Farming Families of Southeastern South Dakota: A Year in Review— December 2021

December 2021 | www.AgeMedia.pub

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

of Plymouth County

Revisiting some of your favorite stories.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

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PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media (605) 690-4071 EDITOR Bob Fitch, AGE Media (712) 551-4123

We have been in the auction business for over 60 years and sold thousands of acres of land, millions of dollars of equipment and much more. There is no job too big or too small, so give us a call and we would be happy to work with you.

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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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

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FROM THE EDITOR

TELLING STORIES AND BUILDING COMMUNITY

By Bob Fitch

Merry Christmas! On behalf of publishers Garrett and Mindy Gross, and our photographers, we hope you have a joyful holiday season!

Looking back over 2021, how does the team at The Farming Families measure whether or not it was a successful year? Two easy measures for us are: (1) Bob Fitch, Editor Did we deliver 12 monthly issues of the magazine to the farming families in Hutchinson, Turner, Lincoln and Minnehaha Counties?; and (2) Did we get all the bills paid? Thankfully, the answers to both questions is yes.

In our 12 issues, we featured 38 families, 12 history stories, 12 scenic centerfold photos; and several other

feature stories on youth and our valued advertisers.

My rough estimate is we published more than 77,000 words and 225 photos.

But we don’t measure success by word count or photo count. Our bottom line measure of success is: Did we faithfully impart the joys, sorrows, struggles and successes of the families who generously shared their personal stories? Furthermore, did we help build the spirit of community among farm families and their agribusiness partners?

If you think the answers to these two questions is “yes,” then we believe we can mark 2021 down as a success.

Thanks to all of the families who let us tell their stories in 2021. If you have ideas for farm families we should feature in the coming year, send their names and a cell phone number to me at bob@agemedia.pub.

Best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2022!

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712-470-5375 December 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

5

SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE KNUTSON FAMILY

Lincoln County, January 2021

Loren Knutson said life is easy when you’re doing a job you love. “You might not make a million dollars, but it’s easier to be happy if you’re doing something you enjoy. I’ve always enjoyed farm work.” Loren and his brother Michael have farmed together for 35 years north of Canton. Their father, Milo, farmed with them for many years.

Likewise, Milo started off farming with his own father.

“Mom asked me if I wanted to go to college when I graduated from high school. I said ‘Nope. I want to be a farmer and that’s it.’ I rented my first land in 1958. I farmed with my dad for almost 30 years. I never had a problem working with my dad or my sons.”

Milo said when Loren and Michael completed college, “They both came home and wanted to farm. They started just like I did. I didn’t have to borrow money to buy machinery – Dad had enough machinery. I did the same thing for my boys.

They used mine and even some of their grandpa’s.”

Josh and Shannon with their daughters Chauncey, Kaycee and Sage.

THE NEUHARTH FAMILY Hutchinson County, January 2021

Good, old-fashioned help from your neighbors and friends is important to the Neuharth family of Menno.

“There are a group of guys around here … we help each back and forth, especially during calving season,” said Josh Neuharth, who farms with his parents, LueAllen and Pam Neuharth north of Menno. Josh and his wife, Shannon, have three daughters, Sage, Kaycee, and Chauncey. Shannon grew up on a west river ranch.

Today she works at Heritage Pharmacy, cares for their daughters, and helps work the cattle.

Josh said, “Our commercial herd is just big enough to keep full-time calving in the spring, but not enough to keep us tied up all summer.” On the crop side, they dove deep into hay about five years ago. Looking for a way to increase his cash flow, he started a small seedstock operation. After building his herd, producers who have given his stock a chance liked the results, telling him, “Man, your bulls are lasting twice as long as what I got from so-and-so.”

Loren, Milo and Michael.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

JEFF THOMPSON AND KAREN MEDEMA Minnehaha County, January 2021

“We’re a size that just the two of us can handle what we’ve got,” said Jeff Thompson “We’re secure in our crop acres.

Why chase acres with how nuts the cash rents are getting?

We’re comfortable with where we’re at.” Jeff and his wife, Karen Medema grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa near Lyons.

Jeff graduated from SDSU in 1983. He came back to farm with his dad, but also worked at various positions off the farm, including driving a fuel truck and working at a Sioux Falls cabinet shop, plus eight years at Central States Fire Apparatus. Karen was a school librarian for 30 years, four of those at West Central Schools and then the next 26 years at Axtell Park Middle School in Sioux Falls.

Jeff and Karen with their dog, Josie.

Jeff has been active on the South Dakota Soybean Association board, plus is the third generation of his family to serve on the Valley Central Coop Elevator board and he’s been a part of the Lyons Fire Department since 1992.

THE HAGENA FAMILY

Turner County, January 2021

LaRohn and Dianne Hagena farm north of Davis with their sons, Jarrod and Steve. LaRohn said the family has been feeding cattle in Turner County for over 77 years. “My dad moved onto this farm in 1943. I started farming in 1970.

The boys started farming in 1996. The opportunity came up to rent some ground and everything fell into place.

They started in feeding cattle, although at a different scale than we do now.”

About half their corn, soybean and alfalfa crops are on irrigated land. “We have nearly 30 center-pivot irrigation systems,” Jarrod said. LaRohn said, “Dad started irrigating in 1956 with hand-moved sprinklers. Then he went to whirlybirds, then center-pivots. He was one of the earlier ones to be irrigating. I’ve been irrigating my whole life, so I don’t know any different.” Even with all their cattle, they still grow more corn than they can feed.

Jarrod and his wife, Shannon, have one daughter, Vivian.

Steve and his wife, Angela, have three children: Andrew, Ashlyn, and Colton.

Steve, LaRohn and Jarrod.

December 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE SCHAEFFER FAMILY

Turner County, February 2021

Jon Schaeffer said every change of season on the farm – calving, planting, haying or harvest – provides a thrill.

“It always seems like the first day we get into the tractor to start planting or the first day we get into the combine to start harvesting, it almost chokes me up and I think ‘Man, I’m really lucky.’”

Jon and Krista have four children: Bailee, Quinn, Hattie, and Kash. They farm in the Viborg area with Jon’s parents, Roger and Deb.

Front: Wyn and Char Johnson with granddaughter Maryn.

Back: Danya, D.J. and Trey Buseman; Kyler Johnson; and Seth, Lennen and Katie LeBrun.

THE JOHNSON FAMILY Minnehaha County, February 2021

The children of Wyn and Char Johnson of Baltic spent a lot of their youth showing and judging livestock – following in the footsteps of their father and grandfather. “We showed a lot of cattle in the 1970s and ‘80s into the ‘90s,” Wyn said. “We had reserve national champion Angus bull in 1976. We had a national champion Chianina bull in 1985.”

For the Johnson kids, there were definitely results to show for their efforts in the show ring. All four – Katie, Ethan, Danya and Kyler – have successful agribusiness careers today. Wyn said, “You’re proud to see your kids accomplish so much from working so hard. Taking care of cattle, that’s a big life learner. Their upbringing in 4-H and FFA and livestock judging has been pretty important in their confidence and their ability to be in sales or other parts of ag business.”

“Faith plays a big part in our life,” Jon said. “In farming, you can have some really good days and some really tough days.

Some days you’re on top of the world and rich; the next day you’re poor and at the bottom. That’s a cycle you’ve just got to learn to live with – you learn to evolve and adapt. You can’t be at the top all the time. You learn from the tough times to help you weather through the next one.”

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Front: Quinn, Bailee and Hattie. Back: Jon, Kash, Krista, Deb and Roger.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

THE HORA FAMILY Hutchinson County, February 2021

Dale and Peg Hora farm north of Olivet with their son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Andrea Hora. Josh said, “I love farming – planting season, harvest season. I’d sit in a tractor or combine all day, every day. If I had enough ground to start in the spring and keep going through the summer, I’d do it.”

However, since available land is scarce, they recently sold their cows and formed Hora Repair LLC to expand on their mutual expertise in tractor and combine repair and maintenance. The company slogan matches their attitude and approach: “Curious enough to take it apart and skilled enough to put it back together.” Josh and his wife, Andrea, have two children, Emmett and Amelia. Peg watches Emmett every day after school while Andrea works at Mettler Fertilizer in Menno.

Sharon, Shana and Cody.

The family’s faith life keeps them focused on what’s important. Dale said, “The only earthly treasure you may ever see in heaven is your family. You ain’t going to take your tractor.”

THE VAN DE STROET FAMILY Lincoln County, February 2021

The brother-sister team of Cody and Shana Van De Stroet farm with their mom, Sharon, south of Fairview.

They run cow-calf pairs and start calving in March. Most of their ground is pasture, but they also grow corn and soybeans, plus rent farmland. They also custom feed some heifers. Cody does some custom-farming and Shana is a surgical technologist at Sioux Center Health.

Sharon said, “Cody and Shana were always outside even when they were very young, sometimes sitting in the pickup beside the headgate while we worked cattle.

They were expected to help with field work and calving and learned how to drive at a young age.”

Sharon’s husband, Jerry, passed away from cancer in 2012. While there was a lot of learning to do the first year, Cody said, “Once we did it a few years, we had a lot of people stop and say ‘We’re glad you kept farming.’”

Sharon said, “A lot of people have said to the kids, ‘Your dad would be proud you kept it going.’”

Josh, Peg and Dale.

December 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE FERGEN FAMILY Hutchinson County, March 2021

Chris Fergen has a small cropland base and rents some hay ground and pasture for his commercial cow-calf herd. He provides labor to fellow farmers in exchange for using equipment. He’s also an independent crop adjustor and picks up other parttime work. “Once in a while, all these part-time jobs pile up on you at once. But all-in-all we make it work.”

His wife, Chrissy, works part-time in the office and as a nurse at Menno-Olivet Care Center.

Chrissy, Isaac, Hailey with Charlotte in front of her, Brady holding Callie, Alana and Chris. Photo by Elizabeth Massey, Elizabeth Rose Photography.

The couple had four children – Hailey, Brady, Alana and Isaac – between 2000 and 2005. When the youngest, Isaac, was 10, they adopted Charlotte and later Callie. A lot of people thought they were nuts for adopting at that point in their lives. “Successfulness in my life is my family,” Chris said. “Being a dad and a husband is more important than being a farmer.

Sometimes your priorities get in line as you get older – the career now comes second or probably third.”

THE HANISCH FAMILY

Minnehaha County, March 2021

Jared and Nicole Hanisch of Humboldt raise vegetables, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, duck and goose to sell at farmer’s markets. Receipts are divided about evenly between vegetable and meat sales. They also grow hay, corn and soybeans.

Jared and son, Caden, work full-time on the farm and at the markets. Nicole works off-the-farm for Wells Fargo Bank. Daughters Tiffany and Kylie both live in Pierre, where Tiffany works for the state and manages marketing for Hanisch Farms; and Kylie is a physical therapist assistant. Nicole, Tiffany and Kylie are all seasonally active at the farm and farmer’s markets. Jared and Nicole’s youngest daughter, Abigail, contributes wholeheartedly in the garden when she’s not attending school at West Central.

Summer brings about the busiest season on the farm.

Vegetables are continuously harvested and replanted to provide a variety of items to their customers for the entirety of the season.

Jared and Caden.

10

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

THE EBBESEN FAMILY Turner County, March 2021

Father and son Bruce and Jesse Ebbesen are proud to say “the boss still sits in the driver’s seat” at Turkey Ridge Oil, a bulk fuel delivery company servicing farmers from their Highway 18 location. “We sell personal service. You call, we haul. We don’t quit at 5 and we don’t go home until we’re done,” Bruce said.

Jesse’s role in the company started in his early teens.

“He was raised on a farm and he knew how to drive so we put him on a truck,” Bruce said. Legally or otherwise, Jesse has been driving farm or fuel trucks since he was 13. After Bruce was burned badly in a work accident in 2016, Jesse stepped up to manage the company.

Likewise, friends and neighbors pitched in to harvest their crops.

Bruce’s wife, Becky does the bookwork for Turkey Ridge Oil. Jesse’s wife, Allison, is a construction coordinator at Avera. The couple has two daughters, Blake and Nora.

Jesse and Bruce.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE LEISCHNER & BRENGLE FAMILY

Hutchinson County, April 2021

Terry and Kristie Leischner farm with their daughter, Jenaya, her husband, Matt Brengle, and their children, Brantley and Brooklyn.

Together they represent the fifth, sixth and seventh generations of Leischners to farm in Milltown Township.

Matt had background with cattle, but had to learn crop farming by the Terry and Kristie Leischner; seat of his pants when he and Brooklyn, Jenaya, Brantley and Jenaya moved from and Matt Brengle. west river to Hutchinson County. Matt and Jenaya live on the home place now where they take the lead on calving and finishing the feeder cattle. After a career in social work, Jenaya is an educational professional now as the county’s 4-H youth program advisor.

Terry is still active farming and Kristie has taught young elementary age students at a local Hutterite Colony for about 30 years. Kristie is also in charge of booking the portion of Leischner’s herd which is processed for specific customers who want to buy a quarter, half or whole beef.

THE WINQUIST FAMILY

Lincoln County, April 2021 Craig Winquist of Canton grew up on a dairy farm south of Alcester. Kari grew up in Lake Benton, Minn., where her parents raised purebred Herefords. “We showed Herefords all over. I pretty much had a halter in my hand from the time I could walk,” she said. Craig’s mom, Carla, said, “The first time we met Kari, she was cleaning out a livestock trailer, so we knew she was a keeper.”

Craig, Kari, Carla, Curt, Kamden, Conley and Corbin.

Craig had a long career as an ag education teacher at Akron-Westfield; Nashville, Tenn.; and West Lyon. He recently changed careers, moving into the banking sector. The Winquists have a small farm west of Canton, purchased with the goal of teaching farm’s life lessons to their sons, Corbin, Conley and Kamden. The family grows aronia berries and soybeans, plus have a small cow-calf herd, sheep, chickens, and bees for honey.

Craig said, “Each year that goes by, we can see the progress the boys are making.” The boys often let their parents sleep when it’s time to check the ewes for lambs at 2 a.m.

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Stephanie Peterson.

Stephanie Peterson of Brandon harvests and sells eggs from pasture-raised hens under the farm name “Fruit of the Coop.” While her farm is small, she has been intent on making it a profitable, full-time venture. Fruit of the Coop currently sells eggs to about nine restaurants, two retail locations and two farms that run CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). She sells about 100 dozen eggs per week.

“I keep about 100 hens. Then I buy eggs from about 10 other suppliers. So I act in the capacity of a wholesaler. I have vetted the practices and product of the other producers.

All their hens are pasture-raised like mine. I’m super picky about the taste and quality of the eggs.” She then works directly to make the sale with chefs in Sioux Falls.

In addition to her business, Stephanie spends time advocating for sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

“I’m not naïve enough to think commercial agriculture is going to go away. We have different ways to do things.

There’s room for everybody.”

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

LEE FRIESEN

Hutchinson County, May 2021

Olivet area farmer Lee Friesen keeps his entrepreneurial and eclectic mind occupied with everything from sheep, cattle and the corn crop to analyzing crop insurance models to designing toys and a wheelchair-accessible tractor cab to authoring a children’s book.

The book he wrote, called If A Farmer Gets A Pickup, is modeled on circular tales such as the award-winning childhood favorite If You Give a Mouse A Cookie. “Always on the farm, you want one thing. When you finally get it, there’s always something else you need as a result of getting the first thing. When you buy a new disc, you discover your current tractor isn’t quite big enough.

So you have to get a bigger tractor. When you get the bigger tractor, you might have to build a bigger shed to put it in.” The book can be ordered at www.ifafarmergetsapickup.com.

Jackie, Jason, Richard, Stetson and Charlotte Lounsbery; Lucas Jacobson; Sam and Terry Weber.

Lee and his wife, Michelle, farm west of Menno and have three children, Seth, Aidan and Addisyn.

THE LOUNSBERY FAMILY Turner County, April 2021

Richard and Charlotte Lounsbery, along with their son, Jason, and his family, believe in honesty and keeping everything “on the up-and-up.” Charlotte said, “I think we’ve all got a good work ethic. You see something that needs to be done, you do it.”

More importantly, faith is central to their lives, especially after Charlotte was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several years ago. “Thank God, I’m cured. I had lots of support, lots of prayer warriors and a great medical team,” she said. “We’ve learned to look beyond ourselves. We have to humble ourselves and realize that we need the power of God and things will happen in his time. He’s the one in control. Even though we have lots of accomplishments, it’s not by our doing. All our skills, talents and health are given to us by God.” The Davis area grain farm has been in Charlotte’s family since 1884. Her late father, John Ludens, was one of the founding members of the POET ethanol plant in Chancellor.

Lee Friesen with his book, “If A Farmer Gets A Pickup.”

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Age Media Qtr Page Color 7-12-19.pdf 1 7/12/2019 11:22:43 AM

MIKE AND LAUREL TURNER Minnehaha County, June 2021

Mike and Laurel.

Mike and Laurel Turner of Renner have adopted the legacy of a Minnehaha County farm and its founding family. The Turners provide care for the historic structures at the Nessan-Eggers homestead. When they purchased the acreage in 1989 from Curt and Jean Eggers, the 1890s-era home was in rough shape and the century-old barn was beginning to sag. They restored and modernized the house, shored up the nearly 100-year-old barn, and succeeded in adding the barn to the National Register of Historic Places.

“People have different priorities. Some people have nice cars, some people have cash to go on vacations. For us, this farm is where we put every dollar we can. We were so blessed to find this place.” Laurel said. As if it were their own ancestors, Mike and Laurel eagerly tell the story of the property’s original owners – Norwegian immigrants Jonas and Anne Nessan – two of the earliest pioneers in Mapleton Township. Nessans donated the property where Renner Lutheran Church now stands. Also known as “Old Nidaros Church,” it is the oldest church building in use in South Dakota.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE WENZLAFF FAMILY Minnehaha County, July 2021

Justin and Casey’s highest priority is securing quality life experiences for their two sons, Owen and Abel, on the family’s corn, soybean and alfalfa farm south of Humboldt. “I’m glad we farm and I’m glad there’s a chance for our boys to be a part of it,” Justin said. In addition to farming, he does custom trucking and works in the neighbor’s shop.

“We take farming seriously, but tonight we were baling the road ditch with our old, small square baler so they can see how it was done. I enjoy that kind of thing.” He also likes to create little side businesses for the boys – notably Owen’s Egg Emporium. The sign on their truck in the Humboldt parade says “Farming, Trucking, Purebred Chickens, Custom Baling, Miscellaneous Endeavors.”

Owen and Abel also spend learning time with their mom, Casey, who does conservation planning for the Natural Resource Conservation Service. In the spring, she takes them hiking through the family’s 11 acres of unbroken prairie. “Every April, the boys and I go search for pasqueflowers there,” Casey said.

Justin and Casey with their sons, Abel and Owen.

THE MILLER FAMILY

Turner County, July 2021

Mark and Sharla Miller farm between Hurley and Freeman with their children, Emily, Kate and Luke.

Mark was an aviation instructor and in youth ministry before the family began farming with his parents, Dennis and Florence Miller, in 1999.

“I like the variety on a farm. I like learning about the intricacies of growing crops and seeing the fruit of your decisions at harvest,” Mark said. In addition to growing corn and soybeans, Mark and Sharla also try to cultivate the faith experience among local families.

They are active members of First Baptist Church in Parker and Mark also helps fill the pulpit at area churches when pastors are gone.

Mark’s father, Dennis, said “We feel fortunate that we have children and children-in-law who love the Lord and love the land and are doing a good job at raising their kids.”

Kate, Emily, Luke, Sharla and Mark.

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THE VOEGELE FAMILY Lincoln County, August 2021

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Cash, Sage, Sarah and Shannon.

Farm families who show livestock thrive on the competitive experience at fairs and shows. For the Shannon and Sarah Voegele family of Lennox, the fiercest competition starts at home in their own barn. Daughter Sage and her older brother Cash frequently do battle at hog shows at the Iowa State Fair and the Aksarben Stock Show.

They show pigs in order to not compete with the customers of the family business, Voegele Show Cattle.

They run several dozen of their own cows, bred by artificial insemination, plus take in extra calves on a commission basis and halter-break them and sell them for customers.

Their club-calf crossbreds use genetics from Simmental, Charolais, Angus and Chi’s. Shannon said a business breeding, raising, selling and fitting cattle “takes a whole family to do it – to be next level. We take it serious.”

Cash is following in dad’s footsteps – he’s already being sought out to custom-fit cattle. At the Iowa State Fair, Sage was excited to participate in “Bacon Buddies,” a program where Special Olympics athletes are paired with 4-H and FFA swine exhibitors.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS! From your friends at AGE Media and The Farming Families magazine PHOTO BY JON KLEMME

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE ANDERSON & MAIFELD FAMILY

Minnehaha County, August 2021

Anna Anderson’s company – Glory Garden – is the area’s first online farmers market. Her company is the hub in a wagon wheel of collection, quality control, packaging and delivery services. On Mondays and Tuesdays from May through October, nearly 20 producers deliver their crops to the Glory Garden farm site north of Sioux Falls.

The system allows her to have a wide variety and greater quantity of products available.

Customers order via her website – www.glorygarden.org – and then the fresh, locally-grown food is delivered on Tuesdays to seven drop sites in Sioux Falls. Customers can also choose to pick up their food at the Glory Garden farm site.

Britt, Ella and Ben Maifeld; and Josie, Anna and Joshua Anderson.

Missing is Josie’s new sister, Lydia.

Anna still gets her hands dirty in the garden, but is able to stay focused on her favorite things to grow – sugar snap peas, rhubarb, herbs and eggplant. “By me aggregating all of the products, we end up with a large variety while having each of us focus on what we do best.” Product categories on GloryGarden.org include: Fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, honey and dry goods.

PIONEER STONE HOUSE

Hutchinson County, July 2021

Hidden in the rolling hills of Hutchinson County stands a stone house built by a German immigrant craftsman more than 130 years ago. No road or even path takes a person to this concealed treasure of yesteryear.

While the locals will recognize his face, the property owner wants to protect the landmark; therefore he’s using just his first name (Owen) in this story. German-from-Russia immigrant Gottlieb Stern was one of the early pioneers in the area and the builder of the stone-and-sod house. The walls are 34 inches thick in some spots. No telephone line or electricity has ever been run to the property. Northwest of the house, Gottlieb built a stone corral measuring 166 x 110 feet for his livestock. Parts of the stone fence are still visible.

Owen’s father purchased the stone house and the surrounding property in the 1940s and his uncle was the last to take residence here some 70+ years ago. After the second generation of Sterns departed and before Owen’s father purchased the property, the isolated house proved to be a refuge for victims of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

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Owen’s stone house sheltered pioneers in the 1880s and the homeless during the Great Depression.

THE COLE FAMILY Lincoln County, July 2021

Near the banks of the Big Sioux River, Jim and Judy Cole grow corn and soybeans with their son, Jeff, whose teenage sons, Aidan and Jacob, represent the sixth generation at this 143-year-old farm. They also have a cow-calf herd and background the calves.

Jim figures he grew up in the best of times in the 1950s and ‘60s. Family stories tell tales of bee hives and honeycombs, swimming and catching polliwogs in Pattee Creek, swinging on the big porch, the smell of Grandma Cole’s fresh bread and an abundance of good food, climbing the big basswood tree north of the house, treasure hunting in the attic, fireworks on the 4th of July and ice skating on the river.

Jeff thinks there’s a good chance that Aidan might farm, but it’s too early to know with Jacob. Right now, Aidan “has got a lot of plans” for continuing the legacy of this Lincoln County farm.

Jim, Judy, Jacob, Jeff and Aidan Cole.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE ORTMAN FAMILY

THE OLESEN FAMILY

Turner County, August 2021

Turner County, June 2021

Will and Sherilyn with their sons, Solomon, Christian and Liam.

Photo by Lindsey Unruh.

Will and Sherilyn Ortman produce eggs, beef, dry edible beans, row crops, various small grains and forage crops, and fruit east of Freeman.

The Ortmans strive for their operation to be regenerative and sustainable. “We’ve always been about local foods,” Sherilyn said. “We’re interested in adding value that translates into food which people can consume directly.

Thankfully that’s a trend that’s growing nationally.”

Their meat is processed under USDA inspection at Hudson Meats & Sausage. In their online store at www.berrybrookorganics.com, they sell meat bundles as well as fresh-ground flour, cornmeal, wheat berries, and grain seed. Products are sold at several Sioux Falls grocery markets and at both Freeman super markets – Freeman Shopping Center and Jamboree Foods.

The Ortman family also has fun in the summer selling homemade ice cream at a pop-up stand in Freeman.

The ice cream includes strawberries, sour cherries, raspberries and rhubarb grown on their farm. They also introduced Pfeffernusse ice cream this summer.

Larry and Barb Oleson, along with their son, Lance and his wife Elizabeth, raise corn and soybeans plus have a cow-calf herd just north of Turkey Ridge.

For Lance, his first 11 years of farming has Larry, Barb, Clint, Elizabeth, Lance been a wild and Paige Olesen. ride. “Since I started in 2010, I feel like I’ve seen all the extremes, from the worst drought in 2012 to the wettest year on record in 2019.

I’ve seen record high corn prices and low corn prices. Then you throw the pandemic in there.” Nevertheless, he believes they’re fortunate to be diversified with their expanding cow herd. Lance also enjoys the benefit of having his wife work side-by-side with him. Barb said, “Elizabeth is a huge part of the operation. She can do anything.”

Lance and Elizabeth are confident in the future. Elizabeth said, “I’ve had people say to me that ‘working cows together is a good test of your marriage.’ You learn to have a moment and walk away.” Lance agreed: “What’s said during working cows stays with working cows.”

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NEW ELM SPRINGS COLONY

MARK AND CINDY ULMER

Hutchinson County, September 2021

Hutchinson County, August 2021

New Elm Springs Colony is a true farrow-to-finish hog operation with all the farrowing, nursery and finishing barns on property. They also have a plant where they mill all their own feed for both their pigs and their Levi Wollman takes a break from the hog turkey operation. operation to have fun with some children at the New Elm Springs Hutterite Colony.

This self-reliant approach is not uncommon for Hutterite. The history of the New Elm Springs Colony in the area dates back to the 1870s when families first settled at Maxwell Colony, south of Menno.

Today, about 100 people live on the colony.

New Elm Springs has a butchering and processing facility on site and they sell a wide variety of pork and turkey products. They sell products to commercial and retail customers. Many of the butcher shop's products can be purchased at Dimock Dairy as well.

Hog boss Levi Wollman said the colony takes part in the checkoff-funded We Care program. “We have so much riding on this. Safety, caring for the environment and animal well-being are crucial to everything we do,” Levi said.

Tractor pulling is a tremendous amount of work, but Mark Ulmer relishes the thrill when he puts the hammer down. “I imagine I love the element of competition. We’ve been very successful which is probably what drives us more than anything. We entertain thousands and thousands of people with these tractors.” His tractors – Eleanor and The Weapon – finished first and second in Cindy and Mark Ulmer and their dog, Lily.

Outlaw Truck & Tractor Pulling Association light super stock class. It's the third year in a row Mark has been the overall season points champion.

Mark and his wife, Cindy, farm near Menno on ground homesteaded by his great-great grandfather in 1896. He said farming is their base living income, but more of his time is spent driving in tractor pulls or working on tractors for other people. The original shop his dad built in 1959 is still in use.

“There has been Grand National Super Stock sitting right there. We’ve got turning lathes, drilling machines, a shaper.

We can make gears and internal spines; we build couplers; we make our own transmissions and power axles.”

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

DORIS STENSLAND Lincoln County, September 2021

When you’re 98 years old, worked 66 years as a farm wife, written three historical novels and six other books, and had your writings featured in several national magazines, there’s really no need for an encore – except if your name is Doris Stensland.

Doris just released the second edition of her book, Our Words Are Blossoms. With the addition of previously-unpublished material, the new edition is double the size of the first edition. Our Words Are Blossoms is a collection of poetry, free verse and writings about Christian life, nature, family, special days, and remembering days past.

The first historical novel Doris wrote was 1977’s Haul The Water, Haul The Wood, which has sold more than 12,000 copies. It focuses on the pioneer life of her Norwegian-immigrant great-grandparents who homesteaded in Lincoln County in the 1870s. Much of Doris’ writing is grounded in her Norwegian heritage, her Christian faith and her decades on a Lincoln County farm. Doris’ books are available to purchase at Haisch Pharmacy in Canton and Crossroads Books & Music in Sioux Falls; plus are available to order online at www.stenslandbooks.com and www.amazon.com.

Doris Stensland.

THE WIRT FAMILY

Turner County, September 2021

“There are a lot of kids who join the show world.

We were born into it,” said Randy Wirt, who raises livestock and grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa south of Parker with his son, Adam, and daughter, Sarah Baloun.

“We used to be a swine seedstock producer, but now we’re into producing show pigs and show lambs,” Randy said. Their other strong tie to livestock showing is the fact that Randy’s wife, Chris, works for the SDSU Extension Service and has helped hundreds of kids through her work at the Turner County Fair and in preparation for the South Dakota State Fair.

The Wirt family. Men in back row: Jon, Travis, Adam. Middle row: Katie, Brysen, Sarah, Jovie, Braelyn, Emerson, and Melissa. Seated: Randy and Chris.

Photos courtesy of the Wirt family.

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Adam said, “Showing livestock is what we do. We’re super busy in the summer, not only working on our own livestock projects, but also farming and helping our customers. It’s what we enjoy. Showing is our sport. We go hard at it trying to get those big outcomes.” In addition to their roles on the farm, Adam manages the POET Bioethanol plant at Hudson and Sarah works for Rasmussen Swine near Hurley.

DALTON FOSTER Minnehaha County, September 2021

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“Dalton and I were bored,” said Grandpa Ron. So he and Dalton went to work designing and remodeling birdhouses, hanging them in the yard and grove on their acreage north of Crooks. “Dalton does the painting and comes up with the ideas and designs, and picks up the tools – and asks a million questions about how we’re doing it. We sit in our old hoop shed and work away in there, then leave our mess and come back a day or two later.”

On Thursdays in the summer, Dalton donates his bird houses to an auction at Critter’s Bar which supports local charities or families in need. To date, the birdhouses have raised more than $2,000 for the good causes.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE BUNDE FAMILY

Minnehaha County, October 2021

Terry and Deb Bunde, along with their son, Travis and his wife Stacy, farm on the north edge of Lyons.

Several of the great grandparents of Terry and Deb were homesteaders in the area, dating as far back as 1875. “We’re pretty much part of the dirt around here,” Deb said.

Terry and Deb have come a long way from their beginnings. “In 1976, we bought our first 80 acres, and we had 30-bushel corn that year. That didn’t work very well,” Terry said. However, Deb said, “We have always loved this lifestyle and being home with the kids. We’ve been blessed to work with our parents and our kids and now our grandkids. Success is when we all gather around the table and we laugh.”

Jan and Gary Jerke.

She continued, “We’ve never aspired to be so big we can’t do it as a family. For us, everything has been the farm. We are the farm. The farm is us and the family.”

Terry agreed: “Yep they’re one and the same.”

GARY & JAN JERKE Hutchinson County, October 2021

Gary and Janice Jerke have developed a rural retreat center called “The Farm” described as a “sanctuary for the soul.” Gary said, “Many people who come here find the environment allows them to get right with God or to define what they need to work on within themselves.”

The Farm is located on the original Jerke family homestead, which includes his childhood home, a 1917 Sears & Roebuck kit-built house which has been remodeled and refurbished inside and out.

The Amish-built barn is heated and air-conditioned and includes German-Russian historical displays and state-of-the-art meeting space for up to 90 people.

The Farm also includes an outdoor stage for concerts and ceremonies, an outdoor stock tank splash pool, and a fire pit.

The Farm is a Christian nonprofit providing an alcoholfree, drug-free and smoke-free experience. Gary and Jan welcome family reunions, weddings, prayer retreats, class reunions, and corporate retreats and planning sessions. The property also features 37 acres of native prairie pasture. For information about room and facility rates, go to www.experiencethefarm.com or call 605-505-1233.

Front: Travis, Stacy, Deb and Terry. Above: Tristen, Brianna and Morgan.

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DENNIS BOOTE

Lincoln County, October 2021

A partial list of Dennis Boote’s occupations is long and varied: Dairy farmer, auto detailer, farrier, roofing contractor, rodeo roper, grain bin mover, movie-set buffalo wrangler, packing plant worker, trucker, and rancher. For good measure, add husband, father, grandfather, and brain cancer survivor to his list of life’s accomplishments.

A long-time rodeo rider, Dennis started a Longhorn cow herd after buying land south of Fairview . But then he started transitioning the bloodlines to Corriente. While the breed is often mistaken for Longhorn, Corriente have shorter horns.

“Corriente are sports cattle. They’re for team roping and bulldogging,” he said.

Dennis Boote with his grandson, Rhett Fossum.

His brother, Alan, roped Dennis into another adventure – working buffalo on the set of Kevin Costner’s 1994 movie “Wyatt Earp,” filmed in part at the Spanish Five Ranch in the Black Hills. “This is absolutely 100 percent true: If you’re on a horse and a buffalo charges you, you only have one option.

Charge them right back. They will turn tail,” he said. Over the course of filming, he got charged by buffalo about 15 times.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

THE MULLER FAMILY

Turner County, October 2021

Glenn Muller describes his career as a difficult-toexplain jigsaw puzzle. For the last 10 years, he’s been the executive at South Dakota Pork Producers Council.

He’s also been a teacher, worked in banking and at Smithfield. Through it all, he and his wife, Joan, have been deeply rooted in their family’s farm near Davis.

“We run a small herd of cows, primarily commercial with a few purebred Herefords,” Glenn said. “All of our family has been involved in building the caliber of our herd.” They show cattle at the state Hereford sale and at the Black Hills Stock Show.

Joan said their children were highly involved in 4-H, FFA and Open shows when they were growing up. They showed cattle, pigs and sheep. Glenn said, “Our kids gained a lot in 4-H and FFA … the people they met, the experiences they had, and the leadership qualities they developed. I think they developed their work ethic by being on a small farm and giving their livestock that extra care.”

Glenn and Joan.

THE MARTINEZ FAMILY Hutchinson County, November 2021

Tom Martinez buys and sells cattle for other producers, plus has his own cow-calf operation and puts up hay. Jennifer Martinez is a special education teacher for the Bridgewater Emery School District. Together with their children, Cash and Magda, they’re passionate about showing horses and Boer goats.

Jennifer grew up showing the American Paint horse seedstock raised by her parents, LeRoy and Susan Adams, on their Ethan area farm. Jen helps lead a group which reinvigorated the hippology, quiz bowl and horse judging for youth at the Sioux Empire Horse Expo. Tom has roots in New Mexico and west Texas, and, for many years, followed his dream of being a ranch hand.

They host a horse judging event every year which is open to any South Dakota youth. In addition, the family has been a seedstock producer of Boer goats since 2009. They helped organize an annual show held at the Hutchinson County Fairgrounds sanctioned by the American Boer Goat Association.

Tom and Jennifer with their children, Magda and Cash.

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THE MCNEIL FAMILY

Lincoln County, November 2021

Unhappy with their careers in town, Chance and Kristen McNeil of Harrisburg returned to the country about a decade ago and have since developed three businesses: CK Stables, CK Kennels and CK Bulldogs.

CK Stables provides horse boarding and riding lessons.

CK Kennels provides dog boarding in a state-of-the-art facility.

CK Bulldogs raises and sells French and English bulldogs. “We started all of this from nothing,” said Chance. “Because Kristen and I have our names on it, it took me a long time to find people who pride themselves in their work and get it done the way I want it.” he said. Two of their best workers are their own children, Wyatt and Emerson.

Caring for animals is a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-of-the-year business – which is just the way Chance likes it. “I don’t do well with downtime. I always have to have a project, I always need to have something going. I always feel like I’m behind the eight-ball, but when I look back, there are a heck of a lot of things we’ve accomplished in 10-12 years.”

Kristen and Chance with their children, Emerson and Wyatt.

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SOUTH DAKOTA FAMILIES - 2021

RODNEY HAMMERSTROM

Turner County, November 2021

Eighteen years ago, high school senior Rodney Hammerstrom took his colt out to check some fence lines in the family pasture near Davis. During the ride, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and almost lost his life.

Years of physical and speech therapy were grueling. When Rod was ready to give up, his dad asked him, “Have you given it all over to the Lord?” That was the real beginning of his road to recovery, which eventually took him to 20 states as a Christian motivational speaker. “The most crucial thing I did was say to the Lord, ‘Here is my good and here is my bad, do with it as you may.’”

Keith and Deb McGuire.

DEB AND KEITH MCGUIRE

About five years ago, he eased back into the rodeo arena, competing with his parents in local team penning and sorting events. His comeback peaked in summer 2021, when he and sorting partner, Bob McPhearson, competed at the world finals of the Ranch Sorting National Championships (RSNC) in Fort Worth. In the finals of their class, they sorted 19 cattle in 147.93 seconds – good enough to go home with “World Champion” belt buckles.

Minnehaha County, November 2021

Deb McGuire is well-known in equine circles for producing riders and horses who win national championships in Arabian horse competitions.

More important than the championships, though, is connecting kids with horses. “I don’t care whether they just want to ride in lessons, go trail riding, or go to shows. I want to teach the kids to be committed and responsible and learn how to ride.”

Deb owns and operates Performance Plus Arabians, a private training facility with a riding lesson program near Sioux Falls. She’s helped a lot of youth gain confidence in themselves. “It’s especially good for the kids who are real introverted, it helps them come out.

It helps them learn how to communicate.”

She said Arabian horses are sensitive athletes, but her work ethic for the horses pays off. “Normally when I get a new horse I spend 30-40 minutes a day, three to four days a week on their back. Then I’ll spend a couple days a week on ground work. It takes about three years to train them.”

Rodney Hammerstrom with his parents, Barbara and Daryl.

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BLACK/WHIT 31

KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

‘A PECULIAR LOOKING CLOUD’ Everyone who lived in Dakota Territory in the mid1870s could tell tales of the devastating locust plagues. When the insects first appeared on the horizon, their wings caught the sunshine and “looked like a great, white glistening cloud,” wrote one pioneer.

Farmers rushed to cover their wells and scrambled to save what crops they could. Some farmers covered their gardens with blankets and textiles, but the insects’ numbers were too great, their maws too tireless. They simply chewed through the fabric.(1) “The grasshoppers … were too great an army for man, with all of his ingenuity, strategy and strength, to even begin to cope with – they took the field, destroyed all they found and moved on to greater conquests, undismayed and seldom sacrificing any of their vast winged army. Their work brought gloom, sadness and poverty upon hundreds and thousands” of farmers.”(6) “Year after year the farmers planted their grain with every prospect of harvesting a splendid crop, only to have their hopes blighted ...To persist in the face of such adversity required nothing short of heroism.”(2) The grasshoppers were more properly known as the Rocky Mountain locust. They were about 1¼ inches in length, slender, and a light brownish color. Records indicate the locusts attacked the northern plains and prairie in 1818, 1864 and 1867.(2) Their native homelands were the dry Rocky Mountain upland region primarily in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.(5) While locusts were reported in portions of Dakota Territory in 1871-72, their attacks were scattered and little serious damage was done. The outlook for crops in 1873 was promising until late in July when grasshoppers appeared in large numbers in practically all the settled portions of Dakota. They destroyed the corn and gardens, but about two-thirds of the grain crop was saved. The prospects were good again in 1874 and the grain harvest had just begun when great clouds of the locusts arrived from the northwest and devoured the crops.(4) A Dakota newspaper editor in 1874 described the attack: “Harvesting had barely begun when on August 6th there appeared in the northwest a peculiar looking cloud (which) gradually settled and millions of grasshoppers attacked the crops. Attempts were made to continue harvesting but insects clogged the machinery. When night came they moved on leaving behind them a scene of desolation, broken hopes and

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021

Rocky Mountain locust.

saddened homes.”(4) One observer said the pests “will feed upon the dry bark of trees or the dry lint of seasoned fence-planks; and upon dry leaves, paper, cotton and woolen fabrics. They have been seen literally covering the backs of sheep, eating the wool...”(2) Grasshoppers accumulated between the ties and the track of the railroad and were crushed to a jelly-like mass causing the drive-wheels of the locomotive to slip and revolve.(6) In 1875, the number of locusts was estimated to be in the trillions. One first-hand account estimated a swarm that year to be 1,800 miles long and at least 110 miles wide.(3) “This isn’t just any swarm, but the largest congregation of animal life that the human race has ever known.”(5) “The appearance of the grasshoppers in the sky had the effect of darkening the very heavens at noonday, against a brightly shining sun. When flying rapidly with the wind, upon a clear day, they caused the sky to resemble a heavy snow-storm.”(6) “On the horizon, they often appear as a dust tornado, riding upon the wind like an ominous

hailstorm eddying and whirling about like the wild, dead leaves in an autumn storm ... they circle in myriads about you, beating against everything animate or inanimate; driving into open doors and windows; heaping about your feet and around your buildings; their jaws constantly at work biting …."(2) For many years, the accepted explanation for the locust’s demise was a vague conspiracy of vast ecological changes. Entomologists said the disappearance of bison, the decline of fires set by Indians, and changes in climate had altered the locust’s prairie habitats. But research The green area represents those areas hardest hit by the locust plagues of the 1870s.

by Jeffrey Lockwood, a professor of entomology at the University of Wyoming, points to human alterations of the environment. allowing cattle and sheep to graze in riparian In the locust’s home ranges in the river valleys of Wyoming areas, and eliminating beavers and their dams. The and Montana, the pioneers diverted streams for irrigation, result was “the pioneers unknowingly wiped out locust sanctuaries,” inadvertently causing the most spectacular “success” in the “history of economic entomology — the only complete elimination of an agricultural pest species.”(5)

ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING. A graphic depiction of a swarm of locusts devouring a wheat field.

SOURCES (1) timeline.com/in-the-1870s-12-trillion-locusts-devastated-the-great-plains and-then-they-went-extinct-6f7c51a15d90 (2) “The Grasshopper Plagues in Iowa,” by John E. Briggs in The Iowa Journal of

History and Politics, Vol. 13. Published 1915.

(3) “When The Skies Turned To Black. The Locust Plague of 1875.” hearthstonelegacy.com/when-the-skies-turned-to-black-the_locust-plague of-1875.htm (4) “Grasshopper Plagues and Early Dakota Agriculture, 1864-1876.” By Harold E.

Briggs. Agricultural History, vol. 8, no. 2, Agricultural History Society,

www.jstor.org/stable/3739497. Published 1934.

(5) ”The Death of the Super Hopper: How early settlers unwittingly drove their

nemesis extinct, and what it means for us today.” Professor Jeffrey Lockwood,

University of Wyoming. High Country News. www.hcn.org/issues/243/13695 (6) History of the Counties of Woodbury and Plymouth, Iowa. Published 1891.

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33

FROM THE KITCHEN

CHRISTMAS GOODIES

“Vaer saa god”* is the polite way of saying.......

Come and eat! | Soups on! | Dinner’s ready!

Help yourself! | You’re invited to the table!

Reprinted with permission from the book Vaer saa god*

by Doris Stensland

FUDGE DIRECTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:

• Line 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil. Set aside.

• 4 cups sugar • 1 cup butter • 1 cup chopped walnuts • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 – 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips • 1 – 7 oz. dark or milk chocolate candy bar, cut up • 2 – 5 oz. cans evaporated milk (1 1/3 c.)

•

Butter sides of a heavy 3 quart saucepan. In saucepan combine sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium high heat till mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium, continue cooking and stirring for 10 minutes.

(234 degrees on candy thermometer)

•

Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate chips, cut-up chocolate bar, marshmallow creme, walnuts and vanilla.

Stir till chocolate melts and mixture is combined. Beat by hand for 1 minute. Spread in prepared pan.

• Score into 1 inch squares while warm. When fudge is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan. Cut fudge into squares.

• Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Makes about 4 pounds (96 pieces). It isn’t really firm until the next day.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES INGREDIENTS: • • • • •

4 cups flour 1 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 3 beaten eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla

• • • •

1 cup butter 1 teaspoon soda 1/3 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS: • Mix flour, butter, sugar and soda and baking powder. Cut in butter as you would for pastry. Mix until fine and mealy.

• Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla and salt.

• Chill overnight and roll and cut into desired shapes -sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until edges get light brown.

Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters and add colored sugars, cinnamon red hots and chocolate shots as desired.

SPRITZ COOKIES INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup butter • 3 egg yolks • 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

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• 2/3 cup sugar • 2 1/2 cups flour

DIRECTIONS: •

• • •

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter and sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool.

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of DECEMBER Minnehaha County 2021

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | December 2021