Century Strong 2022

STRONG

SOUTHERN MINNESOTA FARMS CELEBRATE 100 YEARS AND COUNTING OCTOBER 2022 | A SPECIAL SECTION FROM SOUTHERNMINN.COM

All in the family in Nicollet County

By PAT BECK

Guest Contributor

Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf are carrying on the farming tradition of two families in Nicollet County.

They purchased the 106-year-old Von Ohlen family farm building site at 43893 520th St. in North Mankato from Nick’s mother, Julie Hendrycks, in 2016, and this January they bought the 162-yearold Rengstorf farm at 497794 491st Ave. in Courtland from Nick’s grandparents, Dave and Marlys “Molly” Rengstorf.

The original owners of both farms immigrated from Germany.

Both started out as animal/grain farms. Over the years, Von Ohlen had beef cattle, dairy, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, oats, barley and wheat.

Rengstorf had a dairy farm, hogs, chickens, corn, oats, alfalfa and soybeans.

After trying various other forms of farming, they both shifted to focusing on grain farming.

Nick’s mom and grandparents grew up on the farms. In fact, his grandparents still live in the nearly original homestead. The first home burned down in the first year but was rebuilt in 1860 and still stands.

Southern Minnesota

CENTURY AND SESQUICENTENNIAL FARMS

The Century Farm and Sesquicentennial Farm programs honor the legacy of family farms in the state of Minnesota. Since its inception, over 11,000 family farms have received the Century Farm honor, while over 450 were honored with Sesquicentennial Farm recognition.

The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) is pleased to recognize 36 recipients of the Sesquicentennial Farm award for 2022.

To qualify, a family farm must be in continuous family ownership for at least 150 years, be 50 acres or larger, and currently be involved in agricultural production.

A commemorative certificate signed by Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and MFBF President Dan Glessing will be awarded to qualifying families, along with an outdoor sign signifying Sesquicentennial Farm recognition.

Nick Rengstorf shows a ear of corn just before harvest this fall in North Mankato. (Pat Beck/southernminn.com)

The Hendrycks still live and work on the farm in a house across the ravine.

VON OHLEN FARM, 1916

Hendrycks and her husband, Judd, still own the farmland which was passed down from her father, Leo Von Ohlen, who died last year.

Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf not only farm 200 acres in North Mankato and 240 acres

in Courtland, they rent additional land, bringing their total acreage of corn and soybeans to 2,700.

The Rengstorfs tentatively plan to expand to even more acreage and workers.

“As more and more people retire, there will be more land to farm,” Nick said.

Nick does much of the

NICOLLET COUNTY CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

STRONG

Regional President/Publisher

SOUTHERN MINNESOTA CENTURY STRONG

Regional Editor Philip Weyhe Advertising Directors

Multimedia Account Executives

This publication is copyrighted by the APG Southern Minnesota and no content can be reproduced without permission.

Linde

Cover photo: Michelle Vlasak Photography

Randy Rickman

Deanna Boland, Amber Casterton, Kathleen Davies, Jordan Ernest, Shelly Handt, Steve Hadrits, Tim Mart, Toni Schmidt, Victoria Rud, Andrea White

Tom Kelling Ross Ulrich

Gathered by their combine during harvest this fall on the Von Ohlen family farm are, from left, Nick Rengstorf, Chalsey Rengstorf, their children Zoie, 11; Colton, 14; and Justin, 7; and Julie Hendryks and Judd Hendryks.

work himself, but he gets help from family during harvest and other busy times of the year.

Nick is proud to continue the tradition of keeping the farms in the same family, which has become less common than in the past with sales to nonfamily owners.

“It’s a unique thing that not a lot of farm sites these days can carry that tradition on,” Nick said. “If you’re not actively farming, they just die off and get sold off. It means a lot to be able to keep it in the family. The older generation farmed, and all their kids moved off the farm for another job. And nobody came back to farm again.

“You had 200-acre farms all over, and when they quit farming, you rent them out till they pass away, and either the kids get it or they sell it.”

These days, Nick said, “you wouldn’t be able to farm 200 acres and live off of it. You’d have to have another source of income.”

His mom, Julie, also thinks it’s important to have the farm remain in the same family.

“Family and history always have been important to me since I was a little kid,” Julie said. “My dad has only

VON OHLEN FARM, 1916

43893 520th St., North Mankato, Nicollet County

First owner: Heinrich “Henry” Albert Frederick and Dora Von Ohlen, 19161927

Second owner: Henry August and Alma Von Ohlen,1927-1955, son

Third owner: Leo Dean and Marlene Von Ohlen, 19551993, grandson

Fourth owner: Julie and Judd Hendrycks, 1993-2016, daughter of Leo Fifth owner: Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf, 2016-present, son of Julie

girls, so we figured the farm would be sold one day and that would be the end. My dad wanted to retire and my husband and I already farmed north of Nicollet. My dad asked if we wanted to farm this and buy the farm site. My whole family thought it was great because it was going to be kept in the family.”

Then when the Hendrycks started thinking about retirement, they asked Nick if he wanted to move into the original farm house.

“It’s wonderful,” Hendrycks, 60, said. “I can’t think of a greater

life to be able to work with your family. I get to see my grandkids, and I get to work with them.

“It’s been in our blood. It’s been in my husband’s blood. We get to do what we all grew up doing.

Farming runs deep. There are so few family farms now. Everything has gotten big and corporate.”

Nick, 42, grew up working on the farm. Then after going to college and starting his own business, he came back home in 2010 to

help out full time on the farm and later in 2016 to live with his wife and three children, Colton 14; Zoie, 11; and Justin, 7.

“I grew up with a great work ethic,” Hendrycks said. “We taught Nick that. It’s evident in the way Nick and Chalsey work. I’m confident that our grandkids are going to grow up with that same ‘you work hard and get the job done and enjoy what you’re doing.’ It’s a way of life. I wouldn’t give it up for the world. We handed over the

management, but we still love to do the work.”

Chalsey grew up on a Charolais beef cattle farm just down the road in Judson.

“I did lots of bailing

hay and square bailing,” she said. “It’s a challenge for me to be in the equipment. I was in the animal side, and I was always on the hay rack. And now I’m on the

Dave and Marlys “Molly” Rengstorf earned sesquicentennial farm recognition for reaching 150 years in the same family in 2008 in Courtland. It is one of more than 450 such farms in the state. (Pat Beck/southernminn.com)

Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf and Nick’s mother, Julie Hendrycks, stand on a combine in front of the original barn on the farm in North Mankato. (Pat Beck/southernminn.com)

Some of the wood from the original Rengstorf farm barn was crafted into benches and birdhouses at the home of Dave and Marlys “Molly” Rengstorf in Courtland. (Pat Beck/ southernminn.com)

Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf and Nick’s mother, Julie Hendrycks, gather by a cornfield and a 1953 Farmall tractor which is still operational on the century farm in North Mankato. (Pat Beck/southernminn.com)

tractor.

“I like being outside and having farm animals (cats and dogs) running around and no close neighbors.”

Chalsey also drives a Nicollet School bus owned by Hendrycks.

But farming is No. 1 in the family.

“I like the fact that you’re your own boss,” Nick said. “I enjoy doing the work. There are different challenges every year which makes it interesting.”

They’re unsure if their children will carry on the family tradition to a sixth generation.

“There’s a possibility,” Nick said.

“It depends where they go to college, too, if it will be close,” Chalsey said.

“That’s the hope that somebody will take it another generation,” Julie said.

RENGSTORF FARM, 1868

Dave Rengstorf, 82, has lived his entire life on the family farm. His wife, Marlys “Molly” Rengstorf, moved there

RENGSTORF FARM,

491st Ave.,

First owner: John and Maria Rengstorf, 1858-1896

Second owner: Fred and Maria Rengstorf, 1896-1941, son

Third owner: Edward and Emelia Rengstorf, 19411968, son

Fourth owner: David and Marlys Rengstorf, 19682021, son

Fifth owner: Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf, 2021-present, grandson

in 1960 when they got married.

“It’s a blessing to have it in the family all those years,” Dave said. “It’s nice that it’s going to stay that way. We love the peace and quiet. We’re not city people.”

Molly said they could have sold it for a better profit, but the intention was to keep it in the family as long as possible.

“What I’ve gathered the years I’ve been here is they’re really proud to

have this in their family that long,” Molly said. “It’s the same property and the same soil that they had then.”

Molly grew up on a nearby farm until she was a sophomore in high school and moved to Nicollet when her father became a carpenter.

The Rengstorfs’ three boys grew up working on the farm. But they went on to other professions.

“It was pretty hard at that time for two families to live off one farm,” Dave said if one of his sons wanted to farm there.

“This farm wasn’t that big as far as tillable acres. It’s 240 acres, but 80 of it is woodland. So it was only 160 tillable.”

Descendants of Dave also owned three other farms nearby but sold

them off, leaving only the homestead.

The Rengstorfs retired from farming in 2003 and rented the land out since then. In July 19, 2008, they had a reunion at the farm to celebrate the 150th anniversary.

Nick stepped in and started renting land from his grandparents for about five years, and he purchased it this year.

Nick said his main reason for the acquisition was to keep it in the family. His grandparents continue to live in the home and plan to live there as long as they’re able.

While Nick’s only employment is farming, Dave held a number of jobs outside the farm including the creamery

in Courtland and a feed store and 3M in New Ulm.

Dave and Marlys sold off most of their equipment, so Nick and his family bring theirs 8 miles from North Mankato to Courtland. This year the Rengstorf farm in Courtland is exclusively corn. Next year it will be soybeans. It switches every year. ◆

Grab hold of our great rates before they pass you by!

With an

Dave and Marlys “Molly” Rengstorf and Nick and Chalsey Rengstorf stand in front of the family farmhouse built in 1859 in Courtland. (Pat Beck/southernminn.com)

The Von Ohlens raised beef cattle in the late ‘60s.

The

farmhouse and family in

From left

senior,

The shows an aerial view of the Rengstorf farm building site in 1953 in Courtland.

Chappuis Century Farm charms with lake view

By JANE TURPIN MOORE Guest Contributor

Theshimmering waters of French Lake lie a mere 1,000 feet from the farmhouse where Lorne Chappuis, 57, grew up.

But when such a scene is right out your front door, it’s easy to take it for granted.

“I’m really busy now,” said the dedicated dairyman, “but when I slow down, I’ll probably make time to look at it more.”

His mother, Janice Chappuis, 78, some time ago reached the point of greater appreciation for the 875-acre lake that rests at the edge of the Chappuis farmstead, the original 82 acres of which were officially designated a Minnesota Century Farm in 2011.

“It’s a million dollar view,” said Janice. “It’s just gorgeous.”

The Chappuis family has lived in concert with the landscape surrounding French Lake in Rice County’s Shieldsville Township for at least a decade more than 100 years.

Ancestor Ceasar Chappuis officially bought those first 82 acres in 1911, launching a legacy that now extends to a sixth generation of Chappuises.

Although Janice Chappuis, who enjoyed 45 years of marriage with Gordon “Bud” Chappuis before he died at age 67 in 2008, doesn’t have a plethora of details about Ceasar Chappuis’ origins, she readily shares what she knows.

“The Chappuises [of French descent] came up here from somewhere in

Missouri,” Janice said. “They had 14 kids, and one of them—Ceasar— landed by French Lake.”

Ceasar and his wife Katherine operated the farm for many years. When Ceasar passed in 1947, his son, Alfred “Fritz” Chappuis, became its second owner.

(In a sad aside, Katherine predeceased Ceasar; she died from blood poisoning when Fritz was only 12.)

Janice and Bud married in 1963 and assumed ownership of the farm that same year. The land was in Janice’s name from the time of Bud’s 2008 death until 2018, when Lorne became the owner.

As of 2022, three Chappuis households continue sharing the acreage; Lorne, the eldest of Janice and Bud’s 12 children, lives in the house that dates

to 1954 while Janice resides in the house she and Bud built together in 1963 and expanded significantly in 1976 to better accommodate their growing family. Lorne’s younger brother Tim Chappuis added a double-wide trailer on the site about 17 years ago to cap the trio of Chappuis dwellings.

“There really aren’t any original buildings left from Ceasar’s days,” said Janice. “Every year they produced, they improved things and it got better and better,” she said, mentioning additions to the barn and silos, among other improvements along the way.

“It was [and is] a wellgroomed, well-tended farm.”

It has also maintained its historic status as a dairy farm, since Ceasar Chappuis started out milking cows.

Fritz and Ellen Chappuis continued the dairy tradition, according to Bud’s lone surviving older sister, Connie (Chappuis) Lockwood, 96, an Oregon resident since she was 20. (Two older sisters, Maxine and Joane, have passed.) Lockwood said their parents milked 12 cows, raised 10 pigs for their meat and tended 100 chickens, selling the eggs they produced.

Janice and Bud began with 25 cows in 1963, and today Lorne—along with his son Adam and brother Tim—continues building a larger herd of Holsteins.

Besides the original 82-acre Century Farm plot, Lorne and Adam farm an additional 400 acres, producing some cash soybeans and corn.

“They’re good-looking cows,” Lorne praised his Holsteins, mentioning

the Chappuis milk is sold via the National Farmers Organization.

“And I like the cows; it’s what I know. But any dairyman can tell you it’s a lot of work, with milking two times a day.”

That schedule, in fact, has largely kept Lorne tied to the farm; he says seven days is the longest stretch he’s been away, and he’s only done that four times in his life for vacations spent

An aerial view of the Chappuis family’s Century Farm in modern times shows its proximity to French Lake and reveals the scenic view its residents have enjoyed since 1911.

A mid-century view of the Chappuis Century Farm operation, which has incorporated dairy production throughout its history to date.

in Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

But the hard-working father of four (all

now in their 30s) and grandfather of six is not complaining.

“I’m just glad to be a

part of it,” Lorne said.

THIRD-GENERATION MEMORIES

Janice (Dienst)

Chappuis hasn’t moved very far in her life; she also grew up as a “farm kid,” albeit on the opposite shore of French Lake.

“I just walked across the lake,” she joked of her transition to becoming Bud Chappuis’ wife.

Janice’s grandpa immigrated from Prussia and settled on the east side of French Lake,

being the first to clear his acreage of trees in the late 1800s. Her dad, she says, was of 100% German descent.

In her teen years, Janice was known for her skill with horses. One day when her girlfriend Pat was on the farm, two other visitors arrived, too— Bud, a 1959 graduate of Faribault High School, and a nephew of his who wanted to go horseback riding.

Janice’s sister Phyllis coaxed Janice and Pat away from the lake by

telling them some “goodlooking boys are here.” Thus, Janice, then 18, and Bud met; they were married within a year.

“Oh, he was goodlooking enough,” laughed Janice, mentioning Bud was tall and had black hair.

Besides being a capable farmer, Bud endeared himself to his devoted wife with a bounty of support and attention for their dozen offspring.

“He was almost like a woman in a man’s body,”

said Janice. “There was nothing he couldn’t or wouldn’t do—wash clothes, bake bread, take care of the babies, do his field work—the man was very good at anything he did.

“Bud did his chores but [often] asked me not to bathe the baby before he came in because he wanted to do it. He helped a lot, and his mother Ellen lived with us and helped too.”

FARM

Bud Chappuis, at right, and his cousin Mike Stanton, left, on the Chappuis farm during the 1940s.

Eight of Janice and Bud’s children—four sons and eight daughters— were born within eight years. The last two were twin girls, so Bud’s willingness to pitch in was essential.

“He was nuts over kids,” confirmed Janice.

And even though Bud died at age 67, Janice made 45 years worth of happy memories with him.

“He was really likable, just so much fun and an all-around good person,” said Janice. “I had a ball and a half with Bud.

“We did a lot of dancing at the ballroom at Jewett’s Point and at the Faribault Eagles Club,” she continued. “Even after all those kids, we still went out and had fun.”

But a working farm bustling with a family of 14 meant everyone pitched in to keep things humming.

“All the older kids got up and helped milk, helped in the fields, helped with the hay,” said Janice.

“And all the kids had to work on the farm.”

That expectation has continued down into the Chappuis family’s sixth generation. Lorne’s son Adam is a farming partner, and Adam’s teenage sons, in turn, do their part today.

Daughter Ann (Chappuis) Brown, the 11th of the 12 Chappuis children, credits her older siblings with getting up to help milk prior to the start of their school days—which wasn’t always easy.

“But the last four of us didn’t have to do that because by then our older brothers were milking,” said Ann, listing numerous other farm chores she and her sisters did perform: picking rock, baling and putting up hay, feeding the cows and making silage, among other tasks.

“The farm wouldn’t be what it is without all of us,” Ann said, admirably rattling off the Chappuis dozen in birth order without missing a beat: Lorne, Mary, Lee, Connie,

June, Lance, Amy, Tim, Jody, Christina, Ann and Jan.

LAKE LOVE, CHURCH TREASURES

With the Chappuis Century Farm perched on the edge of French Lake, it’s natural that the lake figures prominently in family lore.

“The lake was our primary form of entertainment when we were kids,” said Lorne, noting all of the Chappuis kids became strong swimmers.

“The older kids watched the younger ones, and our play

time was pretty much swimming in the lake.”

The nearby Church of St. Patrick traces its origins to 1856 and is the second oldest Irish Catholic parish in Minnesota. It’s also been the Chappuis’ family primary house of worship for many decades.

“My dad started going to church in Shieldsville when he was five years old,” said Ann.

“He was very Catholic and devoted himself to the church. When it burned down in 2002, he was devastated and very sad.”

To honor his memory

Janice and Bud Chappuis are seen resting on the tailgate of their pickup relatively early in their marriage. Two of their 12 children are also pictured.

of the original building, Bud collected some stones from its ruined foundation and erected a cross near the lake as a memorial, creating a meaningful place for spiritual contemplation.

“It’s beautiful,” said Janice.

“The church made a big impact on his life,” agreed Ann.

With its Century Farm status firmly cemented, the Chappuis farm is well on its way into the next century of its living history.

“It’s been my home for

62 years,” said Janice, “and it’s still going. That makes you feel pretty good.”

Said Lorne, “It’s my home, and it will stay in the family for a long time.”

Ellen and Alfred “Fritz” Chappuis represent the second generation owners of the family’s Century Farm on the west side of French Lake.

Third-generation owners Bud and Janice Chappuis proudly stand by the family’s farm sign, which features realistic facsimiles of their treasured Holsteins.

The stone cross that Bud Chappuis built using remnants of the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church foundation following a devastating 2002 fire provides a lovely focal point for a meaningful spiritual memorial near French Lake.

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

Alove for the land, life on the farm and a connection to their family’s history, have been the driving forces behind one of the newest members of Steele County’s Century Farms roster.

Located south of Owatonna close to the unincorporated community of Litomysl, the 160-acre Rysavy farm has been part of the family since 1922 and is currently owned by Albert and Peggy Rysavy.

“Obviously there is a lot of history with this place that is tied in with our family’s,” Albert Rysavy said. “Everyone has taken a real pride in it. None of my siblings (one brother and four sisters) were interested in farming, so they were happy when I decided to pursue it, because they didn’t want to lose this family farm; to them, it is still home.”

The farm’s connection to the Rysavy family began in 1918, when Albert Rysavy’s grandfather John Rysavy and his wife Frances began renting the land that is located in Somerset Township. Prior to that point, the Rysavy family had been working a 40-acre farm about 3 miles east of the current farm. There were six boys and two girls in the family, including Albert Rysavy’s father, who was also named Albert.

The Rysavys originally migrated to this area since there was a strong Czech presence centered around the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Litomysl. Both John and Frances Rysavy came to the United States from the Dolni Dobrouc region

of what is now called the Czech Republic. In fact, Litomysl is named after a city in that region of the Czech Republic, which is home to the Litomysl Castle — a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The couple met in Minnesota after moving to the United States and then went on to raise their family on the farm.

“My Dad always referred to the 40 acres they lived on as a hill and a slough and a hill and a slough, so there wasn’t much to farm,” Albert Rysavy said with a smile. “They were eventually a family with eight siblings and they outgrew it (the original

40 acre farm) and were looking for another one. They found this farm in 1918 and rented it until 1922 and then they (his grandparents) bought the farm and it has been in the family since then.”

John and Frances Rysavy ran the farm for 25 years and it was then purchased by their son Albert and his wife Elizabeth in 1947. Albert and Elizabeth operated it for 35 years and owned the farm for the next 55 years until Albert’s death in 2002, which is when Albert and Peggy Rysavy, the current owners, took over the property.

Over the years, the property could best be

described as a diversified dairy farm. When his father ran the farm, Albert Rysavy said they would milk up to 30 cows along with raising hogs. Of note, the Rysavy farm supplied milk to the Union Creamery in rural Blooming Prairie and they continued the dairy operation up until the early 1980s. His mother also had 400 laying hens and would deliver eggs throughout the Owatonna area.

Cropwise, they would raise corn, oats and alfalfa that would be

used mostly to support the farm animals.

The current property now features 16 structures, which includes the original barn that was constructed in 1896. The family’s home was built around 1900 and when the Rysavy’s bought the land in 1922 it also included a corn crib, granary, hog house and hen house. In later years, many of the additional buildings were built by the elder Albert Rysavy along with help from his son and other family members.

“While I was growing up, I learned how my Dad was a jack-of-all-trades,” Albert Rysavy said. “He was just amazing to me. Whatever needed to be done around the farm he would do it.

“One of the most amazing feats to me was how our house had just a small cellar to it and did not have a basement. He put the whole house up on two huge wooden beams and jacks, and every night throughout the winter, after milking he would dig out the basement. He dug the whole thing out by hand and then had a neighbor help cement the floor and put in the block walls.”

He added, “My Dad would tackle anything like that. I used to follow him around and my Mom would refer to me as Dad’s shadow, because I loved helping him out. I learned a lot from Dad.”

With six boys and two girls, John and Frances Rysavy had plenty of help during the farm’s early years in the family. Of course, many of the advances in farming which are common today were still years away and much of the work back then was done with manual labor.

“When I listened

Peggy and Albert Rysavy at their family’s farm in Owatonna. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com)

A vintage overhead view of the Rysavy family farm near Owatonna.

RYSAVY

FROM

to my Dad’s stories, it was unbelievable the amount of physical labor those guys would do with farming. It was amazing,” Albert Rysavy said. “We have all the mechanization now but then everything was done by hand, milking the cows for one, they did all of that by hand. It was just a lot of hard work.”

In fact, Albert’s Rysavy’s Dad (the elder Albert) used field work horses on the farm up until the early 1960s.

“My Dad was one of the last ones in this area to get rid of his work horses. He did field work with his horses for many, many years. He had stories galore about horses, it was fun to listen to him,” Albert Rysavy said about his father.

One of those horse stories illustrated the challenges and sometimes perils of working on a farm.

“We always figured he (his father) was a person who had several guardian angels, because he had a lot of close calls with things. One time he and his brother were working in the field, and they came home with the two horses. They went around to the back side of the barn and my uncle was unhitching the team. My Dad was walking around the barn to open the gate so the horses could go into the cow yard to get a drink at the water tank, and the next thing he knows he is waking up spitting out teeth.

“They had come around the barn at a gallop and one of the horses had jumped over him or something and he got hit right in the face, and it broke several teeth and he got knocked out.”

As a child, Albert Rysavy attended grade school at the nearby St. Isidore Catholic school through eighth grade. He later went to Marian High School in Owatonna and finished his senior year at Owatonna High School after Marian High School closed. Albert Rysavy went on to receive a degree from St. Mary’s University in Winona

and later went to Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland for graduate school.

Upon the completion of his college studies, Albery Rysavy used his art background from college to get a job at a publishing company in Duluth.

“I always had a real appreciation for growing up on a farm. I think it is a wonderful place to grow up. You learn so much and there is a great variety. You learn a lot of skills, you are working in the great outdoors and growing things,”

Albert Rysavy said. “So, in the back of my mind I thought it (coming back to the farm) would be an opportunity I would pursue some day.

“In the meantime, I was working in Duluth and it ended up being a dead end job and during that time my Mom had

died in 1987. My Dad was on the farm for about a year and a half just by himself, so I decided to come back to the Owatonna area and do some work in town and farm with my Dad.”

Albert Rysavy returned to the family farm in 1989 and helped his father with many renovation projects around the farm including the addition of two corn cribs. The pair went on to farm the land until the elder Rysavy passed away in 2002.

“My Dad died from stomach cancer and he wanted to be out there cutting the hay even after he had his treatments for cancer,” Albert Rysavy said about his father’s connection to the farm life. “He loved the farm and he wanted to die here. This farm was his life.”

Prior to his father’s

death, Albert Rysavy started the family’s next generation when he met his wife Peggy in 1992. The couple married in 1995 and raised three boys (Albert, Elliott and Gabriel) on the farm.

“I didn’t grow up on a farm, so this was all new to me but I do really enjoy it. I like living on the farm in the country,” said Peggy Rysavy, who grew up in Blue Earth.

One of Peggy’s mentors during her introduction to farm life was her father-in-law.

“When we got married, we basically took over the top floor of the house and my Dad had the first floor,” Albert Rysavy said. “Because my Dad was a jack-of-all-trades, he would do it all, including canning and gardening after my Mom was no longer alive. So Peggy learned a lot from him about farming because I would be in town at work and they would do things together around the farm. She learned a lot from my Dad.”

Albert and Peggy Rysavy continued to run the farm operation while their sons were growing up but have since shifted to a hobby farm status after their sons moved out on their own.

“I rent out most of

the land,” Albert Rysavy said. “I did run about a third of it up until a few years ago but I had help back then with the three boys around but now they are all out. I also work full-time for Jostens, so with that I decided to cut back.”

At present, the Rysavy’s still raise a few steers and a few chickens on the property along with a huge produce garden that keeps them well stocked with canned and frozen vegetables and fruit throughout the year.

“My mom had two green thumbs and I learned a lot from her in regards to gardening and canning,” Albert Rysavy said. “I never learned the whole responsibility of that until I came back to the farm. I learned it from my parents and we’ve been doing it ever since. We still have a really big garden. I have a hard time cutting back on that even though we don’t have the boys here anymore.”

The connection to the land and the farm runs deep in the Rysavy family and it has been an important conduit to their past, especially during holidays and other family gatherings.

“When my Dad was

still alive, at Christmas time my siblings would all come out to the farm. All the nephews and nieces would be here and all the floors would be covered with people sleeping overnight for several days. Even the next generation couldn’t imagine Christmas anywhere but the farm,” Rysavy said.

“My siblings have always had a real love for the farm, and the next generation of my nephews and nieces have as well. Many times in the past years, when I was taking on a project I would let my nephews and nieces know and they would come out here because they love coming out here to help too.”

Albert Rysavy said he is not certain if the farm will remain in the family for another generation, but he does know his family has helped create an impressive legacy that has lasted over 100 years in Steele County.

“My dad’s intent was to leave the farm in better shape than it was when he received it, which is really what he did, it was much improved and I try to carry on that tradition as well,” Albert Rysavy said.

The original barn that is located on the Rysavy family Century Farm near Owatonna.

An overhead winter view of the Rysavy farm, which celebrates its Century Farm status in 2022.

Corn cribs on the Rysavy farm overlook this year’s crop.

An original mailbox from the Rysavy family farm near Owatonna.

One of the steers that resides at the Rysavy farm in Owatonna looks out from the barn.

A corn crib on the property of the Rysavy family farm near Owatonna.

Conways granted sesquicentennial honors

By ETHAN BECKER ethan.becker@apgsomn. com

Aseventh-

generation farm has been recognized for its longevity in the Waseca area.

Elizabeth and Steven Melcher, former owners of Melcher’s Power-Vac in Waseca, live on farmland off of Highway 14, just a few miles away from Farmamerica in between Waseca and Janesville.

“I know the farm… the original deed has President Andrew Jackson’s name on it, so the land was originally purchased from the government sometime in the 1800s,” Steven said.

The farm was originally purchased and owned by Elizabeth’s great-great grandfather, Patrick Carney, in 1869. From there, it was passed down to his daughter, who took the last name of Conway after getting married.

“And that’s how the farm got its name: Conway Century Farm,” Elizabeth said.

From there, the farm was passed down

to Richard Conway, Elizabeth’s grandfather, and then down to Terrance Conway, Elizabeth’s father, who took over the operation in 1947. In 1998, after Elizabeth’s mother passed away, the farm was passed down to her, and she and her husband now take care of it.

“We keep the buildings up, restoring them when we need to. My mom passed away in 1998 but that’s something she liked to do,” Elizabeth said.

The farm, which was once a corn and soybean farm that had livestock, has primarily shifted to just focusing on the livestock, with Steven and Elizabeth renting out

most of the farmland to a neighbor, who Elizabeth says grows corn or soybeans depending on the year.

The first feature pointed out on a tour of the farm is a barn that sits below the road off of County Road 17.

“That was the first thing they built, back in the 1870’s,” Steven said. “Back then you would build the barn before you built your house.”

From there, the original farm house was constructed, with the owners in the 1930’s converting that to a storage shed and rebuilding and remodeling the house. Most of the other buildings on the farm

were constructed some time in the 1940’s and 50’s with the exception of a three-car garage that sits next to the farmhouse

which Elizabeth says was built in 1973.

Sitting around the buildings on the farm are vintage tractors and other vehicles, all of which are from the 1940’s through the 70’s, and most of which are still completely functional.

“Most of these tractors and vehicles are old, but we fix them up and they run perfect for what we use them for,” Steven said. “They’re so cool and they sound neat, why get something else?”

Sitting on the south side of the farm is a small hog barn that holds two heritage hogs, one male and one female, with the female hog being ready to give birth “any day now”, according to the Melchers’.

“She’s set to have anywhere from about 12 to 16 piglets in about a week,” Steven said.

The hog enclosure on the farm used to be larging, extending into what is now space for crops. Elizabeth said one of her childhood

memories is of the snowy winters that would take place on the farm, where snow drifts “sometimes 10 feet high” would form outside of the hog enclosure and her and her brother would ride their snowmobiles around the farm.

The Melchers’ now live in a house they built about 400 feet from the farm, with their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren living in the original farm house. For the most part, they stay busy by restoring the old buildings, and taking care of the livestock on the farm.

“We want to maintain history and keep a remembrance of this place,” Steven said.

“We plan on giving this farm to our grandchildren, but there’s no point if the buildings are all falling apart and deteriorating,” Elizabeth said. “Plus, it’s nice to see the farm kept up and used.” ◆

Elizabeth, left, and Steven Melcher are the current owners of Conway Century Farm, which has been in Elizabeth’s family since 1876. (Ethan Becker/southernminn.com)

The original posts in the barn, which was the first building constructed on the site, are still standing. (Ethan Becker/ southernminn.com)

The farmhouse was built sometime in the ‘30’s, according to Steven Melcher, but is constantly being renovated. (Ethan Becker/southernminn.com)

From Sunne to Sunde, long history for Waseca County farm

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

Asixth

generation owner, Sharon Bishop has continued an amazing family farm legacy as one of this year’s Minnesota Farm Bureau sesquicentennial farms in Waseca County.

Known as the Sunde Family Farm, the property is located in New Richland Township and has been part of Sharon’s family since 1856 — five years before the start of the American Civll War.

The rich history of the farm began with the arrival of Hans Oleson Sunne, who moved westward from Rock County in Wisconsin with a group of 8 families of Norwegian immigrants.

A widower, Sunne was already in his early 70s when he made the move to Minnesota but the allure of quality land that was available for homesteading was an attraction. Prior to his move to the United States, Hans Oleson Sunne had served in the military in Norway and also worked as a ferryman there.

“It was the rich land,” Sharon said about her ancestors interest in moving to the area.

“According to the story, they moved through Wisconsin into Minnesota and when they reached what they considered “rich land” they settled there.”

The new settlement was north of St. Olaf Lake (previously Lake Norway) and near the Le Sueur River.

Hans Sunne received a land grant for the 160acre property, which is located in section 11 of New Richland Township. He started the farm but soon needed assistance as his health was declining. A call went out to his

son Ole Hanson Sunne, who was still residing in Wisconsin.

Ole Sunne and his wife Margaret arrived in Minnesota with their six children to help on the farm in 1858 and later assumed ownership of the land in 1860. The couple helped develop the farm during the time of their ownership from 1860 to 1882. Their youngest son, Sam was born soon after they arrived at the farm. He was the one who began using the name Sunde instead of Sunne.

As the youngest son, Sam Sunde lived on the farm for all 84 years of his life and is buried in the cemetery of the Le Sueur River Lutheran Church cemetery near his family members who preceded him. He took over ownership of the land in 1882 and continued on the farm until his death.

One of Sam and Marie Sunde’s 11 children, Walter (who is the fourth generation) and his wife Nora purchased the farm and operated the land until health problems forced him to give up farming in the late 1950s. Nora became the owner after Walter died in 1959.

The fifth generation who lived on the Sunde Farm was Marlys Loken, who was the daughter of Walter and Nora Sunde. Marlys Loken and her husband Arnold moved onto the farm in 1946 to help Marlys’ parents (Walter and Nora Sunde) work the property. The Loken’s farmed the land and went on to own the property from 1976 to 2014 after the passing of Nora Sunde.

The farm was diversified during the time the Loken’s worked the property. They milked cows and raised pigs along with harvesting corn, oats, hay and soy beans. They had one daughter Sharon who would become the sixth generation of the family to live on the farm during

her childhood years.

Marlys and Arnold Loken eventually retired from farming the land around 1967 and started to rent out the land to nearby farmer Al Hagen. The couple continued to

make the farm property their home until they moved to New Richland in 1980.

“My dad rented the land to Al Hagen who has rented the farm ever since. He is a

good renter.” Sharon said of the association with Hagen. “He has a partnership with his son Caleb so when Al retires we hope Caleb will continue renting the farmland.”

Sharon has fond memories of growing up on the farm and attending school in New Richland where she graduated from what was then, New Richland Hartland High School. Her career

Barry Bishop and Sharon Bishop, right, holding a photo of the Sam Sunde family outside of the family home on the farm in New Richland. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com)

Members of the Sam Sunde family pose outside of their home on their farm in New Richland. Farm property recently received sesquicentennial stats from the Minnesota Farm Bureau in 2022.

interests did not include farming so she attended the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities and earned a degree in mathematics. After graduation, Sharon taught for seven years in the Twin Cities suburb of Fridley until she married Barry Bishop. When they moved to Winona, Sharon continued teaching in Peterson, Minn.

A native of Hudson, Wisconsin, Barry Bishop attended Richfield High School in the Twin Cities and later graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. After a stint in the service, Barry went to work for Federated Insurance. He was out in the field at locations throughout the midwest (Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin).

“We met when I was working for Federated Insurance. We were married in 1976 at Le Sueur River Lutheran Church. We lived in Winona and I continued to work in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. A promotion in the home office in 1977 brought us back here to Owatonna, which is closer to the farm,” Barry Bishop said.

The Bishop’s currently reside in Owatonna and still rent out the Sunde Family farm land to Al Hagen, who farms the land with his son. Most of the original farm structures are no longer standing on the property

with the exception of the house, which had structural changes made to it after it was sold to new owners.

One of the lasting connections that the Sunde family has to the New Richland area is the Le Sueur River Lutheran Church. The church has been a cornerstone of the community for more than 150 years.

“Hans Oleson Sunne donated an acre and a half of land for the church. In 1862 an oaklog church was built by volunteers and was completed the next year.

After more people came to the area, they built the church (in 1875),” Sharon Bishop said. “All six generations lived on the farm and attended the church. They were born, baptized, confirmed and married there. Our first daughter was even baptized there because we had just moved to Owatonna.”

Sharon and Barry are not sure if their two daughters will want to carry on the legacy of keeping the farm in the family. If they do, it could mean a continuous family ownership of the land that

would push two centuries and seven generations of Hans Oleson Sunne’s descents… and who knows, maybe one of Sharon and Barry’s four grandchildren will continue the legacy as well?

“As years go on, it is impressive to me to

have the farm with 166 years in one family. If our daughters want to continue ownership, that will get us up to 200 years” Barry said.

In the near future, the Sunde family farm will continue to add years past its newly minted sesquicentennial status

as the current owners have no intention of ending their family’s legacy in New Richland township.

“No one is going to buy that property as long as Sharon is alive,” Barry Bishop said of his wife’s keen desire to hold on to the family farm. ◆

A lot has changed in Agriculture throughout the years… but John Deere has been here every step of the way. Kibble Equipment is your local John Deere Dealership, providing area farmers with the parts, service, equipment, and technology you’ve come to depend on. Your Fa r m . Your F uture. Our Focus.

That’s K ibble Eq uipment .

A few vintage photos shows what the structures looked like back in the day on the Sunde family farm, which received sesquicentennial status in 2022.l

A medallion commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Le Sueur River Lutheran Church near New Richland.

you covered.