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PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media (605) 690-4071 EDITOR Bob Fitch, AGE Media (712) 551-4123 ADVERTISING SALES Garrett Gross, AGE Media (515) 231-9367 garrett@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural southeastern South Dakota. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without the written permission of the publisher. The Farming Families assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Content in articles, editorial and advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by The Farming Families and Age Media & Promotion.
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HUTCHINSON COUNTY FAMILY
WORKING ON THEIR DREAMS AND GOALS TOGETHER By Bob Fitch
Some of us move from job to job and from town to town striving to conquer our restlessness and finding the career and the place that will equal satisfaction in life. For others, the journey to the good life is a short one.
Marie and Matt Mehlhaf in the pasture at their farm north of Menno. 6
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
“The other day somebody asked me, ‘What's your dream getaway?’,” said Marie Mehlhaf. “I didn't have to think about it. My front yard is actually a pretty dream getaway. For us, we just love going out to the pasture. Going out there is really a blessing.” Marie and Matt Mehlhaf farm north of Menno. Both were raised on traditional corn and soybean farms. Matt grew up next door on the farm of his parents, Paul and Patti Mehlhaf, who also had cow-calf pairs and, when Matt was younger, hogs and a few sheep. He spent a lot of time in his youth with his grandparents who helped provide a broad education on agriculture and horticulture. Marie’s parents, Mark and Donna Olson, live on a farm near Blue Earth, Minn., south of Mankato. “I always wanted chickens, but Dad wasn't so crazy about that,” Marie laughed. “So now here on our farm, we’ve got chickens running everywhere. It definitely made up for what I missed in childhood.” Raising and selling laying hens is a small piece of the regenerative system Matt and Marie are slowly growing. An agro-ecology class led by Peter Sexton at SDSU sparked Matt’s interest in “holistic thinking” and sustainable input systems. A farmer he worked for at Volga taught him the
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The sheep are a Dorper/Katahdin cross which are hair breeds, not wool breeds. Photo by Marie Mehlhaf.
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value of life-long learning and experts such as Gabe Brown and Joel Salatin further inspired them. Matt and Marie’s primary focus is to further develop their sheep and forage-focused operation. “We do high intensity rotational grazing,” Marie said. “So the animals get just part of the field for a day or two. They eat everything down at the same rate, kind of like when buffalo would graze across the prairie. They would stomp it down, eat everything and then move on. Then the grass gets time to regenerate.” When Matt first had sheep, he lambed in January and February, but tended to hit the market low when the sheep were finished. When the couple bought their farm, it didn’t have good lambing barns. “So we simply had to do it when the weather is nice. That changed our lambing cycle to the middle of May. The lambs are finished about January or February. That’s almost getting into the Easter market. So, in theory, we hitting the market at a better time,” he said. “We rotationally graze all summer and into the fall until the pasture is pretty well played out. Then we'll wean the lambs and put them on feed. Our system is not built out yet where we can finish lambs on grass – especially in a dry year. It’s still a lower input setup on the lambs than if we were to lamb in the middle of winter and just put them on feed all the way through,” he said. Sheep and goats graze together, but as a rule eat different things in the pasture. The goats like to graze higher, eating
the seed heads off; and will eat the thistles before they get too tall and woody. The sheep eat closer to the ground. The sheep are a Dorper/ Katahdin cross which are hair breeds and not wool breeds. Matt said the pasture is planted with a mix of brome, Timothy, orchard grass, alfalfa and red clover. The variety helps ensure that there’s always something to eat in the pasture – some grasses do well in dry conditions and others do well when it’s wet. They will also bale some of the forage mix for use in the winter. Additionally, the couple rents land to grow corn, soybeans and oats. Their goal on the poultry side is simply to raise a really good and hardy laying hen. The chickens also fit into the sustainability formula: “We like to have the chickens around because the scratch up the manure, they eat flies and maggots, The sheep and goats graze together.
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and suck up different parasites that could harm the lambs,” said Marie. Over time, they want to become a full-fledged hatchery. Matt added, “Everything we have here is a work in progress.” New on the Mehlhaf farm this year are British White cows. The British White breed is a moderate sized cow that does very well on grass and forage. “We are excited to see how they do in our operation,” Marie said. Nearly everything ties back to forage and grass. “The grass is what really works for us. It suits our skills.” Matt said the sheep have been profitable which has allowed them to invest in further developing the farm. Marie said, “We have the sheep to pay the bills and a few cows for our pride.” In addition to the sheep, goats, chickens and cattle, they also have pigs, guineas, ducks, geese, dogs and cats. Marie works fulltime on the farm. On top his farm duties, Matt also works for his dad and uncle, for neighboring farmers and at Menno Livestock Auction. He does lots of odd jobs – like if somebody needs an angry cow loaded or a bin cleaned out. Matt and Marie met during their freshman year at South Dakota State University, but didn’t start dating until they were seniors in 2012. Their relationship got started at a wedding where Marie was a bridesmaid and Matt played the trumpet during the service. At the reception, some older ladies told Matt he needed a wife who was like his hard-working grandmother. He thought that sounded pretty good. “I was looking for a helpmate, somebody to work alongside me.” The ladies told him he’d never find someone like that. “About that time Marie walked by,” he said. “I saw that she didn't have anybody to bother her at the wedding, so I thought I just as well do that.” Marie continued the story: “Matt asked me to dance. I didn't have anyone else to dance with, so it was better than standing by myself.”
Mehlhaf’s strive to raise hardy laying hens.
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
The antithesis of a Harlequin romance novel continued in the months ahead. Marie said, “On our first date, he took me to the implement dealerships. He’s a romantic guy.”
“Well, I took her to both red and green, even if I’m more red,” Matt said. “I just didn't know what else to do. We went and had supper and it was like 7:30. I thought I can’t drop her at 8:00 – otherwise her roommate will think she'd been on a bad date. We drove around for an hour and then I took her home.” Later, Menno’s Don Juan proposed in the sheep barn on a cold day. “I said, ‘Look what I found in the straw here.’” But Marie was mad for a moment. “He pulled off my glove and my hand was cold. I was trying to feed lambs – I was working! Once I realized he was proposing, my frustration quickly left."
Matt and Marie’s two white Great Pyrenees named Teeny and Tiny take turns keeping an eye on the bottle lambs. Their Border Collie/Australian Shepherd cross helps herd the sheep. Photo by Marie Mehlhaf.
They joke about their start together, but are on the same page in the book of life. “We have a lot of goals and dreams. But I can tell you that there's no one else I'd rather be this overwhelmed with,” she said. Matt added, “We wouldn't be able to do anything without our faith and our family around us. That's just the way it is. Give credit where credit is due.” He said small towns such as Menno are really one big family. They enjoy helping with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Menno High School and Matt is on the board of the Menno Lumber Company. “We are so grateful for this opportunity. We know we have a lot of people to thank for it and God as well,” Marie said. Marie said the photos of their kittens get more “likes” on Facebook than any other post. Photo by Marie Mehlhaf.
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Renae Grooters and Kayla Raymond at Rosie’s Boutique in Rock Rapids. Revenue generated at the gift shop and coffee house supports Touch of Hope ministries.
STRENGTHENING HAITIAN FAMILIES HOLISTICALLY By Bob Fitch
Education, entrepreneurship and Christian missions cross paths at Touch of Hope Ministries, a nonprofit based in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Haiti, a Caribbean country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to its east. 12
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
In 2006, Webert Raymond started a free school for the children living in his home village of Simonette in Haiti. Only about 5 percent of Haitian students graduate from high school. Webert had been one of the fortunate five percent and then was able to attend university. He recognized the necessity of education for equipping future generations with the tools to rise up and out of extreme poverty. In 2010, God’s will connected Webert with the Dell and Renae Grooters family of Rock Rapids. The couple and their children – Kayla, Megan and Luke – first went to Haiti in June 2009. They felt a strong calling to serve there in a greater capacity.
In December 2009, Dell and Renae purchased a home in the village of Simonette and, in 2011, founded Touch of Hope, a nonprofit ministry allowing them to become more involved in the village and surrounding area. Dell previously operated a feed yard outside of Rock Rapids and Renae did freelance home décor services while raising their three children. Webert’s school grew from 30 to 80 students between 2006 and 2010. Touch of Hope’s first big goal was to raise enough money to construct a new school building and provide the funds to pay teachers. The school has grown exponentially in the past 12 years and now has more than 1,000 students and 80 teachers. Since then, the ministry has helped raise the roof on seven school buildings, a cafeteria and an office building. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 2012, Kayla Grooters moved to Haiti to help at the school. She quickly discovered too many of the children were arriving at school hungry. Instead of seeking a source of food donations, Kayla focused instead on job creation and income generation for “mamas.” “Our whole philosophy focuses on how can we strengthen the family unit in the most holistic way. If mom has a job, the odds of her being able to feed the kids and keep them in school are much higher.” After moving to Haiti, Kayla worked for a jewelry store. She connected the dots between Touch of Hope ministries and her jewelry experience and the talents of some women in local Haitian communities. In 2014, she opened a store named Rosie’s in Cabaret, Haiti. Two years later, her mom opened a Rosie’s Boutique in Rock Rapids. Dell and Renae recently purchased the building at the corner of Highway 9 and North Story Street. The main level is Rosie’s gift and coffee shop and they have an apartment in the upper level. (The store was named in honor Rosie, Kayla’s first goddaughter in Haiti whose mother was a jewelry artisan with whom Kayla worked. Rosie died from pneumonia when she was 13 months old.)
The Raymond family: Loveson, Webert, Zion, Rubie, Kayla, Josiah, Jephte, Wishla.
Rosie’s directly employs 30 women who hand-stitch greeting cards and make banana-paper products. Kayla said intentional buying decisions truly make a difference. “If more people purchased the greeting cards we sell online and in our store, we could go from employing 30 women to maybe 100 women – which would affect 1,000 children. It all has ripple effects.”
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While civil unrest forced the original shop in Haiti to close, Rosie's Boutique and coffee shop in Rock Rapids is thriving, as are online sales at www.rosiesboutiquehaiti.com. EMPOWERING THE ARTISANS Rosie’s purchases product from 10 different companies who collectively employ over 400 Haitians. Kayla said, “Each company believes and practices the same ethics we have: Provide a fair, living wage to the artisan; empower and equip the artisan; educate people about the realities in Haiti; and work to keep families together.”
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Haitian coffee producers were wiped out by a hurricane six years ago. “Just drinking Haitian coffee could change an entire village. The more parents we can empower and provide employment opportunities to will result in less children abandoned into orphanages.” OUR HEART AND SOUL REMAINS IN HAITI Besides finding her life’s calling in Haiti, Kayla also found her life partner. She and Webert were married in January 2014. Prior to the wedding, they gained legal guardianship to three children: Jephte, Loveson, and Wishla. They have since welcomed three biological children: Rubie, Zion and Josiah. In the fall of 2019, the couple moved to the U.S. “In the last two years, there’s been times where I think ‘Oh, I wish I were in Haiti.’ But I’ve realized we’re now in a season where it’s more important for us to be here raising money and running our website at full capacity to help fund the work in Haiti,” she said. “We’ll live in America for however long God asks of us, yet our hearts and souls remain so alive for Haiti and its people. Each day I still have the honor of waking up and working for Rosie’s and our mamas. Each day Webert is in communication with Haiti and leading in some different way. While we aren’t physically there anymore, our work continues on by the grace of God.” In addition to the children’s school, the artisan business, and a revolving small business loan program, Touch of Hope includes a ministry where they provide a program of general education, spiritual foundation courses and small business loans to mothers in Simonette. Also, they’ve started building houses for families. “I know I don’t work well when I don’t rest at night, so how can anyone be expected to work well or study well when they’re sleeping on the dirt or on a piece of cardboard?”
The top photo shows the original school established by Webert Raymond in Simonette, Haiti. The bottom photo shows the multi-building campus today. Plans are to add two more school buildings in the near future. Photo by Lindsay Williams.
A donor from the Twin Cities is funding the construction of 10 homes each quarter in Simonette. “So we’re expecting to build 40 homes a year,” Kayla said. “We have a Haitian project manager and he has two different teams of laborers who build the homes. There are 25 or 30 Haitians employed in the house building projects.” Building materials are also purchased in Haiti in order to support the local economy and for Touch of Hope to stay true to its holistic approach of a hand up instead of a hand out. WISDOM FOR CHURCH MISSION TRIPS For churches who are considering a mission trip in the postpandemic period, Kayla encourages them to do a heart-check on their motivations. “If you’re sending a team, send skilled labor – people who can actually do the job that locals are unable to do. Or go do trainings to further equip the locals – whether that means farmers going to teach more agricultural skills or doctors or dentists providing hands-on services.
Two students eating their daily hot meal.
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Webert Raymond and his brother, Jude, who runs the school on a day-to-day basis.
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
“There will always be a place for short-term missions – I started on a short-term mission. But hopefully your mission trip is not young kids going to paint houses and take pictures
with the little kids. Ask the question: What is the true purpose for the trip? Are we going to serve and equip them, or are we going to serve ourselves? I get it – you want to have your hands and feet in it, too. But sometimes we were creating projects for missionaries when there really wasn’t a project to be done. We almost had to serve them even though they were coming to serve us.” She encouraged anyone who is thinking about taking a mission trip to read the book “When Helping Hurts,” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The book says poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. “When Helping Hurts” shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good.
Rosie’s Boutique employs 30 Haitian women who hand-stitch greeting cards which are for sale online or at the store in Rock Rapids.
An example in the book describes a mission which provided ongoing donations of free eggs to a community in need. However, within a year, those donations had pushed all the local chicken farmers out of business. The book takes on the “white savior” complex and catalyzes the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out. Many members of the Rock Rapids community are supportive of Rosie’s Boutique by purchasing Haitian-made greeting cards, jewelry or mugs. It’s also a comfortable place to enjoy a cup of hot Haitian coffee. Three local churches have been especially generous in their support to the ministry: Tabernacle Baptist of George, First Reformed in Sheldon, and Sunnybrook in Sioux City. In addition, online sales are made to customers across the nation. “God really established a beautiful foundation for our ministry,” Kayla said. “We are faithful with it, but His timing on when it was established and how we obtained a national and international presence from our shop in Haiti before today’s extreme unrest there shows God’s fingerprints are all over it.”
A variety of mugs made in Haiti are sold at Rosie’s Boutique.
Jewelry made by Haitian artisans is sold by Rosie’s Boutique.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Rosie’s Boutique/ Touch of Hope ministries
STORE HOURS: Tuesday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
219 1st Avenue, Rock Rapids IA
Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
712-472-2885 www.touchofhopehaiti.com www.rosiesboutiquehaiti.com
Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Respectfully serving families for generations. BALTIC | 180 St. Olaf Ave. 605.529.5411 DELL RAPIDS | 104 East 4th St. 605.428.4200
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KAYAKING ON LAKE ALVIN PHOTO BY JON KLEMME.
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LINCOLN COUNTY FAMILY
YOU NEVER CAN TELL WHAT’S COMING NEXT WITH A LIFE ON THE FARM By Bob Fitch
You never can tell exactly what family and farming are going to throw at you. So Ryan and Taylor Vaksdal do their best to roll with the punches in his crop work, her work as a nurse practitioner, and their life together parenting a set of four “yours, mine and ours” kids.
Taylor, Braelyn, Ryan, Nick, Hobey and Ethan Vaksdal farm north of Beresford. 18
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
“The way our spring started out, I was thankful I was a no-tiller,” Ryan said. “Then, as the spring progressed and we got wet, I wished I was a conventional tiller. Now we're back to where we could really use the rain and I'm thankful I'm a no-tiller again. You can't count on anything in farming, it just changes so quick.” Located about 10 miles north of Beresford and just east of I-29, their flat land can be swampy at times. Even so, strip tilling and no-till has worked well for about 10 years. About 10 percent of their acres continue to be tilled conventionally. The extremes in weather can take a toll both on the crops and family life. “The beans we planted first have been hailed on four times. They froze once and then got sawed off with that derecho wind. I mean, if they make anything it'll be a miracle,” he said. Ryan does a fair amount of custom spraying and often family time can take a back seat to working around the wind. “With Mother Nature, you don't ever know what you can plan for. It can be windy all week, but it never seems to be windy on Saturday and Sunday. So that’s when I have to spray.” That cuts into time they could be spending at their camper south of Yankton, although it’s been easier to head to the camp site since the camper now stays parked in the same spot all summer. FAMILY IS ALWAYS ON THE GO Taylor said their family is always on the go with either a sporting or church event. Their oldest son, Nick, will be a senior at Canton High School in the fall and is working full-time this summer at Bryant’s Lawn Care in Canton. Daughter Braelyn, who will be a seventh grader, has softball up to four nights a week in the summer. Eighth grader Ethan spends a lot of his summer taking care of the youngest son, Hobey, who will be five in September. Taylor said, “Nick works more hours than I do in the summer. Ethan and Hobey either come along with me to Braelyn’s softball games or stay home. Most of the time, they would rather stay home – they're wild together.” Ethan and Hobey also spend a good share of time in the tractor with their dad. Around the time the couple got married six years ago, Taylor jumped into training to become a nurse practitioner, while simultaneously continuing her career as a registered nurse. “Why not go back to school with a new marriage, three children and working full time? That sounds like an easy deal,” she said. “It was questionable some days; but, you know, we're still married.”
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Ryan said the demands at that time were tough. “Farming wasn't real good then, so it was a struggle. Taylor worked through two-thirds of it (nurse practitioner training). It was pretty impressive we made it through.” Taylor grew up in Luverne, Minn. Her mom was raised on a farm, but married a town guy. “She was not having anything to do with farming. She was a daycare provider forever and, for 30-some years, my dad was a high school or middle school teacher.” Today, Taylor is a nurse practitioner at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls working in trauma and emergent surgery. “All the life-threatening traumas you read about or see on TV – that’s our team saving the lives. We're the ones that cut the chest open in the room and massage the heart to keep them alive.” From farming’s everyday bumps and bruises to a life-changing diagnosis, it’s been good for Ryan to have a health care professional in the family. “This morning, he hit his head on something and then sent me a text asking what he needed to do,” Taylor said. “I told him to send me a picture so I knew whether to bring staples home or not.” A LIFE CHANGING DIAGNOSIS About five years ago, Ryan was experiencing fatigue and dizziness on a regular basis. More than once, he went to see a chiropractor and a family practice physician. But the spells kept returning. Taylor said, “For a couple weeks, when he’d get off the couch, he looked like a drunk guy. He just couldn't stand up and would say ‘I can't feel my legs.’ I kept telling him ‘You're going to need to go in.’ Then he fell off the combine.” Taylor made some calls and got him in almost immediately to see specialists and to get tests done. “It’s good to know somebody who can pull some strings,” Ryan said.
Ethan, Nick with Hobey on his shoulders, and Braelyn. 20
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis. M.S. is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves. The resulting damage disrupts communication
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between the brain and the body. The symptoms, severity, and duration can vary from person to person. Some people may be symptom free most of their lives, while others can have severe chronic symptoms that never go away. Overall, he’s done very well thanks to medications and changing his diet. He has not had any relapses since he was diagnosed. “But there are days where I'm just not 100 percent. The heat can bother me a little bit. It just poses some challenges where I have to be a little more careful.” Most importantly, he has to control stress. “Stress and M.S. don't go well together. Don't get me wrong, I still get wound up. But I get a lot less worked up now than I used to. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asked Taylor. “I still have to calm you down and tell you to chill out,” she replied. NOT HAPPY WITH THE STATUS QUO In addition to farming, custom-farming and custom-spraying, Ryan sells Hoegemeyer Hybrids with Brad Johnson and has a small trucking company.
He’s passionate about agriculture and likes to try new products and technologies. “The success on my farm and my ycustomers’ farmsWhether ou’re seekin g a skilled, a livby ingaccident. doesn't happen A lot of hard work, commun ssist it y a fo b le r y th ourstoelfthe gs is a seand long hours,in research paying attention o r fo n r se a we’re love of warmth a num ber omake little things I thinknout d coofmfort. ne. a big difference. L e tT the box and some of my bright ideas backfire, but I use those lessons to keep moving forward. I’m not happy with status quo and I pride myself on that.”
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He said he’s been lucky to surround himself with a good team. “I’ve got an agronomist I’ve hired who helps make decisions. And I hired Corey (Schoellerman) to work here on a daily basis. He helps take the pressure off me and helps me make good decisions.” Robert Harris works on the trucking side of the operation. He got caught with an empty truck coming back from Aberdeen when the derecho hit. The wind blew the truck over. Pedestrians pulled Robert out of the wreck and took him to the hospital in Watertown. “So he's been recovering for the last month, but he's ready to get back to work. We just got a different truck for him.” Ryan is part of the sixth generation of his family to farm in Lincoln County. He farms part of the original homestead which is owned by his dad’s cousin. Ryan’s parents, Scott and Lynnette Vaksdal, live about three miles east. Scott has slowed down, but is still involved in keeping the planters going in the spring and plays a key role during harvest. Ryan’s mom and his sister, NaCole Venjohn, help get the Vaksdal kids where they need to be. In addition to farming, Ryan’s dad used to run a custom bean-
buggy business. When John Deere introduced its new “See & Spray” 120-foot boom sprayer – which has 36 cameras on it to detect weeds – Ryan thought: “See and spray? That’s nothing new. I spent my whole childhood seein’ and sprayin’ on the bean buggy. Some ‘cameras’ were better than others. My grandma was good at spotting the weeds.”
to add one of those. “And we’ve got a couple goats who are more like dogs,” she said. Ryan added: “She’s always texting me stuff like: ‘Oh, by the way, we need to go pick up this fainting goat on Tuesday.’”
Taylor doesn’t really fit the role of the traditional farm wife. “I don't think I can remember bringing food to the field the last two years. I’m gone so much. I get home from work and then I haul the kids here and there.” While sometimes he’s jealous of a dish of lasagna a fellow farmer might get delivered to the field, he tells Taylor, “You've provided insurance for our family and added income – and most days I would take that over a hot meal in the field anyway.”
A Marico Ranch sale poster from 1994.
The couple met via FarmersOnly.com. Taylor said, “I always wanted to live in the country. I have a love for animals – way more than he does, that’s for sure.” At one point or another, they’ve had horses, dogs, cats, chickens, a hamster, chinchillas, a gecko and ducks. Her sister has peacocks and she hopes
Hobey poppin’ wheelies on the speed bumps at the campground near Yankton.
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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE
Kaylor on January 19, 1923. Photo courtesy First National Bank in Kaylor.
KAYLOR HAS LIVED WELL A note from the publisher and editor: The Farming Families team extends its sincere condolences to the family of Gary Jerke who passed away unexpectedly on June 28. While his career was in financial services, his passion was preserving and promoting the history and traditions of the Germans from Russia community in South Dakota. He was featured on the cover of The Farming Families twice. In 2019, he talked about the mission of Sodak Stramm and the Menno Oktoberfest. In 2021, Gary and his wife, Janice, told the story of “The Farm,” a Christian nonprofit retreat center and sanctuary they established on the family homestead. Gary also occasionally submitted articles about area history for publication in The Farming Families magazine. His address was Tripp and the family farm was just across the Hutchinson County border in Bon Homme County, but Kaylor was his hometown. So it’s fitting that this final article he submitted to us was an essay about “living well” in Kaylor. Thanks Gary for sharing your passion with all of us.
By Gary Jerke
Kaylor is an unincorporated community that lies between Tripp and Scotland. It has been the site of numerous historical events, but seldom remembered unless it was your destination for Wednesday and Saturday night socializing and Sunday worship, as it was for myself and my family. A book has been written about much of the history, but as with all stories, it is never 24
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | July 2022
complete. So, as Paul Harvey would say, it is 'time for the rest of the story.’ On Oct. 9,1907, the Kaylor townsite company, based in Lesterville, announced the auction sale of lots on the plot of land in Kaylor township lying next to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St, Paul Railroad. There were 200 lots for sale for
homes and necessary businesses such as coal dealers, hotel, black smith, barber shop, newspaper, dray line, etc. I possess a copy of one of the early newspapers. The early years saw multiple construction crews putting up businesses including F.F. Mayers & Co. Hardware, Fred Hirsch implements, a Farmers Elevator
Company, plus many more. One businessman, W.Y. Nelles, who came in on train number 3 one day in February 1909, said, “Kaylor looks better to him than Yankton.” Quite the compliment. With growth comes those looking for easy money. The first attempt at robbing the bank in Kaylor occurred in April 1910. The robbers stole a team of horses, cut the phone lines and took off. One robber was later apprehended in Utica, S.D. Banks in Kaylor seemed to be susceptible to robbery. My great uncle Jacob Dobler was instrumental in starting the first bank (Kaylor State Bank). He recorded how rich the local banks were, - having $13,000 in assets with equal liabilities. Not much for someone to take a risk for it seems. Yet life was good in small town America. Kaylor had many ball
teams and one young man who played for the town team (Spud Grosshuesch) went on to play some semi-pro ball. One of the first teams had a game on July 13,1911, when they played the Red Birds from Blaha, a start-up town from near Scotland. Indeed the town had three known 'field of dreams' that drew the local crowd. Over time the town was not destined for great things other than in the minds of those who have made it our home. On February 9,1917, the Boston Store moved all its dry goods to its location in Scotland. Over the years that story would be repeated time and again. We find reminders of the old days in Kaylor every now and then at local auctions. Those reminders keep us connected to a town that has not lived long by society's standards, but certainly lived well.
A photo of the Kaylor depot taken in May 1970. Photo courtesy of South Dakota State Historical Society.
A rammed earth house at the Vetter farm. Photo taken in 2012 by South Dakota State Historical Society.
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MINNEHAHA COUNTY FAMILY
Jamie, Mike, Dolce, Andrew, Bella, Vincent and Cruz.
A RICH LIFE FULL OF PURPOSE By Bob Fitch
Life is extra satisfying when you capture something special that has eluded you for years.
Mike Willard grew up farming and feeding cattle with his dad and uncles near Colton. He went to South Dakota State University where he studied animal science and agronomy. Before graduation, he started raising his own cow-calf pairs and was fortunate to purchase the farm where he had been pasturing his cows. However, what he really wanted was eluding him. “I spent a lonely 10 years by myself on this farm. I had to turn on the radio in the house to keep me company. I wasn’t a very social or outgoing person. But I kind of forced myself to be, just because I deeply desired to have a wife and children. And Jamie was kind of a godsend when I found her.”
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Mike met Jamie at Borrowed Buck’s Roadhouse in Sioux Falls in 2006. “She had Bella and Vincent already. My life got pretty full and rich when I found and married her and got her two children.” At the time, daughter Bella was eight and son Vincent was five. What was it like going from being a long-time bachelor to suddenly having a wife and two children? “It was great. You know, it was just the simple things. Before them, after doing chores I’d come down the driveway to a dark house. Now it was all lit up with life inside. It just brought joy to me. Everything changed when I got married and got a family because now my house was full of life and love and conversation and purpose. I used to go
to bed at night wondering if I really made that day count. But that's never happened since I got married. Now I always feel like I have a lot of purpose.” Mike continued, “I got what I wanted – and never regretted it ever. I never thought ‘Oh, this is too much. What have I gotten myself into?’ That was never an issue for me. I had spent so long wanting it, I knew it was right.” Jamie is a native of Huron, but her family moved to Sioux Falls when she was in sixth grade. She graduated from the University of South Dakota and was a teacher for several years at Memorial Middle School in Sioux Falls. Then she decided to stay home to raise her children. Daughter Bella is the eastern South Dakota volunteer coordinator for Feeding South Dakota, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in the state. It provides food and meals to hungry individuals in South Dakota through mobile food pantry distribution sites and the Backpack Program for children. Bella’s husband, Andrew Oliver, is an electrician with American Electric. They live in Canton and welcomed their son, Brooks Anthony, to the world on June 9th. Son Vincent will be a sophomore at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City. He’s majoring in electrical engineering and has an engineering internship this summer with of the City of Sioux Falls. Vincent has a love for hiking, biking and hockey.
Mike and Jamie Willard farm near Colton.
After marrying in 2007, Mike and Jamie quickly added to the family. Their son, Cruz, will be a seventh grader at Tri Valley School. This summer, he attended a coding camp and a culinary camp (the family enjoyed eating his coursework). Their daughter, Dolce, will be a sixth grader. Her summer included basketball camp, volleyball camp, art camp and horse camp. Brother and sister are active in 4-H. Cruz is raising several cow-calf pairs which he hopes to show at the Sioux Empire Fair with Dolce’s assistance. They also have horticulture projects. Dolce’s watermelon received good compliments at the State Fair last year. “They said it was one of the best watermelon they've ever seen,” she said. Cruz prefers to grow anything spicy such as ghost peppers and habanero. Both kids experienced their dad’s tractor and combine cabs as their daycare center. To help pass the time, Cruz said his dad had him prove math equations. Both Cruz and Dolce help with the cattle vaccinations; plus Cruz works in the farm fields and repairs fence. The whole team takes part in storm cleanup, which has been a never-ending battle in the past year. The June derecho took out their machine shed and ripped through dozens of trees. The most sentimental loss was a three-level treehouse Mike and the kids had worked on for 10 years. They had just finished it on Easter, but apparently the derecho storm needed it more than the Willards did. As a real estate agent, Jamie enjoys being a “home matchmaker” for Keller Williams Realty Sioux Falls. She likes
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the flexibility of this career choice because it’s designed “to supplement my life, not to take over.” Previously, Jamie was a metal artist for a half dozen years. Clad in a char coat and welding goggles, she wielded a plasma cutter in her studio called the “J Coop” (the old chicken coop on their farm). She would sell her artwork at various shows as well as at their own farm. Occasionally, they hosted art events at the farm.
The former chicken house on the farm was refurbished as an art studio for Jamie. They’ve also used it for parties.
When Jamie is selling houses or cutting metal, Mike grows a mix of alfalfa, corn and soybeans. For five years, he tried his hand at operating a feedlot, but decided that was not for him. Instead he focuses on cow-calf pairs and feeds out the calves. The cattle are Simmental, Angus, or Sim-Angus. Half or more of the corn crop is fed to the cattle, while soybeans are his cash crop. His parents, James and Janice Willard, farm about three miles away. His dad is 81, but still actively farms. Mike exchanges his labor for the use of equipment owned by his father and uncle. Right now, buying out his dad seems insurmountable, but he hopes they can figure out a way. The Willard farm was homesteaded in 1878 by Mike’s great-great grandfather. James got Mike started in the cattle business and showing cattle when he was about 10 years old. Dad bought him a steer and a heifer at Presho Livestock Auction. The cattle proved to be a little rambunctious and Mike didn’t enjoy the experience until he got “a big fat check” selling the steer at the stockyards. The next year at the Sioux Empire Farm Show, they bought an animal that was already being shown and broke to lead. By year three, he enjoyed showing cattle and the experience of camping at the Sioux Empire and State Fairs. Mike went on to join the livestock judging team at SDSU, which finished second in the nation in 1996 under their coach, Dr. Kelly Bruns. The team decided to call themselves “reserve national champions.”
Cruz, Vincent, Bella and Dolce.
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The Willard family strives to make time for off-farm activities, especially travel. They try to get to Florida every winter. Mike and Jamie are also planning their second trip to Italy, where her grandmother was raised. Jamie’s soldier-grandfather fell in love with the Italiano beauty and returned after World War II to bring his bride from the island of Capri to the United States.
and raise your kids in the way of the Lord and they will not turn away from it.” He concluded, “I really value the chance to pass on a legacy to my kids – whether that be in farming or just in the way that they raise their own families.”
Jamie said, “We have a very close family and we spend a lot of time together. They're our best friends and we do a lot of volunteer work together.” The family has taken part in mission trips within the United States as well as in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Locally, Jamie makes Advent wreaths which Cruz and Dolce help her distribute to residents at the assisted living residence in Colton and at several charitable venues in Sioux Falls. Jamie also is involved with “Church on the Street” in Sioux Falls. The family especially enjoys helping out Bella by volunteering for Feeding South Dakota. Mike was the Sunday School teacher for Cruz and Dolce this past year; and is a past president of Colton First Lutheran Church. Jamie serves on the church’s endowment committee. “We like to be active in our church. I want our kids to have the same faith walk that I had. I've got a good testimony of how that shaped my faith life,” Mike said. “Go to church as a family
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