ountry C cres A
A Supplement to the Star Shopper
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Friday, April 21, 2017 • Edition 5
We sell fun!
Josts share the load with each other’s businesses By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Nestled in the rolling hills on a 50-acre parcel just outside of Alexandria, on Rob and Debbie Jost’s property, the reflection of the sunset gleams off the surface of the small lake in their backyard. Relaxing on their patio behind the house overlooking the lake, Debbie has just finished a busy day at her full-time job where she works in her garage just a few feet away. Rob is right beside her, a willing and able hand whenever he has time. Debbie is the owner of Speedy Worm, an online live bait store. As of this month, she has been buying, selling and shipping an assortment of bait for seven years. A business major from St. Cloud State University and partner with her husband in their business, Minnesota Muskie Farm, Inc. Debbie recognized a niche for her business quite quickly. “When I first decided to do this, I decided we were only going to do online sales,” Debbie said. “There is no other state like Minnesota,” she said. “If you see a lake you’re likely to see a bait shop.” While Minnesota has an extensive infrastructure for bait, other states are not that fortunate. In many areas, people
need to drive one to two hours one way to purchase the type of bait they want. Enter Debbie Jost. Though Minnesota provides 10 percent of her business, the other ninety percent of her business is done throughout the United States, filling that need. A garage fit for worms The Josts’ garage is a veritable worm facility. Walking in, a wall of shelves is filled with plastic tubs that appear to the naked eye to contain dirt. Rob reached into the dirt and instantly, European nightcrawlers filled his hand, as they await their destination. In one corner, a large walk-in cooler holds shelves full of boxes of Canadian nightcrawlers, a type that must be refrigerated. Next comes a garage refrigerator that, rather than the beer found in some garages, is home to “spikes.” Most would know them as maggots. Waxworms and mealworms have their own shelves in other freestanding units. Sitting near the packaging area is a cylindrical screen system that separates the worms from the dirt they came in. The worms are placed into the cylinder, and as it turns, the castings (worm excrement) and dirt fall through, and the worms are then weighed and packaged, along with a lighter-weight bedding that is less costly to ship. PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
WORMS continued on page 4
Debbie Jost holds Canadian nightcrawlers, one type of bait she sells through her online business, Speedy Worm. Jost and her husband, Rob, operate Minnesota Muskie Farm, Inc., which they purchased in 1994.
Woodworking wonder Lodermeiers find joy in carving, pyrography By LIZ VOS Staff Writer
PHOTO BY LIZ VOS
Brenda and Mike Lodermeier stand in their Rockville living room where they are surrounding by a plethora of woodcarvings and pyrography they have created over the past 20 years.
ROCKVILLE – Sitting in their living room, overlooking the peaceful Sauk River in rural Rockville, Mike and Brenda Lodermeier can easily look through the large windows to see the art Mother Nature has created. But inside, they are surrounded by the art they have created. Woodworking has been a deeply cherished part of the couple’s life for over 20 years
since a chance meeting with a wood decoy carver peaked Mike’s interest. “I just so happened to meet someone who carved decoys and he started showing me how to do it,” explained Mike, who has since become an award-winning wood carver, using a power carving method. Brenda, who has also done woodcarving and relief carving, has found a niche in pyrography, which is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks. She began the art form nearly eight years ago after taking an introductory class on it. “I enjoyed it from the LODERMEIERS continued on page 6