The Arndt family of Owatonna has been named Steele County’s “2024 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.
Irwin and Donna
Arndt started the Arndt Family Farm in 1955. They operated a small dairy herd, farrowed, and finished pigs, raised crops, and their 10 kids. After graduating at 17, Irwin’s son, Steve, joined the farm, and not long after, his brother Ken did as well.
In 1980, the dairy herd was expanded to 100 milk cows in a tie-stall barn, and the boys added more row crop acres to the operation. Ten years later, Steve and Ken purchased the home farm from Irwin and Donna and continued the dairy and crops operation with the help of Steve’s wife, Sharon, and their children Adam, Staci and Kyle.
In 2011, the families decided to sell the dairy herd, and a beef herd was added in its place. After Steve’s passing
in 2022, Adam began taking ownership of the operation alongside his uncle, Ken.
Today, Ken, Adam, and Sharon, along with Adam’s wife, Holly, and their children Callie, Sam, and Trevor, operate the Arndt Family Farm. They continue to raise beef cattle and grow crops and added some new farming techniques, including strip till.
Ken and Adam handle the day-today operations, including planting, harvesting, and hauling the grain along with caring for the beef herd. Adam also holds an off-farm job with the Steele County Soil and Water Conservation District. Sharon keeps the books upto-date and fills in wherever needed; she has been very instrumental in the farm’s operation over the years. Ken and Steve’s younger brother, Irwin Jr. helps in the spring and fall with field work and provides valuable agronomic advice. Holly works off the farm but helps whenever and wherever she can.
Family members were involved with the Steele County American Dairy Association and participated in the DHIA program when the dairy was in
Arndts recognized as Steele County Farm Family of the Year
operation. Adam, Staci, and Kyle were active 4-H members showing dairy cattle at the county and state fair along with poultry and a host of other projects.
Adam’s children Callie, Sam and Trevor are carrying on the 4-H tradition.
Steve and Sharon are very active at St. John Lutheran Church, both holding council positions over the years. Holly has also served on the council as the children and family youth chair. Adam is a promoter and educator of conservation in his role at the Soil and Water Conservation office and attends many speaking events throughout the year.
In 2011, the Arndts were honored with the Conservation Farmer of the Year award from the Steele County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 8 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minn. Profiles of the 2024 honorees can be found on the University’s farm family website, https:// extension.umn.edu/farm-families.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota
Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota’s economy and the vitality of Minnesota’s rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of the University of Minnesota Extension. “The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Farmfest runs Aug. 6-8 at the Gilfillan Estate, near Redwood Falls, Minn. Event hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the gate and those 17 and under are admitted free. More information on Farmfest is available at https://www. ideaggroup.com/farmfest.
The Arndt Family Farm rst began in 1955 by Irwin and Donna Arndt. The couple’s son, Ken Arndt, and grandson, Adam Arndt, now run the operations.
(Photo via Facebook)
Rice County names Larsons 2024 Farm Family of the Year
By RYAN LERMON
Guest Contributor
The Larsons, headed up by Ray and Darlene, are the 2024 Rice County Farm Family of the Year. The family heads up Bridgewater Farm.
Ray grew up on a small hobby farm west of Northfield and Darlene grew up on a dairy farm near Webster. Ray and Darlene got married in 1977, and they were able to buy Ray’s aunt’s farm west of Northfield on
Highway 19.
Over the years, they’ve raised corn, soybeans, and canning crops with hay being the major enterprise. They also raise about 80 beef cattle a year with around 18 head being purchased directly by customers each year.
Ray and Darlene have two children, John and Emily. John and his family host Bridgewater Farm Pumpkin Patch at the farm every fall. They also help when needed on the farm.
Emily and her family live in Dallas, Texas and visit twice a year; they really enjoy activities on the farm.
Ray was a board member of Cannon Valley Coop for 15 years. Ray and Darlene are active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield where Ray has served as an elder, head usher, and sings in the choir. Darlene is on the fellowship committee and altar guild.
Ray is also part of the Bridgewater Planning and Zoning Commission and Northfield Retirement Facilities Committee. Darlene serves as a Bridgewater election judge. Ray and Darlene have been longtime supporters and volunteers of local FFA and 4-H organizations.
The farm is also a Clean Water Legacy Farm through the Livestock Environmental Quality Assurance Program from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. They implement no-till beans and minimal tilling of corn.
In the fall, they enjoy seeing the families come to the farm to learn about agriculture and see the animals at the Bridgewater Farm Pumpkin Patch. n Ryan Lermon is the U of MN Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator in Rice and Steele Counties. Contact Ryan at Rice County (507) 332-6165 Steele County (507) 444-7691. Email lermo004@umn.edu.
From left to right is the Rice County Farm Family of the Year, including John, Else, Darlene and Ray Larson. (Submitted photo)
John Larson works at Bridgewater Farm. (File photo/southernminn.com)
Darlene Larson washes produce in preparation
fall festival at Bridgewater Produce Farm.
By Nicollet County Extension
The Guldan family has been named Nicollet County’s 2024 Farm Family of the Year by University of Minnesota Extension.
Family pioneers homesteaded the Guldan Family Farm, located on the western edge of Nicollet County between Courtland and New Ulm, before Minnesota achieved statehood. It was one of the first recognized sesquicentennial farms in Nicollet County.
Since then, numerous crops and livestock, including sugar cane, wheat, corn, oats, soybeans, dairy and beef cattle, sheep, hogs and horses have had a place and time. Fruits and vegetables came to prominence on the farm in the 1980s when Denny and Janice Guldan looked for a way to stay viable during the farm crisis. What started as an experimental acre of strawberries next to 150 acres of corn and soybeans slowly shaped into 25 acres of fresh produce.
The couple’s children, Tim, Emily and Samantha, grew up attending farmers markets in Mankato, New Ulm, Hutchinson, and Glencoe.
In 2008, the Guldans began one of their area’s first CSA programs.
Janice sadly passed away from cancer in 2012, and Denny decided to retire from farm life in 2018, with Tim taking over operations.
The farm currently raises 25 acres of produce, roughly 150 varieties of 50 different fruits and vegetables. It has incorporated a small-scale direct-tocustomer beef cattle operation into the business.
The Guldans attend farmers markets in New Ulm and Mankato and continue to offer Janice’s CSA program, while hiring roughly 15-20 youth from the community each summer to assist with picking.
Tim Guldan is the current owner/ operator. His wife Brooke, is a registered OB nurse in New Ulm and helps with planting and markets as her schedule allows.
Their children, Blaine, Olivia and Maura, have their own roles on the farm. Blaine helps with the day-to-day operations outside of the school day and manages their stand at the New Ulm Farmers Market. Olivia and Maura eat their share of peas and melons while out in the fields collecting worms and bundling stems of foxtail.
Their shenanigans offer free entertainment to customers at farmers markets. Denny still helps with transplanting in the spring from time to time and will stop by the occasional market to visit with familiar customers.
The farm has participated in many University of Minnesota Extension projects involving soil quality, high tunnels, nutrient movement, pumpkins, cover crops, new varieties of brassicas, and produce profit-and-loss studies.
Tim currently serves as the vice president of the Mankato Farmers Market, on the board of directors for the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, and on the steering committee for the New Ulm Farmers Market.
The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 8 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls. Profiles of the 2024 honorees can be found on the University’s farm family website at extension.umn.edu/farmfamilies.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota’s economy and the vitality of Minnesota’s rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of
Guldan family recognized as 2024 ‘U of M Farm Family’ for Nicollet County
The Guldan Family Farm in western Nicollet County was homesteaded before the state of Minnesota was officially recognized. The Guldans are the 2024 Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year. (Submitted photos)
2008.
the University of Minnesota Extension.
“The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural
and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Farmfest runs Aug. 6-8 at the Gilfillan Estate, near Redwood Falls. Event hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the gate, and those 17 and under are admitted free. More information on Farmfest is available at ideaggroup.com/farmfest. n
The Guldan Family Farm offers a range of crops, plus a CSA program first established in
The Guldan Family Farm hires 15-20 area youth to help with picking each summer.
Le Center farmer and conservationist Ruth Hoefs currently runs the Svoboda-Hoefs family farm, which earned the 2024 Le Sueur County Farm Family of the Year designation. (Carson Hughes/Le Sueur County News)
Svoboda-Hoefs family recognized as 2024 ‘U of M Farm Family’ for Le Sueur County
By Le Sueur County Extension
The Svoboda-Hoefs family, of Le Center, currently led by Ruth Hoefs, has been named Le Sueur County’s 2024 Farm Family of the Year by the University of Minnesota.
Ruth’s parents, Reuben and Carol (Erkel) Svoboda, purchased the original 80 acres in 1954 after they got married. In the early years, Carol worked at Green Giant in Le Sueur. They had two children, Wayne and Ruth.
The family worked hard on their dairy farm, the cows were milked twice a day and the calves had to be attended to. Ruth’s mom cared for calves, had 100 laying hens, and raised 100 butcher chickens each year.
Carol had a garden large enough that it seemed like she could
feed the whole county — at least that’s what Ruth thought when she was the one that helped harvest it.
Ruth’s father always milked the cows and took care of all the crops. Hay and small grains were very important for the cows and their milk production. As Ruth’s brother, Wayne, grew older he and his dad worked together.
In the early 1970s, Reuben and Carol purchased two farms, the Bill Wondra and George Wondra farms, making a total of 336 acres. After Wayne graduated, he wanted to farm, but as time went on it didn’t happen.
Reuben sold the dairy cows and Wayne found employment off the farm. In 1990, Ruth’s parents sold the farm, only to get it back in less than a year. In 1991, Ruth and her then-husband purchased 80 acres and 170 acres in Lexington Township.
In 1996, Ruth moved back home, by herself, and was on her own. With the help of Ken and Ron Pomije, and their nephew, Josh, she is now farming her home farm and carrying on what her father started — managing the land and maintaining it for the future.
Ruth maintains she could not have done it alone, but she was not afraid to try. She owes her passion for the farm to her parents. They always encouraged her to try.
Currently, Ruth is growing wheat, corn, soybeans, sweet corn for Seneca, and a small grains plot for University of Minnesota research, which she has been doing for over 10 years. She has 11 brood cows and about 35 sheep. She lambs about 24 each year.
Ruth is involved in Ducks Unlimited, the Le Sueur County Area Cattlemen, the Le Sueur County Fair Board, and Montgomery Sportsmen.
The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 8 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls. Profiles of the 2024 honorees can be found on the University’s farm family website at extension.umn.edu/farmfamilies.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota’s economy and the vitality of Minnesota’s rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of the University of Minnesota Extension. “The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Farmfest runs Aug. 6-8 at the Gilfillan Estate, near Redwood Falls. Event hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the gate and those 17 and under are admitted free. More information on Farmfest is available at ideaggroup.com/farmfest. n
Svoboda
The Sommers Family, who run Sommers Brothers Custom Baling LLC, were awarded the 2024 Waseca County Farm Family of the Year. (Lucas Dittmer/ southernminn.com)
Sommers Brothers Custom Baling LLC family recognized as 2024 Waseca County
Farm Family of the Year
By Waseca County Extension
The Brian and Matthew Sommers families of Waseca has been named Waseca County’s “2024 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.
Brian and Matthew Sommers started Sommers Brothers Custom Baling in 2006 when they purchased their first big square baler. They were 18 and 20 years old. They specialize in large square bales of hay, grass and corn stalks for customers in Waseca and surrounding counties. The baling business is owned by Brian and Kirsten Sommers and Matt and Nicole Sommers.
The brothers both attended Ridgewater College in Willmar, graduating with degrees in dairy management. In 2009, the brothers purchased a neighbor’s dairy herd and blended the cows with their father’s herd. They milked cows until April of 2022 when the herd was sold. This ended a 135-year tradition of dairy farming in the family. The families crop farm 525 acres and operate the baling business.
Tragically, in January 2024, Brian passed away from a workplace non-farmrelated accident. The loss of a father of four, husband, brother, son, and friend
has been extremely challenging for the family.
Brian and Kirsten’s four children are Owen, Caden, Evelyn and Jameson. Brian acted as the customer’s first point of contact for the baling business, and Kirsten and the kids could often be found tagging along. Owen and Caden would sometimes drive the tractor. They all loved being part of the dairy industry and together purchased a couple of dairy heifers for their children to show.
Matt and Nicole have two children, Danielle and Henry, with another child expected soon.
Brian and Kirsten have been active 4-H volunteers. Brian was in 4-H in his youth. They’ve also been involved in the Waseca County American Dairy Association, Waseca youth football,
wrestling, t-ball/baseball, Waseca Community Education, and their church and children’s school. In addition, Kirsten also serves on the Sacred Heart School Board.
Matt is a supervisor with the Waseca County Soil and Water Conservation District. Brian and Matt have been involved in the South-Central Technical College Farm Business Management program.
The families were officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 8 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls. Profiles of the 2024 honorees can be found on the University’s farm family website, extension.umn.edu/farmfamilies.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota
Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota’s economy and the vitality of Minnesota’s rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of the University of Minnesota Extension. “The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Along with Farmfest, university units sponsoring the recognition event include the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. n
Brian Sommers and his family.
Scheffler family named 2024 Farm Family of the Year for Goodhue County
Tony and Maizie Scheffler, and their family, were honored aa the 2024 Goodhue County Farm Family of the Year.
Tony’s grandparents purchased the farm, near Zumbrota, in 1954 when it was run mainly as a dairy, but there were also chickens, pigs and draft horses. Since the 1980s, the farm has been exclusively a dairy.
Tony and Maizie started farming in 2003. The free stall barn was built in 2003, and the tie stall barn was converted to a double-8, step-up parlor in 2005. Tony and Maizie purchased 40 acres and the building site in 2018. They continue to make various improvements to the farm.
Tony and Maizie, along with their kids, currently milk 150 cows, mostly Holsteins, and a few Jerseys. The cows are milked twice a day, and the milk is sold to Plainview Milk Products. Tony and Maizie raise all their own replacement heifers. They grow alfalfa and corn on 130 acres and purchase the remainder of their feed.
All the work on the farm is done by Tony, Maizie and their four kids. Owen graduated from South Dakota State University in May with a degree in
dairy production. Evelyn finished her freshman year at SDSU and is also majoring in dairy production. Matthew and Benjamin are students at KenyonWanamingo schools.
Tony and Maizie are dedicated to the 4-H dairy judging program and have coached many teams over the past 25 years. They initially coached in Rice County where Maizie grew up, and then began coaching in Goodhue County in 2013.
Since 2012, Tony and Maizie have coached 11 teams that have moved on to compete at the national level in the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, PA; the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY; and the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI. Of these 11 teams that have judged at the national level, nine have placed first or second in their respective contests. Four of the five teams they have taken to the World Dairy Expo have had the opportunity to experience dairy judging at the international level at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Tony and Maizie started the 4-H quiz bowl program in Goodhue County in 2014 and coached the teams for several years. The kids have all been extremely active in 4-H, FFA, and Minnesota
Junior Holsteins. Tony and Maizie and their kids also serve as mentors in the dairy project and have conducted workshops and fitting and showing clinics. The Scheffler family also leases
dairy cattle to youth who do not live on a farm but have an interest in dairy. Tony is on the Goodhue County Holstein board. n
Tony and Maizie Scheffler lead the operation of the farm near Zumbrota. (Courtesy photo)
The Scheffler kids also get involved at the family farm. (Courtesy photo)
Webster’s McFadden
family farm celebrates over 150 years
By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor
The Lawrence and Kathleen McFadden farm in Webster was recognized this summer by the Minnesota Farm Bureau as one of the state’s sesquicentennial farms, which is an honor bestowed upon Minnesota families that have owned their farm for at least 150 years.
This special recognition is a fitting award for the 78-year-old Lawrence McFadden, who grew up on the farm and developed a lifelong passion for farming at an early age.
“When he was a kid, he would tell his dad ‘get up because we have to milk the cows before I go to school,’” Kathleen McFadden, 71, said about her husband.
The McFadden legacy on the property just west of Webster started in 1872 when Neil Breslin, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, gained ownership of the 160 acres of land that would become the McFadden Farm.
Before his time in Rice County, Breslin worked in the California gold mines and used the mining skills he learned there to try and dig a tunnel through a hill on the property to help
“I always knew what I wanted to do…it was never a question in my mind,” Lawrence McFadden said about his interest in working the farm. “Even as a little kid, when I could hardly talk, people would ask me what I wanted to do and I would tell them I want to be a farmer.”
drain a low area. The project was never completed but there still remains a pile of dirt on the property as evidence of this work.
Breslin built the original home on the property in 1883 along with the
original barn that was later moved to a neighbor’s farm in 1914. Of note, the purchase price for the old log barn was $10 and a pig.
The original house was torn down in 1990 but it had been used up until 1981 at which time Lawrence and Kathleen McFadden built a new house on the property
The link to the McFadden name started as Lawrence McFadden’s great grandfather owned the land north of Breslin’s property and Breslin’s wife was the sister of Lawrence’s great grandfather.
“The connection which qualifies us
for continuous family ownership of the farm, is that my great grandfather’s sister married Neil Breslin. It would be my great, great aunt and her husband (Breslin) owned the farm. They homesteaded it then,” Lawrence McFadden said.
Breslin owned the property from 1872 to 1904 and then solid it to his son Edward Breslin, who farmed there from 1904 to 1908.
“My great grandfather owned the 160 acres just to the north of us and my grandpa (John McFadden) was the oldest, so he ended up buying this farm from Edward Breslin in 1908 shortly before he got married,” Lawrence McFadden said.
John McFadden went on to own the farm from 1908 until 1941 before he sold the land to his son Francis McFadden — the father of Lawrence McFadden. The McFadden farm legacy was then extended when Lawrence McFadden took over the farm operation from his father.
“My Dad bought in 1941 and we bought it from him in 1978,” Lawrence McFadden said. “We are hoping it remains in our family.”
The farm currently raises cash crops (corn and soy beans) but the McFaddens had a dairy herd on the property for
continues on page 9
Members of the McFadden family include (L-R): Elise Karels, Mike Karels, Jeanette Karels, Johnson Karels, Kathy McFadden and Larry McFadden, Shane, McFadden, Vivien McFadden, Katie McFadden, Rendina McFadden, Brian McFadden and Connell McFadden. (Photo courtesy Kathleen and Lawrence McFadden)
The original log barn on the McFadden Farm property, which later purchased by a neighbor for $10 and a hog. (Courtesy photo) Lawrence
Kathleen McFadden.
many years before getting out of that business in 2002. The McFaddens also raised hogs over the years on their property.
“I think from the beginning it was a dairy farm.” Lawrence McFadden recalled. “Back then everyone had cows for milk and a few pigs and chickens, so I think it probably had dairy on it from the late 1800s until 2002.”
In addition to taking care of the cows and other livestock, the McFaddens raised corn and alfalfa on their land for feed and then switched to corn and soybeans after they sold the dairy herd. At present, the McFaddens also use about 33 acres of their property for the Conservation Reserve Program. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover that helps improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.
“On the steep hillsides, we let the natural grasses grow to preserve the ground so it doesn’t wash away,” Kathleen McFadden said.
Kathleen McFadden grew up on a small dairy farm near Hazelwood, Minn. and graduated from Northfield High School. The couple have been married 51 years and she has played a key role in helping maintain the farm’s family legacy.
“I milked cows years ago and helped with whatever needed to be done,”
Kathleen McFadden said. “When the kids got a little bit older and could help on the farm, I got a job with the Scott County Government Center and worked there for 18 years and then I retired. I am enjoying the country life now.”
A graduate of New Prague High School, Lawrence McFadden attended the University of Minnesota and received a technical certificate in agriculture. He later served during the Viet Nam war era with the United States Army and was stationed in Germany during that time. Aside from his time in the military, Lawrence McFadden has always called the farm in Webster home.
“I never wanted to move anywhere else,” Lawrence McFadden said.
An active community leader, Lawrence McFadden served for several years on the Rice County Pork Producers board. He served with the Production Credit Association (now called Compeer Financial) board of directors for 12 years and with the board of directors for Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI), which was the creamery that they sold their milk to. The McFaddens also served with the Rice County American Dairy Association .
“We have made many friends throughout Rice County from being on these boards and when farmers get together they talk farming, and you can learn so much from other farmers,” Kathleen McFadden said.
Once the family sold the dairy herd, Lawrence McFadden became involved
CombiNeuNitS iNStoCk!
with Webster Township and he currently serves as the Township’s supervisor and has been a driving force in helping building the new township hall that is currently under construction.
“Larry has always wanted to look to our future and leave things as good or better for our children and grandchildren and Webster Township,” Kathleen McFadden said.
The McFaddens have also used some of their property to build a new home that was completed in 2019. The new home is on the west side of their property and it overlooks woods and a small pond. The couple designed it as a single level home that would allow them to remain in the home as they got older. In addition, the new house allowed their oldest son Brian McFadden to move into the farm’s older house with his family.
“We had no intention of building a house but our son and family, who lived in Bloomington at the time, were looking for a place to get out into the country,” Lawrence McFadden said. “They couldn’t find anything afforable or that they liked, so they suggested we sell the house to them and we would build a new house.”
A veteran of the U.S. National Guard, who had been deployed to Afghanistan during him military tenure, Brian McFadden also wanted a chance to return and help continue the family’s work on the farm.
Cambria and resides in Le Sueur and Shane McFadden resides in New Prague and works for Renk Seed.
In addition to having their children nearby, the McFaddens enjoy being close to their four grandchildren (and one more on the way). This also includes watching their oldest grandson (John Karels) play basketball as he will begin his senior season on the squad at Le Sueur-Henderson High School this winter.
“Our kids have been very supportive. They’ve been great and have helped us out whenever we needed it. You can’t do it all by yourself and we’ve also got help from our neighbors and friends. You need that support to get through the hard times and we hope our kids can enjoy the farm as much as we have over the years,” Kathleen McFadden said. As their son Brian McFadden has started to assume more duties on the farm, both Lawrence and Kathleen McFadden have had more time to appreciate country living at their home.
“We have a different view here from when we were over there at the old house,” Kathleen McFadden said. “Here we have a pond and trees and see a lot of wildlife. So we are enjoying the country.”
“He (Brian) retired from the military after 22 years, like I mentioned before he was looking to get out of Bloomington and once he got down here, he was showing more and more interest in helping out on the farm,” Lawrence McFadden said.
Kathleen McFadden added, “We didn’t want to push it on to the boys, but Brian came back and said he wanted to try farming. We were excited and happy for that.”
The McFaddens other two children include their oldest Jeannette McFadden Karels and their youngest son Shane McFadden. Shane McFadden also served in the military and was deployed to Iraq. Both live nearby as Jeanette McFadden Karels works as an accountant with
Lawrence McFadden added, “When I was farming, I never paid much attention to that kind of stuff, now that I have a little more time, I watch things like the sandhill cranes, geese, ducks and deer that come around…along with a bald eagle that flies over once in awhile.”
Over the years, the McFaddens have faced the many challenges of farming along with the technology and business changes that continue to revolutionize the industry. Still, the love of agriculture and the tradition of over 150 years on the family property are two key factors that will hopefully keep the McFadden farm legacy growing in Webster.
“You go through the ups and downs in farming, but if your heart is in it, I think you can find a way to make it work one way or the other,” Lawrence McFadden said. n
Tom Nelson is a freelance writer. Reach the editor at editor@apgsomn.com
The McFadden Farm near Webster has been part of the family since 1872. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com)
