, while Larry and Joyce moved into Hartford. That move didn’t last long. Joyce said, “I missed the country. I was a nurse and was involved with people all day long. I need my space and my home was my refuge.” She was in nursing for 45 years, most of it at Sioux Valley and the VA. Joyce grew up on a farm near Pipestone, Minnesota. She and Larry met when they were students at SDSU. They also have three daughters, Laura, Beth and Amy, who have contributed nine grandchildren to the family. They all appreciated grandpa’s penchant for donuts from Wall Drug (once, he and Joyce drove to and from Wall Drug in a single day on a donut run). They built a new house on a corner of the farm and Larry decided he was glad to be back. Joyce said, “He had a routine he followed every morning. Those last years he wasn’t in good health, but the side-by-side allowed him to get around.” Erin said, “After he passed away (in July 2020), we discovered so many random things we didn’t realize he took care of.” Brian agreed. “After Dad passed, the tractors started to all run out of fuel. I thought, ‘What the heck is happening? They never ran out of fuel before.’” Erin has helped fill in some of those gaps since she gave up off-farm work to be home. “Both Brian and I don't relax very well, so we're always busy doing something and starting new projects. We work together really well, so it doesn't feel like work most of the time.”
and connections within the Ag circles of Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and Hutchinson Counties and surrounding areas. If youhave a fun story or would like to suggest a family to feature, reach out to us at Bob@agemedia.pub.
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FROM THE KITCHEN
SLOW-COOKER CHEESY WHITE LASAGNA From tasteofhome.com
INGREDIENTS • 1 pound ground chicken or beef • 2 teaspoons canola oil • 1-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 medium carrots, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth • 1 cup half-and-half cream
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• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened • 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese • 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese • 1 large egg, beaten • 1-1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese • 1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried basil • 9 no-cook lasagna noodles • 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese • Additional minced fresh basil, optional
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Fold two 18-in. square pieces of heavy-duty foil into thirds. Crisscross strips and place on bottom and up sides of a 6-qt. slow cooker. Coat strips with cooking spray. Melissa Baker, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
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3. In same pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and carrots; cook and stir just until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Stir in cream, cream cheese, cheddar and Gouda cheeses. Return chicken to pot. In a large bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese and basil.
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4. Spread 1 cup chicken mixture into slow cooker. Layer with 3 noodles (breaking noodles as necessary to fit), 1 cup chicken mixture, 1/2 cup cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining chicken mixture and mozzarella. Cook, covered, on low until noodles are tender, 3-4 hours. Remove slow cooker insert and let stand 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional basil. Using foil strips as handles, remove lasagna to a cutting board or platter.
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2. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
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