Farm News Year in Review 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

2023

Friday, December 22, 2023

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Year in Review December 22, 2023

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January Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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BYRON PETZENHAUSER, of Twin Lakes, displays one of the pallets of pink roses that was used to decorate a float for the Rose Bowl parade.

Year in Review 2023

Archaeologist explores 1850s farmstead Farm News writer

hen blizzards roar across Iowa, imagine taking shelter in a dugout sod house in the side of a hill. That experience wasn’t uncommon for pioneers trying to survive on the Iowa frontier in the mid-1800s. Traces of this history endure north of Sac City near the North Raccoon River valley.

“This is one of the best sites I’ve ever worked,” said Mark Anderson, the archaeologist at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee. “It’s just awesome.”

Located on private property, this site includes an 1850s-era sod dugout house farmstead where a claim shanty, a sod dugout house to the west and two smaller dugouts (possibly a root shelter or rudimentary barn) once stood. Anderson estimates the claim shanty (which was about the size of a traditional college dorm room), was likely established around 1856, while the

-Submitted photo

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DUGOUT DAYS

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

sod house was probably built around 1858.

To the untrained eye, the remains of these structures look like unusual depressions in the ground, if they’re noticed at all. To Anderson, however, these sites harbor a treasure trove of Iowa history.

“I was amazed at all the items we kept finding as we excavated this site,” said Anderson, who conducted an extensive archaeological survey in 1996-97 on a 49-mile stretch from Moorland to Early (including this Sac County site), in preparation for the expansion of four-lane Highway 20.

Artifacts at the Sac County 1850s farmstead site included the pin of a door hinge, the central spindle of a hand-cranked coffee grinder, the top handle of a trivet, the top of a hurricane oil lamp, the arm of a ceramic doll, a cover for a pocket knife, square nails and shards of ceramic dishes, including whiteware and Rockingham/Bennington, a distinctive style with a thick brown, mottled glaze.

-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

MARK ANDERSON, archaeologist at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, is shown here with his dog near what was once the entrance to an 1850s-era sod dugout house in Sac County.

FAITH IN FULL BLOOM

Iowa volunteers support Rose Parade, LA-area charity

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

A

Farm News writer

nyone who has ever seen the pageantry of the New Year’s Rose Parade in person in California says the experience is so much richer than watching the parade on television.

“Stop and smell the roses” took on a whole new meaning recently for a group of Iowa volunteers, including farmers and other ag professionals from Calhoun County, who traveled to California in late December 2022 to help decorate parade floats and volunteer at a nonprofit organization in the greater Los Angeles area.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Sandy Wuebker of Rockwell City, who joined her husband, Loren, along with 25 other volunteers from Calhoun County and other parts of Iowa. “All these volunteers are ordinary people, but we all felt called

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to be part of this ministry.”

The Iowans flew to California on Dec. 28 and gathered with many other volunteers to help decorate Rose Parade floats in a large warehouse facility in Irwindale, California, just east of Pasadena.

For several days, various volunteers worked eighthour shifts to complete the floats, including the Lutheran Hour Ministries float.

For Dr. Paul Armbrecht and his wife, Marlene, of Twin Lakes, this was their second time volunteering in California through Individual Outreach With Adults And Youth (IOWAY), coordinated by the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Iowa District West.

“We went for the first time in 2014 and were excited to go back this year,” Marlene Armbrecht said. “This is a wonderful experience that gives us a unique opportunity to witness about Jesus.”

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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February Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

MASTER PORK PRODUCER Schleisman embraces sustainable solutions

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

L

Farm News writer

AKE CITY — While Mark Schleisman’s ag career has taken him around the world, he’s also made a big positive impact back home in rural Lake City, where his commitment to pork production, his focus on embracing new ideas and his willingness to share best practices have earned him a 2022 Master Pork Producer award.

Schleisman was one of seven Master Pork Producer winners honored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association during the 2023 Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines in late January.

“We believe the bottom line in pork production isn’t just financial,” said Schleisman, 58, of M&M Farms, who finishes 30,000 pigs

annually in Calhoun County. “It must include a system that’s safe and efficient at producing high-quality pork product that satisfies the consumer at an affordable price.”

A third-generation farmer, Schleisman has been working with pigs since age 10, when his father, Larry, gave him a runt to raise on his own. He didn’t go into production ag right after college, choosing instead to start his career as an agronomist in western Nebraska.

Then he got involved in the popcorn business, managing production for Conagra. Schleisman came back to pig farming 12 years ago. Today, Schleisman and his family farm 5,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and popcorn seed, in addition to running a 320-head cow-calf operation, a 720-head cattle feedlot and a swine operation.

-Submitted photoi

MARK SCHLEISMAN, OF LAKE CITY, was one of seven Master Pork Producer winners honored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association during the 2023 Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines.

‘I SEE DEAD PLANTS’ Zaworski's podcast promotes plant pathology

By DOUG CLOUGH

A

-Submitted photo

DR. ANDREW FRISKOP of North Dakota State University, left, Dr. Daren Mueller of ISU, center, and Ed Zaworski of ISU, discuss Goss's Wilt, a bacterial disease of corn. The podcast was recorded at the Agronomy on Ice event in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and was the eighth episode of season one of Zaworski's "I See Dead Plants."

Farm News writer

MES — Born and raised in Joliet, Ill., Ed Zaworski had his sights on becoming a veterinarian. “I grew up about as far from any rural or agricultural areas as a person could get. I came to Iowa to attend a veterinary college,” said Zaworski. “I interned for a professor at a vet school, and I ended up working for him for a year, ultimately deciding that I didn’t want to be a vet.

“Of all places, I was introduced to my future career on a basketball court in Ames, where I met Dr. Daren Mueller, an Iowa State University (ISU) Extension pathologist who works with corn and soybeans. He heard I wasn’t going to vet school and gave me an opportunity to get involved with plant pathology, and the rest is history.”

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Zaworski’s history, however, was just beginning to take shape, earning a master’s degree in plant pathology in 2014 as a grad student under Dr. Mueller, and he has been working in the ISU Plant Insect Diagnostic Clinic ever since.

“Plant pathology is one of the many fields that doesn’t get a lot of attention from the general public,” said Zaworski. “In diagnostic work, we take plant samples from any place in Iowa, extension offices, farmers, state agencies, you name them — any individual as well — who has a plant problem. We examine those samples for signs of plant pathogens, for example bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pathogens, and then we strive to give a diagnosis from there. If possible, we give management recommendations based on what we find. That’s the life of a diagnostician.”

February

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'ONCE UPON A DIAMOND'

Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

Year in Review 2023

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By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

Remembering Calhoun County’s ‘Field of Dreams’ history -Submitted photo

PHOTO AT RIGHT: By 1942, Rockwell City standout Dean Corson was a wellseasoned, once-in-a-lifetime high school pitcher, with a record of 17-0 his senior year.

Farm News writer

or Rockwell City native Mick McCarville, it has become important to share the story of a longforgotten, but remarkable piece of Iowa baseball history that includes everything from an epic state baseball tournament played in Manson to connections with the big leagues. “It happened in my hometown around 19391942,” said McCarville, who now lives in Arizona and is a driving force behind the movie script “Once Upon a Diamond.” “This is a true story that could have happened in any small town in any state in America, but these events in Calhoun County were especially captivating.”

The story began in 1928, when a young teacher and coach named William Cobb came to Rockwell City. Cobb, who grew up on a farm in the Eldora/Union area in central Iowa, had recently graduated from Drake University in Des Moines. Rockwell City High School hired him to teach commercial and social science. By 1933, “Cobbie” had become the principal of Rockwell City High School, as well as the school’s head baseball coach.

Fast forward to late June 1940, when one of America’s biggest celebrities — Babe Ruth — came to Rockwell City for a batting exhibition in front of a crowd of 3,000 people. McCarville’s late father, Edward “Bud” McCarville, often spoke of that unforgettable day.

Around 2002, Mick McCarville decided to see what details he could find about that batting exhibition in Rockwell City so long ago. Along the way, his research uncovered an incredible, David-versus-Goliath story about how Rockwell City won the 1942 state baseball tournament. As he read about Coach Cobb and some of his star players, he sensed there was more here

than some long-forgotten baseball games. This was a phenomenal story of a small-town baseball coach who was so focused on capturing a state tournament title that he put his health and marriage in jeopardy to win before World War II took his players.

Coach Cobb had come close to winning a state title in 1939, when his team finished fourth. Among the team’s outstanding players was freshman Dean Corson, who pitched in the 1939 tournament. “By the time Dean was a senior in 1942, he was a well-seasoned, once-in-a-lifetime high school pitcher with a record of 17-0 his senior year,” said McCarville, a 1967 Rockwell City High School graduate. At that time, the state baseball tournaments were played just up the road in Manson. In fact, Manson hosted 14 spring tournaments in a row from 1933 to 1946. The state tournament had been held in Ames in 1928, 1930 and 1931, followed by Des Moines in 1932, McCarville noted.

Those tournaments failed to attract big crowds, however.

This presented an opportunity for Manson to pitch the idea of a tournament site change. Manson’s superintendent of schools, H. C. Dekock, presented a plan to the Iowa High School Athletic Association. His deal guaranteed the association a certain amount of gate receipts and a volunteer organization with small-town enthusiasm. “The offer was accepted, and Manson stepped up to the plate as hosts and competitors,” McCarville said.

Baseball was a big source of pride for many small communities in pre-World War II Iowa, said McCarville, who added that Rockwell City hosted the state American Legion baseball tournament for nearly a decade. “It was amazing that Rockwell City and Manson, 10 miles apart, hosted the two biggest baseball tournaments in Iowa,” he said.

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March Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

BROWN: HIRE WELL, PREPARE EXIT STRATEGY

Acceptance into farm business is not a birthright

By KAREN SCHWALLER

S

Farm News writer

PENCER — Jolene Brown stood before a room full of farm families to tell them how it is.

Brown, who farms with her husband near West Branch in eastern Iowa, considers herself a “champion for the people of agriculture” and counsels farm families all over the nation.

The topic of her presentation at the Northwest Iowa Ag Outlook in Spencer in February was, “Stop the Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home.”

Brown said when she counsels farm families,

she brings four (imaginary) tools — a mirror (for people to recognize their own contribution to the problem); tissues (there are always tears when logic and emotion collide); duct tape (to keep people from running away from the problems at hand) and a two-by-four (to let them “have it”).

Brown said two kinds of farm family business models exist, typically. They include, “Family First” businesses and “Business First” families.

“If you don’t get it right, you may lose both family and business, and then we have fighting on the way to the funeral home,” she said.

-Farm News file photo by Karen Schwaller

JOLENE BROWN gives farm families advice on how to "Stop the Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home" during the Northwest Iowa Ag Outlook in February in Spencer. Brown, of West Branch, considers herself "a champion for the people of agriculture."

BUSINESS IS MUSHROOMING

Mushroom grower finds success with vertical farming

By KRISTIN DANLEY-GREINER

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-Submitted photo

TANNER SANNESS is pictured with his fiancee, Monica Larsen, who also helps with his mushroom business. Sanness' father, Kaare Sanness, is a partner in the business as well. Sanness focuses on selling specialty mushrooms.

Farm News writer

s a sixth generation farmer, Tanner Sanness knew he wanted to remain in agriculture, but not in the traditional manner.

Sanness glanced back at his family’s farming history and decided to branch out in an avenue no one had tried before.

“Just about every generation in my family has done something different. Not a lot of multigenerational farms are building off each other, so we joke that we’re six generations of failed farms, but not quite,” Sanness said.

His great-great-grandfather had a chicken farm for nearly 60 years back in the ’20s and ’30s.

When the poultry industry consolidated and contracting with farmers drove down poultry prices, his elder lost the farm. But another family member started a dairy farm that lasted while Sanness’ dad was a kid. That farm folded and then family

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members began raising steers on the side.

His grandfather worked off the farm as well, then his dad farrowed hogs for Neiman and sold pasture-raised sows with litters roaming the pasture.

Sanness’ dad, who also worked off the farm, sold feeder pigs from when the youngest Sanness was age 7 until he was a teen, too. “My dad really got into organic farming and today he runs 500 acres of organic cropland.

“That led to him purchasing a bigger machine shed, which he wasn’t using all of it, so back in late 2019 into 2020, I decided to start the mushroom farm,” Sanness said.

Armed with a marketing degree and working as a consultant, Sanness looked into the health benefits of mushrooms and an interest in the fungi blossomed. He visited local co-ops searching for the specialty mushrooms but couldn’t find them. So he bought a growing kit, placed it on the counter, and the rest is history.

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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April

Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

FEENSTRA ON AG ISSUES US rep fields questions on Farm Bill, conservation

By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer

DA GROVE — Northwest Iowa agricultural producers attended U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra’s town hall meeting at Ida Grove’s Recreational Center April 3.

At the event, Feenstra, R-Iowa, opened up with brief remarks about the farm bill and the current committee and then answered questions from the group of 30 farmers and concerned citizens. The bulk of the meeting, which lasted just over an hour, focused on several topics of audience concern, including the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), crop insurance, and Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule.

“The current farm bill does a lot of good things, especially when it comes to insurance,” said Feenstra. “There is a safety net for our

producers, but there are also a lot of other things that go along with the farm bill. We also have conservation, research and development, forestry, training, and energy. There are so many things that affect each of us.”

The U.S. representative for Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District acknowledged key challenges as well. “With the recent elections, over 50% of the committee is new — both Democrats and Republicans, and I’m included as a new member,” said Feenstra. “We are a diverse group with many people from the east and west coast.

We must do an effective job of communicating from the Midwest to the rest of the world what we need in this farm bill. I’m worried we could be overshadowed by other comitteee members who represent specialty crops or those who want more food assistance programs.”

-Farm News file photo by Doug Clough

U.S. REP. RANDY FEENSTRA addresses those in attendance at a town hall meeting April 3 in Ida Grove. The farm bill and Conservation Reserve Program were among the main topics of discussion.

GIVING BACK

Webster Co. Producers support ‘Pork in the Pantry’

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

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-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

TRISH COOK, who is the first woman to serve as the Iowa Pork Producers Association's president, noted that leadership in agriculture always depends on teamwork, whether that’s on the farm or on trade missions.

Farm News writer

t’s one thing to say pork producers are committed to a sustainable, socially responsible, globally competitive pork industry. It’s another to put these ideals into action. When the Webster County Pork Producers (WCPP) get together, it’s clear they walk the talk. “We’re proud to serve our local communities,” said Gregg Hora, a long-time member of the WCPP, who welcomed members and guests to the WCPP’s banquet in March in Fort Dodge. “We’re excited about programs like Pork in the Pantry and Bacon Buddies.”

The Pork in the Pantry program provides funding to county pork organizations so they can donate pork to local food pantries. The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) reimburses participating counties up to $1,000 for pork products that are donated to local food pantries.

This spring, the Webster County Pork Producers donated

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pork to the Salvation Army in Fort Dodge, the Lord’s Cupboard Community Pantry in Fort Dodge and the Community Pantry in Gowrie.

Banquet attendees also received an update on Bacon Buddies. These unique livestock shows are designed to give youth and adults with disabilities the opportunity to work with a pig in the show ring at the county fair or state fair. Bacon Buddies connects participants with 4-H and FFA mentors to show livestock at the fair. Bacon Buddies participants get the opportunity to show a pig, talk with a livestock judge in the show ring, and relish the thrill of earning a prize for their efforts.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association hosted the first Bacon Buddies event in Iowa at the 2019 Iowa State Fair. To encourage more Bacon Buddies shows in 2023 at the county level, IPPA has established “Bucks for Bacon Buddies.” The organization will provide up to $500 for groups that plan and host these events.

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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May

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

COMMON GROUND

Organization seeks to connect rural, urban women

By KRISTIN DANLEY-GREINER

A

Farm News writer

s time passes on, more and more consumers are further removed from the farm. Educating and reminding consumers where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture in everyone’s lives has become the mission for CommonGround.

There are an estimated 250 women farmers across the country involved with CommonGround, which is a partnership between the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board. They raise

families, crops and animals. They want to make food and farming personal, and show that connection between real families raising other families’ food.

CommonGround staff member Amanda Fortman said that when consumers understand that real families are raising their food and that they share common values and expectations, they have more trust in farming and the ag industry. “Through the CommonGround program ... the partners bring urban and rural women together and start a conversation here in Iowa and across the country on how, where and when food is grown on the farm, so that we can all find common ground,” Fortman said.

-Submitted photo

VAL PLAGGE, a CommonGround member who farms

by Latimer in Franklin County, raises corn, soybeans and pigs on their family farm. She’s a fifth-generation farmer with her husband Ian. They have four children.

GOATS ON THE GO

Grazing herds provide natural way to keep weeds in check

By KRISTIN DANLEY-GREINER

A

-Submitted photo

GRAZING GOAT HERDS like these help landowners control nuisance and invasive vegetation. Portable electric fencing contains the goats and ensures they graze on the unwanted vegetation.

Farm News writer

MES — A natural way to eliminate nuisance and invasive vegetation without chemical herbicides or machinery can be done with simply a phone call to Goats on the Go. Founded in 2012, Aaron Steele, his wife and another hobby farm couple, Chad and Wendy Steenhoek, launched Goats on the Go in the Ames area. In 2016, they expanded by launching an affiliate program, so there are more than 60 other goat grazing companies in the U.S. using the Goats on the Go brand for their local operations.

Steele owns upwards of 200 goats himself, depending upon the time of year, and will allocate 30 to 40 goats for a project under 10 acres in size.

“We generally expect to complete one acre every four to seven days with a crew of that size, although it depends greatly on the type and density of vegetation

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we’re dealing with,” Steele said.

Not surprisingly, managing the Goats on the Go brand network is a full-time job, so Steele’s focus is to help others get their own goat-grazing business up and running, but also to provide continuing support.

Steele became the sole owner of the business in 2021 while the Steenhoeks started an affiliate focused on on-the-ground grazing work in a territory serving Ames, Boone and most of Ankeny.

“He and I also raise sheep and goats together as a joint farm operation. Some of our affiliates do large grazing projects, perhaps up to 40 acres in a season, for conservation organizations and large landholders, but the majority of our affiliates thrive on smaller projects under 10 acres in size,” Steele said. “Residential properties, parks and trails are common targets, but our goats have also found their way onto golf courses, powerline and pipeline corridors, retired landfills, campgrounds, college campuses and many other property types.”

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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June

Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

WOMEN IN AG

Summer workshops give women ‘safe place’ to ask questions

By KAREN SCHWALLER

S

Farm News writer

UTHERLAND — Women had a chance to have their own agronomic questions answered in a series of workshops focusing directly on them at the Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm near Sutherland, one evening a month from May through September.

Sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, “Agronomy in the Field” provided learning opportunities regarding forage and crop production.

“It seemed like there was a need to have some female-specific events, and it seemed like something that would fit our area well,” said Leah Ten Napel, field agronomist for ISU Extension and

Outreach in O’Brien County.

“Agronomy in the Field” focuses on developing agronomic decision-making skills that can be used on one’s own personal farm or family cropping operations.

Ten Napel was hoping to have a group of about 15 women “students.”

“It’s a safe space for people to learn more about agronomy; since it will be a small group, they may feel more free to ask questions that they may be afraid to ask in a bigger group, or in a group where they might feel like others have more experience than they have.”

She said it’s easy for a woman to feel intimidated when at an (informational) meeting when she is the only woman there in a group of 30 men.

-Submitted photo

REBECCA VITTETOE is hosting an Agronomy in the Field workshop in southeast Iowa.

BACK ON TRACK

Landus loads trains at renovated grain elevator

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

W

-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

THE MODERNIZATION of the concrete elevator design at the Landus location in Jefferson greatly reduces the risk of an explosion happening at the facility, said Tyler Schultes (left), a Landus business unit leader who oversees the western half of the cooperative’s trade territory, and Delbert Uhlik (right), the Landus hub lead at Jefferson.

Farm News writer

hile there’s never a good time for a major disruption in any business, mid-May is no time to slow down on an Iowa farm — or a farmer-owned cooperative.

When a major explosion rocked the Landus grain elevator in Jefferson on May 14, 2021, it caused significant damage and derailed the co-op’s ability to ship millions of bushels of grain.

While the explosion damaged the 1950s-era concrete structures at the site, the incident caused no injuries and no loss of life. After months of renovation, Landus loaded the first train from the reconstructed elevator in late April 2023.

“Space, speed and safety are top priorities when it comes to modern grain elevators,” said Matt Carstens, president and CEO of Landus, who spoke

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at a media day in early June at the cooperative’s Jefferson location. “We’re focusing on ways to serve the growers of today and tomorrow.”

The Landus team loaded the first train (a leased unit train from the Union Pacific Railroad) at the renovated Jefferson grain elevator on April 26, 2023. Landus can load 440,000 bushels, or 110 rail cars, in about six hours using one computer and a single remote control.

This is significant for a key location like Jefferson, which has a storage capacity of 7.3 million bushels (total corn and bean capacity.)

The modernization of the concrete elevator design at Jefferson greatly reduces the risk of a similar explosion happening at the facility, said Tyler Schultes, a Landus business unit leader who oversees the western half of the cooperative’s trade territory.

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LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Siebring finds passion, purpose working in Ukraine

By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer

ARODYCHI, Ukraine — Gorden “Gordie” Siebring is a New Jersey-born man with Iowa roots. He wasn’t raised on a farm, but his life has taken several turns that made him a farmer both in practice and spirit.

“My family hails from Lyon County,” said Siebring. “After I graduated from college in 1981, I lived in Iowa for quite a few years, farming in Marshall County near Albia.”

During summers in college, Siebring traveled home to Michigan to work as a hired hand on a dairy farm; he also had a brush with humanitarian work in Haiti where he performed as an agricultural volunteer during the summer of 1980. At the end of that experience, he moved to Lyon County where his family had

a farm for many years. But after a decade of struggle, Siebring sold his operation. Scanning the newspaper ads, Siebring found that Zeneca ICI, a seed and chemical company, was looking for 100 Iowa farmers to go to Ukraine for a two-to-threeweek volunteer stint to help launch an ag project; he interviewed the next day and was accepted.

On April 4, 1993, Siebring landed in Kyiv, a post-Soviet city struggling with crumbling infrastructure and an economy in shambles.

“It was love at first sight when I saw the massive farmland,” said Siebring. “At the end of that time, the company asked me if I wanted to stay the rest of the summer on a salary. I jumped at the chance and worked in the Ukraine throughout the summer of 1993. After that season, Zeneca left, and in 1994, Freedom Farm International (FFI) hired me to manage a 10,000-acre farm.”

-Submitted photo

GORDEN "GORDIE" SIEBRING stands in a field of soybeans that he planted and harvested during the summer of 2021. Siebring planted 1,000 acres of soybeans that season.

APIARISTS AT WORK Honey Queen shares her passion with others

By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER

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-Submitted photo

OLIVIA MOODY, right, and her father, Don Moody, work with their bee hives. Olivia Moody, who was named the Central Iowa Honey Queen in 2022, loves educating kids and the public about beekeeping and honey making, which happens to be part of her official duties.

Farm News writer

OLLINS — When the global coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020, people found themselves taking up hobbies they’d never tried before, engaging in exercise at new levels, adopting pets and tackling do-it-yourself projects.

Olivia Moody, 18, and her dad decided to become apiarists and make their own honey. Moody, who was named the Central Iowa Honey Queen in 2022, loves educating kids and the public about beekeeping and honey making, which happens to be part of her official duties.

“My dad worked for an insurance company that offers insurance for beehives, which we all thought was kind of weird. He was going to beekeeping shows and events, and he realized that if he was selling beehive insurance, he should understand how it works,” Moody said. “It

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was 2020 at this time, and we found ourselves with a lot of free time on our hands and unable to go anywhere, so we decided to get our own beehives.”

Her FFA teacher helped connect Moody with a beekeeping mentor who shared the ins and outs of beekeeping with them their first year. He encouraged Moody and her father, Don Moody, to attend beekeeping events and informational sessions, which led to him and others with the club encouraging her to apply to become the honey queen.

“We started with four hives and grew very quickly. I think we could’ve stayed at four, but we now have 12 or 13 hives,” Moody said.

She and her dad share responsibility for tending the beehives. “It’s definitely a team approach for us since he travels for work and I have a wild schedule,” Moody said, “so as much as I would like to check them regularly, it depends on our schedules.”

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CLOWNIN' AROUND Midwest is among Dessel's favorite places to work

By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer

HEROKEE — When Allan Dessel was a high school sophomore, the Barnes Ranch was holding a roughstock school teaching kids how to get on horses and bulls.

“I found out that they were short a bullfighter,” said Dessel. “It was the first time I put cleats on and started fighting bulls; I had to borrow a vest, because I had no protective gear. I was scared out of my mind.”

It was October of 1999, and Dessel was 15 years old; he grew up in rural Cherokee, just six miles from Bob Barnes Rodeo Ranch.

“The first thing I did was trip, and one bull helped to pick me up,” said Dessel. “I touched the bull’s head, and I thought I was king of the

world. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

For Dessel, getting into rodeo was a family thing.

“Dad was a bullfighter in the ’70s and ’80s, quitting before I was born,” said Dessel. “I grew up going to rodeos with him, listening to his stories, meeting his friends. As a kid, all I can ever remember wanting was to be a bullfighter. I knew the job that had to be done and how to do it. I just had to get my mind and middle-school body to work together.”

Dessel describes a bullfighter as the “secret service of the rodeo,” protecting bull riders in the ring. “Bulls sometimes enter the ring with an attitude, and it’s our job to get their attention away from the cowboy, so they can get away safely,” he said. “If we do our job and get away safely, everyone wins.”

-Submitted photo

STRAN, TRIG, AND THEIR FATHER ALLAN DESSEL (from left to right) pose for a photo outside the rodeo ring. Since 2020, Allan Dessel has worked solely as a rodeo clown. “My boys help me with acts now, so they are my partners too,” he said.

A LAVENDER LIFE Olson's business blooms in Altoona

By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER

A

-Submitted photo

OWNER KINDRA OLSON poses with the 2022 Iowa State Fair Queen Mary Ann Fox.

Farm News writer

LTOONA — Nestled between a commercial district in Altoona to the north and an industrial/ commercial area to the south in Pleasant Hill lies a true piece of beauty. Hidden behind a line of trees along a busy road through the suburb sits Lavender Life, a lavender farm that’s the perfect escape with a serene and scentful setting.

Owned by Kindra Olson, Lavender Life came to fruition when Olson and her husband Norm bought the property.

In 2019, they established more than 600 lavender plants in their field, including varieties such as Hidcote, Royal Velvet, Twinkle and Grosso.

“We moved here seven years ago in April and that spring, I planted 12 lavender plants. As you look out from the back of my house from the four seasons porch, there’s a field and it’d been planted in corn. I thought, what can I

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look at from this porch all the time? So I planted the dozen lavender plants and did a little research where I found that the U.S. Lavender Association, a huge group, meets every three years and so we joined and flew out to North Carolina. In five days, we took all sorts of classes and met growers,” Olson said. “I decided then that I could do this.”

She sent a soil sample to Iowa State and discovered that she had the perfect soil type on a gradual hill in full sun, perfect for growing lavender. They recruited people to help plant the 600-plus lavender plants and they grew like crazy, she said. They offer pre-pick and “u pick” options for customers during the growing season.

“We bloom twice in Iowa. The field is all purple and beautiful. We hand cut and rubber band the lavender bunches in the field and hang them to dry in the big barn.

The rest of the plants I leave for the public to pick,” Olson said. “I provide the baskets and scissors and let them cut it themselves, then we wrap it up for them.”

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Year in Review 2023

'MEET ME AT THE FAIR' Hertel takes reins of Clay County Fair

By KAREN SCHWALLER

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Farm News writer

PENCER — Jerome Hertel is the new CEO/general manager of the World’s Greatest County Fair, the Clay County Fair in Spencer. He assumed his role last April following the departure of Jeremy Parsons, who left the Clay County Fair after nearly 12 years to become the CEO of the Iowa State Fair.

Hertel, 59, grew up in Parker, S.D., a town of about 900, Jerome Hertel southwest of Sioux Falls.

“I grew up across the street from the Turner County Fair, so the fair was a playground for me,” he said, pointing to the spark

that ignited his love of the fair industry.

Once Hertel graduated from high school and then the University of South Dakota with a business management degree, he managed food and beverages at a large sports arena in Houston, Texas, where the Houston Rockets played.

Hertel followed that with a move to Sioux Falls, S.D., then later became the director of operations at the Sioux Empire Fair (a county fair). He went on to manage the South Dakota State Fair — a division of the Department of Agriculture, averaging about 200,000 fairgoers at the time. He later became the CEO of the Alaska State Fair.

When he discovered that Parsons would be leaving his Spencer post to chase his long-time dream in Des Moines, Hertel saw it as a blessing, since he said he couldn’t get either of his grown children to move to Alaska.

-Farm News file photo by Karen Schwaller

HORSE COMPETITIONS of various classes and kinds happen each day at the Clay County Fair.

BREEDING A LEGACY

Britt Draft Horse Show is often a family affair

By CLAYTON RYE

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-Farm News file photo by Clayton Rye

DEAN WOODBURY is at the reins for Blue Ribbon Days of Bradgate, Iowa; Farmington, Missouri; and Lobau, Germany. He placed first at this year's competition in the men's cart class.

Farm News writer

RITT — The 42nd annual Britt Draft Horse Show was held Sept. 1-3, 2023, at the Hancock County Fairgrounds in Britt. By any measure it was a success, but there was no doubt that weather had an impact on the weekend and it held the attendance numbers down.

“It was very warm,” said board member Melodie Hiscocks, who serves as secretary-treasurer.

Indeed, it was warm as temperatures during Saturday and Sunday afternoon shows were in the mid-90s. Some of the people in the stands had the forethought to bring umbrellas.

Not because of rain, but to provide shade from the sun, which was intense. A steady breeze from the southwest all afternoon did provide some relief.

Three different exhibitors were asked if there were any special provisions made for the horses because of the heat.

All three gave the same answer: No provisions were made for the horses because of the heat. The horses were in good

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shape and could handle the high temperatures.

When the first show was held in 1982 by a small group of horse enthusiasts, hitches were invited to attend. Later the hitches had to apply to participate, and now 18 hitches are chosen, with three hitches put on a waiting list in case a chosen hitch is not able to attend.

Express Ranches of Yukon, Oklahoma, was on this year’s waiting list. They were showing in Nebraska when they got the call asking if they could make it to the Britt show, as another exhibitor was not able to attend. This was the first time for the Express Ranches hitch to participate in the Britt show.

Another first-time appearance was by Goldsmith Belgians of Chatfield, Minnesota. With 42 years of shows, there are both exhibitors who are long-time participants, along with hitches who are at the show for their first time. Children, who came to the show as youngsters when their parents exhibited, are now adult exhibitors bringing their own children with them.

September

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Year in Review 2023

PRO FARMER CROP TOUR

West Central Iowa corn yields down in August

By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer

PENCER — The Pro Farmer Crop Tour stopping in Spencer on Aug. 23 reported corn yields that were up in northwest and southwest Iowa, but down considerably in west central Iowa.

Chip Flory, host of “Agri-Talk,” said estimated corn yields in northwest Iowa came in at 182.58 bushels per acre, up only slightly from last year.

Yield estimates for southwest Iowa landed at 184.84, up considerably from 2022, when they were estimated at 173.70 bushels an acre.

West central Iowa’s corn yield estimates came

in at 168.71 bushels per acre, down considerably from last year’s estimate of 180.80.

“We saw a no-meat sandwich,” said Flory, who led the western leg of the tour, saying results were good in the northern and southern parts of western Iowa, but not as good in west central Iowa.

“It was like a donut hole — not a lot of good to talk about there (in west central Iowa),” he said. “A lot of the problem there was grain length.”

The soybean side told a similar story, with northwest Iowa showing 1,137 pods in a 3-by-3foot area, up 4.36 percent from last year and up 6.87 percent from the three-year average.

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PULLING POWER

Farnhamville's Matt Goodwin celebrates big win

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

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Farm News writer

ARNHAMVILLE — “Thunder by the River” isn’t just a catchy name for the ultimate national truck and tractor pull held each August in Wisner, Nebraska.

It’s also the high-pitched symphony of horsepower that sounds like a jet airplane taking off when the turbos on Matt Goodwin’s Intimidator tractor roar to life.

This year, the cheers of the crowd followed that unforgettable sound after Goodwin’s 4,500 horsepower, multi-turbo diesel super stock pulled an incredible 407 feet.

“That’s why you come to Wisner!” shouted the announcer. “That’s why you follow the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pullers! That’s

awesome, baby!”

In the moment, Goodwin had no idea how fast or how far he went. “I didn’t know how cool it was until I saw the video later,” said Goodwin, 55, of Farnhamville. (The video is available online at YouTube.com at “Fans go wild when Matt Goodwin and the Intimidator go 407 ft in Wisner!”)

It’s an unforgettable highlight for Goodwin, who’s been passionate about tractor pulling since he was a grade-school kid. The sights and sounds of the tractor pulls were irresistible to young Goodwin, who went to tractor pulls with his father, Dennis. “I liked the smoke,” said Goodwin, referring to the powerhouses he watched at local events in Gowrie and national competitions.

-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

MATT GOODWIN stands next to the Intimidator in his shop in Farnhamville. His tractor pulled a winning 407 feet in Wisner, Nebraska, in August. Goodwin has enjoyed tractor pulling since he was in grade school and grew up watching local events in Gowrie as well as national competitions.

TO THE RESCUE

When a Wright County farmer battles health issues, Farm Rescue comes to his aid

By LORI BERGLUND

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-Submitted photo

GRANT AND NICOLE WOODLEY each faced major health challenges this year, but thanks to Farm Rescue, their soybean harvest is now complete.

Farm News writer

LARION — Piloting a 747 over the Pacific Ocean may be about as far away from a Wright County farm as one can get on this planet, but it gave Capt. Bill Gross time to think about what he’d like to do in retirement.

A North Dakota farm kid, Gross may have left the farm for his career, but farming never left his heart.

As they were flying high above the ocean, far removed from the farms and ranches he knew as a child, Gross told his co-pilot that one day he wanted to retire, buy some equipment, and help farmers in need. His co-pilot had a challenge: why wait?

Gross didn’t wait and founded Farm Rescue, a nonprofit organization that travels much of America’s

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heartland providing critical help to farmers facing serious health issues.

Grant and Nicole Woodley never imagined they would be the beneficiaries of such a high-flying dream, but as September faded to October, it was Farm Rescue that pulled into the couple’s Clarion-area farm to harvest some 425 acres of soybeans.

“I am absolutely so grateful,” Grant Woodley said.

“It helped me so much. It even helped my neighbors, because I know they would have been wanting to help and they needed to do their own beans.”

Farm Rescue brought in one combine and one grain truck, along with volunteers to operate the machinery.

That, combined with Woodley’s own grain cart and two more trucks, were enough to finish the job in a timely fashion.

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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MEETING FARMERS' NEEDS Stratford's United Co-op adding bins, scale, office

By LORI BERGLUND Farm News writer

TRATFORD — Harvest season may be winding down, but there will be plenty of activity at United Co-op in Stratford this winter as old buildings are torn down, a large new scale is installed, a new office completed and work gets underway on the construction of two new steel bins for the southwest Hamilton County facility.

The projects at Stratford are just a series of expansions and improvements that United Co-op has seen at several of its branch sites in recent years. General Manager Tim Scott said the purpose is simply to serve members better.

“We hope it goes as well as the other sites,” Scott said. “This is all about serving farmers better.”

United Co-op was formed in 1977 when independent cooperatives in Webster City, Highview, Flugstad, Stonega and Kamrar voted to come together as one. The former Stratford Grain and Supply joined the United family in 1994. Today it’s a busy site and one that continues to grow.

“What’s driving the expansion project is the need for additional storage to serve our customers,” said Doran Stakey, location manager for United Co-op in Stratford.

Stakey is already looking forward to the 2024 harvest season when the site will have a million bushels in new capacity and faster grain legs to help speed farmers on their way. When completed, total capacity will be just over 2 million bushels to serve the needs of area farmers.

-Farm News file photo by Lori Berglund

LOCATION MANAGER DORAN STAKEY and General Manager Tim Scott stand in front of the new branch office being built for United Co-op in Stratford.

HUNGRY HARVESTERS Groups partner to feed farmers during harvest

By DOUG CLOUGH

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-Submitted photo

BARB KNUDSEN, Ida County Soil and Water Conservation assistant, and Roger Bumann, Farm Bureau board member, delivered free sack lunches to area farmers the week of Oct. 16.

Farm News writer

DA GROVE — Hungry harvesters were treated to a free meal by the Ida County Farm Bureau and Soil and Water Conservation Boards during the week of Oct. 16. Over the course of two days, sack lunches were provided to 200 fortunate Ida County farmers.

“We served Ida County farmers primarily,” said Barb Knudsen, Ida County Conservation assistant, “but some farmers in Sac and Woodbury have farms in our county as well, so we provided for everyone farming the county. We wanted to give back to our farmers, so they know they are appreciated.”

The sight of a combine was enough to offer lunch to hard-working farmers. Both groups have been providing sustenance for area farmers for years; the Soil and Conservation group with sandwiches and chips and the Farm Bureau staff with cookies and other snacks.

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“It’s our second year working together,” said Knudsen. “It made sense for us to partner to bring a full meal with snacks to our farming community.”

Danika Hinkeldey is the outreach coordinator for Ida County Farm Bureau. “Collectively, we put together a farmer-friendly meal with two ham sandwiches, a bag of chips, a bag of chocolate chip cookies, trail mix, and a bottle of water,” said Hinkeldey. “Troy Leininger, our district representative, helped us to make sandwiches Tuesday morning before deliveries.”

The effort took three days to execute with Hinkeldey, Knudsen, and Leininger putting everything but the sandwiches in the sack on Monday.

On Tuesday, the group made 200 sandwiches for 100 sack lunch deliveries made to the southern half of the county that day. On Wednesday, another 200 sandwiches were made fresh and then added to the sacks for delivery to farmers in the northern half of the county.

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Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

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Farm News/Fort Dodge, Iowa

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Year in Review 2023

SLOW AND STEADY Melohn family moves century-old barn

OLLEY — A stately white barn on the old Green farm northeast of Jolley had been marking time for decades, until the Melohn family put things in motion — literally — this November.

Spectators of all ages parked along Keota Avenue during the noon hour on Nov. 28 to watch a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Thanks to the Vote House Moving crew from Bradgate, the old barn rolled easily through a field to its new home about half a mile north at Troy Melohn’s farm.

“This is a peg barn, and it was way too nice to tear it down,” said Melohn, 50, who lives just up the road from the site where the barn stood for decades in Butler Township in Calhoun County.

While no one knows for sure when the barn

was built, Melohn estimates it was around 1915 or 1920. “This is a really big barn,” he said. “It measures 40 feet by 80 feet and is about 30 feet tall.”

An old wooden sign in the haymow with the words “Green’s Registered Herefords” hints at one way the barn was used decades ago. The barn was part of a farmstead that included a two-story farmhouse, corn crib, grove and small outbuildings.

When it was clear the barn could be moved safely and fairly affordably, Melohn asked his four children (who range in age from 24 to 18) what they thought about moving the barn to the Melohn farm. “They all liked the idea,” said Melohn, whose family has owned land in Butler Township since 1882, a year before Jolley was founded.

-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

WHILE NO ONE KNOWS for sure when this 40-foot-by-80-foot peg barn was built, Troy Melohn estimates it was around 1915 or 1920.

RETURN TO HIS ROOTS Family operates Wild Rose Pastures near Van Meter

-Submitted photo courtesy of Wild Rose Pastures

AMONG THE LIVESTOCK raised at Wild Rose Pastures are giant white turkeys, which are later harvested in time for Thanksgiving each year. The Marquardts typically raise around 50 turkeys and are considering bumping that up to 75 in 2024.

VAN METER — When the farm crisis of the ’80s derailed Ryan Marquardt’s dream of joining his family’s farming operation, he came up with a new dream.

Marquardt grew up in Ames and graduated from Iowa State in 1980 with a couple of degrees, including one in agriculture. He found a job in town since the family farm couldn’t support another family member.

But he always knew he’d return to his agricultural roots. “We wanted to find a way to be involved in agriculture with a method and a way farmers could both set their own prices, to be the price maker and not the price taker. We started Wild Rose Pastures and farmed in Jasper County for seven years before moving to the family land outside Van Meter,” Marquardt said. “The only family here is myself, my immediate family and my uncle, who is a 72-year-old bachelor.”

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For 16 years, Marquardt and his wife, Janice, have raised grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chickens and turkeys, and gathered free-range eggs. They had a few other agrelated initiatives, but cattle, poultry and eggs are their main focus now. Their home is located on 20 acres, and they farm an additional 65 acres, which includes a pond and timber two miles from their home site.

Janice Marquardt recently worked full time, but has now started a consulting business and helps out with the farm chores when needed.

Their customers are individuals who they direct market to through the Iowa Food Cooperative based in Des Moines. That setup involves a bi-weekly ordering cycle where members and non-members can order whatever they want. Products are delivered by the producers and bundled together for co-op customers to pick up.