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Sauk Rapids Herald
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016
Stishes welcome fall visitors by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
ROYALTON – The autumn season has many themes. The leaves turn colors, the farmers are out harvesting their crops, and Halloween is getting ever closer. Carving pumpkins and drinking pumpkin spice lattes are also a natural Àt for the season. A local spot for all things pumpkin is Triple S Farms on the outskirts of Royalton, particularly in October. Dave and Polly Stish have owned Triple S Farms for 37 years, since before they were married. But it wasn’t a pumpkin patch then. “When we bought the farm, we started with planting Christmas trees for 15 years” Dave said. From there, they changed it to a pick-your-own strawberry patch for 17 years. That’s when the Àrst idea of pumpkins came about. “We’ve always enjoyed
Mueller strives to provide better animal care by JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER
the thought of pumpkins and we’ve embraced everything about fall,” Dave said. “It just felt like right step to enhancing the fall experience.” Many of their pumpkins at that time were sold to Wal-Mart stores in the area. It wasn’t until 2011 that they decided to make the full switch on the farm. “We were kind of in the mode for entertaining at that point,” Dave said. “We had already had a number of groups come through and we already had the pumpkins started.” Walking around Triple S today, you can Ànd kids running around in the barn, climbing up hay piles and sliding down slides, petting a variety of animals at the petting zoo and walking through the corn walk looking for scavenger hunt items. “We’ve always had a slide for the kids, but over the years, we’ve added more and more activities for them,” Dave said. Oftentimes, families are
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Polly and Dave Stish are all about pumpkins at Triple S Farms in Royalton. During weekends in October, they open their farm for a wide variety of activities.
seen taking pictures by the giant pumpkins or the old tractors. “It’s fun to see families
out here enjoying themselves,” Dave said. “We work hard to make it affordable, so we don’t charge for
admission or anything. The home with them, and that’s only money families will rewarding.” spend here is if they want Triple S to take pumpkins or squash continued on pg. 3B
The pig doctor
able sizes and types –from wean-to-Ànish to sows. “I’ve worked with clients who raise potbelly pigs to those who raise pigs as a hobby, and kids in 4-H,” Mueller said. “Anyone who needs help I’m here.” Mueller’s interest in swine developed as an undergraduate student at Iowa State University (ISU), where he worked with swine diagnostics and research. That experience led to a fulltime job with a contract research facility studying cattle and swine, and then an animal health company focused on swine research and development, before returning to ISU to study veterinary medicine. “Becoming a vet was always a long-term goal of mine,” Mueller said. “While in vet school, I met [Dr. Winkelman] and we kept in touch. During my fourth year, I did an externship with Swine Services Unlimited, Inc.” After receiving his doctorate in veterinarian medicine, Mueller joined WinkelPHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE man to pursue a career in the Dr. Adam Mueller is a veterinary at Swine Services Unlimited, Inc., in Rice. Mueller works with pork and poultry producers swine industry.
RICE – On any given day, Dr. Adam Mueller could be evaluating performance records, working with pork producers to advance their herd health, or testing the latest vaccine for use in the industry. As a veterinarian with Swine Services Unlimited, Inc., in Rice, Mueller continually strives to provide unwavering services to his clients in an effort to better their ability to raise livestock well. “I want to help producers do a better job to better their livelihood,” Mueller said. “To help them provide better care for their animals and, ultimately, feed the world.” Since 2012, Mueller has worked under Dr. Nathan Winkelman at the veterinary consulting and research prac- to provide better care for their animals. tice in central Minnesota. The core purpose of the ance for independent pork Iowa. Winkelman has also other states, as well as in Mueller offers guidance enterprise is to provide guid- producers in Minnesota and consulted with producers in China and Ecuador. to swine operations of vari-
Mueller continued on pg. 3B