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FARMING PROVIDES CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY TIES
By Bob Fitch
Look up “close family” in the dictionary and you just might find a photo of the Tim and Becky Ver Beek family of Rock Rapids. From the first generation 100 years ago to the fourth generation today (and now on to the fifth generation), the Ver Beeks exemplify the core values of Iowa family farmers. Hard work, resilience, dedication and honesty are all woven into their DNA.
Tim’s grandfather, also named Tim, moved to Lyon County from Holland in 1920. Tim’s parents, John and Margaret, took over the farm in the 1950s and 1960s. Margaret passed away in 2014, but John was still helping with harvest until he was 82. He got remarried to Rebekah Sorenson about the time he stepped away from the combine and is still walking a mile a day at age 90.
Tim said it’s amazing his dad started farming when “horsepower” really meant horse-power, yet he’s lived long enough to see tractors being driven across the field via global positioning systems. Between Tim and John and Tim, the first three generations of the Ver Beek family weathered the depression, the highs and lows of land prices from the 1940s to the 1980s, rapid
Becky and Tim Ver Beek of Rock Rapids.
technological improvements and more uncertain times in the 1980s.
Tim started farming with his dad right after he finished high school in 1978. At one time, the farm included milking cows, beef cows, pigs and chickens, plus alfalfa and oats. “Through time, the chickens went and the dairy cows left, and then the hogs left, and the cattle were last. Probably in 1980 we became strictly grain farmers,” he said.
According to Tim, “Farming isn’t really a job. For a family, I think it’s a lifestyle. It’s not a get-rich-quick deal, but it's long term. Farming has been pretty good for us.” Today he grows corn and soybeans with his sons, Derek and Dalton, on their farm about seven miles southwest of Rock Rapids. Tim and Becky pushed the boys to work off the farm after high school. Derek worked at Farmers Coop in Rock Rapids for four years and then came back to the farm in 2013. Dalton attended Montana State University, then worked for Leuthold Plumbing and Heating for about five years. He came back to farming in 2018. Derek and Dalton also operate a manure hauling business. In addition, Dalton does chores at a local hog finishing unit and has a few sheep as a hobby. “Lambing keeps me busy in January, February and March,” he said. The brothers also added some rental land to their crop base in 2023.
Father and sons are partners in Northwest Iowa Feeders, a cattle feeding operation northeast of Rock Rapids owned and operated by extended family members. Tim, Derek and Dalton are the “agronomy side” of the operation.
For fun, Ver Beeks enjoyed a lake place at Okoboji for about a decade, but recently gave that up to build a cabin in the Black Hills near Lead, South Dakota. Becky said Derek and Dalton were spending more time hunting in the Black Hills than visiting the lake, so it made sense to get a vacation place out there. Besides their own family use, it’s also available for rent via Black Hills Adventure Lodging.
The Ver Beek farm today.
The Ver Beek farm in the 1940s or 1950s.
WIVES HAVE DIVERSE SKILL SETS
Becky grew up in Lester and she brings the most diverse set of employment experiences to the table. She was working at DGR Engineering when she and Tim were married in 1985. She’s had a window blinds decorating business for 30+ years; was a teacher’s aide for a special needs student at Central Lyon schools for 10 years; and she drove the “pig bus” out of a sow unit for about 10 years. Becky also helps haul grain in the fall, plus keeps the planting and harvesting crews fed.
“Then she got into livestock,” Tim joked. “She was the largest hedgehog raiser in Lyon County, probably the only one.” Hedgehogs make excellent pets. Becky started raising them in 2018 and then the business exploded in 2020 when people were tied close to home during the pandemic and many subsequently added pets to their families. At the peak, she had about 100 adults, with as many as 30-40 hedgehogs per month going to homes in the Twin Cities. “We started out at the farm, then we moved them into a trailer, and then we put them in the barn here (at their home on the south edge of Rock Rapids).” She got out of the business last year.
Derek’s wife, Kelsey, is an attorney running Ver Beek Law Prof. LLC in Sioux Falls. She specializes in family law, as well as handling cases in the fields of mental health and abuse and neglect. She has been named a top divorce attorney in Sioux Falls for the past four years. Kelsey is a native of Kingsley, Iowa, where she grew up on the farm of her parents, Dave and Shelly Krieg. Kelsey and Derek live in Brandon and have two daughters: Tenley, 14, and Lo, 7; and two sons, Henry, 5, and William, 2.
Dalton’s wife, Mandi, grew up near Ida Grove, Iowa, also on the farm of her parents, Troy and Lynn Hare. Mandi teaches seventh and eighth grade science for the Central Lyon School District. She also coaches cross country and track. Dalton and Mandi live on the Ver Beek farm home place. They have two sons, August, 3, and Arlow, 1. They’re expecting another child in December.
Derek and Kelsey Ver Beek with their children, Tenley, William, and (in front) Henry and Lo.
CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY
Tim and Becky’s daughter, Kendra, describes herself as a homebody, yet also enjoys traveling with friends to places such as Disney World, San Francisco, Charleston, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Kendra has been a medical lab technician since 2009. She’s a graduate of Minnesota West Technical College in Worthington. She first worked for Mayo Clinic in Austin, Minnesota, and then moved back to this area in 2014 to work at Sanford. For the last eight years, she’s worked at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls. She and her two dogs live on the south side of Sioux Falls.
Living close to the rest of her family and spending time with them is the most important part of her life. She said being an aunt to her nieces and nephews is “the best thing ever.”
Becky said, “We’re thankful all the kids are close. We feel like we’re a close-knit family. We love having the grandkids here.” Derek added, “Some people don’t see their parents often; or your kids don’t see their grandparents. We’re fortunate to all be together.”
In 2006-07, the Ver Beeks unexpectedly hosted a foreign exchange student. Although being a host came as a surprise, Nina (Jahn) Ammermann, quickly became another daughter to them. Nina and her husband, Jannik Ammermann, live in Rodenkirchen, a small town on the North Sea, near Bremen, Germany. Since her first visit during high school, she has since returned both by herself and with other family members four times.
Dalton and Mandi Ver Beek with their children, Arlow and August.
Nina’s comments help capture the spirit and close-knit nature of the Ver Beek family. “Everyone is seen as family, even a total stranger like me. I love the get-togethers with all the American food. It’s fun to have everyone walking in and out of the house just to visit,” she said.
“I love all the fields in Iowa that make me feel so little because they are huge. I loved the 4-wheeler and snowmobile rides and the shooting. In the winter, it was crazy how cold it got. I had never experienced temperatures like that,” said Nina. “Of course, what I love most about America is the Ver Beek family.”
In 2006-07, Ver Beeks welcomed a German exchange student named Nina who has continued to be a part of the family. She has returned several times including this trip when her mom, mother-in-law, husband and children joined her. In the photo, Nina is seated with children, Lia and Maila. Standing are: Silvia Jahn, Tim Ver Beek, Dina Leipner, Jannik Ammermann and Becky Ver Beek. Since this photo was taken, a new baby named Nela has been added.
IN STOCK AND READY TO BE BUILT!
Professionalism, fair prices and quality are the promises we’ve kept to our customers for 47 years. Our service team is right here in Sheldon, ready to leap into action, ready to service what we sell! Give us a call and we’ll put a good project plan in place for you.
Chuck and Perri Houtsma
Chad and Jill Houtsma
for 3 Generations and 47 Years.
Kendra Ver Beek.
SCARECROW FESTIVAL SEPT. 21 IN AKRON
The 24th Annual Great Akron Scarecrow Festival returns to the Akron City Park on Saturday, September 21st. The event features fun for all ages with a scarecrow decorating contest, homemade food and baked goods, crafts and branded items, kids’ games and activities, a petting zoo, and more than 60 vendors.
All activities, food stands and vendors will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festival admission is free, with tickets available to purchase for children’s activities.
No advance registration is required for the scarecrow decorating contest. Scarecrows must be entered at the registration booth between 8:00-9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 21st, at Akron City Park. Contest details and a schedule of events are at www. akronscarecrowfestival.com. There are more than 20 ways to win part of $1,000 in prizes given away as part of the scarecrow decorating contest. There are three age categories, plus Club Choice and People’s Choice awards. Scarecrow judging will take place at
10 a.m., with winners announced at noon. All scarecrows will be auctioned at 2:30 p.m. Entrants in the preschool through 5th grade category can choose to keep their scarecrows. All others will be auctioned.
Visit the Nature's Harvest stand for the best of the fall season. Kids can enjoy carnival games and inflatables plus a petting zoo with rabbits, kittens, donkeys and more.
The Great Akron Scarecrow Festival is hosted and organized by the 40 members of the Akron Friendship & Service Club, a non-profit charitable and service organization. Proceeds raised from the festival are used by the club to support worthy causes in the community. Beneficiaries have included community organizations such as the Akron Opera House, Youth for Christ, Area Museum, Park Board and Childcare Center; and Akron-Westfield School District groups such as FFA, Athletic Boosters, Dance Team and Music Department.
Questions can be directed to akronscarecrow@gmail.com or 712-551-7918.
Photos are from the Facebook page of the Great Akron Scarecrow Festival.
Why does MANURE SMELL? IT’S THE GASSES!
AMMONIA - the release of nitrogen equal to about 40 units per acre from building losses and field application.
HYDROGEN SULFIDE - one-third the loss of sulfur from manure.
METHANE - the loss of carbon in high PH and anaerobic conditions.
ONE A.C. PIT PUCK will control the gasses in 2,000 gallons of liquid manure for $3.50
It is the gasses that destroy the steel and concrete, and cause explosions in your buildings!!
Gasses also cause coughing in hogs and workers!
QUESTIONS? CALL:
EVENING MEAL.
BY BOB FITCH.
PHOTO
OLD-FASHIONED MACHINING BY MAGGERT BROTHERS
By Bob Fitch
Thirty or forty years ago, farmers and others who had equipment or machinery needing repairs or custom parts were told: “If you can’t get it fixed, take it to them kids in Matlock – they’ll fix it for you.”
According to Kip Maggert, “They don’t say ‘kids’ anymore. Instead, they say ‘Take it to them three old brothers.’” Kip and his brothers, Noal and Scott, operate Maggert Machine in Matlock, a village of about 80 people in far northeastern Sioux County.
Almost 60 now, Kip started the machining and blacksmith shop when he was a newly-married 19-year-old. After purchasing an old, rundown shop on Main Street,
the next thing he bought was a lathe and milling machine. “When I started here, I was just a kid. We’ve had a lot of fun since then.”
Both Noal and Scott worked for Kip during their summers off during high school and eventually joined him in the business. The brothers never made the jump to CNC part production, but stayed true to manual machining, which is what they grew up doing. They’ve dabbled in a lot of different
work. “For locals, we never say no. We do anything from fixing pots and pans to manure spreaders to pumps and air locks,” he said. “There are farmers in here every day. We make them hydraulic hose and weld their broken parts. We build a lot of custom stuff. For people building new homes, we'll make bar tops or the framework for bars.” Stretches of time in the business have included building honey wagons, grinders for plastic recycling, custom gears, parts for Waterloo
Kip, Noal and Scott Maggert of Matlock.
Boy tractors, and hydraulic systems for old Hi-Boy sprayers allowing operators to adjust the row width from their tractor seat.
“People shipped their Hi-Boys in from all over the country. One time, we had Hi-Boys lined up all the way down Main Street. That was a nice boost for us.”
Flywheels and custom replacement parts for antique tractors have been shipped from Maggert Machine to places all over the country and the world. Recent shipments were sent to France and Australia. “We can make a schedule for the day, but it will be changed within 15 minutes. Every day is a new project. And it’s rewarding. It's really fun to be able to walk in the door in the morning and know, when I'm in this building, I can make anything – anything you need or I need, we can make it here.” Being a small, family-owned operation allows
them to quickly adapt to the times.
During a time when Maggert Machine was building a lot of conveyors, the 1996 Olympics organization in Atlanta called them to build a garbage disposal system.
“The garbage would dump into a big hopper and then it would pull out the paper or plastic or cans and it would go down different legs. It took all three of us a whole summer to build. That was probably our one call to fame.” They were offered tickets to attend the Olympics, but Kip turned them down. “I'm a homeboy – and Atlanta, Georgia, is way more than 88 people.”
Experts in the field rely on the workmanship and problem-solving skills of the Maggert brothers. Jim Blankespoor, a long-time tractor repair specialist in Doon, describes the work of Kip, Noal and Scott this way: “Maggert can make an apple pie out of a horse turd.”
This hit-and-miss engine put Maggert Machine on the map with collectors 25 years ago. It’s an 1885 Ajax 20 horsepower. No one believed it could be fixed, but the Maggert brothers took it from rough-and-rusty to running in four months.
FAMILY GREW ROOTS IN NORTHWEST IOWA
The Maggert brothers are originally from far northern Minnesota. Their parents were divorced when the boys were young and they moved with their mom to Parkston, South Dakota. (Their parents re-married 25 years later and have been together for another 25 years.) Kip, Scott and Noal are fifth generation blacksmiths, going back to their great-great-grandfather, who was a wheelwright.
Kip didn’t go to high school. “The reason I pretty much got kicked out of school was I was always hiding in the furnace room reading books. You know any other kid who gets kicked out of school for reading too much?” All three brothers put down roots in northwest Iowa after meeting and marrying young women from the area. Kip joked, “People ask: ‘Why did you have to
‘We just like corn-fed women.’”
Scott and his wife, Ann, have five children. Ryan works in a restaurant in Texas. Andrew is a computer programmer in Minneapolis. Rachel and Simon both are in college. Samuel works at Rosenboom Machine & Tool in Sheldon.
Noal and his wife, Vonda have two daughters. Nicole is a veterinary technician in Sibley. Jenna is a dental hygienist working in Sheldon.
Kip’s wife, Annette, has worked at Security Savings Bank (formerly George State Bank) since before they were married. Eight years after they got married, they adopted a son, Judson, from Romania. Their younger son, Toby, was born about a year-and-half later. Today, Judson drives truck, hauling heavy equipment for industries such as mining. Toby is a math teacher in Sheldon. He and his wife, Lindsey, were married earlier this summer.
Great grandfather Pierce Maggert (center) and grandfather Forrest Maggert (right) in the family blacksmith shop in North Hampton, Ohio, in 1912.
Kip Maggert with a pedal lathe built in 1876. It’s similar to
People ask how Kip, Noal and Scott have been able to work together all these years. “Well, we’ve got three different (connected) buildings with our own projects. And we’ve each got our own mills and lathes and we just leave each other's machines alone,” said Kip.
HIT-AND-MISS ENGINES KEEP THE WORK POPPIN’
At about age 10 under his grandfather’s guidance, Kip built his first “hit-and-miss” engine from parts in a scrap pile. Today, Maggert Machine is well-known across the country as an expert in restoring old hit-and-miss engines, which were made from the 1890s until the 1940s. Most were stationary 4-stroke engines which were used to power pumps, saws, generators and farm equipment. Making flywheels and other parts for the engines, or restoring entire engines, has powered a lot of business for the brothers over the years.
There’s little practical use for the old hit-and-miss engines in modern times. “They’re just toys in today’s world,” Kip said. “They’re all in collections. They pull them through parades and take them to threshing shows where they set them out and just display them.”
Maggert Machine also casts parts and restores engines for antique cars and tractors. A lot of parts are shipped to the east and west coasts. From the beginning, Kip has also had a personal passion for repairing antique guns. “It started when
Noal Maggert
I was a kid. Word got around that ‘Yeah, if you can’t find good parts, this guy will make it for you.’”
The company’s office is in the old Brinkman Produce building, which was a large egg candling business. “The old timers told me they'd come in here and the room was full of cigarette and cigar smoke. Everybody was in here watching the Board of Trade markets on a ticker tape.” It’s still a gathering spot of sorts. Friends Eldon and Shane Hoekstra, Gary Anderson and other friends regularly come in to help the business run smoothly, whether that’s by sweeping the floor or drilling holes.
Scott Maggert builds commercial pressure washers for cleaning hog buildings. He scavenges old Massey combine engines and pairs them with pumps and frames built from scratch.
Several months ago, the Maggert brothers’ father, Jan (of Mizpah, Minnesota), surprised them with a letter saying he had finished restoring four Waterloo Boy tractors, one for each of them and one for their sister, Dawna. He spent 20 years on the project, often requesting parts made by his sons at Maggert Machine. Photo by Heather Dewald.
STAGECOACH LINES BRIDGED THE GAP FROM OLD TO MODERN
Wild animals blazed the first trails to water, food and shelter in the American wilderness. Then came the indigenous peoples, then trappers, followed by pioneers passing through or looking for a place to settle. Many of today’s roads and highways follow these same early paths.
Pioneers often placed their trust in a higher power and scripture passages from the Bible. “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.” (Nehemiah 9:19-20) “To him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:16) “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)
TODAY’S ROADMAPS FORGED BY STAGECOACH ROUTES
Bridging the transportation gap between the old pioneer and American Indian trails to the modern railroads and designated roadways was the stagecoach.
The four-wheeled public transport coach carried paying customers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. The stagecoach traveled a regular route and stopped at stage stations or posts where horses would be changed out for new ones.
Many white pioneers began filtering into Iowa in the 1830s. They crossed the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa, and went west to Iowa City or Fort Des Moines. Other routes fanned out from there. Trading posts were established along the routes. Groves of timber served as landmarks that sometimes became the spots of future towns. A post office
opening was regarded by settlers as the beginning of civilization.
In 1855, the state legislature voted to establish a road commencing at Cedar Falls through Fort Dodge to the mouth of the Big Sioux River in Woodbury County. The first regular stage service to Sioux City began in September 1855. From Le Mars, a
“Stage Ready – 1855,” an oil painting by Iowa City artist Mildred Pelzer. Influenced by Grant Wood, Mildred Pelzer’s mural paintings were funded by the Works Progress Administration. From Iowa City Public Library.
An original Concord stagecoach on display at the former Wells Fargo History Museum in San Diego. Photo from WikiMedia Commons.
stage road met the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad at Sheldon. In 1857, the legislature authorized a state road into the Plymouth and Sioux County area from Sioux City up the Big Sioux River valley to the mouth of the Rock River.
River ferries were an essential part of the stagecoach system. The Paquette Ferry operated on the Big Sioux west of Sioux City in the Riverside area. Hunter’s Ferry was located about eight miles further north. The ferry did a brisk business transporting horse and ox teams and homesteaders bound for the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The Isaac T. Gore home in Sioux Valley Township, a few miles northwest of what would become Akron, was known as Sioux Valley House. Mr. Gore made a business of furnishing board for travelers on the road.
Located about halfway between Sioux City and Sioux Falls was Calliope, the original seat of government in Sioux County. In the beginning, it was the only settlement on the stagecoach line. During the late 1860s and early 1870s, Calliope (now part of Hawarden) was an important stop on the route.
Stagecoach routes in northwestern Iowa. (A combination of two maps from the book Stagecoach Trails in Iowa.)
A direct line of travel through Lyon County started at Algona and went west to Spencer, Sibley, Rock Rapids and on to Sioux Falls. In 1870, there were only two post offices on the stage route from Rock Rapids to Beloit. A.P. Weberg was the driver on the line. Upland in Centennial Township and Larchwood were the post offices.
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NOTHING ROMANTIC ABOUT THE RIDE
Travel times on a stagecoach line were staggering compared to today’s standards. The 30-mile distance from Burlington, Iowa, to West Mount Pleasant, Iowa, was a 16-hour trip. The 81-mile trip from Burlington to Davenport, running along the Mississippi River shoreline, consumed 37 hours.
Traditionally, stagecoaches in America used the Concord style of suspension and construction. Leather thoroughbraces suspended passengers who were in constant motion while the coach was moving. The leather straps provided shock absorption. Numerous stagecoach lines and express services dotted the American West as entrepreneurs fought to compete for passengers, freight and, most importantly, profitable government mail contracts.
What was a ride on a stagecoach
Sources
like? In 1880, John Plesent Gray described his stagecoach journey from Tucson to Tombstone: “That day’s stage ride will always live in my memory – but not for its beauty spots. Jammed like sardines on the hard sets of an old time leather spring coach, (the horses walked) through miles of alkali dust that the wheels rolled up in thick clouds of which we received the full benefit … It is always a mystery to the passenger how many can be wedged into and on top of a stagecoach. If it had not been for the long stretches when the horses had to walk, enabling most of us to get out and ‘foot it’ as a relaxation, it seems as if we could never had survived the trip.”
During the bitter cold weather, the drivers were often so numbed when they reached their stopping place that they had to be lifted from their seats and carried into the station where a large fireplace was always heaped with glowing logs.
• Stagecoach Trails in Iowa. By Inez E. Kirkpatrick. J-B Publishing Co., Crete, Nebraska, 1975.
• Wikipedia. “Stagecoach,” “Concord Stage.”
• WikiMedia Commons.
• Six Horses. By Captain William Banning and George Hugh Banning, 1928. Via www.legendsofmamerica.com/stagecoach.
In the 1928 book, Six Horses, the authors gathered first-hand accounts from passengers and stage-drivers who had experienced travel on a stagecoach. An excerpt from the book provides a poetic description of the rough ride:
Riding in a Stage
Creeping through the valley, crawling o’er the hill, splashing through the branches, rumbling o’er the mill, putting nervous gentlemen in a towering rage. What is so provoking as riding in a stage?
Spinsters fair and forty, maids in youthful charms, suddenly are cast into their neighbors’ arms; Children shoot like squirrels darting through a cage – isn’t it delightful, riding in a stage?
Feet are interlacing, heads severely bumped, friend and foe together get their noses thumped; Dresses as carpets, listen to the sage: ‘Life is but a journey taken in a stage.’
• “The Calliope Stage Coach Depot.” By Don Dowdey in Hawarden Centennial, 1987.
• The Palimpsest. State Historical Society of Iowa, August 1921.
• www.markgelbart.wordpress.com/2011/05/25.
• A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles. By D.J.M. Smith.
The stagecoach depot at Calliope Village in Hawarden. The line drawing shows the state of the depot prior to restoration efforts begun in the mid-1970s. (The drawing was done by Lauri Ingalls from a photo by Mrs. Ivan Walker of Hawarden.)
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CANTALOUPE BREAD WITH PRALINE GLAZE
From www.allrecipes.com
Note: This cantaloupe bread has the texture of pumpkin or zucchini bread. Purée and freeze extra cantaloupe to make bread in the off-season.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
2 cups cantaloupe - peeled, seeded and pureed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
Family medicine clinics in Orange City, Hospers, and Paullina. Walk-In Clinic, Hospital, Birth Center, Sports Medicine, Behavioral Health, Surgical Services, Pain Management, Radiology, Therapy, Home Health & Hospice, and Senior Living in Orange City.
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
SAUCE:
1 2/3 cups brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour two 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Beat together sugar, puréed cantaloupe, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and ginger in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into cantaloupe mixture until combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers of loaves comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make sauce: Combine brown sugar and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals. Mix in pecans.
Pour sauce over warm loaves. Let cool for 1 hour before serving.
