The Farming Families of Iowa—July 2023

Front: Moriyah, Eliott and Adalynn Alexander.

Back: Mattie and Marilyn Tucker; Robert, April and Arianna Alexander. Story begins on page 6.

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

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‘WE GO FARMING’

By Bob Fitch

This magazine stays focused on the farm families, agribusinesses, churches, and other friends in Sioux, Plymouth and Lyon counties. Rightfully so. But I’m afraid you’ll have to indulge me a little bit this month as I talk about my family.

2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Fitch Farm at Hudson, S.D. For our family – and for most any farm, family or business – 150 years is a pretty significant milestone to reach.

The name Horace Daniel Fitch is revered in our family. The Civil War veteran and his wife, Persis, left Wisconsin in a covered wagon in the spring of 1873. They settled near Eden, Dakota Territory, in the southeastern part of Lincoln County. Later, the village of Eden moved a mile north and became Hudson. Horace Daniel, or “H.D.,” proved up on his 160-acre homestead claim in 1878. In 1891, he purchased two 40acre parcels for $8 an acre. When his grandson, Donald (my grandfather), asked why he didn’t buy the whole section at that price, H.D. said the boy wouldn’t ask such a question if he knew how hard it was to come by money in those times.

Horace Daniel died in 1928, a day short of being 85. He’d persevered through droughts, grasshoppers, blizzards, financial panics and other hard times. One time, lightning caused a fire in the house which he doused with a pail of milk. Unfortunately, he didn’t foresee another fire. He died without a will and, as so many of you have seen or experienced, there was a sibling squabble that burned down a relationship between his two sons.

His elder son, Herb Fitch, borrowed $1,000 from his daughter and another $15,000 against an insurance policy to buy out his sisters’ shares. In 1932, he sold the home 80 to his wife for “$1, love and affection” and refinanced the mortgage on the other 160 acres. But he died unexpectedly in 1935, leaving his family deeply in debt. My grandfather and his brother, Horace, worked for decades to overcome the debt. Two other siblings shared in farm ownership for the next 50+ years.

Driven forward by my grandfather’s bad case of “cattle feeders’ disease,” Fitch Brothers expanded their feedlot. They were successful cattlemen and crop farmers, but were exceedingly cautious about adding new debt, so they never bought more land. Cattle were essential to the operation, but the feedlot came to an abrupt end when my grandpa was struck with emphysema in 1968, leaving him unable to do chores.

My dad, Bob Fitch Sr., was born in 1944 and farmed side-byside with his dad and uncle through his growing up years in the 1950s. My grandpa’s case of cattle feeders’ disease mutated to become cattle buyer’s disease in my dad. Starting in the mid-1960s, Dad began a career as a “commission man,” buying western feeder cattle for farmers and selling finished cattle to the packers, a job he loved for the next 55 years until he retired four years ago at age 75. In the midst of that career, he began renting the Fitch Farm from his dad and uncle in

1977. Fortunately, he made do with the old equipment and kept renting, missing the “opportunity” to take on land debt during the days of 18 percent interest. By the late 1980s, he and my mom began to acquire an ownership stake and completed the process in 1995. Even though it’s a small farm, it was the first time since 1932 there was a sole owner. Needless to say, not being landowners and not having livestock to feed, farming didn’t pay well for my parents at first. People asked my dad why he’d work all-day and all-week marketing cattle in the Yankton area, only to turn around to drive 60 miles to Hudson to do another full-time job on evenings and weekends. Dad told them the same thing he told us: “Some people spend their free time fishing, camping, boating, hunting or traveling. We go farming.” He takes farming seriously as a business, but he’s always had a lot of fun doing it. Dad would put up bag swings and tire swings to occupy our time when he was in the field (after we swept the shed for the umpteenth time). He taught my brother and me to drive tractors fairly young; and my sister, brother and I all learned to drive by endlessly circling the farmyard at the wheel of the 1964 Chevy El Camino.

There was certainly work to do. Most memorable for me were the miles we walked in the soybean fields. We started when the beans bled dew in the morning and we returned  late in the day when the heat had baked the soil to a dustier shade of brown. There was never a puff of air to keep the mosquitoes away.

Putting the ’63 open-air Case 830 full speed ahead with the rotary hoe in tow was my idea of fun. For cultivating, I changed over to the “new” ’69 Case 830. Even at a snail’s pace, it felt like luxury. The tractor didn’t have AC, but the windows all opened and there was a fan. Plus there was an AM radio so I could listen to Herb Carneal call the Twins games on WNAX or, if no game was on, listen to Rat Reno on KXRB spin “Always on my Mind” by Willie Nelson or “Walking The Floor Over You” by Ernest Tubb.

During my growing up years, when we could have been enjoying the water at Lewis & Clark Lake, we drove 60 miles east to Hudson to the Fitch Farm. I wouldn’t trade away one minute of those early mornings or late nights.

Stacking hay at the Fitch Farm, summer 1941. Watercolor by Virginia Lien Fitch, my great aunt.

A VISIT TO 360 HERITAGE FARM

By Bob Fitch

Marilyn Tucker is the third generation on the family farm in the southeastern corner of Sioux County. Her grandfather, John Schiltz, bought the farm in 1920. Her father, Vernon Schiltz, purchased it from the family. “I was an only child, so I farmed with Dad until he passed away in ‘98,” Marilyn said. “I like working outside. I'm not an indoor person at all.” She’s proud to have kept the farm in the family. What’s not run-of-the-mill about Marilyn is that she’s spent a good share of every week working at livestock auction barns

for more than 15 years. And she’s not behind a counter or clerking the sale. She’s loading the cattle in and out. Since 2007, she’s worked for SFRL Inc. at Sheldon Livestock, Tri-State Livestock in Sioux Center, and Sioux Falls Regional Livestock near Worthing, S.D. She started at Sioux Center as fill-in help during the summer. The job just grew from there. She added Sheldon Livestock and then Sioux Falls Regional, where she worked Mondays and Wednesdays. “My day started at 6:00 up there and ended

The Alexanders and Tuckers of rural Remsen aren’t a run-ofthe-mill farm family.

The Tucker and Alexander family farms near Remsen. Front: Moriyah, Eliott and Adalynn Alexander. Back: Mattie and Marilyn Tucker; Robert, April and Arianna Alexander. In the background are the family’s herd of Belted Galloway cattle.

at 10:00 at night. But I quit that a year ago to be able to dedicate more time to the farm.” Tri-State Livestock held its last sale on June 16th, leaving her now only at Sheldon Livestock on Thursdays. “I load in fats in the morning, help pen back the rest of the day, and then help load out after the sale.”

A lot of women load cattle, hogs and sheep on the farm, but not too many work in the yards at a sale barn, which is traditionally a man’s world. “When I started, there was one other female, otherwise it was all guys. Now there's four of us of us women in Sheldon (with two of them often on horseback).”

On the farm, Marilyn checks the livestock and helps prepare

livestock side, including tagging all the animals.

MAKING THE MOVE TO ORGANIC

Like his mom, Robert doesn’t follow agriculture’s standard playbook. He named the operation “360 Heritage Farms,” which symbolizes a 360-degree turn away from synthetic herbicides and fertilizers and towards the regenerative agricultural heritage of his grandparents and great grandparents.

All ground is certified organic. The livestock are not certified, but could be for the right market opportunity since they are managed in accordance to organic standards. They practice management-

LETS STAY CONNECTED.

DANIEL WINKOWITSCH PRESIDENT

Robert Alexander being held by his grandfather, Vernon Schiltz.

decision to eat healthier. When the couple returned to the farm, they knew they wanted to adopt organic growing methods, but didn’t a set date to transition. Fate intervened to help them set a timeline.

When one of their daughters was 18 months old, she suddenly experienced seizures. According to Robert, “It just happened to be the day after spraying some pre-plant herbicide. April and the kids weren’t even here when I was spraying. But when they brought me dinner, I gave them a hug before they went back home.” They believe some of the herbicide from his clothing transferred to their daughter. While at the hospital, April investigated that specific herbicide and, sure enough, one of the potential side effects of exposure is seizures.

“I thought, if she’s going to be so sensitive to it, I’m going to be

done (with chemicals),” he said. “I didn’t spray a post herbicide that year. I went and got a cultivator.” April added, “We really made the connection when we started doing tissue sampling on her and found certain minerals and vitamins she was lacking. When you have a good healthy diet that's nutrient dense, a lot of your health problems go away. After we stopped using the herbicides, changed her diet, and added the few things that she needed, those seizures stopped. That's why we’re so particular about what our animals eat and what we eat, because we know it makes a difference.”

Fortunately, they were positioned to begin the move to organic right away since they had an alfalfa field untreated by chemicals for six years. They chisel-plowed the field and went straight to organic corn; and then started the three-year transition on the rest of the farm.

CATTLE AND SHEEP ON PASTURE

Some of the cattle genetics on the farm date back to before Marilyn was born. The Schiltz farm traditionally had a mix of Black Angus and Red Angus. When Robert returned to the farm, the crop acres were rented out. Marilyn said, “We didn’t have any grain to feed. So we looked for a good breed to feed on pasture. We decided on Belted Galloway. We call them our ‘Oreo cows.’”

According to TheCattleSite.com, Belted Galloways are naturally polled hill cattle, suited for converting rough grazing into lean meat that is full of flavor. Their double coat of long hair sheds the rain, and the warm soft undercoat eliminates the need for expensive housing.

The cows are long living (17-20 years) and regular breeders are noted for the amount of rich milk

Adalynn and Robert checking on the Belted Galloway cattle and Dorper sheep in the pasture. Photos on pages 7-10 courtesy of the Alexander and Tucker families.

Moriyah enjoys helping with the sheep.

they produce, therefore rearing a good calf. Marilyn said, “Some of the cattle buyers tell me we keep our cattle too long. But if they keep having healthy calves, why replace them?” Robert added, “If they don’t birth unassisted, they’re gone.” The philosophy at 360 Heritage Farms is “the cattle should work for us, not us working for the cattle.”

After Robert’s sister, Mattie Tucker, raised sheep as her SAE project in FFA, he began breeding sheep in 2016. Robert and April choose Dorper hair sheep for meat quality and because shearing isn’t needed. In the spring, after the littlest lambs are three weeks old and can look out for themselves, the cattle and sheep graze together (becoming a “flerd”). The cows help protect the sheep from wild animals.

Their grazing system is developed by subdividing a large pasture into smaller paddocks and grazing

April and Eliott in the pasture.

Arianna helps fix the baler.

them in a planned sequence, based on forage growth stage and not a calendar date. Benefits include increased forage production, animal performance and overall profitability. Manure nutrients are more evenly distributed across the field, too. Overall utilization and weed control is achieved since sheep and cattle grazing in the same paddock prefer different forage species. “With the number of acres we have, this works well to utilize our land to its max capacity,” Robert explained.

Their beef is processed at Hudson Meats & Sausage, as well as Woudstra Meat Market in Orange City. Most of it is marketed directly to consumers. In addition to local sales, 360 Heritage Farms beef is shipped to Des Moines, Omaha, Minneapolis, Colorado and Arizona. “Most is sold before we even butcher it. A year-and-a-half ago, we sent two whole beef to Arizona and our sales started to snowball,” he said. Sheep are mostly sold at public auction, but they do butcher a few every year. For information on their products, see www.360heritagefarms.com or find them on Facebook.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Mattie recently graduated from Morningside College and will start work this fall as an agriculture teacher at Le Mars High School. Growing up, she fed the bottle calves her mom brought home from the sale barn. One of her goals was to throw bales as high as her brother – she met the goal by utilizing her entire body (including her head!). She served as president of the MMCRU High School FFA. Watching her ag instructor on a daily basis, she decided ag education was her calling. She helped on the farm on weekends during college and still helps when she can. This summer, she’s working for Tony and Rick Kellen at The Fine Twine Co.

Marilyn’s oldest daughter, Rae Tucker, is a “city girl who grew up on a farm.” While she didn’t love living on the farm, she still pitched in by feeding baby calves and helping bale. Rae lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and works as an executive assistant at Haydon Building Corp. and is the social media coordinator for Mojo Restaurant Group of Door County, Wisconsin.

April and Robert met when both were working at Van Beek Natural Science in Orange City. They homeschool their children and part of the curriculum is learning about animals and plants. Adalynn, 10, has started mowing the yard, plus has worked her way up to tractor-driver-intraining. Moriyah, 8, helps by holding the lambs when Dad tags them. Eliott, 6, is driving the 4-wheeler by himself. Arianna, 3, assists Dad by riding in the tractor and by turning the 4-wheeler on and off. The kids’ favorite place to be is the farm. They help harvest the garden and enjoy trying to revive the beat-up plants Grandma sometimes brings home from her part-time job at Bomgaars.

“We learn from the past generations of our family, both their mistakes and undoubtedly their wisdom,” Robert concluded.

Marilyn and Mattie helping Rae (standing) get reacquainted with the snow. Rae lives in Phoenix.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: WHERE DID YOUR TOWN’S NAME COME FROM?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s when towns in northwestern Iowa were being founded or at least platted, some were named for a family, some were named by railroad officials, some for a geographic feature and some for a town where locals previously lived. There was a sense of shooting in the dark to find just the right name for a future community – and a few of the names required do-overs. But most towns were stuck with the first choice, for good or for bad. Here’s a look at how towns and counties in the local area got their names. Much of the following material is excerpted from the book, “From Ackley to Zwingle, A Collection of the Origins of Iowa Place Names,” published by Harold, Kathleen and Linda Dilts in 1975.

AKRON was chosen because residents believed the town would grow to the size of Akron, Ohio. The town was originally called Portlandville.

ALTON was named for Alton, Illinois, and Alton, New Hampshire, both named for a town in England. Previously, Alton was known as East Orange.

ALVORD was originally named “Park” by Rock Rapids realtor W.B. Park. Postal authorities feared confusion with other town names, so Mr. Park then offered “Alvord,” his brotherin-law’s name.

BELOIT was likely named for Beloit, Wisconsin, a name coined to be reminiscent of Detroit.

BOYDEN started out as Sheridan, but its name was changed to Boyden to avoid confusion with nearby Sheldon.

BRUNSVILLE was named in honor of a landowner named Mrs. Brun.

CHATSWORTH was named by the railroad for Chatsworth House, a castle in England.

CRAIG was named after Wright L. Craig, an attorney for Northwestern Railroad in Sioux City.

Panoramic view of downtown Akron. All photos courtesy of Historic Iowa Postcard Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Grinnell College Libraries.

J.W. Stronk’s General Store in Alton.

The Beloit Lutheran Children’s Home. Beloit was briefly the home of Augustana University.

Alvord Public School.

DOON was named by its earliest settler, H.D. Rice, who took the name from “Bonnie Doon,” a poem by Robert Burns.

EDNA was named after the daughter of a superintendent from Cherokee who settled in nearby George.

GEORGE was named after the son of a superintendent from Cherokee who settled in the town.

GRANITE was named for the nearby quarries. When it was founded in 1887, it was officially known as Iuka for a short time.

KINGSLEY was named for Henry W. Kingsley who sold the land for the town site to the Blair Town Lot and Land Co. An earlier settlement nearby was named Quorn.

LARCHWOOD was named for the many larch trees planted by J.W. Fell who founded the community.

GRANVILLE was named for Sir Richard Granville (or Grenville), a British navigator who was an early explorer of the east coast of North America. The station name was spelled Grenville, the confusion arising from not knowing how the explorer actually spelled it.

HAWARDEN was named in honor of the home of William E. Gladstone, the British statesman. For many years, there was a “Gladstone’s Hill” in Hawarden.

HINTON was named by an early settler named John Hinton, who earlier had named a city Hinton in Summers County, West Virginia.

HOSPERS was named to honor Henry Hospers of Orange City, a Dutch pioneer and leader in the area who became a banker.

HULL was named for John A.T. Hull, former Iowa secretary of state and lieutenant governor; and a U.S. congressman. The town was previously named Pattersonville and Winland.

INWOOD suffered from cognomens, which means ‘too many names,’ said the Lyon County Reporter on January 6, 1886. The post office there was named Pennington, the town site was called Warren, and the railroad station was called Inwood. Locals consolidated around the name Inwood “to do away with the present nuisance of a triple combination.”

IOWA was derived from the name of an indigenous tribe in central Iowa. The word was spelled “Ioway” in early written records.

IRETON was named in honor of General Henry Ireton, the son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell, an English statesman, politician and soldier.

LE MARS was named for the first letters of the names of a group of Cedar Rapids women who were on an excursion hosted by railroad builder John I. Blair. Using the available letters, the name was to be Selmar or Lemars. The victor was Le Mars.

Granville in the early 1900s.

Downtown Kingsley.

Plymouth Milling Co. in Le Mars.

LESTER was named after Lester B. Cleveland, a 13-yearold boy who lived northwest of the town and perished in the blizzard of January 12, 1888. The town was previously known as Hastings.

LITTLE ROCK is named for the Little Rock River, a tributary of the Rock River.

LYON COUNTY was named for General Nathaniel Lyon, commander of federal forces, who was killed in action during the Civil War. The county’s original name was Bensonville.

MATLOCK was named by local landowner Robert Allen, an immigrant from Matlock, England.

MAURICE was named for Maurice of Nassau in The Netherlands, count and then prince of Orange. He was the son of William of Orange.

MERRILL was named to honor Samuel Merrill, governor of Iowa from 1868-70.

REMSEN was named for Dr. William Remsen, a pioneer physician from Sioux City who had large land holdings in the area.

ROCK RAPIDS was named after the rapids on the Rock River.

ROCK VALLEY was named after the Rock River and the adjacent valley. Two post office names, Royal Ridge and Rock Mills, preceded the town and its naming.

SENEY was named for George L. Seney of Scarsdale, New York, who from 1871 to 1881 was a director of the railroad that runs through Seney.

SIOUX CENTER is named for its geographic location in Sioux County.

ORANGE CITY was named in honor of the Dutch prince, William of Orange, also known as William the Silent.

PLYMOUTH COUNTY was named after Plymouth, Massachusetts.

SIOUX COUNTY was named for the Sioux tribes of indigenous people. According to Dominican University, the name Sioux originates from the Ottawa word na-towe-ssi (which in turn was derived from a word from an earlier language meaning “foreigner”). The French wrote it as Nadouessioux. Sioux was imposed on them by their enemies as a derogatory name meaning “snakes.” The Sioux subgroup names Lakota and Dakota are Siouan words meaning “friend” or “ally.”

STRUBLE was named in honor of Congressman Isaac Struble of Le Mars.

WESTFIELD is the western-most town in Iowa.

Northwestern Academy in Orange City.

Downtown Rock Valley.

CALVES ON PASTURE.

PHOTO BY BRETT DAVELAAR, BD PHOTOGRAPHY

TEAMWORK FOSTERS SUCCESS FOR RIDERS, THEIR HORSES AND THE CLUB AT THE PLUM CREEK RODEO

A team strives to achieve a common goal in an effective and efficient way. Good team dynamics include communication, coordination, cooperation, complementary skills and interdependence.

At the Plum Creek Rodeo Club on the west edge of Larchwood, teamwork is an essential element on several different levels. The first and most basic team in rodeo is rider and horse. Athleticism and practice are important in any sport, but there’s an extra layer of team synergy required in rodeo where partners of different species must come together to act as single player. Rider and horse must communicate, coordinate, share the workload, trust, take risk and perform. The rider-horse team is deemed effective if it wins the competition and/or meets or exceeds goals or expectations.

When the two team members coordinate their effort, each member is able to maximize strengths, minimize weaknesses and help the other realize their true potential, allowing the team to go beyond the limitations of the individual players.

Three rodeo events are regularly featured in Larchwood. Barrel

HORSE AND RIDER RACE AGAINST TIME AND BARRELS Barrel racers showed their stuff at Plum Creek Rodeo on the evening of June 9th in Larchwood.

PHOTOS BY BRETT DAVELAAR, BD Photography

racing is a rodeo competition in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Pole bending is a timed event that features a horse and one mounted rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. Team roping pits a pair of contestants in a race against the clock as the “header” ropes a steer’s horns while the “heeler” attempts to lasso its hind legs.

“Rodeo takes a lot of responsibility, hard work and dedication, just like in any other sport. If you don’t practice, you ain’t going to win,” according to Darin Koedam, president of the Plum Creek Rodeo board of directors. Plum Creek members are high school

and junior high students from the local area. Parents are typically the coaches. “We do the best we can. We’ll send them off to roping school and clinics, here and there. You don’t just pick it up overnight.”

Darin continued, “It takes a lot of hours. My nephew is roping every day. A lot of kids are out here roping two to three days a week; plus riding horse every day, just trying to get better. A lot of work and a lot of practice go into it.”

There are a number of individuals and families who are members of the Plum Creek Rodeo Club. Six member-families currently have youth participating: Ohling, Stokeley, Poppens, Timmerman and two Koedam families (one from Inwood and one from

Larchwood). The Van Hill family has also been very active over the years, although they currently don’t have any riders.

EVERYBODY KICKS IN AT PLUM CREEK

Another level of teamwork at Plum Creek Rodeo is the volunteer group who maintain the rodeo grounds. ““It takes a lot of donated labor to pull this off. Everybody kicks in to clean it up and keep it looking nice. There are also a lot of sponsors for the rodeo, which makes a big difference,” he said. “We’re trying to keep it going for the next generation.”

The roots of the Plum Creek Rodeo go back to the 1970s, when professional and amateur

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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!

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DISTRIBUTORS:

rodeo events were held at the Scherzer family pasture near Larchwood. “There was no arena, no bleachers. Spectators had to sit on the sidehills,” said Darin. When the rodeo moved into Larchwood in 1979, it was formalized as a nonprofit with the name Plum Creek Rodeo. Professional events went by the wayside and the club has long been focused on high school and junior high athletes.

The Iowa High School Rodeo Association conducts a twopart season aligned generally with the school calendar. The season starts in August and continues into early October. The second part of the season occurs in May and June. At Larchwood, the rodeo season runs from June through late September, including an IHSRA state-sanctioned event over Labor Day weekend each year. The local barrel racing series occurs twice a month and there are two or three team roping events each year.

About 200 families descend on Larchwood for the Labor Day weekend competitions. The state-sanctioned circuit also includes rodeos in Estherville, Marshalltown, Sidney, Carson, Bloomfield, Afton, Moville, Fort Madison and Waterloo.

At the 2023 IHSRA Finals held in Bloomfield on June 9th, the Plum Creek Rodeo Club had two participants place in the top 10: Lane Stokeley finished third in bull riding and Dallas Koedam finished fourth in team roping.

At the IHSRA state-sanctioned rodeo at Larchwood on Labor Day weekend in 2022, Lane Stokely finished first in bull riding and Dallas Koedam finished fourth in boys cutting and eighth in calf roping.

Sources

• Iowa High School Rodeo Association

• Horseillustrated.com

• Xfactorbarrelracing.com

• Smithsonianmag.com

• Wikipedia.org / teamwork, team, barrel racing, pole bending, rodeo

‘THE KINGDOM OF GOD BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE’

By Bob Fitch

A Mennonite minister once told me the secret for a country church to survive and thrive. “What is the glue that holds a church together? The glue is always the children. Make the primary purpose of your church to train the next generation about who God is and teach them the principles that God has set before us,” said Gene Miller, who, at the time, was the interim pastor at Hutterthal Mennonite Church, a country church north of Freeman, S.D. He cited the sixth chapter of

Deuteronomy, where verses 5-7 say: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Large or small, and regardless of denomination, many country

churches continue the long-held tradition of impressing the word of God on the hearts of children through their annual Vacation Bible School.

In Seney, on Highway 60 north of Le Mars, the United Methodist Church is a small congregation with a small Vacation Bible School. Regardless of size, members trust the Lord is with them (“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew

Marching along to “The Lord’s Army” at Seney United Methodist Church are: Gavin Detloff, Adler Steeg, Tayven Woods, Aria Woods, Grace Anthony and Jonathan Rachuy (helper). Back row is Addison Anderson.

18:20) and that each little soul is worth pursuing (“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7)

About 20 local children were encouraged in their faith through Bible lessons, crafts and activities, as well as timehonored VBS songs such as “I’m in the Lord’s Army.”

I may never march in the infantry

Ride in the cavalry

Shoot the artillery

I may never shoot for the enemy

But I'm in the Lord's army!

I'm in the Lord's army!

Yes sir!

The Lord’s Army of children in VBS at Seney UMC has experienced leaders at the helm. Kathleen Hawkins has been teaching for 40 years (and has been director for 20) and Cindy Olson has been teaching for 30 years. Myra Nelson has taught Bible School in various churches for 20 years. During VBS in June, they used “armor of God” curriculum based on Ephesians 6:10-18 which describes the protection available to Christians in defense against temptation and evil. The full armor of God that Christians are called to put on comprises the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the

Teacher Cindy Olson helps Layton De Witt and Tayven Woods at the Seney UMC VBS.

Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit.

Kathleen said, “The most important lesson I hope kids take home is that Jesus loves them and they are never alone, God is always with them. Hopefully we are planting seeds of faith that will lead to their acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior and becoming a Christian with a place in Heaven for all eternity.”

She enjoys the interaction with the children. “I watch them grow from year to year and am amazed how much they mature in their Christian faith. It is so fun to see them outside of Bible School and they remember me. It is so rewarding to see their smiling faces! Leading the music is fun even though this is not a talent of mine. Some years it is a challenge, but other years it is a blast especially when we sing for parents!”

A TEAM EFFORT AT CARMEL REFORMED CHURCH

About 25 miles north between Sioux Center and Rock Valley, Carmel Reformed Church hosted the 75th anniversary edition of its Vacation Bible School the same week as the Seney congregation. The Carmel VBS is on a much larger scale. More than 300 youth and several hundred volunteers took part this year. Six volunteer directors begin their planning process in January. Mark Van Voorst is a member of the consistory at Carmel Reformed and he praised the efforts of the directors and volunteers: “God is the engine. They are the gas.”

The volume of time and materials donated is too much to calculate, said Kortney Haan, one of the VBS directors. “You reach out to people, and they're just giving from their hearts. It’s not just Carmel church people teaching or helping. It's so many people from

Combining the strength of a large company with the agility of a small company.

Gage Anthony, Faith Rachuy and Gavin Detloff in the K-3 classroom at Seney UMC.

Happy faces in the craft tent at Carmel Reformed Vacation Bible School.

our community and surrounding towns. It’s truly a team effort.”

Mark said Carmel’s VBS welcomes kids who have no faith background and those from other Christian denominations. Kortney said, “If we can touch them with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that's really all we care about. We just want to bring them to Jesus Christ.”

Volunteers who are “seasoned veterans” at Carmel are every bit as enthusiastic as the children and actively demonstrate their belief in the words Jesus spoke in the 10th chapter of Mark: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Carmel Reformed Church member Alice Remmerde is 90 years old and has been a volunteer for about 60 years. She spends all five days in the craft tent helping children in grades K-4. She keeps coming back after all these decades because “The whole program is wonderful. To see all these children singing and praising the Lord is a great experience.” She doesn’t take any special credit for volunteering for so long. “Thanks to the Lord, he gave me my health that I can go this far.” Alice grew up in Carmel, where her dad ran the machine shop. When she married her husband, Herb, they moved to a farm two miles north. “My husband and I were both baptized in the church; it’s where we got married; and we’ve got a plot in the cemetery.”

MUSIC BRINGS THE ENERGY

Among the other veterans are Helen Vande Vegte and Barb Punt. Helen has been helping with the music for 46 years and Barb for 28 years. Upbeat contemporary Christian music is a cornerstone of the Carmel VBS. It brings the energy which helps keep the kids excited, Kortney said. Listening and watching practice or a performance provides goose bumps to almost any listener.

Deb Dibbet is also a music director and she said the curriculum helps guide the music selection, but the directors also are listening to music all year long, always seeking to discover new music that will resonate with the kids.

One of the songs the oldest youth were singing this year was “Come What May” by We Are The Messenger. The song declares that the character of God is unchanging regardless of our circumstances. The song revels in the fact that we have a God who loves us and is worthy of our faith, hope, and trust no matter what circumstances we are facing.

The song’s chorus reads:

A classroom at Carmel Reformed wraps up their morning.

Carmel Reformed Church’s VBS volunteers stretch from 9th graders to age 90. Among the “seasoned veterans” are this group, front: Ken Verburg, Alice Remmerde and Mary Lou Verburg; back: Fonda Post and Ev De Jong.

Worshipping through song is central to the VBS experience at Carmel Reformed Church.

We

NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM BARS

From ThePioneerWoman.com

INGREDIENTS

Two 9-oz. packages chocolate wafers

1 cup salted butter, melted

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1½ qt. vanilla ice cream

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Working in two batches, pulse chocolate wafers in a food processor until fine and crumbly. Transfer the chocolate crumbs to a large bowl. Add the melted butter and sugar. Stir until evenly combined and moistened.

2. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment paper. Add the crumb mixture to the pan; press firmly to create an evenly thick crust. Freeze for 30 minutes. Take the ice cream out of the freezer, and let it sit at room temperature during this time.

3. Add the ice cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

4. Remove the chocolate crust from the freezer; spread the ice cream mixture over the crust in an even layer. Freeze until the ice cream is firm again, about 3 hours or overnight.

5. Stir together the sliced fresh strawberries and sugar; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the bars from the freezer; cut and serve immediately with the fresh strawberry mixture spooned on top.

Note: For even more strawberry flavor, add 1/2 cup of crushed freeze-dried strawberries to the ice cream in step 3.

Melissa Baker, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA

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Elizabeth “Libby” Benson, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA