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Sports season begins: page 6 New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 19
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Koepp recognized for 40 years Kruger stable, positive despite paralysis BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — The city of Sauk Rapids recognized an employee for a milestone of service Monday evening. Denny Koepp received a plaque for his 40 years of employment with the city at the Aug. 14 Sauk Rapids City Council meeting. Koepp is a member of the public works department. “An anniversary is an occasion to look back at what you have done. You can do this with satisfaction because you’ve always done a pretty good job,” said Sauk Rapids Public Works Director Pete Eckhoff with a smile. “Forty years of service not only includes your 8-hour work day but it counts nights and weekends here for the pool or splash pad or sewer back-ups. You’re one of the best Denny, and we want to send you warm wishes. Congratulations on your anniversary and I look forward to your next 40 years of service.” The crowd chuckled and Koepp was congratulated by fellow staff members. In other council news: • Appointed Jason Ellering to the Community Education Advisory
Council, with Nick Sauer as an alternate. The council meets with the Community Education staff to offer feedback on average every two months. Phillip Klaphake, Recreation and Middle School Activities Director, gave a presentation about the progress in the Community Education programs and asked for the city’s support in Àlling one vacant spot on the current advisory council. • Authorized the execution of the commercial construction contract with Project 1 regarding the remodel of the Old Log Building at Municipal Park. • Approved the replacement of eight laptop computers and computer mounts in squad cars. • Approved the Ànance director’s attendance at the Minnesota Government Finance OfÀcers Association conference in September. • Amended the animal control ordinance to include raptors. A city resident will be participating in the Minnesota DNR Falconry program. The raptor(s) will not be permitted to be Áown within city limits. The amendment does not include
SRCC: page 3
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids Mayor Kurt Hunstiger (left) and Public Works Director Pete Eckhoff (right) congratulate Denny Koepp Aug. 14 for his 40 years of service in the public works department at the city of Sauk Rapids.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Mark Kruger, 22, of Rice, is visited by cousin and best friend Mitch PÁipsen Aug. 12 at the North Memorial Hospital. Kruger is paralyzed from the chest down after a diving accident Aug. 7 on Little Rock Lake. BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
RICE — One week after a diving accident, a Rice man is in good spirits and staying positive, despite having lost mobility to most of his body. Mark Kruger, 22, was airlifted from the shores of Little Rock Lake to North Memorial Hospital Aug. 7 after diving head Àrst into the water from an inoperable boat. Mark struck his head on something under the water, and as a result lost all movement to his legs and sustained limited movement to his arms. Mark’s father, Gary, who was in the boat with him, jumped into the water and held Kruger above water until help arrived. According to Mark’s brother David, Mark had been working on a boat that had been running poorly. Gary and Mark, along with Mark’s dog, girlfriend and uncle, took the watercraft on the lake to test drive it and did some tubing before the boat’s motor completely failed. The two were in the middle of the lake, and after trying multiple remedies with the motor, Mark decided to jump in, swim to shore and use his own boat to retrieve the others.
“It was only two feet deep when my Dad jumped in to roll him over and resuscitate him, but Mark has an incredible memory of the whole thing happening,” David said. “He remembers details of my Dad yelling at him after he was in shock and he swears he did not hit the [lake bottom]. Mark says it was a log or something that he hit. He remembers diving in, and he got completely Áat in the water and then he hit something. He came up and he couldn’t feel his legs and he was in a lot of pain.” Unable to communicate to his dad that he needed help and fearful of drowning, Mark held his breath in order to render himself unconscious. That was when Gary noticed something was wrong and came to Mark’s rescue. David said his brother has always been fun to be around, optimistic and worried about others more than himself, so it was just like Mark to tell them, “You guys are more worried than me. It’s going to be OK” while they were waiting to be admitted to surgery in the emergency room. Mark fractured his spine in multiple spots and severed his spinal cord at the C6 vertebrae. Surgery
consisted of fusing together his top three vertebrae C1, C2 and C3, as well as C5, C6 and C7 and T1. Mark is paralyzed from the chest down and has limited mobility of his arms and hands. He is unable to move his Àngers, but he has learned to coordinate a passive grasp and release mechanism by Áexing and extending his wrists. But despite the injuries, Mark is making progress. “He’s been seeing PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy) every single day, twice a day,” David said. “They have him sitting up in his bed. Today he brushed his teeth. He can’t use his hands but they have a Velcro device they put on his hand and he can still move his right arm well enough where he is brushing his teeth. He has been itching his head. He’s been feeding himself. When they sit him up, they make him hold himself up and he’s almost to the point where he can hold himself up with nobody else supporting him.” Once Mark’s pain is under control and manageable, David said his brother would be transferred
Kruger: page 3
Earning an Eagle Durant revamps city park BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
RICE — At the corner of Division Street North and West Main Street in Rice, rests a patch of grass surrounded by stone pillars and wooden posts. Three poles stand without Áags and a monument has been missing for a number of years. Veterans Memorial Park will be getting a facelift this summer as part of a local resident’s determination to receive his Eagle Scout award. Jared Durant, son of Dan and Sandy Durant of Rice, will be repairing and refurbishing the park with help from his troop. “I really want people to know this park,” said Jared Durant, who has been involved with the Scouts since eligibility in Àrst grade. “People don’t know what this park was — you can’t see by any means that this is Memorial Park. I want people to know this is an actual park and there is a purpose as to why it is here.” A member of Troop 473 of the Central Minnesota Council Boy Scouts of America, Durant plans to restore the park by painting, trimming, and upgrading items in the park, as well as by reinstalling PHOTO SUBMITTED a monument which commemorates The former monument at Veteran Memorial Park in Rice will be refurbished the area’s World War II veterans. and restored with a new engraved nameplate. “I’m redoing some of the
boarding around the monument because it needed to be sanded and refurbished,” Durant said. “Then I’m actually going to place a sheet of metal in there with all the names of those who served during WWII from Rice. When I got the former monument from Mark Sauer [Rice Public Works and Utilities Department], it had all thee names on it, but most of the plaquess were broken and needed to be restored. The monument itself was really worn and it all needed to be repainted and everything.” The Eagle Scout award is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America program and was established over 100 years ago. Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts are granted the status after a lengthy review process of their time spent within the Scouts. The young men must obtain at least 21 merit badges and exhibit an attitude in accordance with Scout Oath and Law. They must also present and execute a service project — the Eagle Project — which displays planning, organizing, leadership and management skills.
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Jared Durant, of Rice, is restoring Veteran Memorial Park in Rice for his Eagle Scout Project. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 473.
Upon completion l i off the h project j bby the age of 18 and acceptance by a board of review, Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal, badge and lifetime acknowledgment of the award. Durant decided on the project in late April. “I remember one [a monument] being there and had commented to my dad when they took it down. It’s been in the back of my mind forever,” Durant said. Using his own money, he enlisted Mustang Signs and Graphics to help create the new nameplate and has solicited donations from local businesses to help offset the costs
Durant: page 3
PAGE 2 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
LOCAL NEWS
Rice
26th annual
Family Fun Day
BY N BY NATASHA ATA AT ASHA ASHA AS A BARBER BAR ARBE RBE BER R STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — A musical show with the same unexpected energy of the famed candy by the identical name will grace the stage at the Rice Family Fun Day street dance this year. Pop ROCKS will perform Aug. 19, beginning at 9:30 p.m. following the announcement of the rafà e winners. The live music show, which has performed across the United States as well as in the Middle East and Europe for U.S. Troops, will feature a
variety of music performed by multiple lead singers. “It’s very high energy. It’s very theatrical. It’s sort of a one-of-a-kind thing out there,� said Chad Higgins, manager of Pop ROCKS. “The best way to describe it is like a Vegas show, but set here in the Midwest. You’re going to have about 40 costume changes, and they’re going to play every genre of music for the past thirty years — pop, rock, dance, R&B and country.� Higgins said that although some groups perform in costumes, not many have
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taken on the challenge of having multiple costume changes while performing a vast variety of music. It is something that makes the Minneapolis-based Pop Rocks group special. “You have three lead singers, so the band is constantly changing. There is no down time of tuning and excessive talking. It’s one thing to the next to the next. While two are off stage change, one is on stage singing. This is a constant impersonation show — just one thing after another, all over the place,� Higgins said. Community members can expect to see some major stars Saturday evening as the likenesses of artists such as Lady Gaga, Twisted Sister, Joan Jett, Macklemore, Jason Aldean, Pink and Shania Twain hit the stage. “The musicians on stage all have degrees in different levels of music and a couple of the singers have theatrics training that they went to in college. You have a combination of all those things. And then some are just trained by the fact that they’ve been performing live for the last 15 years,� said Higgins, of the band which has been performing for over 10 years. “At the beginning, it was just a fun cover band, but it has really grown to what it is today.�
Schedule
to perform Aug. 19, 2017 8:30 a.m. Noon 2:45 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 9 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
Softball tournament at Rice ball Ă€elds Food and beer stands open Volleyball tournament at O’Brien’s Pub Kids’ games and inĂ atables Kiddie parade. All kids welcome. Line up at 2:30 p.m. at post ofĂ€ce. Parade. Begins at First Ave. NE, East Main Street. Ends at Division Street N, Fourth Street NE. Mid Central Pullers at The Old Creamery Cafe FireĂ€ghter water Ă€ghts Street dance featuring “Gregory James Bandâ€? RafĂ e drawing Street dance featuring “Pop Rocksâ€?.
“The musicians on stage all have degrees in different levels of music and a couple of the singers have theatrics training...� - Chad Higgins
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PAGE 4 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
OPINION
Letter to the Editor
Risk versus reward
Comments on columns
Tony Kroll, Sauk Rapids Your article, “Waste not, want not” in the Aug. 3 issue, was very much to the point. We waste too much food. There is so much food in our country. We waste so many resources to produce it. There are so many hungry people in the world. We know that. We also know that we have been called to be a friendly country. It is time to put that into practice and invite the hungry people to join us here and help us eat that excess food. I did enjoy reading Mercy Nygaard’s article, “Way Beyond You.” Her point of view is quite enveloping. She has such a gorgeous vocabulary. Her description of the end in view is so protruding. I would like to add to her message ... it seems to me that today we spend too much energy developing our externals instead of developing our personalities. We might become an immature culture. Maybe we have already.
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It is here. The 2017 Storm football season But Coach Mags and now Coach Klaphake, is upon us. My middle-schooler could not be as well as the entire coaching staff and volunteers, more excited. are teaching our sons and daughters more than Lucas began his football career in third the rules of football. They are developing their grade, the earliest children are eligible young minds to become leaders, to think for to begin full-pads, tackle football in themselves and to do what is right in tough Sauk Rapids-Rice. I’m still struggling to situations. understand all the positions on the gridiron BY NATASHA BARBER Lucas started football with a best friend by but my 71 pound, 4 foot 8.5 inch string bean his side but has remained in the program while has played full back, corner back, tight end others dropped out and joined. He’s bridged and even on the line. the two-town differences by meeting students Three years ago it was a resistant decision to of other elementary schools well before he steps foot into register him in the program, but today there is not even sixth grade this year. He’s both witnessed and turned the a slight hesitation. Because despite the information about other cheek to the token bullies and is a better person for it. concussions and the dangers of football, at this point the He’s had fun, and, most of all, realized that if he dedicates, rewards outweigh the risks. practices and sets his mind to something he can achieve it When we started football, Coach Magnuson made a no matter his small stature or what others say. good point. The staff put the rough-housing third graders in Football has opened opportunities for him. He now full pads and helmets because they knew that no matter if wants to be involved in basketball, track and Àeld and a they told the kids to not tackle during touch football, some plethora of other extracurricular clubs and activities this of them would tackle anyway. The staff at that time believed year. if they were to teach these boys football, they’d start young There’s always a risk of injury no matter what sport and do it right – full pads and all. Coach Klaphake shows or activity you enjoy. There’s even a risk of injury while the same concern. The equipment used today is much more walking or typing consistently for years on a keyboard. But protective than it has been in the past, but on top of that we can’t live in a bubble and we shouldn’t make our kids the players are learning techniques and skills to position do so either. Instead, we should make informed decisions, themselves and execute drills in ways to minimize harm. take a risk and grow from each experience.
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You got up this morning, stretched, gained or shut is by weighing which one is more focus, relieved yourself. How long did it comfortable and peaceful. God obviously shut take you to grab a cup of coffee or breakfast. the uncomfortable door right? Perhaps you had to let the dog out ¿rst or tend The good news is, if we seek the Kingdom, to a crying baby. Most likely, whatever your seek God’s righteousness, trust in the Lord and routine is, it’s mostly comfortable. Even if you not lean on our own understanding, the door are sore from labor the day before or sore from we choose will be blessed. Maybe it won’t feel age, their is comfort in routine and comfort like it this year, or the next. It may be stinkin’ in western culture. After all, most of us aren’t uncomfortable for a while but God tells us, contending with the echoes of porters shooting “And we know that all things work together for BY MERCY NYGAARD off nearby, or heavy artillery. good to those who love God, to those who are I was simply reminded of comfort this the called according to His purpose,” Romans Life by Faith past week. Comfort on so many levels. It’s 8:28. comfortable to have a job and earn an income If your family is like ours, it seems like and it sure helps to supplement a more comfortable lifestyle. there is always a big decision on the brink or coming up in It’s also comfortable to not have a job and not have to leave the near future. Keep praying through those decisions and the home. Everyone’s idea of it varies a little. remember that it isn’t always comfortable. Our teacher on Sunday reminded us of the phrase, All the great work the disciples of Jesus did was almost “God opened a door,” or, “God closed that door.” We so never comfortable. But we can still gain the peace Jesus often think that the way we discern which has been opened gives to us through Jesus.
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It’s Ànally here! The day I’ve been I remember the Àrst time I was told to cover counting down to for over two and a half sports. In my head, I thought that was probably months. the single worst assignment I could have had Yeah, I know that’s not very long. But when starting out my career with the paper. I either way, it’s Ànally here. The day when knew nothing about sports, let alone how to all of our fall athletes come back to the high come up with enough to write about. Now here school to start their fall season. we are, two years later, and I love it. Only a crazy person like me would count I still bafÁe myself at how that happened. down to the Àrst day of practice for fall sports. BY ANNA SALDANA When I was in high school, I was the furthest I But I have been. could possibly get from being around athletics. When I walked out to the practice Àelds I took the fewest amount of physical education at the high school and saw our athletes running around and classes that I needed in both high school and college and our coaches – doing what they do best – my heart felt like the only time I ever got close to a sporting event was it was where it belonged. homecoming. Even then I was on the farthest side of the I think it’s awesome that I can have that sense of crowd, walking around with my friends just to hang out fulÀllment from something I’ve missed so much over the with them. summer. But now, walking around on the practice Àelds or But when I really think about it, I wonder where the standing on the sidelines of a game, I feel like I’m in my sense of longing and fulÀllment really came from. It kind of element. I relish the feeling of watching a big play through hit me like a ton of bricks. Or like a big, heavy freight train. the lens of my camera and then the roar of the crowd behind me as I’m frantically writing down what I can remember of the play and listening closely for the commentary after that, particularly at a football game. At other events, I go off of memory until I can talk with the coach or verify against the results. But there is just something about that moment that makes attending the whole game worthwhile. EMPLOYMENT MISCELLANEOUS Within a few weeks, the teams will have started their KMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS GOT KNEE PAIN? seeking full-time Social Worker/ Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a competition season and me personally, I can’t wait. Counselor beginning August, 2017. pain-relieving brace - little or no Until then, I may see you on the sidelines of a practice. Apply at www.kms.k12.mn.us, cost to you. Medicare patients call But I will deÀnitely see you on the sidelines of a game! on applitrack or letter of interest, resume, health
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PAGE 6 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
Cyclones fall against the Saints 5 IP (6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB); Hille – 5 IP (3 H, 1 K, 3 BB); Bentrud – 0.1 IP (2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR)
BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
The Sauk Rapids Cyclones ended their season in a 4-1 loss against the Beaudreau’s Saints Aug. 12 during the section playoffs. The Clones won the previous game 10-4 against the Marshall A’s Aug. 11. Saints 4, SR 1 Sauk Rapids had eight hits during the game, two each from Paul Schlangen and Joel Haller. Mitch Loegering scored the lone run for the Cyclones. Nate Freihammer, Jeff Hille and Lucas Bentrud split time on the hill for the Cyclones, striking out only two batters.
Hoppe reÁects on time in minor league baseball
SR 10, Marshall 4 The Cyclones came alive in their home game against the Marshall A’s, pounding out 12 hits and scoring 10 runs. Mat Meyer and Tom Wippler led the team across the plate with two runs apiece. Loegering, Schlangen, Bo Schmitz, Scott Lochner, Andy Thayer, and Tyler Bjork each BY ANNA SALDANA brought in one run. STAFF WRITER Bjork racked up Àve RBIs during the game as well. SAUK RAPIDS – Jason David Kroger and Hille threw a combined nine innings with Hoppe has always had a passion for baseball. He 18 strikeouts. started his time on the Àeld M 0-0-4-0-0-0-0-0-0 SR 0-0-6-0-1-0-3-0-X as a pitcher for the Sauk Loegering – 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; Rapids-Rice Storm and that Schlangen – 1 R, 1 H; Schmitz – was just the beginning. 1 R, 1 BB; Meyer – 2 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; “I’ll admit that I didn’t Lochner – 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB; Thayer – 1 R; T. Wippler – 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; Bjork take baseball too seriously – 1 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; Kroger – 1 H, 6.2 in high school, because IP (10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 12 K, 1 BB, 1 HR); the drive to do well just Hille – 1 BB, 2.1 IP (6 K) wasn’t there like it should have been,” Hoppe said. “However, I got recruited by Minnesota State University – Mankato to play for their team, a Division II school and we went on to have lots of success.” Hoppe and his team competed in the College World Series three years in a row, taking third place in both his sophomore and senior years, as well as taking second in his junior year. After taking second in his junior year, Hoppe was hoping to make it into the minor leagues. “I really thought I had an opportunity after the great season we had,” Hoppe said. “I remember sitting at my computer for hours during the draft that year, just waiting and hoping. But it never came and that was hard.” When the time came for the draft after his senior year, Hoppe knew he wasn’t going to sit around in front of the computer. “It was too hard to bear the year before, so on the third day of the draft – rounds 11-40 – which iss where I Àgured I’d end up, my friend Alex and I went
out to Territory Golf Club and we were shooting at the second hole when I got a call from the New York Mets with an offer, saying they were going to draft me. It was an exciting moment, but the rest of my golf game was a struggle after that.” When messages began Áooding Hoppe’s phone, he found out he was drafted not by the New York Mets, but by the Texas Rangers in the 27th round. “It was unexpected, but way cool that it happened,” Hoppe said. “It was nice to know I had a couple different teams that wanted me. But it was a moment of pure excitement on the fairway. Like jumping up and down and all of it.” Hoppe was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in the second week of July, allowing him to jump around to different teams. “That was the time of my life where I got to travel around the country a lot, mainly on buses, and got to see so many different things,” Hoppe said. “I learned a lot about where I don’t want to live. I’ve also learned that I really don’t like long, overnight bus rides. Those 10-hour rides were never fun. You
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Jason Hoppe played for the Los Angeles Angels at the A level of the minor leagues.
were always doubled up with someone and, even though you got to know your teammates better, you could never get good quality sleep on the bus.” Throughout his time as a pitcher, Hoppe has competed in short season, low A and high A using three signature pitches – the change-up, the slider and the fastball. “I especially like when I can start a game, because then I feel I can use my slider more and have a good balance of all three pitches,” Hoppe said. “But I also really like throwing
the change-up because I can throw it anytime. It’s a good pitch for me.” Hoppe was released from the minor leagues a few months ago, but felt he wasn’t ready to quit on the baseball chapter of his life. “I decided to give Driveline Baseball, a velocity based program in Kent, Wash., a try to help with training, which it did,” Hoppe said. “But I still didn’t have any contracts after that. Now I’ve been pitching for the Saint Paul Saints, which is nice. It’s closer to home and it’s a great way to log some innings. With the Saints, it’s more about winning than it is about player development and prospects.” Currently, Hoppe is trying to decide if he wants to keep trying for a contract or if he wants to close that chapter of his life. Either way, he knows he wants baseball to be a part of his life. “I would love to be a coach or do lessons. College athletics would be a lot of fun,” Hoppe said. “Being a pitching coach would be a lot of fun, because I could share my experiences and still be involved in the game I love so much.”
The Storm is rolling in
PHOTOS BY ANNA SALDANA
(Above) Morgan Paulson swims laps in the pool during practice. (Left) Chloe Stockinger prepares to give the ball a hard kick during a drill with her teammates. (Right) Adrian Stang stops the ball during a drill at Monday’s soccer practice.
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SR 1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 BS 0-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-3 Loegering – 1 R, 1 H; Schlangen – 2 H; Lochner – 1 H; Bjork – 1 BB; T. Wippler – 1 H; Haller – 2 H; Kroger – 1 H; Freihammer –
A career on the mound
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Fall athletes had Àrst practice Monday school for the Àrst time in two months on Monday, but rather than heading to the classroom, SAUK RAPIDS – Some they gathered in the gym, of the Sauk Rapids-Rice pool and on the practice Àelds High School students came to outside. BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017
Belkholms named Kanabec Farm Family of the Year
BY JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER
BRAHAM – With on-farm advancements, as well as their unique way of retaining labor, the Belkholm family has become an icon for agriculture in Minnesota. Kevin and Tammy Belkholm are not only dairy farmers, but also mentors and volunteers within the community of Braham. It is because of their service to others and their upstanding personalities that the Belkholms were recently named Kanabec County’s 2017 Farm Family of the Year at the annual recognition ceremony held Aug. 3, during Farmfest in Redwood Falls. “We were surprised and honored,” said Tammy, of accepting the award. “We’re just one of many good farmers out there.” The Belkholms milk 300 cows in a double-8 parallel parlor with the help of eight employees and their youngest daughter, BreAnna, 18. Kevin and Tammy have three grown children, who are no longer involved on the farm – Erica and her husband,
Kenny, and their daughter, Cora, 4; Mike; and Ross. While Kevin oversees the dairy and employees, as well as the farm’s 900 acres of cropland, Tammy is responsible for bookkeeping and records on the farm. Additionally, Kevin’s mother runs to town for equipment parts and delivers meals to the Àelds. “It’s nice when we can work together as a family,” Tammy said. Kevin agreed. “At one point, we had Dad packing corn silage, Tammy running the chopper, and Mike, Ross and myself chopping silage. Mom and BreAnna came out and brought lunch to all of us,” he said. Kevin purchased the farm from his parents, Chester and Violet, in 1991. Previously, the family worked in a partnership where they milked upwards of 110 cows in a 60-stall tiestall barn. “At that point, we were toying
PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE
Tammy and Kevin Belkholm milk 300 cows near Braham. They were recently named this year’s Kanabec County Farm Family of the Year.
Belkholm: page 3B
Brion wins premiere showmanship competition BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — It was a sheep that earned her the spot in the ring the Wednesday, Aug. 2, but it was her knowledge of all Àve animals — a beef and a dairy cow, a pig, a goat and her ewe — that sent her Lauren Brion home with a traveling trophy that day. Brion is Benton County 4-H’s newest senior champion premier showmanship winner. The 18-year-old Central Minnesota Lama Club member captured the title during competition at the Benton County Fairgrounds Aug. 2. “It’s really great considering this is my Àrst year ever competing in
premier showmanship,” said Brion, the daughter of Tom and Kristy Brion of Monticello. Living within city limits, Brion began her 4-H journey seven years ago after asking her parents for a pet rabbit. She persuaded the purchase by telling them she would participate in 4-H, showing the rabbit at the county
fair. Brion’s one rabbit accumulated to 20 — 16 of which were entered in the Benton County Fair this year—and since joining Benton County 4-H Àve years ago, the high school graduate has expanded her showing skills to both llama and sheep. Brion: page 2B
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Lauren Brion, of Monticello, receives the 2017 Senior Champion Premier Showmanship trophy after winning Lauren Brion shows a beef cow during 4-H Premier Showmanship the competition Aug. 2 at the Benton competition Aug. 2 at the Benton County Fair. County Fairgrounds.
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Brion
“I love animals and love the opportunity to spend time with them”
from front “My Àrst goal was to win sheep showmanship to be able to participate in this,” said Brion of the premier competition. “Sheep was my only way in. I also show rabbits and llamas but they are not included in this.” Her second year showing her woolly friends, she did. The 4-H Premier Senior Showmanship competition pools the senior livestock champions from Àve species — beef, sheep, swine, goat and dairy cattle — and tests the participants on their cumulative knowledge of all Àve animals. Each contestant spends Àve minutes with each species while a judge questions them about the animal. The participants are scored on the both their answers to the questions, as
- Lauren Brion well as the presentation of the animal. Rylee Hackett (beef), Nathan Popp (dairy), Rochelle Bellefeuille (swine) and Angela Konz (goat) were Brion’s competitors. Konz received an honorable mention. Other than sheep, Brion has no experience showing the livestock animals chosen for the competition. Yet, she didn’t go into the ring without any knowledge. “I was kind of a nerd and studied,” Brion said. “But I didn’t know what their questions would be, so I didn’t know what to study for
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exactly.” Brion researched gestation periods for each animal and studied the cuts of meat and body parts. She also informed herself about common illnesses, parasites and diseases found in each breed. And although she didn’t choose to participate in livestock quiz bowl with the intention of prepping for the premier showmanship competition, Brion said her knowledge gained earlier in the year was very helpful to her during the contest. As Brion begins her fall and pursues her career as a large animal vet, she’ll have a few things to show for her animal passion that might some day become a career. As Benton County’s 2017 Senior PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER Premier Showmanship winner, Lauren Brion (right) answers a judge’s question about a dairy cow during the 4-H Premier Brion’s name will appear in Showmanship competition Aug. 2 at the Benton County Fair. the fairgrounds Show Arena for the following year and be added to the traveling trophy. She will also receive a custom jacket and a plaque for her achievement. “I love animals and love the opportunity to spend time with them,” Brion said. “I like the process of working with them for the whole year and then publicizing them at the fair.” Brion has one more year she is eligible to participate in 4-H activities, but with a person only allowed to win premier showmanship once, she’ll be stepping aside for a new 4-Her to take the title next year. BA_Aug17_1B_MT
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Lauren Brion (right) listens carefully as a judge asks a question about a goat during the 4-H Premier Showmanship competition Aug. 2 at the Benton County Fair.
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BENTON AG | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | PAGE 3B
PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE
The Belkholms milk in a double-8 parlor that was built in 1996. Space at the end of the parlor allows the Belkholms to expand to a double-12, if necessary.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Belkholms – (front, from left) Kenny holding Cora, Tammy, Erica and BreAnna; (back, from left) Kevin, Ross and Michael – are this year’s Kanabec County Farm Family of the Year. The dairy farm near Braham.
Belkholms from front
industry was learning.” However, as the farm has grown, so has the need for reliable labor. Aside from a few adults working as full-time hired help, the Belkholms have looked towards high school and foreign exchange students to aid in the responsibilities of the farm. “We started looking for help through exchange programs when Ross was 8 months old,” Tammy said. For the past 26 years, the Belkholms have welcomed students from Brazil, the
Czech Republic, Japan, France, Denmark, Poland and Estonia – all of whom have participated in an educational exchange program. Currently, Marcos and Caio, both of Brazil, are working for the Belkholms. “Marcos and Caio come from the cities and had little farming experience before coming to work with us,” Kevin said. “Most of the students we work with want to get into agribusiness, and this is their chance to learn about the dairy industry. They work hard, but we try to make it fun,
with the idea of a new barn, but we had to have the cattle,” Kevin said. Tammy agreed. “Once Chester retired, we made all of the Ànancial and business decisions,” she said. In 1996, once Kevin and Tammy knew the direction they wanted to take the farm, they built a 300-stall freestall barn and double-8 parlor, with room to expand to a double-12, a short distance from the home farm. “We toured many barns, and the closest one was by Foley; but we were one of the Àrst farms in our area to build a freestall barn,” Kevin said. As construction of the facilities was underway, the Belkholms increased their herd. By January 1997, cows were moved to the new location. “We had a lot of snow that year. With snow piled up along the road, it was perfect to walk the cattle down the road,” PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE Kevin said. “The state patrol Kevin Belkholm helps foreign exchange student Caio, of closed the road, and we chased Brazil, give a heifer calf medication. The Belkholms currently the cows over to the new barn. have two students from Brazil working on their farm. It could’ve easily been a zoo, but it all went smoothly.” Over the last two decades, CENTRA SOTA COOPERATIVE - Santiago, MN the Belkholms have made Now Hiring! improvements to their facilities – adding a bedded pack to the end of the freestall barn for pre-fresh and special needs cows, and also remodeling Custom agronomy application the original tiestall barn into a calf facility equipped with an Qualifications: Class A CDL or able to attain; automatic calf feeder, among Previous applicator experience preferred but other advancements. With every improvement not required (willing to train); Clean MVR; to the dairy, the Belkholms Able to attain commercial applicator license made the best decision for themselves and the future of the farm. If you’re looking for a great employment opportunity with “Dairy farming is a excellent earning potential, apply today! lifestyle, and we’re always looking for ways to make it E-mail or fax resumes to: better,” Kevin said. “I’m glad careers@centrasota.com or we took chances and embraced 763-662-2364 the changes of the industry, like or apply in person at: how we milk and feed cows. At 2168 - 165th Ave • Santiago, MN the time, it was a different way (Mon-Fri 8am – 5pm) of doing things, but we were BA-1B-RB open to adapting to what the
too.” Tammy agreed. “They want to do it all – learn everything they possibly can about the industry, and our country and culture,” she said. “After a year, they take all the hands-on experiences with them.” The Belkholms have hosted 19 international exchange students, including Marcos and Caio, through two programs – MAST International with the University of Minnesota and International Farmers Aid Association, based in California. “It’s always been a fun and interesting cultural experience having them on the farm with us,” Tammy said.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE
Tammy Belkholm shows where many of their foreign exchange students have come from, along the coast of Brazil.
When the Belkholms reÁect on their dairy farming career, they are humbled – from the opportunity they were given to purchase the farm to the support they received as they made critical management decisions to being honored
to represent their agricultural community as this year’s farm family. “If we tried Àguring it out on our own, we wouldn’t be here in this position,” Kevin said. “Assortments of people have helped us.”
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PAGE 4B | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | BENTON AG
Benton County cover crop trial: Improving soil, clearing up lakes
BY ANN WESSEL got very different results. compare the 2017 harvest with percent of costs, providing a tiny piece of $1.5 million in Lake. MINNESOTA BOARD OF SOIL Both started with a nurse and without a cover crop. The sort of insurance. improvements made possible “It’s never going to be AND WATER RESOURCES crop of oats, which lodged following season, he plans to Among the risks: A cover with Clean Water Fund grants crystal clear like the lakes up
SAUK RAPIDS — Is Mel farming that Àeld? Ever so casually, the neighbors asked his wife. Mel Hauck is renting the land. What the neighbors really wanted to know was why, in early June, a crop of volunteer rye grass was coming up with the corn. The rye, which was sprayed and died back shortly after the neighbors’ conversation, was one of the unanticipated products of a cover crop Hauck planted two years earlier. In 2015, he tried cover crops in two Àelds and
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shortly before harvest. On 34 acres of higher ground slated for soybeans, the combine picked up some of the oats. By the time the beans were ready to harvest, the rye cover crop was 8 to 10 inches tall. Hauck worried it would impede harvest; it didn’t. On 16 acres of low-lying ground slated for corn, the oats lodged enough that the combine couldn’t pick it up. That layer of downed oats kept the ground cold during an unseasonably wet spring. Ry e germination was spotty; some of it came up the following year. That didn’t deter Hauck. Hauck’s giving cover crops another shot – with help from a Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources Clean Water Fund grant. A $2,500 Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program grant helped cover the 2015 project. In August, Hauck plans to sow a wide, 20- or 30-acre swath, likely a rye-berseem clover mix, down the middle of a 64-acre soybean Àeld. Within the same Àeld, he will
Sauk Rapids Police Police Department activity Sauk Rapids Department activity Monday, July 31 0232 – suspicious Benton Dr N 0425 – controlled substance 300 block 13th St N 0912 – theft 300 block 2nd Ave N 0917 – theft 1400 block 2nd Ave S 1135 – extra patrol 1137 – extra patrol 1248 – civil 200 block 13th St N 1252 – warrant 200 block Summit Ave N 1441 – theft 400 block Benton Dr S 1514 – records check 1527 – records check 1703 – civil 1100 block Franklin Ave 1838 – domestic 300 block 4th St S 2213 – assault 1100 block Hillside Rd 1 trafÀc stop, 4 assists, 3 ordinances, 3 alarms Tuesday, August 1 0008 – 911 0929 – suspicious Benton Dr 1234 – trespassing 900 block 1st St S 1237 – drunk 1306 – parking 1412 – domestic 100 block 18th St NW 1435 – records check 1526 – theft 800 block Benton Dr S 1543 – welfare check 1300 block 13th St Cir 1547 – fraud Benton Dr N 1903 – trespassing 2048 – trafÀc accident 900 block Benton Dr N 2143 – domestic 1200 block 10th Ave NE 2221 – dvs 2342 – suspicious 1200 block 4th Ave N 2356 - driving 2 trafÀc stops, 3 medicals, 2 assists, 1 ordinance Wednesday, August 2 0010 – suspicious 700 block 7th St S 0253 – welfare check 200 block 13th St N 0255 – suspicious 1000 block Summit Ave N 0628 – train 0903 – suspicious River Ave N 1059 – property 300 block 7th St S 1149 – predatory offender registry 200 block Summit Ave N 1218 – warrant 1300 block 13th St Cir 1245 – 600 block Benton Dr N 1251 – fraud 1400 block 2nd Ave N 1450 – trafÀc hazard 600 block 8th St N 1550 – criminal damage to property 1000 block 4th St S 1728 – animal 100 block 1st St S 1818 – 100 block 1st St S 1949 – suicidal person 600 block 2nd Ave S 2021 – civil 800 block Benton Dr N 2321 – welfare check 5th St S 7 trafÀc stops, 3 assists, 4 medicals, 1 alarm
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compare corn growth rates. “What I’m trying to do is protect my land at its most vulnerable time of year,” Hauck said, referring to the potential for erosion in the spring and fall. The cover crop will remain after harvest, through the winter and into spring. It’s meant to prevent erosion and add nutrients to the soil. Hauck raises about 235 acres of corn and soybeans in St. George Township. He doesn’t have cows – and therefore doesn’t have manure to spread. “It’s sort of a monoculture – I’m only using two crops. Getting a cover crop in there is important for biodiversity,” Hauck said. Hauck hoped the cover crop, especially the rye, would out-compete water hemp, a voracious weed. The seeds will be broadcast with the aerial application of potash, scheduled for August to coincide with soybeans’ peak potash uptake. While Hauck didn’t anticipate yield would vary much, the estimated $1,500 in grant funds would cover 75
crop could exacerbate mold or disease in a wet year. It could impede drying. It could grow too tall and hamper combining. “Those grants have been instrumental in helping me decide whether or not I’m going to do this. Like everybody else, I like to make a proÀt,” Hauck said. “If I had a houseful of little kids sitting at the dinner table, proÀt would be No. 1.” But at age 78, with the end of his farming career in sight and none of his three children planning to take over, Hauck – a retired St. Cloud band director – had other things on his mind. “I told my landlord, I said, ‘Well you know, Gordon, it’s really not your land and it’s not mine. We just have a chance to use it for a few years here. I’d sure like the chance to see something done for the better,’” Hauck said. “It’s been rented for many years. But this land has been going downhill for the last 20 years, and I want to bring it back. I think we should do something with it to make it better than it was when I got it.” The Hauck project is one
Thursday, August 3 0003 – warrant 13th St Cir 1107 – search warrant 400 block 2nd St S 1129 – trafÀc accident Benton Dr 1141 – records check 1237 – 911 1314 – animal 200 block Summit Ave N 1330 – extra patrol 1334 – animal 200 block Summit Ave N 1345 – animal 200 block Summit Ave N 1408 – assault 300 block Summit Ave S 1419 – animal 200 block Summit Ave N 1454 – theft River Ave N 1629 – dvs 1658 – repo vehicle 1753 – parking 1947 – driving 2200 – domestic 1300 block 13th St Cir 2208 – suicidal person 500 block Benton Dr N 2300 – violation court order 800 block 2nd Ave S 2331 – disturbance 3rd Ave S 2356 – disturbance 300 block 4th St S 1 trafÀc stop, 1 alarm, 1 assist, 7 human services reports Friday, August 4 0205 – Áeeing 4th Ave S 0209 – vehicle 1109 – welfare check 100 block 15th St Ct 1147 – unwanted person 800 block Benton Dr N 1344 – parking 1441 – theft 100 block 1st St S 1630 – arrest 200 block Summit Ave N 1759 – fraud Broadway Ave 1842 – dvs 2022 – disturbance 1400 block 3rd Ave S 2036 – property 2132 – suspicious 500 block 5th Ave NE 2234 – theft 1400 block 3rd Ave S 2243 – drunk 2323 – suspicious 200 block Benton Dr N 2356 – suspicious 1400 block 3rd Ave S 2 trafÀc stops, 2 assists Saturday, August 5 0045 – suicidal person Benton Dr 0124 – suspicious 0246 – drunk 0829 – suspicious 500 block Benton Dr N 1117 – property 1134 – escort 1245 – civil 1100 block 1st Ave N 1637 – burning complaint 1900 block Benton Dr N 1744 – accident 1st St S 1744 – theft 300 block 6th Ave N 2029 – violation court order 1200 block 15th St NE 2122 – fraud Benton Dr S 2214 – arrest 300 block 13th St N 7 trafÀc stops, 7 assists, 3 medicals
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the Benton Soil & Water Conservation District received in 2016 and 2017. “It helps sustainable soil development,” said Jason Weinerman, Waite Park-based BWSR board conservationist. “It’s a small-dollar grant, but it’s a high education investment.” Hauck’s Àeld is part of Benton SWCD’s much larger effort to improve water quality in the Big Elk and Mayhew lakes watersheds. According to a 2010 assessment by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, both lakes are considered impaired due to high phosphorus levels. Improvements made throughout the watersheds – which in 2016 involved 12 landowners and 23 projects – could cut the algae blooms in both lakes. Benton County’s Mayhew Lake is more of a Àshing lake. Sherburne County’s Big Elk Lake gets more recreational use. Meeting water quality standards would mean cutting the existing phosphorus level by 78 percent in Mayhew Lake and 57 percent in Big Elk
north. These are some shallow lakes. They’re a lot more fertile lakes to begin with,” said Mike McMillin, district technician with Benton SWCD. They fall within the Elk River watershed, which drains 613 square miles, mostly in Benton and Sherburne counties. The area is Áat (the river drops about 3 feet per mile). Much of it is agricultural. Feedlot density is high. “It’s in a working landscape, so there’s multiple partners coming together, and there’s also lakeshore owners. You’re dealing with an extremely complex system on a somewhat contentious social landscape,” Weinerman said. “You’ve got farmers and you’ve got lakeshore owners and you’ve got renters and they’ve all got to work together to make this work.” The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ mission is to improve and protect Minnesota’s water and soil resources by working in partnership with local organizations and private landowners. Website: www. bwsr.state.mn.us.
Sunday, August 6 0111 – suspicious 300 block 7th Ave N 0112 – property 0118 – suspicious 1200 block Osauka Rd NE 0152 – animal 500 block Benton Dr N 0201 – open door 0957 – vehicle 1324 – suicidal person 2nd Ave N 1421 – Àre Hwy 10 1524 – unwanted person Benton Dr N 1524 – suspicious River Ave S 1534 – theft 300 block Benton Dr N 1541 – unwanted 400 block 4th St S 1613 – suspicious Island View Park, MN 1722 – theft 300 block 2nd Ave S 1726 – suspicious 1400 block 2nd Ave S 1729 – assault 1400 block 2nd Ave S 1824 – Àre 2nd Ave S 2001 – disturbance 1300 block 13th St Cir 2101 – disturbance 300 block 13th St N 2144 – harassment 1100 block 5th Ave 2246 – suspicious 200 block Benton Dr N 2 trafÀc stops, 1 assist, 2 medicals
Rice Police Department activity Monday, July 31 0915 – gun 100 block 1st Ave NE 1252 – animal 900 block 4th St NE 1 assist Tuesday, August 1 1554 – death 1st Ave NE 2003 – civil 2300 block Pine Rd NW 2143 – driving 2307 – disturbance 1300 block 3rd St SW 1 assist Wednesday, August 2 1449 – disorderly conduct 100 block Main St E 1904 – dumping Main St/Hwy 10 2 trafÀc stops, 1 alarm Thursday, August 3 0902 – driving 1249 – driving Friday, August 4 0918 – escort 0922 – suspicious 200 block 2nd Ave NW 1237 – suspicious 11th Ave SW Sunday, August 6 0930 – animal 300 block 3rd St SW 1738 – theft 2300 block Pine Rd NW 1945 – welfare check Hwy 10
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BENTON AG | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | PAGE 5B
Corn growers present $5,000 in scholarships
SAUK RAPIDS — The Benton Sherburne Corn Growers Association awarded $5,000 in scholarships, split between local students pursuing education in agriculture, at the Benton County Fair this month.
Kalley Otremba, of Sauk Rapids, and Leanna Schneider, of Foley, were each presented a check for $2,500 from the organization at the Benton County Fair Aug. 4. Otremba is a 2014 graduate of Sauk RapidsRice High School and is currently attending North Dakota State University, studying agribusiness with
a minor in accounting. Schneider graduated this past spring from Foley High School and will be attending the University of WisconsinRiver Falls this upcoming semester. She will begin her education in agricultural studies before deciding on a speciÀc area of study. The Benton Sherburne Corn Growers Association funds their scholarships through a golf tournament each year. The sixth annual Corncob Scramble will begin with a shotgun start at noon Sept. 11 at Territories Golf Club, St. Cloud. Anyone interested in participating in the event and raising money for the agricultural scholarships may contact Mark Koch at mark.koch@compeer.com. The Benton Sherburne organization is a member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association which advocates and provides education for sweet corn and
Sean Arnold, of the Benton Sherburne Corn Growers Association, presents Kalley Otremba, of Sauk Rapids, with a $2,500 scholarship toward her agricultural education.
July 2017 weather and phenology in review
Àeld corn growers across the state. It is estimated the two counties alone produced 13.2 million bushels of corn in 2016, with a value of over $43.6 million.
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Leanna Schneider, of Foley, receives a $2,500 scholarship from Sean Arnold, of the Benton Sherburne Corn Growers Association. The organization raises its scholarship funds through a golf outing each year.
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Weather: Almost a duplicate cowbirds have gone as I’ve not of last year temperature-wise. The seen them for a couple of weeks. averages were 61.58 and 82.64 Ruby-throated hummingbirds are degrees for the low and high. down in numbers along with most The coolest day of 55 degrees species of butterÀies. Canadian was July 3 while it made it to 92 geese started Àying mid-month. degrees July 15, the warmest day. A notable increase in the Temperatures reached 90 degrees number of monarch butterÀies on two days compared to one last hovering on or near the swamp year. Lots of humid and muggy BY JIM HOVDA and common milkweed. I’m on Rice days. the prowl for leaves being eaten by It rained on eleven days the monarch caterpillars. I suspect for a total of 4.38 inches of precipitation that the monarchs were laying eggs on the compared to 2016 when I measured no less milkweed, their favorite host plant. Only than 10.60 inches of rain. Most of that rain one tomato is starting to turn red. came from a storm July 11 when I recorded A good sign for our lake, a lot of 7.62 inches in 24 hours. It was one heck of Leopard frogs have appeared at the end a storm. Total precipitation for this calendar of the month. Brown toads in the grass all year is 20.24 inches. month. Local weather records for July: Our Another jump in population – bunnies. mid-summer temperatures dictate hot and They love the cracked corn at the base of the muggy weather. The coldest day occurred bird feeder. I should not forget the Àying in 1969 when the mercury dipped to a chilly squirrels that visit the hanging bird feeder 40 degrees, while in 1934 it made it to 107 ¿lled with sun Àower seeds every night. For degrees. I can’t remember when it made it such little creatures, they sure consume a to 100 degrees here. The most rain, 12.81 lot of seeds. Jim Larson reported that while inches, occurred in 1897. mowing really long grass in the yard he Phenology: Birds ¿rst. Notable — on witnessed several Garter snakes. July 2 both a red-headed woodpecker and a Little Rock Lake: Lake water levels bright red, male northern cardinal were on remained on the low side with levels the feeder at the same time. What a beautiful dropping all month. sight. At the north end of little Rock Lake, The water temperature at the beginning the most purple martins in several years. of the month was 68 degrees and 84 degrees Last year, only a few. Northern orioles July 29. Lots of algae but none of the blueare here in large numbers along with Blue green stuff that smells so terrible — at least Jays, tree swallows and rose-breasted not on the north end of the lake. Secchi grosbeaks. Without listing them all, disk measurement of 1 foot 5 inches was grackles, mourning doves, gold¿nch, red- the norm. bellied woodpecker, a Great blue heron and What’s ahead: Look for the purple grey catbirds were some of the other bird martins to bug out (pun) the ¿rst part of species. It appears that the brown-headed August. Some of the ¿rst birds to leave.
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Dicamba herbicide is getting a fair amount of need to consider a broad range of weed attention in agricultural crop news this summer. management options including, but not limited Dicamba is the common chemical name of a to Liberty Link technology, pre-emergent growth regulator herbicide that has been around herbicides, earlier applications of pre- and postfarms for at least three or four generations. It is emerge products, cultivation, crop rotations that in many products use to control dandelions and allow more diversity in weed control practices other weed in lawns. So what’s different now? and products; and yes, even hand weeding. During the last couple of years, soybean The most common soybean injury varieties were approved that were genetically symptom from dicamba is cupping of leaves modiÀed to tolerate dicamba. New formulations BY DAN MARTENS or leaves that are more “dish-shaped” than Áat. University of of dicamba were approved this year for use on Other kinds of stress can cause some cupping. MN Extension dicamba-tolerant soybeans. They are supposed Several articles related to this topic to be less volatile and less likely to move off can be found by doing an internet search Àelds. It is illegal to apply other formulations of dicamba for “Minnesota Extension Crop News.” These include, to these soybeans. The new dicamba products have detailed “Response of soybean yield to dicamba injury”, “Assess directions for minimizing risk to other Àelds. This work is and documenting yield loss due to dicamba injury”, and also being done with cotton in the south. others that include pictures of typical symptoms. MDA also Using dicamba on tolerant soybeans offers a signiÀcant has information on their websites. Agribusinesses are also opportunity to control weeds, like tall waterhemp, which is working hard on these issues. The goal is to get it right. resistant to other common broadleaf herbicides or soon will You’re welcome to call the extension ofÀce for any of this be. Herbicide and seed companies are working on other information. Articles are posted related to late season weeds herbicide products and crop varieties that are tolerant to and insect problems also. them. Late season weed issues Spraying more land with dicamba increases the risk that The answer is that there are probably not herbicide soybeans and other crops that are not tolerant to dicamba solutions to problem weeds in crop Àelds at this point in the will be injured by drift, volatilization, tank contamination or season. Poor control of large weeds, crop injury potential application errors. Extension Weed Scientist Jeff Gunsolus and pre-harvest intervals become limitations. Some people says that dicamba could volatilize for up to Àve days are hand weeding to prevent seed production in Àelds. after applications. In low dose exposure situations, leaf Some people might till down small patches of weed in symptoms might not be seen for 14 to 21 days. Temperature Àelds to prevent seed production. Combines do a great job inversion layers are an important concern, along with wind of spreading weed seed; and that should be avoided. and other factors. Gunsolus points out that “less volatile” I looked at a soybean Àeld infested with second does not mean “not volatile.” generation Thistle caterpillars in northeast Benton County The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is the lead Aug. 8. The treatment threshold for the stage of “blooming agency for investigating dicamba injury issues. MDA is and pod-Àll” is 20 percent leaf damage and 35 percent for responsible for permits to sell and use pest management the “pod-Àll to maturity” stage. This should be evaluated products. Calling MDA does not automatically result in from top to bottom in the canopy. There are protocols to a litigation process. MDA’s primary goal is determine follow for evaluating Àelds. The goal is to consider care whether dicamba is the problem; and then why or how. This of bees and other beneÀcial insects in the context of taking is the key to learning how to use the product effectively appropriate care of the crop. with less risk to non-target crops. MDA can be called with Please make safety a priority as we begin and prepare concerns at (651) 201-6333. for some of the fall harvest work. Gunsolus shared recently that farmers and agronomists
Climate change
The president doesn’t believe in climate change, therefore the folks at the Department of Agriculture
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restructuring the nomenclature at USDA but she also took a shot at rural America saying, “References to economic growth, emerging business opportunities in the rural U.S., agro-tourism and improved aesthetics should be tolerated if not appreciated by all.” Ranking Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan warned that, “This censorship makes the United States less competitive, less food-secure, and puts rural families and their communities at risk. In order to further sink the notion of climate change, all mentions of the dangers of climate change have been removed from the White House websites and the EPA scrapped its entire online climate section. The changes in terminology come on the heels of President Trump withdrawing from the global Paris Agreement on climate change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On several occasions the president has called climate change a “Chinese hoax” and there is speculation that the changes in terms related to climate change are part of Trumps plan to restore the coal industry. The president has also made a point of hiring people that share his beliefs that climate change isn’t real. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Secretary Rick Perry have both said that they don’t believe humans cause climate change. Even the new Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, has in the past referred to climate science “a running joke among the public.” Burying anything that refers to climate change and using vague descriptors of carbon sequestration also has the potential to change the way farmers approach their farming practices. If people from the Department of Agriculture can’t talk about climate change, it’s going to be a difÀcult task to convince farmers to do things like plant cover crops or switch to notill farming, both of which increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. In other words, the agencies of the government that are regulating food production have been told not to talk about climate change to those people (farmers) that will be hardest hit by changing climate. The same rural voters that helped Trump get into the White House. By the way, they missed one. We can still say “Global Warming.”
PAGE 8B | THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 | BENTON AG
A battle of professions
Farmers, NFL players team up for Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl BY JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER
LITTLE FALLS – Many people have stepped onto Enchanted Dairy to learn about modern-day farming practices. But the guests who arrived July 23 had dairymen Ron and Marv Miller grinning with excitement. The Millers welcomed Minnesota Vikings’ tight end Kyle Rudolph and former football players Greg Jennings and Jason Brown onto their 1,800-cow dairy near Little Falls, as part of Land O’Lakes’ announcement of their upcoming event, the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl. “These players were interested in the processes of what happens on a farm,” Ron Miller said. “I think they left more knowledgeable and interested in what goes on here.” Miller and his family partook in a promotional and educational weekend to promote the upcoming Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl, which will be held Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, two days prior to the NFL Super Bowl. The concept of the pregame activity is to encourage children to consider a career in agriculture by highlighting the innovative ways farmers
use technology to feed the world. “One constant that we all need is food, and if you want to be a part of producing that food, then not only are you wanted, but you’re needed,” Brown said. “If you want to be drafted to the most awesome team that you could possibly go to, it’s going to be in farming.” As the organizations involved in the event planned for an impactful launch, they Àrst thought of the Millers to host the athletes and represent dairy farmers from across the state. “At Àrst, it was pretty vague with what they were looking for. I knew I’d have to visit with people that were interested in exploring the technologies used on our farm,” Miller said. Then, a Àlm crew arrived and they shot video to depict how NFL players would train for the Farm Bowl. “It was fun to watch my son-in-law, Jake, and Jason Brown compete in a tire moving contest. Jake rolled the tractor tire to the Ànish line and Jason Áipped it end to end like he would in practice,” Miller said. “The guys smarted off to each other in a small, playful rivalry, and then we all got to take a look at the Farm Bowl Trophy.”
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
The team at Enchanted Dairy (from left) – Marv Miller, Tangie Woitalla, Cindy Vetsch, Jeannie and Ron Miller, and Brooke and Jacob Carrow – pose for a photo with NFL players, (center, from left) Jason Brown, Kyle Rudolph and Greg Jennings, at the Millers’ 1,800-cow farm near Little Falls, July 23. The Millers hosted the professional athletes as part of the announcement for the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl.
At Enchanted Dairy, players learned how to bottle feed calves, operate a tractor with GPS and auto steer, and Áy a drone, among other farm-related tasks. “Farming takes skill and those football players quickly realized that,” Miller said. “They watched us and learned from us.” Rudolph agreed. “There’s a ton of similarities between farming and football – the manual labor, long hours, hard work, lifting …,” he said. “If we have some of [farmers’] toughness, I think we’d be a little bit better, as well, and that’s why I’m here today.” Hosted at the University of Minnesota, member owners of the dairy cooperative will compete with professional athletes in a series of challenges that depict the intricacies of agriculture, while at the same time testing the skills of the teams for their strength, endurance, intelligence and coordination. Rudolph, Jennings, Brown and Jerome Bettis have all conÀrmed their participation in the February event. “We need more farmers,” Rudolph said. “I’m excited to help these kids and teach them that not only is it great to want to grow up to be a football player, but to also be a farmer and really help out.” The course includes a NFL players Jason Brown and Greg Jennings hold the Farm milk pipe puzzle, tractor tire Bowl trophy during a promotional video shoot July 23. change, hay bale back up and drone drop. The top two teams will compete in a Àfth challenge, the big feed run. Amber Horn-Leiterman, a dairy farmer near Brillion, Wis., is eager to participate in the obstacle course and bring Since 1990 greater attention to dairy farming. Trade Anything . . . “Farmers tend to shy Boats • Motors • Trailers Make the away from the spotlight, but most of your Guns • ATVs with Land O’Lakes, the NFL tax refund! 2 Locations and GENYOUth, this is a • 965 Benton Drive North, great spotlight to show the Sauk Rapids, MN • 320-229-1065 See us on different career opportunities • 1850 7th Street North, St. Cloud, MN Carsoup.com in agriculture,” Horn-Leiterand Car Gurus man said. “We need the best 320-255-1065
and brightest people feeding the world population.” With the Super Bowl weekend being one of the most popular times of the year, all involved in this national campaign are hopeful of the positive impact it will have on the dairy industry. “Super Bowl LII offers an exciting stage to convey the importance of farming to feeding the world, and to show how Land O’Lakes’ member owners are impacting the entire food chain,” said Chris Policinski, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc. “Less that 2 percent of the population touches farming and, as the voice of the farmer, we feel an obligation to tell their important story.” Horn-Leiterman agreed. “This is a great way to open the lines of communication and become the go-to
The production crew, Miller family and football players review the promotional video that was created July 23.
people for all questions about food,” she said. While taking part in the unveiling of the Farm Bowl was a large undertaking for Miller and his dairy team, they are pleased to have been a part of it, and are looking forward to watching the com-
petition in February. “We’ve always been involved in promoting the dairy industry,” Miller said. “When this opportunity came about, we had to take the chance to get involved and share how passionate we are about dairy.”
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Millers – Ron, Jeannie and Marv – show excitement for the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl with the ofÀcial trophy during a promotional video shoot July 23 on their farm near Little Falls.
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