Minot Daily News SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019 MinotDailyNews.com • Facebook • Twitter
Photos by Jill Schramm/MDN
MAIN: A truck is loaded at Feed Mix March 12 in Harvey for delivery to a customer.
TOP LEFT: Jeremy Nelson prepares to fill a 50-pound bag in the bagging operation at Feed Mix March 12.
BOTTOM LEFT: Kenya Duchsherer stands next to a pellet mill. Feed Mix creates its own pellet feed but also can custom orders or pellet feed supplied by customers.
Agriculture
Growing business Harvey feed plant focuses on customers, quality By JILL SCHRAMM
Senior Staff Writer • jschramm@minotdailynews.com
HARVEY – Quality ingredients and a responsiveness to customers’ unique needs has led to success for a Harvey feed plant.
Alden Hollenbeck acquired the former Harvey Farmers Elevator feed mill in March 2012 and has modernized and expanded operations. A McClusky native, Hollenbeck had been working for a feed mill in Velva that was closing when he learned the Harvey mill also was closing. Between the two plants, he felt there was an opportunity for one to survive. Upon acquiring the Harvey plant, he set about installing a computerized feed mixing system. About a year later, Feed Mix added a pellet mill. In the fall of 2017, construction started on a bagging facility that opened last June. “We have never sold bags before so that’s new to us, but it looks like it’s going
to be a good fit,” he said. “Our biggest obstacle now is to get more dealers selling our product and that’s our next step.” Hollenbeck said the feed business seemed to take off from day one. Customers stick with the company because of the products. One customer recently commented that his animals are the best he’s produced in the history of his ranch, he said. “I am very confident that they can’t find a better product, not for the price,” Hollenbeck said. “We have loyal customers who have been with us for years.” Feed Mix currently works with two nutritionists in developing formulas that meet the nutritional needs of different anSee HARVEY — Page 2
Life is better on horseback Minot Trail Riders offers fun, family entertainment By ASHTON GERARD
Staff Writer • agerard@minotdailynews.com
The Minot Trail Riders isn’t a new name in the area, having been around since 1940. However the organization is constantly looking for ways to challenge people and their horses while bringing fun, safe and family friendly entertainment to the community. The organization sees membership from a wide array of towns outside of Minot, including Ryder, Velva, Mohall, Maxbass and Berthold. “I can’t imagine anywhere else people can go to in this area to get this kind of an experience with their horse,” said Joni Haner, board member and club secretary. Haner and her family became members of the Trail Riders in 1997 after they visited an annual meeting on a whim. The meeting sparked their interest and the friendliness of the group and wanting to do more with their horses got them in. “We very much encourage everyone to come out, with or without a horse, and experience what we have going on Wednesday nights in the summertime,” Haner said. Minot Trail Riders meet every Wednesday over the summer months for their family fun
nights, which include supper and socializing along with working with the horses. The club also tries to be supportive of local 4-H programs and will offer up their arena for a livestock and horse workout day in the spring. “We have an annual competition that we call the ‘Extreme Obstacle Challenge,’” Haner said. “It’s an annual event that we put on that is becoming bigger and bigger and people are starting to take note of it outside of the area.” The Extreme Obstacle Challenge puts horses and their riders in situations that wouldn’t typically be seen in the wild. Some of the challenges include leading horses through a tunnel of pool noodles, under covered wagons, onto platforms and over tires. Overall, the event consists of 10 challenging obstacles within the MTR arena and is timed. Scoring is based off of the time and number of obstacles completed with the competition split into three age groups. The obstacle challenge also has prize money up for grabs that draws attention as well. 2019 will bring the seventh See HORSE — Page 3
Photos by Eloise Ogden/MDN
Minot Trail Riders take part in the 2018 North Dakota State Fair Parade in Minot.
Page 2
Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
Busy at sunset
Rugby Livestock Auction a 60+ year area fixture By SUE SITTER
The Pierce County Tribune Sunset means quitting time for many businesses along U.S. Highway 2 in Rugby during winter months, but at Rugby Livestock Auction, the lights stay on, cattle are tended, and workers stay busy. “On weekends, usually somebody’s here from 7 (a.m.) to 10 (p.m.); Mondays and Tuesdays, there’s somebody here 24 hours a day,” said Lynn Meyer, who co-owns the auction with his wife, Guynell, and Kevin and Brenda Heilman. “We have somebody stay overnight and load trucks Monday night usually, and then he loads trucks Tuesday night to get them out of here, because the trucks come all night,” Kevin Heilman agreed. “It’s non-stop,” Guynell Meyer added. “Everybody pitches in and works together – Guynell in the office, the rest loading trucks,” Lynn nodded. Not only do the two couples share the workload at the auction, they also share a love for hard work and extensive backgrounds in agriculture. Lynn and Guynell both grew up around cattle on ranches in Watford City and Berthold. “My grandpa, Herb Birdsall, is in the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame,” Lynn noted. “He was a horseman and a cow man. He was one of those guys who believed in never feeding yourself before you fed the cows. He never had breakfast until chores were done.” The Birdsall homestead is located near Berthold. Lynn’s mother, Geraldine, continued the family ranching tradition, branching out into public service. She represented North Dakota District 3 as a state senator in the 1980s. Geraldine passed away in 2010. Lynn said of his father, “My dad, Darrell Meyer is from Nebraska. He came up (to North Dakota) when he was 16 years old as a thresher, shocking corn. And he married Herb Birdsall’s daughter, and he’s been in ranching ever since. He’s 93 years old, and still ranching.” Lynn turned to Kevin Heilman: “Kevin, you lost your dad young. But I remember one thing from your dad – it didn’t make any difference what time you got home at night, you were going to start in the morning when he was ready to start.” Kevin agreed. “I farmed with (my dad) forever. I never went to college. I just started
Submitted Photos
ABOVE: Auctioneer Mike Ostrem, right, of Rugby is shown at Rugby Livestock Auction. Also shown is Ron Torgerson, a semi-retired auctioneer. RIGHT: Cattle buyers chat between sales in the Rugby Livestock Auction barn.
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Saturday, April 13, 2019
Harvey
Continued from Page 1
imals. The experience of staff in working hand-inhand with ranchers also factors into the mixes that are developed, Hollenbeck said. Feed Mix’s ability to make custom feeds attracts customers because many places don’t offer that service, he said. “We are very customizable on what we can do for people. If they want a certain protein, a certain amount of minerals, vitamins, certain ingredients, we can do about anything that they like,” plant manager Kenya Duchsherer said. “We have our feed mixes too for about every animal.” There are mixes for cattle, horses, chickens, pigs, rabbits. “If you have it on your farm, we can feed it,” Duchsherer said. Feed Mix purchases many of its grain ingredients from area farmers. Even in years when producers have had challenges with bushels or quality, the company has been able to fill its needs, Duchsherer said. Because its quantity needs are smaller, Feed Mix can purchase from farmers who might have extra barley bushels leftover after meeting a contract or have some bushels that didn’t make malting quality. Feed Mix serves as a market for area farmers who might want to include a low-input crop like oats in the rotation. The wheat middlings come from mills in Minot and Carrington. Dry distiller grains come from Blue Flint Ethanol in Un-
farming with him, and had the opportunity to buy in with these guys. I had a farm and ranch, down by Balta/Silva,” he said. Kevin, whose grandfather homesteaded near Balta continued, “It was always hard work, and we enjoyed every minute of it, working with family.” Kevin said he still farms in the Balta area with his brothers when he’s not working at the auction with Brenda. Daughter Allison Heilman greets visitors outside, wearing rubber muck boots as she helps to put cattle in their pens. Son Cade works at the auction when he’s home from college. Lynn and Guynell have a daughter, Nici Meyer, who ranches in Mandan and works as an attorney for the North Dakota State Attorney General’s Office in Bismarck. Kevin described a typical day at the auction as “beginning sunup, to after sundown.” “We check in cattle Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and some Monday morning. We have our sale Monday, and then Tuesday and Wednesday the cattle go back out on trucks,” Kevin noted. “Wednesday, Thursday, get cleaned up, get hayed up for the next sale, and it just keeps rolling over.” Both Kevin and Lynn said Rugby Livestock Auction has changed hands a few times in the more than 60 years it’s been in business. “Glenn and Helga Theil were the previous owners,” Lynn said. They retired. The Serights and us (Lynn and Guynell) bought it, and since then, Kevin and Brenda bought out Serights.” Guynell indicated the auction barn was built in 1958. Lynn attributed Rugby Livestock Auction’s success to what he called “two strong points – first, Monday sales. We work weekends, and we thank our help and crew that’ll work weekends so we can have Monday sales. It works really well to put more buyers in the seats, because everybody’s ready to go to work on Monday. And, (the second point) our family history – our caretaking of the livestock goes a long way on how we take care of them both before and after they’re sold.” “We take care of them like we take care of our own,” Kevin agreed. Many Rugby Livestock employees have local ranching backgrounds as well. Auctioneer Mike Ostrem, who raises cattle south of Rugby, presides over the Monday sales. Guynell noted several major buyers visit the Rugby Livestock Auction. “We have all the major buyers from throughout the state of North Dakota and beyond,” nodded Lynn. “We get buyers from Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana. Seven states.” “ We send cattle to Idaho, Texas, all over … Nebraska …” Lynn added, ticking off names of states from memory. “We have a restaurant, too,” Guynell noted. The restaurant is open Sundays and Mondays.
derwood. Feed Mix also looks for quality in purchasing its feed additives. “We are using a very high quality mineral. It’s all organic trace minerals so you’re getting upwards of 90 percent trace mineral absorption by that animal,” Duchsherer said. “We use certain additives to aid digestion and such, and we are using the highest quality ones we can find. We’re using the top end of ingredients, and it goes for our main ingredients too. We are not using corn screenings. We are using actual corn. We make a high quality feed.” Duchsherer said preparing feed is about more than getting the nutrient mix right. Having the right nutrients won’t matter if the animal won’t eat it. “You’ve got to make it look nice – make it look nice and smell nice – making it appealing not only to the animal but to the rancher,” she said, noting it has to look and feel right for ranchers to want to give it to their animals. “You have to make a good hard pellet. If you make a really soft pellet and it crumbles apart and then there’s a bunch of fines,” she said. Depending on the livestock, fines may get pushed out of the trough or build up in the trough because animals won’t eat them. Either way, it means not just waste but more work and more hassle for owners. “So we make the ration based on what we know is going to make a good pellet, so that there isn’t a bunch of waste,” Duchsherer said. Pellets can be customized to a customer’s specifications. If a cus-
tomer brings in feed, it can rolled or ground or pelletized. Feed Mix has seven employees, all of whom wear multiple hats. Many of the staff drive the trucks that deliver feed. Hollenbeck’s son, Luke, also handles sales, and another employee takes the lead in running the pellet mill. A couple of employees focus on bagging, truck loading and other jobs within the plant. The bagging operation enables the company to market feed in 50-pound bags for its smaller customers. “There’s a lot of people that can’t handle a bulk amount. They have one horse or a few chickens,” Duchsherer said. “So we are trying to make it more convenient for the smaller farmers.” Meanwhile, Feed Mix keeps three trucks on the road in delivering feed to customers on the farms. Most of the customer base is from Harvey west, as far as Watford City. Feed Mix also can haul into Montana or South Dakota. The trucks have swingout augers for unloading into bins or creep feeders, and nine compartments to carry up to nine separate types of feed at one time. “So if the customer wanted multiple types of feed, or if they want to split with their neighbor, we can do that,” Duchsherer said. Although the company is busy with its current products, Hollenbeck wants to see the company continue to grow. He’s not sure yet where the next expansion will take the company, but he said he’s always looking for ways to do more.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Page 3
Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
Help at a moment’s notice By FARM RESCUE
Farm Rescue is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2005 by Bill Gross, a North Dakota native and full-time pilot for UPS Airlines. Gross will be grand marshal of the 2019 North Dakota State Fair Parade in Minot in July Field operations first began in the spring of 2006, with Bill and another volunteer (also named Bill) traveling the state to assist farmers in crisis with planting. Today,
Farm Rescue to assist up to 75 farmers, ranchers in 2019 Farm Rescue has grown to include nearly 1,000 enlisted volunteers from 49 states, ready to offer their help at a moment’s notice. Volunteers provide planting, haying, harvesting and livestock feeding assistance free of charge to farm and ranch families who have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster. The nonprofit’s service area has also grown to include the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.
Helping families This spring, Farm Rescue will assist its 600th family in crisis. With the help of its volunteer family, business sponsors and individual donors, the nonprofit was able to assist 83 farm and ranch families in 2018, alone. That total includes several ranchers who received assistance through the nonprofit’s hay hauling campaign known as Operation Hay Lift. Farm Rescue launched Operation Hay Lift in response to the widespread drought and Legion Lake Fire affecting its service area during 2017. Hauling services were offered to ranchers who urgently needed to truck their hay from a distance from July 2017-April 2018. Throughout the campaign, 75 Farm Rescue volunteers hauled 274 semi loads of hay (more than 10,000 bales) to 154 ranch families throughout the region, covering more than 200,000 miles in the process. In March, Farm Rescue again activated Operation Hay Lift to haul muchneeded livestock feed to ranchers affected by the flooding in Nebraska.
Planning ahead
Submitted Photos
TOP LEFT: Bill Gross, a North Dakota native, is founder and president of Farm Rescue. The organization has grown to include nearly 1,000 enlisted volunteers from 49 states. MAIN; Operation Hay Lift is another service Farm Rescue provides for farmers and ranchers. The operation was initiated again in March to help farmers and ranchers in the Nebraska flooding.
Horse
Continued from Page 1
annual Extreme Obstacle Challenge to Minot. Last year, MTR started a Versatility Ranch Horse Competition, which was well received with plans to make that an annual event. Ranch Horse Competitions
promote the athletic ability and versatility of a horse according to the American Quarter Horse Association. The competition is broken up into multiple classes — Ranch Trail, Reining and Ranch Riding — and entrants can enter one or each class. Each class paid out money and then there was an overall winner of the day for those who
participated in each class. “For our first year, we were really impressed. We had 40 entries and it was quite a long day but it was a fun day,” Haner said. “So I’m sure we will be doing that again.” For the Ranch Riding class, horses show individually while judges are looking for relaxed, responsive horses with
soft and cadenced gaits. Reining measures the horse’s ability to perform basic handling maneuvers. In the Ranch Trail class, obstacles that can be found on a ranch are arranged approximate to how they can be found during the course of everyday work. Judges look for a welltrained, responsive horse and well-mannered horse that can
correctly navigate and negotiate the course. “People come not just to compete and be on their animals, but I think it’s fun to come and have supper and fun to come and see friends,” Haner said. “It’s quite a social thing in the summertime.” Haner considers the Minot Trail Riders a hidden gem to the Minot community due to
Despite the distances already traveled these past 13 years, Farm Rescue continues planning for the long road ahead. It’s a journey they will gladly navigate in hopes of helping as many families in crisis as possible. The nonprofit plans to assist up to 75 farmers and ranchers throughout its 2019 operations, as time and resources allow. Several applications have already been received for spring planting assistance and Farm Rescue will continue accepting applications and referrals leading up to the planting season. To learn more about the organization, refer a family in need or contribute to their mission, visit farmrescue.org.
the fact that many might not know it’s there or know what it’s about. “We have a really nice facility and people that come out to our arena and come out to our grounds are very complimentary,” she said. “I don’t know if people really realize our grounds are out there…It’s good fresh air and good, clean fun.”
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Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Education is goal for North Dakota State Fair North Dakota State Fair uses their many agricultural exhibits for education
“We have to teach the people about that. They have no other way of learning like this except through us and we have to do our very best to educate them. It’s all about education.” Renae Korslien ND State Fair Manager
Submitted Photos
MAIN: The North Dakota State Fair offers 46,000 Agricultural exhibits for attendees to see and enjoy. TOP RIGHT: Every year the North Dakota State Fair will pair up with the NDSU Extension Center and the Granville FFA to plant their annual crop plot. LEFT and BELOW: The North Dakota State Fair’s many different agricultural exhibits can be split into two groups. One is filled with produce and animals, giving people in the Open Class, FFA and 4-H a chance to compete. The second showcases the large machinery used on farms all over.
By SHYANNE BELZER
Staff Writer sbelzer@minotdailynews.com Every year the North Dakota State Fair brings days filled with rides, food, concerts, entertainment and over 46,000 agricultural exhibits for North Dakotans and guests to enjoy. A nine-day event filled with entertainment and fun, the North Dakota State Fair staff works hard to also provide a chance for people to learn and experience something new that is deeply rooted in North Dakota. The over 46,000 agricultural exhibits are seen as one of the most important parts of the fair to many, providing not only a special look at different animals, equipment and stories of those involved in the agriculture of North Dakota, but also as an extremely large educational opportunity for all ages. The State Fair hosts two different types of agricultural exhibits every year. The first type is the commercial exhibits that feature a variety of things being sold and includes the many large tractors, combines and other machinery that is displayed around the fairgrounds. The second is the competition exhibits that historically are very popular with fair attendees. These include animals, crops and more. “People love animals,” said Renae Korslien, manager of the State Fair. “Small children love the animals. They love to touch, smell and ask about them and many people in the barns want to tell their story and about the animals.” Every barn is filled with animals. People bring in different types of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and more each year. Each animal has a use or provides something in-
teresting and the many barns give fair attendees a chance to not only see the animals but learn what each type is used for. “We have to teach the people about that. They have no other way of learning like this except through us and we have to do our very best to educate them,” Korslien said. “It’s all about education.” With over 46,000 different exhibits, the State Fair brings in a large list of things related to agriculture. Animals are brought in for three different classes known as Open Class, FFA and 4-H, with FFA and 4-H specifically geared to give children of various ages a chance to take part in Agriculture in a variety of different ways. “That’s a huge number and I get to sit in my office and I get to watch these kids as they unload their animals a few days before as they’re bringing them in and their smile is from ear to ear,” explained Korslien. “They have worked all year, all month, probably really late the last couple of nights before entry deadline, and they’re really proud of what they’ve done, but the best part is somebody helped them with that. Moms, dads, grandma or grandpa, a 4-H leader, an FFA advisor, somebody got to spend quality time with
that person.” All of North Dakota takes part in these exhibits with 52 out of the 53 counties taking part. From far and near, people bring in their exhibits of animals, produce and more to be featured. Each year also features new stories. Every year poses new things that farmers will go through. “What did they have to go through this winter to make sure their calves were born safely during a storm? What do they do during a drought when they can hardly get any hay but they have to feed those animals. They’re all susceptible to the weather, to the price or to someone else. It’s encouraging to hear
their stories,” Korslien said. Every year the animal exhibits are always popular from baby goats to pigs to large draft horses and beyond. Korslien says that baby animals are always a big hit for exhibits. Of course there is more to the agricultural exhibits than just the animals. Another big aspect is the grain and forage, field crops, and other plants and items that are brought in to be featured and to show what different items go toward. “It comes alive for people when they can see that these crops are used to make their bread and cakes and see fruits and vegetables that
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we eat everyday,” Korslien said. Each year the NDSF plants a plot of land filled with various plants such as flax, canola, sunflower, corn, potatoes and such. The field, according to Korslien, is a great way to introduce different plants and what they are used for to kids and adults alike. “We love planting that crop plant and we have great helpers with us from the NDSU Extension and the Granville FFA,” Korslien said. With 650 different exhibit spaces, the State Fair takes their agricultural exhibits very seriously. Even the many free stages placed around the fairgrounds will have a touch of agriculture whether it be someone speaking about different agriculture programs or other animal shows that give attendees a chance to learn something new. “We need to continue to educate the public regarding agriculture as it is important to all to learn and understand where our food comes from,” explained Korslien. “Agriculture has a great impact to the economy of our city, state and nation.” The 2019 North Dakota State Fair will take place July 19-27. People can visit their site at ndstatefair.com to see the different attractions and upcoming entertainment that will take place.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
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Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
New crop of farmers By JILL SCHRAMM
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Young entrepreneurs establish next generation in production agriculture
Senior Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com This spring marks the fourth crop season for Amanda Kopp, 30, since she returned to the family farm south of Des Lacs. “When I graduated high school, this was the last thing on earth I ever wanted to do,” Kopp said. “I never wanted to come back to the farm.” But she said it was the quality of life and opportunity to work for herself – to have job flexibility, freedom and a sense of ownership of her work product – that led her to eventually say yes to full-time farming. Wacey Dahl, 26, was always drawn to farming and ranching. He figures he’s been farming since about age 5 or 6 when he started taking care of his first few head of cattle on the family’s operation in the South Prairie area. He became an active farmer during his senior year of high school in Minot. “I just need to be out and active and doing things hands on,” he said. The new crop of farmers and ranchers taking over operations in the Minot area are better educated, more technology savvy and more likely to have held off-farm jobs than the generations of farmers before them. Active in 4-H and FFA, Kopp had showed cattle and helped out on the farm while growing up. It led to an interest in agriculture but not necessarily production agriculture. Kopp received an agri-business degree with a minor in accounting from North Dakota State University. She worked for Butler Machinery in farm equipment sales for years and two years for Jerome’s Collision Center in Minot before taking up farming full-time. She had began assisting her parents, Raymond and Kathy Kopp, on the farm while still working her job in the city. She faced a crossroads with the demands of two jobs and the need for her father to decide whether to keep growing the farming operation or hold steady toward retirement. Her decision to farm led to adding additional rental acres and adding soybeans to a crop base that includes barley, wheat, flax and sunflowers. Amanda Kopp is a board member for the Ward County Farm Bureau and Ward County Agricultural Improvement Association. She also belongs to other farm groups, including an organization called Common Ground North Dakota, which seeks to help farmers tell their
LEFT: Amanda Kopp stands next to a tractor on her farm near Des Lacs March 26.
BELOW: Wacey Dahl checks on calves born in his farming and ranching operation south of Minot March 19. Photos by Jill Schramm/MDN
stories and educate the public about their food supply. Kopp said she enjoys crop production from start to finish but running the combine and seeing the fruit of her labors is always the annual highlight. Dahl and his brother, Lane, 24, are the fourth generation on their family farm. Their grandparents are Gordon and Darlene Dahl and parents are Grant and Denise Dahl. Wacey Dahl attended Bismarck State College to study farm and ranch management and welding. Dahl now lives in his great-grandfather’s former house on his grandfather’s place while farming with his father and brother in a jointly managed farm-ranch operation, raising wheat, corn, beans, canola and Simmental-Angus cattle. “There’s been cows here since my great-grandfather came from Norway,” said Dahl, who hopes to be able to expand the family’s operation and has started that process by investing in his cattle herd. Dahl said his welding education gives him a fallback if he wants to supplement his farm income as well as coming in handy in building fences and fixing equipment. His brother attended BSC for agronomy and worked for a time as an agronomist. Their father wanted them to get a taste of off-the-farm life so they wouldn’t be choosing the farm just because it was all they knew, Dahl said. Dahl said college and the temporary, off-farm jobs he’s held gave him a different per-
U.S. farmers getting older
spective and enabled him to return to the farm knowing it was the right choice for him. Studying in an agriculture program also exposed him to other young people with similar career goals. “It might not be necessarily coming back to the farm but it’s something to do with the farm,” he said of the interest in ag careers. Dahl attends farm improvement talks and training sessions on chemicals or seed treatments to stay current in his
industry. He sees more interest in continuing education and technology by young people, which he considers almost a necessity for anyone looking to be in the industry long-term. To make profit margins, new technologies designed to maximum yields and performance are must-haves, he said. Technology advancements are the future for farm efficiency, Kopp said. “It’s super exciting,” she said. “There are so many awesome things you can do with the technology they have now. The hard part is the cost of it all.” Managing costs is one of the biggest challenges for beginning farmers, according to Dahl and Kopp. Finding available land, buying equipment and working with a banker can be trying even when there’s a family member providing support and advice. “There’s so much you need to know,” Kopp said “Right now, it’s a really scary thing for people to jump into because prices are not so great.” She’s comfortable with the timing of her entry into farming, though, because she believes the skills she learns
during tighter times will pay off when the cycle changes, which she says is bound to happen. “As long as you are prepared for the bad times, you will be all right,’ she said. The ups and downs and uncertainties of farming don’t discourage Dahl either because he’s grown up in that environment. He’s seen his grandfather and father weather the vagaries of farming and understands that success means careful financial planning so good times help smooth out lean times. “It definitely helps to get a grasp on maybe managing your money a little bit, maybe saving more in the good years,” he said. “We are trying to get a little more aggressive on the marketing end. That seems to be your biggest deciding factor on the profit end – how aggressive you want to be looking into the future.” Dahl and Kopp say they are glad they chose a career in production agriculture. “Like any job, you have to like it in order to do a good job at it,” said Dahl. And doing a good job is important to him. “I take a lot of pride in my work,” he said.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, the average age of farmers and ranchers is 58. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture in 2012 shows that during the past 30 years, the average age of U.S. farmers has grown by nearly eight years. Since 1980, when data on the age of the labor force became available, the average age of the U.S. labor force has increased at about the same rate, although the average age was 41.7. The latest census showed 2,384 new farmers between the ages of 25 and 34 took up the profession between 2007 and 2012. It represents a 2.2 percent increase, which has been reported as only the second time in the last 100 years that the number of farmers that age has grown. Women were 14 percent of principal operators but 30 percent of all operators in the latest available census in 2012. The 2017 census is to be released this month.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Page 7
Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
20 years of Scheresky Ag Service By ASHTON GERARD
Staff Writer agerard@minotdailynews.com MAX — Started out of a need they saw in the community, Galen and Bonnie Scheresky of Scheresky Ag Service just north of Max are celebrating 20 years of business and service in 2019. Through their 20 years, the work of agronomists has only become tougher. When they first started their business in April of 1999, Roundup Ready technology came onto the market as a cure all for weed problems. “The quote was: ‘We won’t need agronomists because Roundup will cure everything,’” Galen said. “Now as you look at the Roundup resistance we have coming through the nation with Palmer Amaranth, we actually have to do a better job than before because once these weeds come in, other than hiring manual labor to pull them out, there is no control of these weeds.” The Schereskys weren’t always set on being agronomists. Bonnie obtained an animal science degree from NDSU with hopes of becoming a veterinarian before Galen came along and swept her off her feet. Galen has an agricultural economics degree also from NDSU. Owning and operating an agronomy center was something that was born out of necessity. “I was a banker at the time and we were trying to get our field sprayed because we were farming and the only business that had custom sprayers were really slow,” Galen explained. “Long story short, I wanted to get out of banking and farm full time.” Without the money to make that work, the Schereskys invested in a sprayer and started doing custom applications for three local elevators. After a few years, they discovered that wasn’t the path for them, so the Schereskys built their store and started selling chemicals and spraying entirely for themselves. “If it wouldn’t have been for the poor service at the
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Bonnie and Galen Scheresky started Scheresky Ag Service in April 1999 and are celebrating 20 years of business in 2019. other place, we probably wouldn’t have started this,” Galen said. “We could just see the need for it.” In the beginning, people would place their orders and the Schereskys would deliver when they could. Now, Scheresky Ag works on a preorder system where they will start taking orders for the following year in September and October. “The companies we sell for, a lot of their inventory is just-in-time inventory, so they are only producing what we are ordering,” Bonnie explained. “We have to be so much more efficient with taking orders early, getting that product in and having it on the farm when the grower needs it.” With growers starting to farm more and more acres, they need to be more efficient with their time. “The pace has definitely quickened,” Bonnie said. The way in which people buy from Scheresky has changed as well. It continues to change more as they begin to deal with younger growers who are more driven by technology. “They want to be communicated with differently,” Bonnie explained. “We used to deal with all of our customers either in person or
“At the end of the day, you can buy chemical, seed and fertilizer anywhere and it all boils down to the people. We hope we continue to be the people that our customers turn to for knowledge and advice.” — Bonnie Scheresky, co-owner of Scheresky Ag Service
over the phone. Then maybe it turned to email and now it’s all done via texting. Orders from customers are coming in via text and
that was a faux pas not even five years ago.” One of the Schereskys’ strengths is being able to adapt to their customers’
needs. Being farmers themselves, they want their growers to be successful and understand the challenges they face. In addition to being farmers, the Schereskys are both certified crop advisors, a distinction of the American Society of Agronomy, and have been for 15 years. Being a CCA requires a lot of continued education throughout the years. “We go to anything we feel that will give us a new idea or a new perspective from somebody,” Bonnie said. The agronomy business is now entering a time where growers have a plethora of buying options whether it be the internet or the fact that people are more willing to travel 40 miles down the road. “That’s another thing we really have to respond to and always be aware of what value we are bringing to that grower that someone else can’t do,” Bonnie said. “That has to be our focus. What are we providing them that the next guy can’t?” For the Schereskys, the service and knowledge provided by Scheresky Ag Service is something that can’t be matched by the internet or someone who is a
cash and carry. “Our belief is if our customers are profitable, we will be profitable, so how do we get them to be as efficient and as profitable as they can be,” Bonnie said. Over the years, the Schereskys have had a couple companies that have stood behind them, one of them being West Central Chemical in Minot. In the way these companies have stood behind them, they do the same for their growers. “Farmers have a lot of hats — they get to market their grain, they get to fix their equipment, they get to seed it, they get to deal with all those items and deal with hired help,” Galen said. “We work on a small part of their farm and keeping their chemicals, seed and fertilizer right…We feel if we can take some pressure off of them by crop scouting and them knowing what’s in the field, that allows them time for the marketing and for everything else.” To keep up with the younger generations of growers, Scheresky Ag Service has maintained a strong social media presence with video updates from fields to blogposts. “It’s amazing to watch the responses when you do those little things,” Galen said. “It doesn’t take much for a blogpost to make it work and yet if the farmer can get one relevant thing out of that little post, good deal. The videos and stuff, it just makes them smile.” It presents the information in a way the customers want to see it, an idea that was brought up by some of the younger employees to Galen and Bonnie. They also keep their topics relevant to the time of year. They “sure as heck” aren’t talking or writing about fertilizer in July. For the month they are in, they are updating and reminding farmers on what is or should be going in in their fields. “At the end of the day, you can buy chemical, seed and fertilizer anywhere and it all boils down to the people,” Bonnie said. “We hope we continue to be the people that our customers turn to for knowledge and advice.”
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Minot Daily News • PROGRESS: Agriculture
Saturday, April 13, 2019