Country Acres 2018 - April 20 edition by Star Publications

ountry C cres A

A Supplement to the Star Shopper

Friday, April 20, 2018 • Edition 5

Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment

Levin establishes artifacts museum By LAURA HINTZEN Staff Writer SPICER – At 7 years old, Larry Levin would walk the shores of Lake Minnetoga, hunting for pretty rocks, 10 miles south of Atwater where he grew up. “I’ve always just been fascinated by them,” Levin said. While living with his parents, one of his favorite jobs included trapping gophers for the neighbors. “That’s how I got into Indian artifacts,” he said. “I found my first arrowhead on a pocket gopher pile when I was 12 years old and that’s what started everything.” He found it a mile-and-a-half away, in the neighbor’s pasture. Levin wanted to learn more about his findings, so he did his own research. Now, 61, he has accumulated and read nearly 10,000 books on artifact hunting since his teens. He took his wealth of knowledge to Crookston College, pursuing a degree in natural resources. At the time, there were no jobs available in the field, so the students were advised to choose a different major. Levin switched gears, focusing on agriculture, which led him to his current profession of 20 plus years at Farm Service Elevator Company in Willmar. There, he works in a warehouse handling turkey and hog equipment. When Levin married Barbara in 2005, the couple purchased a home near Spicer. Knowing about his love for artifacts, Barb suggested he use a room in the PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

George Bentfield holds a drone April 12 at G&B Sales and Service west of Sauk Centre. He uses the machine to check crops for area farmers.

PHOTO BY LAURA HINTZEN

Larry Levin stands in front of his butterfly wall April 7 at Raptor Ridge Museum in Spicer. The museum is his personal collection of artifacts, some bought or loaned, but many of them collected in area fields.

basement to put all of his findings that he has collected over the years. “I can’t fit anything in this room,” he said. “Maybe five or six showcases and it’s full. I just have too much stuff… but I love it.”

A year later, the couple built a 35- Joel Paffrath. by 45-foot shed, which was later named “I asked if he could come up with Raptor Ridge Museum. Finally, his col- some nice names for our museum. And lection had found a home. LEVIN The name, “Raptor Ridge Museum” continued on page 5 was created with the help of a neighbor,

Waiting on Mother Nature

Bentfield talks weather, spring planting By DIANE LEUKAM | Staff Writer SAUK CENTRE – It was a quiet Thursday afternoon, April 12, and George Bentfield was at his office desk at G&B Sales and Service. Just beyond, several warehouses were quiet, too, stacked high with many rows of what will one day become the corn, soybean and alfalfa crops of a good portion of Stearns County. Bags and crates of seed waited on Mother Nature; waited for spring to arrive. The 10-day forecast did not help much; a winter storm was scheduled for the weekend. Bentfield is concerned for his customers. “It’s putting a lot of stress on them. Typically, we shouldn’t be getting snowstorms anymore,” he said. “[Sometimes] we do, but normally we get some nice weather that people can do things like hauling manure, but they just haven’t been able to do anything.”

Bentfield has been selling seed for 32 years. There have been many years when farmers have gotten into the fields and late snows stopped them, or a late frost stunted crops. Other years, the planting was late due to wet weather. This year is different. They have not started at all due to winter refusing to give up its hold. “We finally have some 50-degree days in the forecast. But there’s still trucks driving on the lakes, and that also means it’s not melting away from shore yet,” Bentfield said. “The old farmers always said there’s no sense in going out in the field before the ice is off the lakes.” In the meantime, some seed is being delivered to local farmers, but not a lot. Normally at this time, 85-90 percent of the seed is delivered by now. This year, that number is 20 percent, partly because many farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude. As the days go on, many of them will begin to think about exchanging some of their longer-day seed to earlier-variety hybrids. For instance, some silage corn that is 110 days may be switched to a hybrid that is 100 days, or even 90. “We don’t want to switch it twice,” Bentfield said. “Everybody knows we live in Minnesota and they’ll typically plant a package of stuff – some early, some mid-season and some long-season. So, what happens is,

BENTFIELD continued on page 7

Page 2 â&#x20AC;¢ Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 3

Country Acres

This month in the

COUNTRY

4 Child’s Play Diane Leukam Column 8 Young Farmer Q&A 10 A Cowboy Life Arizona 14 Cool Animals of the North Litchfield 16 Breast Cancer Awareness For Your Pets Wendy Womack Column 17 Is There a Trade War or Not? Roger Strom Column 18 Brewing Beer 101 Barret 21 Country Cooking

NEWS STAFF Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Mark Klaphake, Assistant Editor mark.k@dairystar.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Liz Vos, Writer liz@albanyenterprise.com Laura Hintzen, Writer laura.h@saukherald.com Katelyn Asfeld, Writer kate@saukherald.com Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com

Story ideas send to: diane@saukherald.com SALES STAFF Jeff Weyer, 320-260-8505 jeff.w@dairystar.com Kayla Hunstiger, 320-247-2728 kayla@saukherald.com Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899 missy@saukherald.com Tim Vos, 320-845-2700 tim@albanyenterprise.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lynnette Ostendorf, 320-352-6577 lynnette@saukherald.com Brian Trattles, 320-352-6577 brian.t@saukherald.com

PRODUCTION STAFF Pat Turner Tara Pitschka Amanda Thooft Nancy Powell Brian Dingmann Cassidy Zenzen Jennifer Coyne, Proofreader Andrea Borgerding, Proofreader

“Committed to being the eyes and ears of our communities.”

Deadlines: Country Acres will be published the first Fridays of April, May, June, September, October and November, and the third Friday of every month. Deadline for news and advertising is the Thursday before publication.

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Page 4 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

Child’s play I

magine a playground filled with boards, branches, loose bricks, empty crates, old tires, sand and tree stumps. Sounds suspiciously like growing up on the farm to me. Creative kids could find all sorts of things to play with. Interestingly, experts in Great Britain and other European countries are now designing playgrounds specifically for kids to take risks, called risk-enhanced playgrounds. Seriously. In the United States, there are several major play-

grounds like ple have come this, where to realize that adventure is children have the name of been placed the game for in a protective children. You bubble, and could call it have lost the risk in a conability to take trolled envirisks and ﬁgure ronment. out life lessons Kids can by Diane Leukam during childclimb trees, hood, when run and play over rocks, those lessons are compardig in the dirt and play atively much less dangerin the water. You know, ous. One photo I saw from like we did when we were the Ithaca Children’s Garkids. Like my own kids den in New York brought did on the farm. me right back to the farm In the last decade or where I grew up. It was a so, more and more peo- blanket tied on each end,

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which formed a hammock, swinging from a tree. One kid was lying in it while another gave it a push. Could have been us as kids. Somewhere along the line, ideas about raising kids changed completely, most certainly not all for the worse. But not all for the better, either. What was once accepted as normal became outdated, even illegal. Children left to their own devices – within reason of course – became a thing of the past. Even outdoor play in a small town took on a whole new dynamic. Some might call it the Jacob Wetterling effect. His kidnapping in 1989, I feel, so rocked the nation that it changed the trajectory of parenting and even the way kids played. What happened to him could happen to anyone, logically, and the world became a dangerous place for kids. Here in Central Minnesota, perhaps even more so. Anyone who has ever been separated from their child or grandchild in a crowd of strangers knows the terror that goes through your mind if you

lose sight of your kids in that situation. Maybe it has always been this way. There are probably many other reasons for the uber-protective attitude of parenting, like a need to control, or fear of emotional or physical pain. I don’t know. I am no psychologist and wouldn’t want to be one. I do know that things are very different now than they used to be. Will the whole risk-enhanced playground idea take hold here in the United States? I doubt it. While the Europeans are designing risks, we have been doing everything in our power to eliminate them. Part of that is liability and the fear of lawsuits. Here is an example. Recently, one of my grandkids came home from preschool with a bruise. The little boy was not traumatized in the least but the teacher sure was. After agonizing overnight, she was grateful beyond words the next day when she saw my daughter and realized it would not have crossed her mind to press the is-

sue. How sad. Even for our work as publishers of a country lifestyle paper, we are encouraged to use great caution in choosing photos with children in them. Basically, there should not be any potential risks for the child present in the photos we use. This makes sense, of course, with machinery and large animals being the main areas of concern. Generally speaking, though, there is a difference between letting kids be kids and deliberately putting them in danger or neglecting them. I see this whole thing as a sort of an afﬁrmation that life for kids in the county is for the most part a healthy place to be, a place to develop common sense and resilience at a young age. A place to have fun and learn about natural consequences. After all, some of the newest, state-of-the-art playgrounds in the world are being developed to help children in the city experience what those growing up in the country simply call home.

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Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 5 LEVIN continued from front

he did,” Levin said. “He said you have a ridge and raptors in front of your house… Raptor Ridge Museum.” The building has adequate space for displaying 30-40 showcases. Levin tremembers finding a pipestone pipe broken in half in 1981. “It was a Friday night. The field had only been plowed two times, so I figured part of the pipe would be close by. I took two limestone rocks and placed them six feet apart,” Levin said. “Lo and behold, it rained that night and all into the next day, so I went out Sunday again. I looked between the stones and noticed something red rin between them. I held my breath, got closer and there twas the other half of the pipe.” “I didn’t go to church on Sunday because I wanted to go back into the field looking,” chuckled Levin. Immediately upon entering the museum, there is a butterfly display to the right, which is a visitor favorite. Levin saw an tad in the St. Cloud Times of a man selling antiques years ago. He came to find that the man had individual cases with the butterflies pressed in, collected from places all around the world. Though the man

threw away the proper identification of each butterfly years ago, Levin took them home anyway. Because the butterflies need to be in an environment with moisture, Levin brings the displays inside during the winter months and brings them out again in the spring. Going around the room, the second wall is designated to Barbara’s items. Barbara was a missionary in the Philippines for 15 years. “She married me because she wanted my artifacts, but mainly, because her dad wanted my artifacts. He always wanted to go arrowhead hunting and he could never find one when we went,” Levin said. “Anyway, I married my wife is because of all of her Philipino stuff – all sorts of things like spears, bullet knives and baskets, it was interesting,” added Levin, smiling. “I didn’t tell her that, but that was part of it.” Continuing counter-clockwise, are two tables of arrowheads. “All my arrowheads are identified. I’ve had the state archeologist from Fort Snelling out and he weighed each arrowhead,

PHOTOS BY LAURA HINTZEN

(Above) Indian artifacts are an display at Larry Levin’s Raptor Ridge Museum, located by his home in Spicer. The Indian artifacts were the start of Levin’s collections. (Right) Seashells from around the world are classified with proper identification at Raptor Ridge Museum in Spicer. The shells are one of many section of Levin’s museum.

LEVIN continued on page 6

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Page 6 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018 LEVIN continued from page 5

from the arrowheads are two collections of 2,000 different seashells from around the world, which he obtained from a man in Montevideo 25 years ago through his rock club. “I didn’t know the first thing about shells, but I liked the colors,” he said. “I talked with another club member and split the shells 50/50. It took us 13 hours to put all of the shells into individual sandwich bags and seal them. A collection of 1,000 different insects occupies another table. “Those aren’t my insects, though,” he said. “I was loaned them from a bug collector on Green Lake in Spicer.” He also has a bottle collection, including old drug bottles, cork tops and fruit jars, which he hopes to keep expanding. The Levins welcome anyone out to visit the museum, but an appointment must be scheduled with either Larry or Barb beforehand. Interested parties can email Larry at bo2@tds.net to reserve a spot. Levin cannot stress enough how much the agriculture industry and museum relate to one another. “Everything is found PHOTOS BY LAURA HINTZEN out in the fields,” he said. Larry Levin holds up a showcase that displays five artifacts that he and his wife, Barb, found over the A display of items from the Philippines serves as a remembrance of a “If it wasn’t for the fields, I years. It includes a Hinston Quartzite Blade (1983), Banded Slate Pendant (1987), Pipestone Pipe (1981), missionary trip Barb Levin took 15 years ago. wouldn’t have found most Midland Point, 11,000 years old (2011) and Capper Spear (2010 by Barb L.). of this stuff.” measured them seven different ways and typed them as far as material,” he said. Levin has a goal in mind of collecting 1,000 perfect arrowheads and he is close to completing that goal with his current 947. Everything he has as

artifacts has been logged, up until 1995. From 1995 until now, he has not had much luck. He added, “Farming practices are different now and nobody plows anymore.” Across the table

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Young Farmer the tractor before I was old enough to operate one on my own. At age 20, I purchased my first tractor and round baler and started a custom round baling business. Who works with you on the farm? Due to space restrictions on my parents’ farm, I was fortunate to move all of my cows onto my uncle’s farm in 2010. This has allowed me to increase my numbers as my uncle has slowly started to reduce his numbers, moving towards retirement. Between my uncle and I, we do the daily feeding, dad helps with sorting and vaccinations and field work along with my brother in-law. My wife does a lot of tractor driving for field work and cuts the majority of the hay while also working as a nurse at the local clinic.

Les & Michael Rose

What were the biggest hurdles you faced when starting your farm? Getting started as a young farmer is a big hurdle. Whether it is finding land or pasture to rent or having a lender that is willing to stick (holding Adalynn) their neck out for you. I have been very privileged to have some very good Gerde Farms landlords over the years, many happy to give a young farmer an opporGlenwood, Pope County tunity to live his dream in today’s difficult farming economy. Family is Describe your farm: We are a diversified farm consisting of a beef com- what has helped me get over these hurdles. If it wasn’t for family, a young mercial herd made up of mostly red and black Angus cows. We run around farmer would have a hard time. 160 cows which mostly calve in the spring. Cows are bred to red and black Angus and Charolais bulls. We have recently switched over to finishing out Did you go to college? I attended Alexandria Technical College for two all calves and selling them as finished steers. We have also begun buying years studying in the carpentry program. I knew once I was out of high feeder cattle from my dad and are feeding out approximately 200 head school it would be very unlikely to make a living farming full time. My dad annually. We run 750 acres ourselves, along with helping my parents on was a carpenter and so I followed in his footsteps. I worked with my dad their 280 acres, of which half is soybeans and the rest divided up between and his business partner for 14 years until pieces fell into place in 2012 corn and alfalfa. We have started to experiment with cover crops for fall and I was fortunate to start farming full time. grazing and are switching over to no-till soybeans this spring to save on labor and fuel costs. We are a true family farm in that my dad, uncle, Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Five years from brother and brother-in-law, along with me and my wife, contribute to the now I would be happy to be doing the same as we are today. If anything, increasing my cow numbers to 200 when my uncle retires. One can only farm operation in one way or another. hope for better prices in five years and the years to come. What inspired you to pursue farming as an occupation? As a young boy, I knew I wanted to farm when I grew up. I spent every waking moYOUNG FARMER Q & A ment out with my dad whether it was doing chores or countless hours on continued on page 9

Peder

Rose Farms South Haven, Stearns County Describe your farm. I run 300 acres and harvest corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats. We have 70 Holstein dairy cows as well as all of the young stock. We finish out the steers. What inspired you to pursue farming as an occupation? I grew up with it, and it became part of my life. I tried other off–farm jobs, but I didn’t enjoy them as much as I enjoyed being home on the farm. Who works with you on the farm? My dad, Les Rose. What were the biggest hurdles you faced when starting your farm? I faced a lot of hurdles, but the biggest is finances due to poor prices and being young in the industry with not much equity. Did you go to college? I attended Ridgewater College in Willmar where I studied in farm operations with a dairy emphasis. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Hopefully seeing $30 per hundredweight payment for milk. I’m not planning on changing cow numbers much, I just hope to be more meticulous and efficient with all factors involved.

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Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 9 YOUNG FARMER Q & A continued from page 8

HELP WANTED Pine Street Home is seeking an employee to help an individual get ready for school in their home. Hours: 5:45 a.m.-8 a.m. We are also looking for team players with flexibility and reliability. We have hours available in a group home setting to provide daily cares. Possibility for full-time employment with paid time off. Will train! Pay depends on experience. Must be able to pass a background check.

Erica & Eric Sawatzke Oakdale Farm Kensington, Douglas County Describe your farm. We run approximately 700 acres and grow corn and soybeans. My family and I raise turkey breeder hens.

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Pete-Way Registered Holsteins Melrose, Stearns County Describe your farm. We grow corn, alfalfa, oats and soybeans on 150 acres. We milk 50 registered Holsteins and raise all our own replacements. What inspired you to pursue farming as an occupation? I was more inspired to farm by being around my family. I’m the fourth generation out here, and there’s a sense of pride in that. I’ve always enjoyed farming so it was a natural fit.

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Who works with you on the farm? I farm with my grandfather, father Who works with you on the farm? I farm with my parents, Jeff and and uncle – all of our spouses have full-time jobs off the farm but are all Sue Petermeier. still involved. We also have about a dozen employees that are instrumental to our farm. What were the biggest hurdles you faced when starting your farm? The price fluctuations and just the whole ag outlook. It’s tough to What were the biggest hurdles you faced when starting your start farming if you don’t have help or the financing to do it. It’s tough to farm? Two months after I started farming, our farm was hit by a tornado. stay optimistic when things don’t go well, but you keep plugging away. We were incredibly lucky that no one was hurt, and we didn’t lose any turkeys. We lost our shop and a few other buildings, roofs off three of our Did you go to college? I attended Ridgewater College in Willmar for two turkey barns and many uprooted trees. If there’s a silver lining to storm years for sales and marketing, but realized it just wasn’t a lifestyle for me. destruction, my family and I have gotten to make decisions together right from the start and plan for the future of the farm through the rebuilding Where do you see yourself in the next five years? I’ll still be farming process. as long as everything pans out, hopefully with a growing, healthy family by my side. Did you go to college? I attended North Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in animal science.

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What inspired you to pursue farming as an occupation? I always enjoyed helping on the farm growing up, but it wasn’t until I was working for the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association that I realized my true passion was farming. There’s a huge amount of pride I have knowing that I am the sixth generation to carry on my family farm. I’m truly grateful for that opportunity.

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Page 10 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

A cowboy life Holmquist works as ranch hand in Arizona By KATELYN ASFELD Staff Writer

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Timber Holmquist scopes out an old cattle trail in February 2016 in a canyon in Arizona.

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sie and their two children, daughter Tesa, now 3, and son Monte who is now 1 1/2, made the move south. The family lives ﬁve minutes outside of a little town called Valle, Ariz. “It’s 30 minutes to the Grand Canyon, 30 minutes to Williams and 50 minutes to Flagstaff,” Holmquist said. Holmquist works at Cameron Livestock; a ranch that is over 100,000 acres and borders the Grand Canyon. It is a cowcalf operation, with over 1,600 head of primarily black Angus cattle. The herd is comprised of 800 cows, 48 bulls, 100 yearling replacement heifers, and calves born to mothers every spring. His job is to maintain and care for the livestock; ensuring they have access to clean, fresh water and are getting enough minerals and food. “Water is a pretty big deal,” Holmquist said. “It’s pretty dry down here, so making sure the cattle have plenty of water is very important.” Though the tempera-

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ARIZONA - The fascination and admiration for the cowboy lifestyle is deeply rooted in American culture and history. Many children dream of becoming a cowboy or a cowgirl when they grow up but taking the steps to become one is another story. While blizzards rage in late April in Minnesota; Timber Holmquist is surrounded by cacti, horses, cattle and canyons in Arizona, fulﬁlling his cowboy dream. Holmquist, son of Kelly and Judith Holmquist of Long Prairie, grew up on a dairy farm with his four brothers and sister. Like many other farm children, Holmquist thought about pursuing dairy farming when he became an adult, but an opportunity to work on a ranch in Montana changed his mind. At age 15, a family friend told the Holmquist family of a ranch in Montana that was seeking help with ranch work. Holmquist and his older brother, Kelly, were able to leave the farm in the summer to work on the

ranch. Each summer, up until high school graduation, the boys became skilled in roping, horse riding, mending miles of fence and cattle care. After Holmquist graduated Long Prairie-Grey Eagle High School in 2010, Holmquist traded his rubber galoshes with cowboy boots and headed west to become a full-time ranch hand. “It’s a different culture, almost a different lifestyle,” he said. “I just kind of took it and ran with it.” For the next six years, Holmquist worked on three different ranches, working two years at each. The ﬁrst was S Ranch in Pryor, Mont., then J/P Ranch in Edgemont, S.D. and The Cinch Buckle Ranch in Broadus, Mont. When he was working in South Dakota, Holmquist met his wife, Cassie. The two married in 2015. “Then we decided to go on an adventure and move to Arizona,” Holmquist said. Kelly also became a ranch hand and was working in Arizona. He heard the neighboring ranch was seeking help. He passed the information to his brother. Holmquist, Cas-

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Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 11 HOLMQUIST continued from page 10 tures are hotter than Minnesota or Montana in the summer, Holmquist said it does not get as hot as Phoenix. “We’re 6,000 feet above sea level here,” he said. “There’s not nearly as much humidity here as there is in Minnesota. The heat can be an issue when it gets into the triple digits, which doesn’t happen too often. When it does happen, it is critical the cows have constant access to water.” Most of the water for the cattle is runoff from the rain during the monsoon season, but in some cases, it is necessary to haul in

house water from a well in town. “There is no water hardly anywhere; if you were to dig a well, you have to go down 3,000 feet,” he said. Holmquist manages four pastures – each between 5,000 to 20,000 acres. He rides through the pastures on horseback to check on the cattle and fences. “It’s easier to maneuver on horseback,” he said. “There are lots of trees, brush, rocky ground and uneven terrain. You could use a four-wheeler on the flatter ground, but it just wouldn’t work out too well

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

for the other areas.” For Holmquist, horses are a necessity in his line of work. “They’re not seen as a hobby, a pet or a hay burner,” he said. “You’re not just riding a horse for the fun of it; you’re giving it a job.” Holmquist owns three horses that he uses for work, switching them out every day. “You can’t ride the same horse every day, because you’re putting on 35 to 40 miles on them a day,” Holmquist said. “You don’t

The Holmquist family – Timber (left) holds son Monte, 1.5, and Cassie holds daughter Tesa, 3, in September 2017 near their home in Wickenburg, Ariz.

HOLMQUIST continued on page 12

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Page 12 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018 HOLMQUIST continued from page 11 want your horses to get burnt out.” For the majority of the year, the cattle stay out in the pasture. They are grass-fed, with access to a mineral block for nutrients. The bulls are put out to pasture with the cows May through September for breeding. When calving takes place in the spring, cows

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with a colored tag. If they do not calve the following year, they are sold. Twice a year, in the fall and spring, the cattle are rounded up to the ranch headquarters. In the spring, they are branded and given their de-wormer medication and vaccinations. In the fall, the herd is rounded up to wean and sell the young calves. Calves

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are weaned at around 500 pounds and sold to another facility to be finished on feed. Holmquist knows how to rope cattle, but he only does it if he needs to doctor an animal or round any stragglers when he is herding them in. “The biggest challenge is bringing them all in the fall to wean them,” Holmquist said. “Sometimes cattle will hide in brush or behind trees.” Regardless of the challenge, Holmquist loves his job and the lifestyle. “It’s a pretty big country and pretty neat to see all of this,” he said. “We have all sorts of wildlife down here. It’s always fun to take care of cattle and really enjoyable riding a horse and not just riding a horse for the fun of it but giving it a job.” In addition to ranch work, Holmquist does a few rodeo competitions a year. “It takes quite a bit of time and money to travel and enter into rodeo competitions,” he said. He competes in ranch rodeo which has five different events – team branding, team tying, team sorting, wild cow milking and bronc riding. His team

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Timber Holmquist rounds up cattle with his horse in October 2015 at a ranch in Montana.

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Page 14 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

COOL ANIMALS OF THE NORTH Habitat Day teaches youth, families about local wildlife By KATELYN ASFELD Staff Writer

LITCHFIELD – The room was abuzz with ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ as Zoomobile Naturalist Donald Crook from the Minnesota Zoo pulled out a live Great Horned Owl from a kennel during a live animal presentation Sat., April 4, as part Habitat Day, an annual event held at the Litchfield Wetland Management District. The owl, perched on Crook’s gloved arm, stared at the audience with her large yellow eyes as they made their way around the room. “This is Annie and she is 37 years old,” Crook said. He informed the crowd on the habitat, behavior and characteristics of Great Horned Owls. Adults and children alike were fascinated to learn that owls eat mammals including most rodents and skunks. “Owls don’t have a sense of smell,” Crook said. “So, what’s stinky to us, like a skunk, they aren’t bothered by it.” Great Horned Owls have a three- to four-foot wingspan and soft feathers; they fly slow and quietly,

allowing them to sneak up on their prey. Their big eyes are perfect for night vision, and they have excellent hearing. “To look side to side, owls need to swivel their head,” Crook said. “Their heads don’t spin round and round like you see in the cartoons, but they can turn their head up to 270 degrees.” Their long, earlike tufts give them their name. They have a deep hooting voice that can be heard at night in forests, wetlands, grasslands and backyards. “The average lifespan of a Great Horned Owl in the wild is 19 to 20 years,” Crook said. Sharp talons help them grasp their prey while their beak, which is sharp as a steak knife, helps them to cut away at their food. Great Horned Owls, and many other owl species, use abandoned nests built by other birds to make their own. They mate in the spring, incubating one to four eggs for 30 to 37 days. Nestlings will stay in the nest for 42 days. When Crook finished talking about Great Horned Owls, he gently placed Annie back in her kennel, and moved to the next animal –

PHOTO BY KATELYN ASFELD

Participants of Habitat Day proudly hold their houses they built at the Litchfield Wetland Management District Sat., April 7 in Litchfield. The group includes (front, from left): Bonnie Rossman, Brooklyn Winter and Bentley Winter; Back: Carter Rossman, Brett Winter, Tate Winter, Annah Winter, Baylie Winter and Chase Winter.

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Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 15 HABITAT DAY continued from page 14 were divided into three buildings. One building held the live animal presentation by the Minnesota Zoo. Crook showed the audience a large millipede, a bearded dragon, a great horned owl, a chinchilla and a boa constrictor. After the presentation, Crook was available to answer questions about the animals. In the back of the room, tables were filled with posters, coloring books, informational brochures, educational materials, bookmarks and books about nature and wildlife in Minnesota for attendees to take home. The second building had precut bird and bat house kits in large crates for attendees to take and assemble. The room was filled with noises of drills, hammers and laughter as families worked together on their houses. Kits available included a bluebird house, Wood Duck house, bat house or a robin nesting shelf. Due to habitat loss and com-

petition from other cavity-nesting birds, the bluebird population has declined greatly. As a result, different organizations and volunteers built and placed birdhouses across Minnesota for the bluebirds according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota now has one of the most successful bluebird recovery projects in the nation. Bluebirds live in open woodlands, roadsides, farmlands and orchards. They nest from late March through early August and eat a wide range of insects and fruit. At one time, Wood Ducks were an endangered species because of habitat loss. Wood Ducks like to nest in hollow, dead trees. The removal of the trees by humans decreased their population. Now, with more artificial nest boxes placed for them, more than 100,000 Wood Ducks

breed in Minnesota each spring, according the Minnesota DNR. Male Wood Ducks are characterized by a blue-green crested head with white stripes, a reddish-brown breast, buff-colored sides and red eyes. Each spring, a female Wood Duck will lay 1015 eggs and hatching will happen 28 to 31 days later. Bats can live more than 30 years and fly at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The most common bat species in Minnesota is the Little Brown Myotis, or little brown bat. Although their looks can be offsetting to many people, their presence is essential to the ecosystem. They are re a natural way to combat pesky ky insects. A little brown bat can an eat 600 mosquitos in one hour. The majority of their diet is wasps ps and moths. They consume up to half of their body weight each night. They are very small, with a body size of 2.5 inches to 4 inches, they weigh

between five and 14 grams and can crawl through an opening of 1 centimeter wide, making them a common pest in people’s houses and attics. The Little Brown Myotis’s hibernation cycle can last from four to six months. Little brown bats mate in the fall, but, females are able to delay fertilization of the sperm and egg until spring. Only one baby is born to a female per year, in either late June or early July. “Bird and bat house building tends to be the most popular activity for people,” Barnes said. The third building housed interactive booths from various

groups; the Monarch Lab from the University of Minnesota provided a craft for children to learn about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly; children played habitat pinball for a prize at the Meeker County Pheasants Forever booth. Pollinator seed packets were handed out by a member of the Minnesota Honey Producers Association, and children could create their own wildlife pin or keychain from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-

HABITAT DAY continued on page 16

t PHOTO BY KATELYN ASFELD

Zoomobile naturalist Donald Crook, from the Minnesota Zoo, shows the audience a Great Horned Owl during the annual Habitat Day at Litchfield Wetland Management District Sat., April 7 in Litchfield.

PHOTO BY KATELYN ASFELD

A crowd gathers in a shop to build birdhouses during Habitat Day at Litchfield Wetland Management District Saturday, April 7 in Litchfield. Kits were available for wood duck, bluebird, bat and robin houses.

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Page 16 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018 HABITAT DAY continued from page 15 vices. Information on invasive species, pollinators and conservation practices lay on tables for people to take. Other organizations in attendance included the Meeker County Soil and Water Conservation District and Ducks Unlimited. “I think this event is important because it’s a good way for the general public to get to know us a little bit,” Barnes said. “It’s great to be able to have that interaction with people and give them information on wildlife.” Also in attendance was a “wildlife wizard,” who quizzed children on wildlife and habitats of Minnesota. As the day came to a close, families walked to their parked vehicles, hands full of birdhouses and informative materials. Children, eager to put up their bird houses, skipped to the car with their bag of goodies and smiles on their faces. Quite likely, at school Monday morning, they will share the new information they learned at Habitat Day with their classmates.

Breast cancer awareness for your pets

reast cancer, also called mammary cancer, is more common in dogs and cats than it is in women. In the human population, one out of every eight to nine women will get breast cancer. In un-spayed dogs or those spayed later in life, the number jumps to one out of every four female dogs that will get a mammary tumor. In cats, it is the third most common cancer. The best way to reduce this risk is to spay female dogs early in life. If we spay them before their first heat cycle (which occurs between 6-9 months of age) we can reduce the risk of breast cancer to almost zero. If we spay them after their first heat cycle but before their second, they have a 7 percent risk of developing mammary cancer. Spaying after the second heat cycle leaves them in the high-risk group of one out of four. This does put the owner of a young female dog in the position of choosing between breast cancer prevention and a litter of puppies. Female dogs

By WENDY WOMACK have their first heat cycle at 6-9 months of age and then cycle roughly every 6-9 months after that. We do not recommend breeding a dog on her first heat cycle because she is not physically mature yet. The earliest you would breed her would be her second heat cycle, so if you wanted even just one litter of puppies before spaying her, you would be pushing her into the highrisk group. There is still a benefit to spaying after letting her have puppies. Both malignant (cancerous) and benign (noncancerous) mammary tumors can be stimulated by the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Spaying removes the ovaries that

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produce these hormones. If you have a female dog that is in the high-risk group because she is not spayed or was spayed later in life, you should be vigilant about examining her mammary chain routinely starting at about 6 years of age. Most tumors develop between the ages of 9 and 11 years, but starting early surveillance is a good habit. Most tumors occur first in the glands closest to the hind legs and will feel harder than normal breast tissue. Of the mammary tumors that develop in dogs, half will be benign and half will be cancer. We cannot tell if a lump we feel is cancer just by looking at it or feeling it. We need to remove it and send it in for a pathologist to examine. Half of the tumors that are cancerous at the time of surgery will have already spread (metastasized) and half will still be confined. That means that even if the tumor is a cancer, half of the time, just removing it will be curative, so waiting to do surgery is not a good idea. Early removal can be a cure. Before surgery to remove mammary tumors, we recommend doing bloodwork and chest

x-rays to assess if there is evidence that this is a cancer that has already spread out into the body. Mammary cancer spreads first to the lymph nodes then to the lungs. By doing chest x-rays, we can look for this spread into the lungs. If we already see tumors in the lungs, it will probably change our approach because we have to deal with more than just the primary tumor. If your dog is not spayed, we will most likely also recommend spaying her at the same time to remove those hormonal influences. Many things influence what the prognosis is when we first discover a mammary tumor in a dog. There are several different types of mammary cancer and each can behave differently. If the tumor is larger than 1.5 inches in diameter, if it has an open sore on it, if it is deeper or attached to underlying muscle or if it has grown rapidly are all factors which indicate a poorer prognosis. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and anti-hormonal therapies can be considered. Mammary cancer is the third most common cancer of cats. Instead of just 50

percent of all breast tumors being cancerous as in dogs, 90 percent of mammary tumors in cats are cancerous and tend to spread quickly. They usually first develop at 10-12 years of age in un-spayed cats and those that are spayed later in life. Mammary cancer is more common in Siamese cats. As in dogs, early spaying is the best prevention. Spaying before 6 months of age reduces risk by 91 percent. Spaying before 1 year of age reduces risk by 86 percent. Spaying before 2 years of age reduces risk by 11 percent. Because of the high risk of a mammary lump being cancer in cats, even the tiniest mass felt in the breast tissue should be removed immediately. If we can remove a cancerous tumor when it is 2 cm in diameter or smaller, we can extend the cat’s life on average by 4-5 years. If it is allowed to grow to greater than 3 cm before removal, that survival time drops to 6 months. We make the same recommendations for bloodwork and chest x-rays as we do for dogs before surgery. As in dogs, chemotherapy and radiation can also be used to treat breast cancer in cats.

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Friday, April 20, 2018 - Country Acres • Page 17

Is there a trade war or not?

o, are we in a tariff war with China or not? And, is the United States part of the Trans Paciﬁc Partnership (TPP) or not? Farmers are being whip-sawed back and forth with new announcements regarding trade coming out daily from Washington, D.C., adding even more to the uncertainty farmers are dealing with as they head into planting season. A week ago, the nation was focused on a potential trade war between the U.S. k and China. It now appears the leaders of the U.S. and China have come to their senses with the realization t that no one wins in a trade war. Chinese President Xi Jinping made the ﬁrst move with promises of opening his country’s economy further for foreign investors t and lowering tariffs on cars and other goods. President Trump responded saying he was, “thankful for the Chinese leader’s kind words on tariffs as well as t his enlightenment on the issue of intellectual property.” And if we cannot come to terms with China, the president promises farmers they will be compensated

The Business of Farming by Roger Strom Ag Columnist__________ __________ for any losses connected to the tariffs. Trump made an odd declaration saying, “We’ll make it up to them. The farmers will be better off than they ever were. It will take a little while to get there, but it could be very quick, actually. Midwestern growers are great patriots who understand that they’re doing this for the country.” Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, describes the idea of compensating farmers for losses as kind of bizarre. “How did we get to a place where we’re talking about abandoning markets and moving to government payments?” he said. Kuehl said it is doubtful Congress would ever approve such a plan, and it is certainly not something most farmers want to see happen. On another front, the president has done an about

face on his decision to pull the U.S. of the TPP. It is unclear why he changed his mind but Trump is asking trade ofﬁcials to look at the possibility of rejoining the TPP. However, that door may have already been closed. The 11 other TPP countries signed their own trade pact last month. There is the real possibility they may not be willing to reopen the agreement and make concessions that would allow the U.S. back in. Farmer frustration with Trump’s trade strategies is at a boiling point. At a recent meeting with lawmakers, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue got an earful from Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who is also a farmer. Tester told Perdue, “The last three years have been pretty tough and it’s going to be. If this doesn’t get solved pretty damned quick, we’re going to see a repeat of the 1980s. I don’t want to see myself losing the farm or my neighbors.” Perdue said, “I hear you and I agree with you.” To be continued … …jus-sayn

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Page 18 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

Brewing beer 101 By KATELYN ASFELD Staff Writer BARRETT – Beer. It is one of the oldest and most widely-consumed alcoholic drinks in the world. As one of the oldest beverages, humans have had hundreds of years to refine the art of brewing and to experiment to produce a wide variety of beer flavors. Many people enjoy drinking consuming this foamy drink,

but what about making it? One man enjoys doing both. Nathan Bergeland has brewed his own beer for six years at his home near Barrett. “We’ll have friends up here and have a brewing day and have different activities and games,” he said. “After you’ve done it for a while, it’s not that hard.” One of the main ingredients used in many beers are hops, which are the flowers of a hop plant used for flavoring beer. They may impart a bitter, zesty or citric flavor depending on the variety. On his property, Bergeland designed poles for his hops to grow on. He uses his home-grown hops

in the beer he makes. The hop vines grow on ropes which can be pulled down, making it easier to harvest in September when they are ripe. “I can just sit on a lawn chair and pick the hops,” Bergeland said. “I don’t have to worry about climbing up on a ladder. I can just lower the vines down.” Bergeland grows three

Bergeland enjoys hobby at home

different types of hops – Cascade, Centennial and Liberty. Each one produces a distinct flavor. His hops are shrink-wrapped in airtight packaging and stored in a freezer to use later. “When you use fresh hops, I totally believe that that’s the way to go; it’s just too hard to do it because you don’t have that much time to pick it,” Bergeland said. “You re-

ally want to be brewing that first day when hops are ready, because you’re going to lose so much of that flavor. So, I pick and freeze on the first day, and I’m brewing too.” Freeze drying hops also saves on space for Bergeland. “One ounce of de-

BERGELAND continued on page 19

PHOTOS BY KATELYN ASFELD

The final product of Nathan Bergeland’s brewing is a foamy, amber India Pale Ale made at his home near Barrett in September 2017.

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Nathan Bergeland uses an immersion wort chiller to quickly cool his wort when he brews beer at his home near Barrett. The chiller is made with a copper coil and vinyl tubing connected on both ends.

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PHOTOS BY KATELYN ASFELD

Nathan Bergeland caps a beer bottle with a bottle capper April 5 in his shed near Barrett.

tank is used for the boiling process. Before and during the boiling process, yeast needs to be activated. Yeast stored in a refrigerator to preserve freshness is taken out, broken up and dumped into a large flask with water. It is then placed on a yeast stir plate for a half day up to a full day. The yeast stir plate uses spinning magnets of positive and negative charges to activate the yeast. Using an oxygenation kit, Bergeland adds oxygen in the yeast to give it more vitality to eat the sugars and create alcohol. “Oxygen gives your yeast big shoulders, so to speak,” he said. When yeast is activated, it converts sugar in the wort to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas giving the beer both alcohol content and carbonation. Once the yeast activation is initiated in the flask, the boiling process continues in the eight-gallon kettle. “The first step is to steep your grains,” Bergeland said. Grains may consist of barley, wheat or rye or a combination of the three, depending on the desired beer. Crushed grains are placed in a muslin bag and steeped in boiling water for 15 to 30 minutes.

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brewing. Inside his shed, Bergeland shows how one beer recipe, Cow Chocula Chocolate Milk Stout, is made. “Sterilization is really critical and that’s where most people go wrong,” Bergeland said. “It’s not challenging, but you have to be really detail-oriented.” A metal eight-gallon kettle on top of a burner hooked up to a propane

hydrated hops would be equivalent to 4-6 ounces of wet hops,” he said. “So, if a brewery needs 10 pounds of dry hops, they might need 60 pounds of wet hops. That requires a lot of space, and they may not have the equipment or space for wet hops.” Brewing beer Different types of beer such as a stout, porter, lager and ale. All have different ingredients and methods of

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Page 20 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018 BERGELAND continued from page 19 The grain bag is then removed and what is left is called wort – an infusion of ground malt or other grain before fermentation. The wort is brought to a boil and malt extract is added, as well as lactose, which is a non-fermentable sugar that sweetens brown ales and stouts. “The other thing you have to watch for is your ingredients,” he said. “You don’t want your ingredients to go over six months because the quality will start to degrade.” In the brewing of the milk stout, once the extract and lactose are fully dissolved, it is brought back to a boil and a one-ounce cluster of bittering hops is added. The wort then boils for 30 minutes. After that time, a half-ounce of cluster hops is added and the wort is boiled for an additional 30 minutes. Bittering hops are added early in a

boil to give beer its flavor while cluster, or aroma, hops added in the last five to 10 minutes of the boil give the beer its aroma. Bergeland buys beer kits and brewing supplies from a home brewing and winemaking supplies shop in St. Louis Park, but he may deviate from a beer kit recipe, adding more hops for a more bitter flavor, or citrus peels for a more floral aroma. At the end of a boil, he likes to add more hops to give the wort more aroma and flavor. “Right after your boil, you want to cool the wort down as quickly as possible,” Bergeland said. To do this, he uses an immersion wort chiller which is a copper coil with vinyl tubing connected on both ends that is placed inside the kettle to quickly cool the wort. A garden hose is attached to the tube and cold water runs

through the copper coils, cooling the wort. The water that has been warmed by the hot wort exits the tube and into a sink. Once the wort is cooled below 80 degrees, it is then transferred into a primary fermenter. Bergeland uses a six and a half-gallon ported plastic fermenter. Fermentation After beer is placed in a fermenter, the yeast is added to the beer. The beer mixture is then measured with a hydrometer to test the alcohol content. “With the hydrometer, you’ll measure it right when you put the yeast in and measure it after fermentation and the difference between the two is your alcohol content,” Bergeland said. After testing the beer, the fermenter is connected via one-inch clear tubing with another plastic container filled with water to

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allow carbon dioxide to escape the fermenter but prevent outside air from getting in. “You don’t want any air in the fermenter because then bacteria and stray yeast will start polluting it and the beer will taste like vinegar,” he said. The beer is stored in a dark area at a temperature of 68-75 degrees to ferment for two to six weeks, depending on the beer type. During that time, Bergeland may taste it and test for alcohol, adding more yeast if necessary. Bottling When fermentation is complete, corn sugar is boiled, dissolved and added directly to the beer or transferred to a container where the beer is transferred on top of the sugar to ensure it is all evenly mixed. Before bottling, the bottles and caps need to be sanitized. “The key to brewing is to make sure everything is super clean, otherwise, you’re just going to get skunky beer,” Bergeland said. Bergeland uses 22-ounce glass amber beer bottles. He sanitizes them with an acid sanitizer called Star-San and a bottle rinser. Bottles are placed upside down on the bottle rinser and pushed on a primer, shooting sanitizer into the bottle. Bottles have a final rinse of water and are placed on a bottle

PHOTO BY KATELYN ASFELD

Nathan Bergeland places yeast into this large flask with water and sets it on a stir plate which uses spinning magnets of positive and negative charges to activate the yeast.

drying tree. Bottle caps are sanitized with the same solution and rinsed with water before the capping process begins. Bergeland attaches a vinyl tube to the spigot of the fermenter with a beer bottle filler with a spring-loaded tip on the other end. Opening the valve on the spigot, he inserts the filler inside the bottle, pressing down on the bottom to release the beer. After filling beer bottles, Bergeland uses a bottle capper to cap them. Once bottled, beer sits

for another two weeks at room temperature to carbonate. “The beer doesn’t last too long around me because I drink it,” said Bergeland, laughing. When not busy brewing beer, Bergeland and his wife, Jillian Link, manage their own vineyard, Wooden Link Vineyards. Bergeland is also the chief executive officer for USAdvisors Financial Group of Companies. Jillian works as a wealth advisor at Eagle Bank in Glenwood.

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• 4 chicken breasts • The juice of 1 lime • 1 can of low sodium • 1 clove of garlic, chicken broth minced • 1 10-ounce can • 1/2 yellow onion, of Ro-Tel diced diced tomatoes with green • 2 Tbsp. chili powder chiles In a pot, boil chicken in enough water to cover chicken until it is cooked. Remove from pot and pull apart to small pieces and put back in water. In a skillet, sauté onion for five minutes, add minced garlic and chili powder. Stir, then add to chicken. Bring to a boil. Add Rotel, chicken broth and lime juice. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. While soup is simmering, prepare rice or couscous. To serve, place rice or couscous at bottom of bowls and pour soup on top.

Recipes Submitted by

ANGELA VIERE Richmond Stearns County

Bacon Chicken Crescent Ring • 2 tubes (8-ounce) chopped onion refrigerated crescent • 2 Tbsp. Dijon rolls mustard • 2 chicken breasts, • 1 1/2 cup finely cooked and shredded chopped red pepper • 1 1/2 cups shredded • 6 bacon strips, swiss cheese cooked and crumbled • 3/4 cup mayonnaise • 1 Tbsp. Italian salad • 1/4 cup finely dressing mix Grease 14-inch pizza pan. Unroll crescents, separate into 16 triangles. Place wide end of one triangle 3 inches from edge of pan. Repeat with the rest of the triangles overlapping wide edges. Dough will look like a sun. Press edges together. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Spoon over wide edge of dough. Fold points of triangles over filing and tuck under wide ends. Filling will be visible. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 8.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole • 2 pounds of chicken, • 1 can of enchilada shredded and cooked sauce • 1/2 a can of corn • 1/2 can of black • 1/2 onion, chopped beans • 1 1/2 cup of • Package of tortillas shredded cheese In a 9- by 12-inch pan, layer ingredients in this order: enchilada sauce, tortilla, enchilada sauce, chicken, tortilla, bean/corn/onion mixture, cheese, tortilla, enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

• • • •

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Award weed & feed 50lb bag

*covers 12,500 sq. feet

24” drum diameter Transports easily Simple to fold and roll Priced thousands lower than the competition!

VIDEO ONLINE AT WWW.HARMSMFG.COM

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew

diane@saukherald.com

15-62’ Land Rollers

Variety of sizes!

SUBMIT YOUR RECIPES TO BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF COUNTRY ACRES!

Grain • Agronomy Feed • Petroleum • Seed

PUT THE HARMS NAME ON YOUR FARM IN 2018

Let us help you customize your farm Call Randy or Derek Today! Free Estimates ates • Free Delivery Locally Owned and Operated

Heidi H idi B Beissel i l CSR

M kT Mark T. M Maloney l Agency Manager

Caroll Rieland C Ri l d CISR

CA Apr 20_1B_JW

COUNTRY COOKING

Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Residential • Agricultural • Light Commercial • Drafting St. Martin, MN • www.lifestylelumber.com • 320-548-3459 • 800-699-9774 CAApr20-1B-TV

Page 22 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

COUNTRY COOKING

Oatmeal Cake • • • • • •

1 1/2 cup boiling water • 1 1/3 cups flour 1/2 cup margarine • 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup oatmeal • 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup sugar • 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 cup brown sugar • 1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs • 1/2 cup raisins Mix ingredients and place in greased cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Recipes Submitted by

Topping

JULIE HILSGEN

• 1/2 cup margarine • 1 cup shredded coconut • 1 cup brown sugar

Kimball Stearns County

• 1/2 cup nuts • 1/4 cup milk or cream

Mix topping ingredients, then spread over warm cake. Brown in oven under broil.

Baked Pretzels

Spiced Caramel Nuts

• (1) 16-ounce bottle Orville • 1 package ranch dressing mix Redenbacher’s popcorn oil • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder • 2 bags unsalted, broken hard • 1 Tbsp. dill weed pretzels Mix all ingredients well. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Creamed Ham and Asparagus • 1 pound fresh or frozen asparagus, • 1 1/2 pounds fully-cooked ham, cut cubed • 2 Tbsp. butter • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese • 1 Tbsp. corn starch • 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped • 1 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes • 1/2 tsp. pepper • Toasted bread or biscuits • 1 1/2 cup milk Cook asparagus until crisp tender, about 3 to 4 minutes; drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in cornstarch, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; add ham, cheese, eggs, parsley and asparagus. Cook and stir until ham is warmed and cheese is melted. Serve over toast or biscuits.

• • • •

1/4 cup butter • 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup packed brown sugar • 2 cups pecan halves, walnut halves, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract whole almonds or whole cashews 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice Place butter into a bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 30 to 60 seconds until melted. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Microwave uncovered on high for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and mixture looks glossy, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread in single layer on wax paper to cool. Cool completely. Can be stored in airtight container for up to seven days.

Spring

Power Equipment Sale Check out our Spring Sale prices on: Mowers; Tillers; Walk-behind Trimmers; Chainsaws; Pit Boss, Blackstone and Char-Broil Grills; Pit Boss Smokers; Lawn furniture. Sale prices until May 19.

Char-Broil Gas Grill

Troy Built 54” 25HP Pivot Zero Turn

Husqvarna SP 3in1

2,999.99

239.99

9827 4 982744

GN Tandem Dual Flatbed Trailers Check Out Our Prices Before You Buy!

We carry a full line of agronomy services

(320) 859-5994 Fax • (320) 859-2146 Office

Many sizes in stock CA Apr20_BT

LOCALLY OWNED, LOCALLY OPERATED Growing with the community we serve… for over a century!

Torque Tube

email: creamery@midwestinfo.net P.O. Box 386 • Osakis, Minnesota 56360

Stock, Horse, Dump, Cargo, Flatbed, Boots, Western Wear

499.99

119784

Remington 22” Wheeled Generac String Trimmer DeWalt Radio Charger SPEEDWASH RM1159 $ 169.99 Pressure Washer her 99 $ $ 249. 2 349.00 2 PSI Pressure Washer 2900 er M ng tools Model 6882 w/ 2 cleaning

DAHLBERG BOOT & TRAILER SALES Willmar, MN

320-235-4180

Serving our communities for more than 50 years! Albany St. Cloud Little Falls 320.845.2940 320.632.6311 320.251.0286 Monticello Maple Lake 320.963.5414 763.295.5070

We work with people not just numb3rs

109160

Model #463277017

Model M d l #25A-26J7783 #25A 26J

belgradehardware@gmail.com

615211

CA Apr20_1B_BT

Osakis Creamery ASSOCIATION

Low Pro

Check us out on Facebook!

337 Washburn Ave, Belgrade • 320-254-8285 Mon.- Fri. 8 am - 5:30 pm • Sat. 8 am - 2 pm • Sun. CLOSED

• Regional Independent CPA Firm • Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Quickbooks And Business Consulting • Agriculture, Construction, Transportation, Telecommunications, Retailers, Wholesalers, Printing, Government Agencies, Dealerships, Not-For-Profit Organizations And Manufacturing

www.swcocpas.com

CA Apr20_1B_TV

Page 24 • Country Acres - Friday, April 20, 2018

- BLOCK SALE Harvest Brands

37% Protein Range Block $

5.17

6.17

40152

Poultry Flock Block, $ 158203 Whole Grain

11.37

Harvest Brands

Deer & Sheep & Goat Wild Game Protein Block Block $ 40174 $

40151

9.97

10.17

12.97

FLEET SUPPLY

Harvest Brands Harvest Brands

Triple 12 20% AN 8% PHOS Horse Mineral Pressed Block Pressed Block P $ 40285 $ $ 57975

SAUK CENTRE

GLENWOOD

LONG PRAIRIE

Hwy. 28 & 55 • Ph. 320-634-5209 STORE HOURS

Hwy. 71 S. • Ph. 320-732-6195 STORE HOURS

Monday-Friday 8:00am-7:00pm Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

PAYNESVILLE

LITTLE FALLS

GLENCOE

Hwy. 55 West • Ph. 320-243-3556 STORE HOURS

Hwy. 27 • Ph. 320-632-9240 STORE HOURS

3105 10th St. • Ph. 320-864-4304 STORE HOURS

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

8.47

58607

19.07

SALE PRICES GOOD April 20-30, 2018

YOUR COMPLETE FARM & HOME STORE

1050 Centre Street • Ph. 320-352-5261 STORE HOURS

Harvest Brands

Get your Propane tanks filled here! Available at all Fleet Supply Stores

19.07

Hunting & Fishing Licenses Available At All Locations!

CA-Apr20-1B-kh

87016

White Saltt Block 41013SS $

No Cash...No Problem. Charge It!

1050 Centre Street, Sauk Centre • 320-352-5261 WWW.FLEETSUPPLYMN.COM

CAApr6-1B-MT

Trace Mineral Block $