of Lincoln County JUNE 2019
Meet
PAUL AND MARGARET HOFER FAITH
/
FAMILY
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FRIENDS
Photo by AllScapes Photography
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FARMING
OUR PHILOSOPHY There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year, he won the award for the best grown corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, crosspollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.” So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.
June 2019 It appears spring has finally decided to stick around!
other, and family through the years of growing their businesses.
Call it power of collectivity. Call it a principle of success. Call it a law of life. The fact is, none of us truly wins, until we all win!
Life is about change and growth—many of those changes are unexpected and may challenge us to stay firmly grounded in our faith and rooted in the principles we live our lives by. Through those times, we learn a lot about our relationships with family, friends, and God. We may be tested in our ability to trust in God’s timing.
We have also expanded our business. We now publish magazines for Lyon County and Sioux County in northwestern Iowa. We may frequently include a couple of those stories in this magazine, and we know you will enjoy stories about families around the region as well.
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
You may recall reading about Ryan and Missy Vande Kieft’s story of infertility in “Living in the Wait: Farmer’s Daughter Part 1” in the February issue. You will read Part 2 of her series in this issue. I admire their steadfast faith as they journeyed through infertility and trusted in God’s timing, and I’m confident you will be able to somehow relate to their “season of waiting” story.
~ Author Unknown ~
~ Proverbs 11:24-25 ~
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
You will read about Lennox area couple Paul and Margaret Hofer, owners of Long Creek Farms and founders of Long Creek Steel, who have maintained a strong dedication to their faith, each
Garrett Gross Principal AGE Media (515) 231-9367 Garrett@agemedia.pub
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ADVERTISERS
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of Lincoln County PUBLISHER/ CONTENT COORDINATOR Mindy Gross, AGE Media PRINCIPAL Garrett Gross, AGE Media ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
(515) 231-9367 garrett@agemedia.pub CORRESPONDENCE | STORY SUBMISSIONS (605) 690-4071 mindy@agemedia.pub The Farming Families of Lincoln County is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers, and producers in rural Lincoln County, South Dakota. ©2019 The Farming Families of Lincoln County Magazine. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without written permission from the publisher. The Farming Families of
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COVER: Paul and Margaret Hofer
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CONTRIBUTORS GARRETT GROSS Principal garrett@agemedia.pub
BEFORE YOU BUILD, BUILD A RELATIONSHIP.
MINDY GROSS Publisher/ Content Coordinator mindy@agemedia.pub
CHRISTIAN BEGEMAN Photographer
PETER YOUNG Photographer
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
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FAMILY For the past 27 years, Paul and Margaret Hofer have lived on the bank of Long Creek in southern Lincoln County. Over those years, the couple raised four children and now have 16 grandchildren. Their industrious and entrepreneurial spirit have enabled them to grow their businesses into multiple industries and sectors, and they have achieved everything together as a family.
PAUL AND MARGARET HOFER Photos by AllScapes Photography, unless noted otherwise
When Paul and Margaret left their colony near Lake Andes in the early 1990s, they did not have much more than their faith in God, hope for a better day ahead, and the love for each other. They acquired an almost 100-year-old farmhouse and an acreage south of Lennox and went to work. The Hofer family originally operated a roofing business—repairing residential and commercial roofs. The business allowed the family to get started, and over the years, they figured out the better long-term opportunity was to manufacture and supply the roofing materials vs. install them. In 2004, the Hofers started Long Creek Steel on their farm. They manufacture metal roofs and wall panels used by other construction and roofing companies to build agricultural, commercial, and residential structures. The business grew, and in 2011, they moved operations east of the Fairview exit off I-29 where they built a larger facility then expanded once again in 2015 to their current footprint of over 100,000 square feet of space. Long Creek Steel supplies roofing material and accessories to lumber yards all over the region. They do not sell directly to the consumer, but they know success is directly tied to the relationships and loyalty they have with both their distributors and end users.
Paul sorting popcorn
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Now, Long Creek Steel is primarily run by Paul’s son George, who oversees the day to day operations. This enables Paul, Sr. to focus on some of his passions in other sectors of business. Paul and Margaret operate Long Creek Farms which primarily produces farm fresh, organic eggs which are sold at many grocery stores around the area. Their cage free chickens produce eggs that are sold in all the Hy-Vee stores in Sioux Falls as well as Vermillion along with grocery stores in Hartford, Lennox, Beresford and other locations. “There’s a definite market for our product, and many people want the cage free option,” explains
Paul bagging popcorn
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Paul. “It has been easy to get our product on the shelves of some stores and others, it has taken quite a bit of follow-up.” Long Creek Farms also sells their chickens. Paul and Margaret raise goats, and they also board and sell horses. Paul also has another product on the shelves at local grocery stores: popcorn. He raises and sells popcorn that is also sold at Hy-Vee stores and others. Long Creek Farms grows a wide variety of popcorn options such as red, blue, and white popcorn on their property and process and package all the corn in a facility on the property. Paul and Margaret’s hobbies seem to also revolve around work activities such as canning, smoking meats, producing jerk y and meat sticks, trapping and hunting. It is a rare occurrence when there’s not a product to produce or delivery to make around the Hofer farmstead. The reason for the Hofers’ success is simply summarized by Paul, who says, “We have worked very hard in every business venture we’ve done. That fact along with a positive attitude are key. We haven’t been successful in everything we’ve tried, but we keep on moving forward.”
Two of Paul and Margaret’s grandsons feeding the chickens
Hofer farm, 1992 (Photo provided by Paul Hofer)
Through successes and hardships, Paul and Margaret have held firm to their principles: faith, hope, and love. Their businesses are a testament to their perseverance and their commitment to each other and their family. and grandchildren, there is no shortage of things to hear about from family.
507-283-9171 | 712-472-2595 Hofer farm, 2013 (Photo provided by Paul Hofer)
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
June 2019 | The Farming Families of Lincoln County
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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE
Abby Bischoff, photographer and founder of Abandoned: South Dakota
Her successful professional roles are a testament to her passion for building community. After serving on the marketing committee for the Stockyards Ag Experience for about six months, she accepted a position as the Executive Director. “I fell in love with how the organization works to connect people with the food they eat,” she explains.
BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH ROADS LESS TRAVELED 10
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Huron native Abby Bischoff has had a rich career in marketing and nonprofits. Since graduating from South Dakota State University with a Degree in Journalism and Minor in Political Science, she has built many relationships. “I’ve worked for the Sioux Falls Arena and nonprofits like EmBe, where I got to help plan events, tell the stories of our clients, and market events and programs that strengthen our communities.”
SERVING SOUTH DAKOTA FROM SOUTH DAKOTA SINCE 1916
“As the lone kid in my family to leave the family farm, joining the Stockyards Ag Experience felt like coming home to a certain extent,” says Abby. The Stockyards Ag Experience will soon break ground on their outdoor plaza this year. “I can’t wait to help create an outdoor space in Downtown Sioux Falls where agriculture can be honored and children of all backgrounds can learn about where their food comes from.” The previous Stockyards Ag Experience director, along with the board of directors, saw the organization through the critical initial stages and fundraising initiatives to get the organization where it is now. Abby’s involvement with the promotion and growth of Stockyards Ag Experience sparked an interest to combine her marketing skills and passion for building community for the ag organization. Growing up, Abby was an active 4-H member and served as the state 4-H Council and Ambassador president in high school. She was also a member
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of the South Dakota Junior Hereford Association and served in a variety of roles with them plus was crowned the South Dakota Hereford Queen one year. Although not actively involved with the family’s farm, Ravine Creek Ranch, Abby helps with the family’s bull sale every year by designing the sale catalog and print ads. Abby’s agricultural background is a firm foundation for her current role as an advocate to preserve South Dakota’s agricultural history, educate consumers, and share the timeless farm to table story. Throughout Abby’s career, she has been able to meet numerous wonderful people and share their unique stories. At one point, she was traveling a lot of ground across South Dakota for work and photography shoots and was tired of driving the same roads. “You can only drive the same roads so many times before you want to see some new scenery,” shares Abby. She began to stumble upon abandoned homesteads and captured them through the lens of her camera. During that time, Abby’s parents had started building a new house on the family farm. They were building right behind their old house, so they lived in the old house while the new one was under construction. “This gave us the chance to really talk about moving and leaving the old house behind. We’d gather around the kitchen table and talk about all the memories the walls of our house held,” shares Abby.
Abby launched a Facebook page for her Abandoned Homestead photography in October 2013, and it went viral. More than 35,000 people currently like the page “Abandoned: South Dakota”. “I think folks connect to the project, because it evokes a sense of the past,” says Abby. “Lots of people remark how it reminds them of summers spent with family or their childhood home. I think anything that can honor the past and provide some reverence to what has come before us is powerful, and I’m glad my images provide that for people.”
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
June 2019 | The Farming Families of Lincoln County
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COUNTRY NEIGHBOR The Bones family name is well recognized in southeastern South Dakota, and their roots date back to 1879.
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HBASIOUXEMPIRE.COM Several members of the family have played leadership roles in the community both locally and at a state level. Other members of the family have led by owning and operating various types of business endeavors. For the many family members involved in the Bones farming operation—every family member plays a role in managing the business. Running a farm requires dedication, hard work, passion, and teamwork.
( )
Parker area farm family Dan and Cheryl Bones are following a similar path of combining their passion for farming with entrepreneurship. Dan works within the Bones’ family farming operation. His wife, Cheryl, a licensed chiropractor, will open her own practice, Prairie Roots Chiropractic & Functional Medicine, on West 57th Street in Sioux Falls in June.
DAN AND CHERYL BONES
Dan and Cheryl have been married for four years. Cheryl says that fate brought the two of them together. “Both our grandfathers served on the state legislature at the same time. They sat next to each other and worked together.” Dan has a picture that shows his grandfather Walt Bones Jr. name plaque and Cheryl’s grandfather Elmer Bietz’s name plaque in the background.
Dan, Cheryl with their daughter, Lauryn 14
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
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chiropractic adjustments, exercises, therapies such as sauna, intersegmental traction, heat, nutrition, supplements, and stress management.” Cheryl says Dan and Lauryn are her strongest inspiration. “They are my biggest fans, supporters, and driving factors in everything I do. I am a wife and mom first and then a doctor and business owner.” Cheryl says growing up on a farm has taught her not to be afraid to work hard and that there is always something to be done. “Dan and I joke that we don’t know what it’s like to sit down and watch TV at the end of the day or to not have something to work on. There is always something to be done. It also taught me that gender roles don’t exist
The Bones family of 3 when Dan returned home from Kuwait on January 31, 2018 (Photo provided by Cheryl Bones)
Cheryl grew up on a farm near Tripp where she learned to accept the role as the only girl that worked on the farm with the guys. “In fact, I took it as a challenge to be just as good as them,” explains Cheryl. Despite enjoying working with the guys, she said she didn’t want to marry a farmer, but things didn’t work out that way. “My reasoning was that they work too much, hardly leave the farm, and they can put the livestock and farm stuff first. I thought I didn’t want that. But, after a blind date with Dan during chiropractic school, I knew we were meant to be together.” Dan and Cheryl married on July 30, 2016. Dan was deployed as part of the South Dakota Air National Guard to Kuwait July 21, 2017. They welcomed their daughter, Lauryn (now 1 1/2), on December 22, 2017. “Dan
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
returned home January 31, 2018, and we were a family of three for the first time.” Cheryl pursued a career in the medical field following her grandmother’s battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Her grandmother helped inspire her to want to help others as a career. During high school, Cheryl job-shadowed her hometown chiropractors who helped her with sports injuries and other ailments. After that experience, she knew she was meant to be a chiropractor. While studying Biology at South Dakota State University, Cheryl began experiencing some major health problems and abdominal pain. “The pain and discomfort left me feeling hopeless, self-conscious, and miserable,” shares Cheryl. After graduating from SDSU, she attended Northwestern Health Sciences University
for chiropractic school. She continued to have health problems. “I self-diagnosed, researched, and experimented with my health problems as many students do. A fellow chiropractor introduced me to Functional Medicine that helped with my health issues,” says Cheryl. Cheryl practiced at a Parham Chiropractic for 3 1/2 years before establishing Prairie Roots Chiropractic. “I started my business to be able to create my own schedule that fit my family’s life as well as follow my vision for helping people move better, feel better and live better lives,” explains Cheryl. “We use very thorough history and examination along with labs as needed to determine the root cause of what is going on. Then, we address the problem by implementing a care plan that includes
in the workforce. Sure, there were things I couldn’t do at times and needed help with or needed the guys to do, but I was expected to keep up and do the same things if I wanted to be out working on the farm.” “Prairie Roots Chiropractic is not only a reflection of me, but of the people I love so much,” says Cheryl. “My amazing family and love for farming are my roots—my strong foundation that has led me here today.” From the Farming Families team: Congratulations on your new endeavor and best of luck! Bones Chiropractic also would have been a great choice for a business name, but Prairie Roots Chiropractic & Functional Medicine is pretty good too!
This picture shows Dan’s grandfather Walt Bones Jr.’s name plaque and Cheryl’s grandfather Elmer Bietz’s name plaque in the background. (Photo provided by Cheryl Bones)
Prairie Roots Chiropractic & Functional Medicine 2333 W. 57th St. Ste. 103 Sioux Falls, SD 57108 prairierootschiro.com facebook.com/pg/prairierootschiro
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PHOTO BY ABBY BISCHOFF
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
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SEASONS sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
LIVING IN THE WAIT: FARMER’S DAUGHTER PART 2
Which seeds do you think will produce the best yield in your life? Disbelief, bitterness, comparison and anger? Or how about the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol.
THE RIGHT SEEDS Imagine my dad planting weeds or some anti-crop seed among his corn and soybean seeds. He doesn’t want that in his fields! He knows what seeds he wants and makes every effort to prevent the wrong ones from getting in or near his field. Planting the wrong seeds can cause all kinds of trouble. It creates extra work, causes stress and worry and can reduce his yield.
By Missy Vande Kieft (published June 5, 2018, livinginthewait.com)
Missy Vande Kieft, daughter of Lennox area farmers Dewayne and Dort Keiper
What if we made every effort, like farmers, to avoid getting the wrong seeds? What if we took preventative measures to not go near or allow wrong seeds into our lives? Life is not perfect, neither is farming, so there will be times when we pick the wrong seed, or it stubbornly forces its way into our field. That’s where grace comes in. Thank goodness we have a God who can guide us in removing the wrong seeds and teach us which ones to choose next time.
Shortly after publishing “Living in the Wait: Farmer’s Daughter Part 1”, we learned that Ryan and Missy were expecting. After over a threeyear journey through infertility, the couple welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Crosbee Grace, on May 18th.
In our February issue, you may recall reading about couple Ryan and Missy Vande Keift and their story of infertility. We shared one of her blog posts, titled “Living in the Wait: Farmer’s Daughter”, as part of a 3-part series. Here, we share part 2.
In “Living in the Wait: Farmer’s Daughter Part 1”, I talked about the many similarities between farming and our lives; specifically waiting and the process it takes. With that foundation laid, it’s time to move to the next step of picking of our seeds.
IT STARTS WITH A SEED Before my dad can get into the field to plant, he has to decide what seeds he wants to plant. He can till and fertilize his land until the cows come home, but no crops will grow on that land without seeds. He researches different varieties, compares pricing, yield rates, etc. He is choosing the best and most appropriate seeds to produce a good crop. The same is true in our lives. We get to choose our seeds. They are our thoughts, words, or actions. They are the people we allow into our lives. The seeds we choose matter because they influence us. They may be tiny at first, but the benefits of selecting the proper seeds will have an everlasting impact. We pick and eventually plant seeds because we have something in our lives we want to harvest.
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ACROSS THE STATE LINE
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
KIDS COME FOR THE HORSES, BUT LEAVE WITH A GROWING FAITH By Bob Fitch Photos courtesy of Destiny Youth Ranch
“Kim Meeder has used horses as way to promote healing for kids who have been in difficult situations. Animals are very healing,” said Corilee. She was intrigued. So in the spring of 2009 she and her daughter Lana traveled to Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch for training. Four months later, Destiny Youth Ranch in Alvord held its first camp with nine girls.
they get here, the horses will just accept the kids without question. The horse will come right up to a child. The kids just love it. Our volunteer mentors also accept each child without question,” said Jason, who operates Boer Insurance and is a native of Alvord. Corilee is a native of Hills, Minn., and was a nurse specializing in oncology before becoming a pastor.
Jason said, “We were not horse people and we didn’t own a horse. The folks from Crystal Peaks Ranch told us to just surround ourselves with smart horse people.” The Boers went from zero horses to the 60 they have today. The ranch now ministers to about 400 people each year.
“The kids come for the horses, but once they’re here we can talk to them about ‘do you know Jesus?’” he said.
“Some kids may have been bullied while others may have been through some other traumatic situation. But when
Camps for youth are held each summer. There are also women’s retreats, mother-daughter retreats and family retreats throughout the year. Typically, a day consists of worship time, teaching and speakers, crafts, games, campfires, and, of course, time with the horse with which they are paired.
Past experience with horses is not required. Volunteer leaders teach basic horsemanship skills, ground work, safety and grooming. “Camps are the perfect place for kids to seriously think about their faith. It’s away from everybody they know. A lot of kids accept Christ for the first time at camp. We’re always excited when that happens,” Corilee said. Th e m i n i s t r y i s n o n denominational and they stay focused on keeping the faith story really basic. “Some of the kids know nothing about Jesus before they come here,” she said. Neither Jason nor Corilee nor anyone else are paid a salary. Everything is done on a volunteer basis.
Jason Boer and Pastor Corilee Boer are the directors of Destiny Youth Ranch, a retreat in Alvord for kids and families where horses are the calling card, but a relationship with Jesus is the goal.
Ten years ago, Corilee and Jason Boer of Alvord were searching for a way to reach more children with the story of Jesus Christ.
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
“A good friend of mine gave me a book called Hope Rising by Kim Meeder,” said Corilee, who recently retired as the pastor of a local church. The author Kim Meeder created Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch near Bend, Oregon. In the book, she explains how horses and children can navigate a minefield of a broken child’s soul in a dance of trust that only God can understand.
Pastor Alice Christianson leads youth campers on a trail ride. Pastor Christianson is vice president of the Destiny Youth Ranch Board and is an NARHA certified therapeutic riding instructor as well as being a writer, speaker and having a degree in social work. June 2019 | The Farming Families of Lincoln County
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Stay connected out there.
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Campers come from about a 70-mile radius and volunteers come from as far as five hours away.
$1,250 per year. “So we’re always looking for donations, additional revenue streams or donations of hay,” he said. Eighty-five percent of their annual expense is for hay. On the last day of camp, there is a horse show. “Each child rides their horse through the arena for the show,” said Corilee. “Beforehand, they get to doll them up, paint them and braid their hair, get them ready for the show.”
Destiny Youth Ranch has about 60 horses.
Summer camp fees are extraordinarily low compared to many others – only $125. A third of the kids come for less than the regular $125, either at a further reduced cost or free. “We don’t ever want a child who doesn’t know the good news of Jesus to not show up because of cost. Money is never going to be a reason for a child not coming to this camp,” said Jason. That being said, Destiny Youth Ranch has real expenses. Basic maintenance and feed for a typical horse is about 24
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Jason said, “We announce each child and the name of their horse and what their favorite thing about camp was. The kids are smiling from ear to ear. Controlling that 1,000-pound animal gives them a lot of selfconfidence.” Volunteers are the lifeblood of the effort. “People have heard about us and that we’re trying to do this as cheaply as possible. Some want to help but don’t know anything about horses. Well, we say: ‘can you be a counselor, can you work in the kitchen, can you take pictures, can we teach you how to put a saddle on a horse?’ We can fit you in somewhere,” said Corilee. Volunteers come from as far away as Alexandria, Minn.,
which is a five-hour drive. Destiny Youth Ranch also takes its camp on the road once each year to do outreach at the Red Lake Chippewa Indian Reservation in Minnesota. “Most of them are in foster placement. It’s a pretty rough life for some of those kids,” said Corilee. “At the beginning of the week, they are pretty stoic and quiet, but by the end of the week, they’ve opened up and are really being kids.” Locally, Hope Haven from Rock Valley and Rock Rapids are regular visitors for day camps. Their headquarters building is currently in the midst of an upgrade. Thanks to a grant from the Forster Charitable Trust in Rock Rapids, new sleeping quarters for campers are being built. The area will be divided into 3 rooms by curtains or bi-fold doors during camps, but will be available for birthday parties, anniversaries or weddings. For more information about camps or how to donate, go to www.destinyyouthranch.com.
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ACROSS THE STATE LINE
COUNTRY NEIGHBOR
WINTERFELD SUCCESS BUILT ON TRUST AND GRACE By Bob Fitch
Donald Winterfeld has lived in the same house on the family farm west of Sioux Center since he was 3 years old. Now 85, he’s still active, running a combine in the fall and serving as the “gopher” tracking down parts and supplies all over the county for his sons, Doug, Dave and Dan. Don married Claudette in 1961. She’s 79 years old and still cooks for the entire crew on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; plus does the meal preparation on Tuesday and Thursday when the crew grills its own lunch. She feeds anywhere from 10-20 hired hands depending upon the day and time of the season. Don’s grandparents farmed in Sioux County with their 14 children. “My grandfather was real strict. If you did something wrong, you had to go get the stick for your lickin’. And the kids learned that if they came with a small stick, they’d get hit a little harder than if they came with a little bigger stick. My uncle told me there was only one time that a kid didn’t get a lickin’ and that was my dad. My dad did something wrong in the house and his dad said ‘you go get the stick.’ And my dad came in the house with a fence post. His dad laughed at him and he didn’t get a lickin’.”
Don and Claudette Winterfeld
Don’s dad farmed in Minnesota for a short time before returning to Sioux County in 1937 when Don was 3 years old. Back then the farm grew about half oats and half corn. “Of course then they farmed with horses and had to have oats to feed the horses.” The horse team of Charlie and Prince got a workout pulling a two-row corn planter and cultivating the corn four times. They fed about 100 head of calves, farrowed hogs, had chickens, and sold milk to the creamery in Hull. Chores got easier with the advent of tractors. Their Farmall F20 had a belt-driven loader – there were no hydraulics. “It was better than nothing, although with the heavy deal on the front of that F20, then your back end was a little light, so then you really couldn’t do a lot. But it was better than doing it by hand.”
Doug, Dave, Don, Claudette, Dan and Corey Winterfeld 26
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Today, Don and Claudette’s sons own and rent 5,800 acres of corn and soybeans, plus custom plant and combine for others. They feed 10,000 June 2019 | The Farming Families of Lincoln County
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head of beef cattle and have 1,000 head of hogs. “We all have our little scenarios that we’re in charge of. We try not to cross over,” said Doug Winterfeld.
Adults, left to right: Marcus; Corey and Jenny; Wade and Alyssa Kroeze; Sheryl and Doug; Kelsi and Drew Evel. Small children, left to right: Maddox, Paxley, Vayda (in back), Paelyn (in front in blue), Larkin, Lola, and foster child.
Dave Winterfeld said, “The thing that makes it work is we all do our own thing – and we all trust each other to get our jobs done. Good, bad or indifferent, we all work through it.” Dave generally works on the planting and harvesting side of the operation, plus hauls wet feed from ethanol plants and delivers feed. He’s the treasurer for Siouxland Ethanol at Sioux Center. Dan Winterfeld runs a livestock trucking business and is also in charge of a cattle manure composting operation. They use about half of the compost on their own land and half they sell to other producers. All of their acres are enrolled in the USDA NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The program helps producers develop a tailored plan to increase productivity and protect the value of the land.
Tate, Sara, Stella, Dan, Scarlett, and Karsyn Winterfeld
Ava, Ayden, Tasha, Adi, Dave and Asha Winterfeld 28
The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Dan and manager Mick Toering carefully manage the application of compost and lime to control weeds. The dry product weighs half as much as wet manure and has virtually no smell. With some of their fields 30 or more miles away, they maximize efficiency by hauling the compost to the field during harvest and haul corn back in the same trucks. Toering, along with Doug’s son Corey, also manage human resources and daily operations including the allocation of the time of the hired men. “Mick balances everything out. It helps to keep the emotions
out of it,” said Doug. The farm has about 10 fulltime employees, plus the feed hauling business has 6-7 employees and the livestock trucking business has 2-3 employees. Corey is also in charge of crop production p urchase s a n d th e finances at the farm. His management role is growing. Corey’s wife, Jenny, is a lawyer in Sioux Center and a judge in Lyon County. Doug started farming with his dad right out of high school in 1981. He regrets not spending more time with his children when they were younger because he was so focused on the farming business. But he’s changed his tune and now encourages their employe es to actively engage with their children’s activities. “We want them to be there for their kids. Mick really helps allocate our labor
Asha Winterfeld, grand champion at the 2017 All American Quarter Horse Congress
Ava Winterfeld, reserve grand champion at the 2018 All American Quarter Horse Congress.
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Doug and Sheryl have been foster parents to about 50 children over the past 8-9 years. “Our kids really pushed us to be foster parents. They just love being around other kids,” said Doug. Some of stories about the foster children are hard to tell. “It’s sad when you see a 3-year-old who has to be looking out for a younger one, having to fill a parent role that young,” he said. While foster children sometimes come with different challenges, Doug and Sheryl find the hardest part is letting go when it’s time for the kids to move on.
Adi Winterfeld at the 2018 Iowa Quarter Horse Fall Classic
pool to make sure everything here is covered.” In addition to Corey, Doug and his wife, Sheryl, have three other children and seven grandchildren. Daughter Alissa owns a hairdresser shop in Sioux Center; daughter Kelsi is a licensed teacher but is currently at home with a newborn in the Twin Cities; and son Marcus is a student and basketball player at Dordt College. Dave and his wife, Tasha, spend much of their spare time escorting their daughters to competitive horse riding events. The oldest, Asha, 20, was the national champion in the Western Pleasure Division at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, two years ago. The middle daughter Ava, 13, was the reserve grand champion last year. Nine-year-old Adi has big plans to match the accomplishments of her sisters.
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The Farming Families of Lincoln County | June 2019
Dave’s son, Ayden, and Dan’s son, Tate, are both 17 and love fishing and hunting. In the summer and when they are not in school, both Ayden and Tate fill in a lot of different roles on the farm including working the cattle. Dave is also helping to lead the development of the Sioux County Expo Center. Private investors are coordinating the ef for t to build the 166,000-square-foot center which has an estimated cost of about $10 million. It will host horse cutting, roping and barrel racing; livestock exhibitions; farms shows; and other events. The hope is also to have an outdoor amphitheater and an “Old Town Iowa” street where each town in the county can have a building to represent their community. Dan’s wife, Sara, does the bookkeeping for the trucking business, is a travel agent consultant, and a job recruiter. Their oldest daughter, Karsyn, attends Dordt and is on the
volleyball team. Son Tate is a junior at Western Christian and daughters Stella and Scarlett go to Sioux Center Christian. Don and Claudette’s sons have always had a passion for basketball which Don used as a motivator in the winter when they were young. Doug said, “As soon as we got the hog barns clean, we could go play basketball. We figured out how to do things pretty fast when there’s a basketball hanging at the end of the rainbow. We got very efficient in what we could do. The problem was when summertime came, Dad remembered how fast we could do it all winter and when it would take an extra hour, he’d tell us ‘I know it didn’t take that long before.’” Doug exercises his passion for basketball as the head girl’s basketball coach for Sioux Center High School, which included finishing as the state runners-up in 2017 and 2018. Sheryl operates a secondhand clothing store in Sioux Center.
Another daughter, Cathi, died in a car accident as a teen. Through the good times and the hard times, their faith has helped them to keep things in perspective. “What we’ve all been through and with what we still have to go through, there’s only one thing that really matters – and that’s by God’s grace we can get into heaven and we can worship God. I’d say that’s the most important thing,” said Don. Claudette agreed, “That’s the only thing that’s really real for me. I look forward to that day. The best is yet to come.”
Don and Claudette’s daughter Chari lives about 7 miles away. Her husband owns Siouxland Machine in Rock Valley.
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