A Supplement to the Star Shopper
Friday, March 17, 2017 • Edition 3
ountry C cres A
Brave moo world Double-H Charolais has been at forefront of cattle embryo transfer since 1990 By MICHAEL STRASBURG Staff Writer
PAYNESVILLE — This coming summer, Harlin and Sue Hecht, of Double-H Charolais in Paynesville, will be making their 50th consecutive appearance at the Minnesota State Fair. Over Àve decades, the Hechts have grown their Charolais cattle herd and developed a national reputation by making key investments in technology and livestock. The story of Double-H Charolais started in the late1950s, when Harlin read an article in The Farmer, publicizing the arrival of a new cattle breed in the U.S. That breed was the Charolais – a French beef cow that is easily crossed with other breeds, including Angus. A few years later, Harlin’s father purchased three Charolais cows. “I saw how fast their calves grew compared to the Angus cows he had and I thought to myself, ‘this is the breed of the future,’” Harlin said. Little did Harlin know, it would become the breed of his future, too. Harlin left the farm for college, where he met his wife, Sue. In 1967, Harlin was employed as an agriculture instructor and Sue was working as an extension home economist for Douglas County. That year, Harlin saw an ad in the newspaper for a Charolais dispersal sale and the couple purchased what they thought to be the best cow available along with a bull calf. The couple showed their cattle at the Minnesota State Fair lat-
er that year, spawning a Àve-decade tradition and a prestigious business. Like any emerging business, the Hechts faced hardship early on, but they didn’t let that deter them from establishing an impressive herd. “I got four cows right away and one died, so I like to say I lost a quarter of the herd,” Harlin said. In 1970, the Hechts moved the farm to their current property in Paynesville. Over the next couple decades, Harlin and Sue began following the emergence and development of cattle embryo transfer — a new technology that had the possibility of revolutionizing their business. Soon enough, they decided to take the plunge and invest some money in the new technology. “We really got going with it in about 1990,” Harlin said. “We went out and bought some of the very best cows in the nation. That’s the only way you can sell embryos; you’ve got to have stuff that other people really want.” The process of embryo transfer breeding is simple enough to understand in general, but it requires great preparation and caution. Therefore, a specialist carries out the bulk of the transfer process. First, a cow is administered “synchronization shots” for four days. These shots contain a follicle-stimulating hormone that allows the cow to produce more than one egg at a time. On the sixth day, the cow is artiÀcially inseminated.
FFocusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTO BY MICHAEL STRASBURG
Sawmill on the hill Swartzentruber specializes in high grade lumber By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer LONG PRAIRIE – Moses Swartzentruber has worked with various woods his entire life, and at age 32, runs his own business, Hilltop Sawmill, LLC. Located on a gravel road in the rolling hills southwest of Long Prairie, the young man specializes in high grade lumber. For that, he can thank a local university. “What got me started in high grade was St. John’s University. They
came to us. They wanted someone to grade, saw and sticker their lumber. They checked out several sawmills and chose us,” Swartzentruber said. He explained that the university was offering a short course on grading lumber, and they offered to pay his tuition if he would take the course. He was in his late teens at the time. It paid off for Swartzentruber, but it also beneÀtted St. John’s. Every winter, the university harvests certain trees from their property of several thousand acres, which are turned into lumber at Hilltop Sawmill and used to make into high-end furniture for the campus.
SWARTZENTRUBER continued on page 6
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
DOUBLE-H continued on page 4
Moses Swartzentruber (right) operates Hilltop Sawmill, LLC with the help of his employees (from left) Dan, Isaac and Jerry Swartzentruber.