Country Acres 2019 - August 16 edition by Star Publications

PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861 11 2nd Ave N Unit 103 Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

Country

Friday, August 16, 2019

cres A

Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment

Volume 7, Edition 11

Driving

ALL PHOTOS BY DANNA SABOLIK

Luke Wuertz watches the 1955 pull-behind Minneapolis Moline combine as it harvests oats on his family’s farm Aug. 8 near Spring Hill.

Grandpa’s combine

Wuertzes partake in family legacy By DANNA SABOLIK Staff Writer Spring Hill – While it is common to see farmers harvesting oats this time of year, it is rare to see it done with a 1955 pull-behind combine. The Wuertz family of Spring Hill hauled a relic machine out of the shed this summer and decided to give it a spin on a 27-acre oat field south of their farm Aug. 8. “I think it was in the shed for more than 30 years without use,” Peter Wuertz said. “Grandpa bought it new and we used it for a long time.” Peter and Lisa Wuertz and their children, Paul, Luke and Brooke, milk 60 cows and grow corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa on 434 acres. The combining event was a family

affair, with Peter’s father, Tom and uncle, Jim, and sister, Laura in attendance for the event. “It’s nice for the kids to do this with their grandpa, the way he did it growing up,” Peter said. This opportunity may not come around again for the children, so they were excited to have a chance to take the rig out for a spin. Of course, there were minor hiccups and the old machinery needed encouragement now and then, but Tom was ready and able to provide his mechanical expertise. The family has a special connection with the brand of tractor. Peter’s grandfather, Paul Wuertz, purchased a 1939 R Moline as a young farmer. His neighbors teased him that he would go broke buying the gas for it. Paul was a talented inventor who designed and patented a hydraulic loader for his 39 R tractor and also designed and patented the tensioning system for the square baler that the Minneapolis Moline company used. The company would bring prototypes to the farm for

This month in the

COUNTRY

The Wuertz family – Luke (from left), Brooke, Jim, Lisa, Peter, Paul and Tom – combined and baled 27 acres of oats Aug. 8. The family has a dairy and crop farm near Spring Hill.

Paul to test and use. He would fine tune them and get everything working well, then send them back to the company. Paul later bought additional Moline tractors and other equipment and farm with them. Today, the Wuertzes have 30 tractors including several front-wheel

assist tractors and a four-wheel drive, the G4 combine, the small square baler and some tillage equipment. The tractors range from 1936 to 1970 models.

A school repurposed Diane Leukam column

10 Hearts in a Barn Lowry

17 Fingers in the Dirt Sauk Centre

Farming in Water Osakis

14 Country Acres According To: Herman Lensing

21 Country Cooking

WUERTZ continued on page 2

22 Remembering Country School Sauk Centre

Page 2 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019

Country Acres

Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Ben Sonnek, Writer ben.s@saukherald.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Jennifer Coyne, Writer jenn@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik, Writer danna.s@dairystar.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 Warren Stone, 320-249-9182 warren@star-pub.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988 Jaime@star-pub.com

PRODUCTION STAFF Pat Turner Amanda Thooft Nancy Powell Brian Dingmann Maddy Peterson

WUERTZ continued from front Peter remembers driving the combine and hoping for a crosswind when he woke up in the morning. That way he wouldn’t have to wear a hooded sweatshirt in the hot weather to keep the dust out of his eyes and face. When Peter teased his 16-year-old daughter, Brooke, about the crosswind and needing a sweatshirt, her response was, “Yeah, Dad, that was like 100 years ago.” One hundred years ago, last week. The Wuertzes have plenty of fond memories of the old Minneapolis Moline tractors, and a family legacy to last lifetimes. WUERTZ continued on page 3 (above right) Blake Welle (left), Luke Wuertz, Paul Wuertz (lying) and Jim Wuertz gather to troubleshoot a breakdown on the Minneapolis Moline baler. (right) Brooke Wuertz pulls a 1955 Minneapolis Moline combine behind a tractor Aug. 8 on her family’s farm near Spring Hill. The equipment has been in her family for four generations. (below) Paul Wuertz loads a straw bale on the wagon pulled by his great uncle, Jim Wuertz. The Wuertz family combined and baled a 27-acre oat field with vintage Minneapolis Moline equipment.

Janelle Westerman 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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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 3 WUERTZ continued from page 2

(above) Luke Wuertz and his grandfather, Tom Wuertz,, work together to simultaneouslyy harvest oats and unload the combine’s hopper. The duo worked with other family members embers to complete the 27acre oat field.

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Page 4 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019

A school repurposed

Correction:

In the story, “A tractor to do it all,” which ran in the July 19 issue of Country Acres, beginning on page 5, it was stated, “Debbie Powers has been helping organize the event for the past 35 years, and has seen it change throughout her tenure.” It should have said: “Karen Kuhnau has been helping organize the event for the past 35 years, and has seen it change throughout her tenure.”

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oon summer will be over and the kids will be heading back to school. Marianne Walker tells us a back to school story many of you will find familiar, that just might bring back memories of the “good old days.” I did not attend country school, but there are details in this story that spark memories for me on a personal level. You see, Marianne’s school stood a stone’s throw, literally, from the home farm where I grew up – land that once belonged to the farm. The school closed in 1952, and my parents purchased the building and some of its contents on an auction in 1964. They had the responsibility of moving it, choosing a central area of the yard and turning it into a farm shop. The stove in the story came with the building, and was used to burn wood and heat the shop for another four decades – minus the jacket Marianne mentions. That shop was a busy place, and as a kid I enjoyed being in there – most of the time watching Dad fixing something. It had a unique smell that I imagine was a mixture of the wood stove, grease and dirt, along with whatever you get with a lot of welding. Sometimes we would clean the shop when Dad wasn’t around, you

by Diane Leukam know, just to be helpful! I’m not so sure he appreciated the help. He could find things best right where he put them versus where we thought they should be. The library made its way into the basement of our home. There were freestanding cabinets, stained a dark brown, with glass doors. We kept books in them too, and later used them to store canned food. I think they finally saw their end days after my parents’ home was sold earlier this summer. The shop was torn down in 2002, when my brothers built a new, bigger one to fit their needs. I can’t believe it’s been that long already. My brothers purchased the land back from the school district in 2003 for $200 – $1 for the land and the remainder in closing costs. The district was going to have to start paying taxes on it and decided they would rather get rid of

it. Good choice. Many of the kids in the photo I remember as neighbors, and Marianne is actually a cousin of my dad’s. Small world. We have a fish farming story for you this time. John Chalmers of Osakis is an aquatic biologist who uses his skills to raise many different species of fish. I hope you enjoy reading about this unique enterprise that is all about farming in the water. It definitely has its similarities to conventional animal agriculture. Gene and Ann Kramer have a beautiful place in the country north of Lowry. Since 1996 they have loved and cared for an old red barn that houses Ann’s retired show horses. I was equally impressed with the work they did on their home. That could have been a separate story, as could their CRP land they have planted into a longterm duck habitat. So many choices. The Wuertz family honored their grandfather, Paul Wuertz, by resurrecting his 1955 pull-behind Minneapolis Moline to combine 27 acres of oats on the family farm near Spring Hill. They also used an old Minneapolis Moline small square baler, enjoying a family day in the field.

Sue Tschida is a girl after my own heart. She loves gardening and always has a new project in mind. She has the full support of her husband, Kevin, as well. She says there is nothing too special about her gardening but I beg to disagree. If you are traveling on Highway 2 northeast of Sauk Centre, you will most likely notice the beauty as you drive by. With the amateur baseball post-season in full swing, I thought it would be fun to get the perspective of the sport from Herman Lensing. He has been going to games his whole life and covering them since 1981 for the Melrose Beacon. Recently he presented on the subject at the Stearns History Museum. Beginning today, be sure to head out to this year’s state tournament being hosted by our neighbors in Dassel, Delano and Maple Lake. Mixed in amongst the 64 teams in the 10-day tournament, you are sure to find any number of familiar faces. I wish you an enjoyable rest of your summer and for you farmers, a safe and abundant harvest. Look for us in your mailbox again on Sept. 6, and be sure to tell our amazing advertisers you saw them in Country Acres. Enjoy!

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 5

Farming in water Chalmers raises fish for stocking lakes, ponds By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer Osakis – It is summertime on the farm. For John Chalmers, that means feeding, fertilizing, pest control and checking the crops. Crops of fish, that is. “We’re almost identical to farmers except we do everything in the water,” Chalmers said July 26 at his farm near Osakis. “The fish hatch in the spring, we do our fertilizing, weed control, growing them all summer and in the fall, we harvest all our fish.” At 10,000 Lakes Aquaculture, Chalmers raises blue gill, hybrid blue gill, yellow perch, black crappies, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleyes, fathead minnows and white suckers. The fathead minnows are added to the ponds to help feed the fish and the white suckers are for the bait industry. Most of the fish, though, are raised for stocking ponds and lakes in Minnesota and every state

east of Colorado. “One of our very first sales was to Ted Turner,” Chalmers said. “In the sandhills of Nebraska, we stocked northern pike in a pond on one of his bison ranches. It was our third or fourth order we ever did.” That was in 1995, and the company has been growing ever since, even though fish farming was not his planned choice of careers. Chalmers went to school at Bemidji for an aquatic biologist degree intending to work with lakes through the DNR or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a junior in college, a representative of the DNR came into the classroom and explained there were not going to be any positions open unless he had a master’s degree. With no master’s programs available in Minnesota at the time, Chalmers took an internship instead at Fergus Falls with the DNR. After graduation in August 1992, he began working

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

John Chalmers holds a grader that sorts fish according to size. Each order of fish is then held in one of 16 tanks in the processing building, where they await shipping to locations around Minnesota and every state east of Colorado.

for Brandon Fisheries and by 1995 decided to start his own business. By that time Chalmers was married to Leah, and they started raising their family including daughter Ariel, now 22 and son Ethan, now 20. Leah helps nights and weekends, and the kids help out when they are able. Leah’s parents, Tom and Pat Wallace, live nearby and as retired semi drivers, they usually take one or two trips each fall, hauling fish.

“I usually try to send them where the whole truck goes in one place; then they can take their time and meander back,” Chalmers said. “They’ve been very helpful.” The property is located along the Sauk River in a setting that is ideal for fish farming. Chalmers had done extensive research to find clay soil where the water source was close. “Around a river usually it’s a sandier soil,” he said. “This place is all clay

and clay is what you want to dig your pond because it acts as a liner and helps keep the water from escaping. That’s why we picked this place.” Ironically, the river is no longer used to fill the ponds due to Federal regulations. Now, well water must be used. The farm site consists of 12 ponds, most of them a half acre in size, which are stair-stepped on hillsides, each at a different level. A dozen more ponds

from 5-40 acres are rented as well, from Hoffman to Long Prairie. One species of fish is raised in each pond, with the number of fish depending on the species and the hatch. It can range from a couple thousand to 50,000, which sometimes happens with the hybrid bluegills. “Sometimes you will get a really good hatch and sometimes you won’t,”

CHALMERS continued on page 6

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Page 6 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019 CHALMERS continued from page 5 Chalmers said. “This spring was a really tough year because it was so cold, and the spring was so short. A lot of the early spawning fish actually spawned under the ice before it went out this year.” All the fish spawn naturally, using adult fish that are grown in two holding ponds. “In the bass pond we’ll put 10 or 15 pair of adult bass and let them spawn, and then we’ll take the adults back out usually around mid-June, and we let the little ones grow all summer,” Chalmers said.

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The adult fish are removed by fishing them out, something his son and friends have enjoyed doing over the years. Any remaining adult fish are removed with a seine, a net that goes side to side and top to bottom on the pond. It is pulled from one end to the other and is one of the more labor-intensive tasks. The small, growing fish are fed a commercial pellet that is a combination of fish meal, vitamins and minerals, some of it with a soybean base. The ponds are also fertilized each week with an alfalfa

meal powder. The formula changes as the fish get bigger and their needs change. Eventually, some species are fed fathead minnows, but others eat pellets their whole time on the farm. Some of their feed occurs naturally in the ponds. “All of our ponds have plankton and many insects use water in their life cycles, so a lot of their larval stage is in the water – mosquitoes, dragonflies, mayflies,” Chalmers said. Each pond has a dock

CHALMERS continued on page 7

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PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

Nets are lined up near a boat, all part of the equipment used on John and Leah Chalmers’ fish farm near Osakis.

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 7 CHALMERS continued from page 6 where belt feeders slowly drop feed into the water. The fish know when it is feeding time. “If you’re walking, you’ll see them coming across the pond,” Chalmers said. “They can sense the movement outside the water, and they can see you.”

Throughout the summer, Chalmers is constantly checking the size of the fish, taking samples with hand traps that are set in the water. “It’s not like regular farming where you can see the crops,” he said. “When it’s in the water, you can’t

see what’s going on, so we sample the fish to see how they are growing and if they are on schedule. If the fish are not on schedule, it’s more feed, fertilizer and minnows.” To keep the water clean, natural bacteria are used. Pond dyes color the

water to prevent weed growth, and as a last resort, certain aquatic chemicals can be used. In every instance where there are fish, whether in the ponds, tanks during harvest, or in the trucks for hauling, the fish are being given oxygen via

diffusers that bubble into the water. With the daily chores comes one of the most challenging problems on the farm – predators. Otters are the most harmful and can smell fish from miles away. “They can clean out a pond of a thousand fish in a week,” Chalmers said. “Ten years ago, you never saw one but with fur prices dropping, nobody traps anymore so those animals get free reign. There are oodles of otters, muskrats, beavers and raccoons.” Every day, Chalm-

CHALMERS continued on page 8

PHOTO SUBMITTED

(above) Walleye grown at 10,000 Lakes Aquaculture of Osakis are released into a pond. PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

Bluegills gather to eat pellets that are dropped into a pond using a belt feeder.

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

An old barn is reflected in a fish pond, while in the background a processing building is visible, July 26 at 10,000 Lakes Aquaculture near Osakis.

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Page 8 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019 CHALMERS continued from page 7 ers watches for the matted-down paths of animals coming or going from the ponds, or in the winter, he can see the tracks in the snow. Birds that must be commonly dealt with are osprey, and on the larger ponds, pelicans and cormorants. Harvesting is done at various times, depending upon the species. Fish are collected in traps which have been placed in the pond the day prior using a boat. That is when the business takes on a sort of holiday feel. “It’s kind of like Christmas when you go to set your trap for the first time because you never know what you’re going to get; you could be super happy or you could be super sad,” Chalmers said. The fish are brought into a processing building that contains 16 tanks of either 300 or 400 gallons per tank. They are sorted using graders according to the size of the fish for each order, or sometimes by weight ordered. Each order has its own tank. In the fall,

there are up to 2,000 fish per tank, or 32,000 fish in the building at a time. By the first week of December, the harvest is finished for the year. By that time, they will have 50,000 miles put on the delivery trucks. Chalmers will have spent countless hours online, with individual permits required for each order sold in Minnesota. Other states require yearly or monthly permits, and one has a permit for each load. In addition to fish, Chalmers keeps busy shipping aquatic chemicals, bacteria and pond dyes while consulting with customers in solving problem weed situations in their waters. He also installs aeration equipment using windmill, solar or electric energy sources. And, he enjoys the life that happened in a roundabout way. “It wasn’t exactly the route I thought [life would take] but I really enjoy it,” Chalmers said. “I saw there was a niche market and we went for it.”

Country Acres

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

(above) John Chalmers stands before one of the fish ponds at 10,000 Lakes Aquaculture near Osakis, which he operates with his wife, Leah. Chalmers began the business in 1995 after earning his degree as an aquatic biologist. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Otter tracks are visible in the winter on one of the ponds where fish are raised by John Chalmers of Osakis. Otters are one of many predators that present a challenge on the fish farm.

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Tell us about some of the things you’ve done this year in FFA: This year, I participated in our chapter’s corn drive, a fundraiser for Camp Courage that is held in the fall. We go out to farmers’ fields and ask them to donate some corn or soybeans that we can bring to the local elevator to exchange for money to give to Camp Courage. I attended the Region V Chapter Leaders Conference in September. At the camp, I learned what it takes to make an effective leader and some things I can bring back to my chapter. In February, I attended a regional camp for the second year. This camp is called LTC, which stands for Leading the Challenge. At this camp, you learn how to handle challenges and obstacles, team bonding and meet new people from around the region. I served on the Region V nominating committee for the 2019-20 Region Officer team. I have participated in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings contest as the chair since 2017. My team and I received second place in the region and fourth in the state in 2018. This spring, we received first in both region and state. We will be heading to Indianapolis this October to compete at National Convention. Over the past three years, along with Conduct of Chapter Meetings, I have participated in Horse Judging and General Livestock Judging. My SAE is Dairy Production. I worked on a dairy farm from September to February, where I milked cows and fed bottle calves. My second SAE is Agricultural Communications. I chose this because I have a passion for speaking and one of my favorite things to do is share my love of agriculture and FFA. I demonstrated this by talking on my local radio station and maintaining the Litchfield FFA’s Facebook page. In 2018, I was elected to serve as the 2018-19 chapter secretary. This past spring, I was elected to serve as the chapter’s 2019-20 vice president. Name one current issue you believe will impact agriculture in the future. Why? The lack of farmers we will have, because no one wants to put in the effort or labor that it takes to feed the world. Therefore, in future generations, we will have few-

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Page 10 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019

Hearts in a barn Kramers’ beloved 1902 structure maintains character, function By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer Lowry – On a beautiful afternoon in July, KC, Libby and Emmy walked from the sunshine through the door into the shelter they call home. Or, whatever quarter horses ages 18-20 call their stalls in their retirement home in the country. “They love coming in the barn,” Ann Kramer said. “They associate coming in with getting fed something that they love to eat. These are all retired show horses. They traveled around a lot, [even] up into Canada. I raised them, showed them and retired them.” Gene and Ann Kramer are pleased not only to give their horses treats, but to be a part of preserving the 1902 barn that speaks of the history of the countryside. The beloved barn is where their hearts are

on their acreage north of Lowry. In fact, the barn is the reason they bought the property. They just happened to drive by in 1996, during the week the property was on the market. “When we saw that barn it kind of took my breath away,” Ann said. “We had hit the jackpot. We bought it because we liked the barn. We were able to get it in a very short period of time and it was a miracle.” For years they had been looking for something away from blacktop roads with acreage, a big yard, a barn and a house that needed a lot of work. “We drove by and it was a narrow road and we saw the river and the rolling hills,” Gene said. “It looked like a field road.” They purchased the property and worked on the old farmhouse for a year before moving in. They basically worked until every inch of the house had been

redone. “We knew the house had good bones, it had hardwood floors and 9-foot ceilings,” Ann said. They kept the character of the old house as much as possible. The same could be said for the barn. They have worked to keep the barn’s integrity, and to keep it fortified and standing. Earlier this summer the couple noticed the barn was beginning to twist, and in July hired a crew to come out and repair the structure. Working for a week, the crew raised the barn on jacks and replaced about half the foundation and put in a new sill plate. “On the west side you will see the footings are probably down three feet,” Gene said. “The main part of it [the project] was replacing rotten wood,

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

Gene and Ann Kramer stand proudly before their beloved 1902 barn, July 24 near Lowry. Because of the barn, the Kramers purchased the property in 1996, after they happened to drive by during the week it was on the market.

KRAMER continued on page 11

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 11 KRAMER continued from page 10 straightening it out and putting new wood in.” In the upper level the crew attached a cable system that for several days pulled the barn back into the proper position. Diagonal braces were built, along with brackets to keep the barn solid. “[I was] so relieved,” Ann said. “Upstairs you have that tall wall [on a] 40-foot-high barn. I can hear it making noise when it blows from the east. How sick we would feel to look out here and not see that barn.” While the crew

worked, the horses had to be locked out of the area where they were working, but not because they were skittish. “One horse liked the machinery way too much,” Ann said. “He liked the air compressor, the skid loader and the air nailer. When the machines started up he thought they were wonderful.” Over the years, the Kramers have worked on improving the barn in other ways. Gene built five box stalls for Ann’s quarter horses, with the option of removing the partition

between two of them to create a double-sized foaling stall. He also removed the concrete that was under them, replacing it with dirt. About 10 years ago they had a new steel roof installed over the shingles. A trench was dug along the north side of the barn to divert water which ran through it in the spring. Every 10 years they have painted the barn red, making it a standout in its surroundings. With its next painting due, the Kramers

KRAMER continued on page 12

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Page 12 â&#x20AC;˘ Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019 KRAMER continued from page 11 are planning a painting party in August, no doubt with help from the families of their six children and nine grandchildren. Family is a big part of their lives, and the barn is even a part of those relationships. The grandchildren love to swing in the haybarn, something Ann will take a turn on occasionally. And, they even have guest horses, with a daugh-

ter who gives lessons full time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our daughter has a riding center and she will bring down four horses at a time,â&#x20AC;? Ann said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She calls this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summer Camp.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; When they come here I take care of them.â&#x20AC;? Those horses have access to another area of the barn, as well as pasture where they can graze on the rolling hills on the property.

Gene helps, too, assisting with anything that requires skidloader work, hay hauling, or the like. He also gives the horses their shots and loads them into the trailer for hauling. Ann talked about the three horses that were on hand that day in July as they came into the barn, expecting a treat. KC gets two stalls. He had been leased out to a woman from Fargo for 10

years and is now back on the farm. Ann said he is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretty boyâ&#x20AC;? and a wonderful riding horse who loves cookies and carrots. Libbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real name is Liberty and Justice and she is much smaller than the others. Ann calls Libby her â&#x20AC;&#x153;doll baby,â&#x20AC;? and she is a cutting horse whose show career was brought to an

KRAMER continued on page 13

PHOTO SUBMITTED

(above) Ann Kramer interacts with Libby, a retired show horse, Aug. 12 near Lowry. Kramer and her husband, Gene, have preserved this barn for their horses, after purchasing the property in 1996. PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

(left) Ann Kramer takes a moment to enjoy the swing that hangs in the hayloft of the 1902 barn. Grandchildren also enjoy the swing when they visit the farm.

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres â&#x20AC;˘ Page 13 KRAMER continued from page 12

was the manager of the tool and die department of Bobcat Manufacturing for five years. Later he was a purchasing manager for a company in Morris. Ann worked in human services, directing the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s center and teaching the Discover curriculum at St. Cloud Technical College. Gene grew up in the metro area, while Ann grew up on a dairy farm south of Crookston. She was never as comfortable around cows as she is around horses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have always been a part of my life,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even when I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM have them with me they New bracing holds the upper level of the barn into place, keeping the 1902 structure straight and sturdy. were at my mom and dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waiting for me to pick them up again.â&#x20AC;? That seems like a very BERGMAN Automatic long time ago. Now, they enjoy the AGRi-Speed HITCH property with their horses, â&#x20AC;˘ Simple drawbar mount along with their two Norâ&#x20AC;˘ Easy to operate day or night wegian Elkhounds, Odin and Ruger. In the quiet â&#x20AC;˘ PTO compatible countryside, they enjoy â&#x20AC;˘ Fast, reliable, safe the peace and beauty surÂ&#x2021; ,QFUHDVHV HIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQF\ RQO\ QHHG rounding them, knowing it 1 person all started with a barn. â&#x20AC;˘ Easily pulls more than the D.O.T. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It kind of spoke to allows on the highway me,â&#x20AC;? Ann said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;˘ Available for pick-ups, choppers, never any guarantee that tractors, wagons, etc. someone else would be as enamored with this old barn as we are, but I love the fact that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re preservPHOTO SUBMITTED FEED & FARM SUPPLY STORE This barn was lifted off its foundation and a new one built underneath ing it.â&#x20AC;? www.bergmanmfg.com It is hard to judge who it, during July. The pole bracing the corner of the barn is functioning, Gilman, MN â&#x20AC;˘ 320-387-2770 along with a cable system, to undo a twist in the structure, with loves the barn more â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the horses or their people. bracing to hold it in place inside on the upper level. end by Lyme disease. Emmy is a bay roan horse, who was Annâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main riding horse for years. Ann traveled and has shown horses with both the National and Minnesota Quarter Horse Associations. She no lon-

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Page 14 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019

Farm ball?

COUNTRY ACRES ACCORDING TO:

Herman Lensing Melrose

get to the afternoon game, which got done in time to get home and do chores, which usually finished up in time to listen to the reports of games on KASM or get to the little league.

What is your affiliation with amateur baseball in Central Minnesota? It was always there. In this region, it is part of summer and family. With a father, uncles, brothers and cousins who all played the game, talking baseball was common. In central Minnesota, the

games were played in towns not that far from us. Growing up there was the little league (Little Dipper League), Legion (now Big Dipper League) and amateur teams. The St. Andrew’s Catholic Church bulletin listed the weekly games that were scheduled. Sundays were made for baseball. Services ended in time to

of it small town pride (many of the teams are in towns of less than 500). Being an amateur sport, most people associated with the game in central Minnesota are involved because they want to be. As one person said, “It How many baseball games have became a lifestyle.” That resulted in you written about in your lifetime? a number or really nice diamonds – A count has never been done, but and some well-established baseball I have been reporting on amateur communities. baseball for the Melrose Beacon since 1981. It usually takes three What is amateur baseball’s scorebooks of 15 games each year association with farming? to cover a season from opening Farmers were very instrumental day to state tournament play. On in helping to spread baseball the amateur level from the regular nationwide. Farmers would come season to state, there are about into town to play the game. It made 30 games a year. So I’m guessing it sense in away – some early diamonds comes to over 1,100 games. were pastures. David Vaught’s 2013 book, “The Farmers’ Game: Baseball What is the attraction to amateur in Rural America,” records how the ball? game spread through the nation In this area it is part of the in rural areas. This area was no Minnesota landscape. Find a town exception. Many of the town teams and you usually find a baseball in Central Minnesota (Stearns County diamond. There are more amateur alone has 28) came about because teams in Minnesota than any other farmers played for them. In the late state. Part of it is tradition and part 19th and into the late 20th Century,

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the religious culture in rural areas discouraged working on Sundays. Additionally, during the week it was easy to start a game of catch during breaks from fieldwork.

vice versa. It is kind of a symbiotic relationship. The return to wood bats. The amateur game becoming a nine-inning home run contest. Finally, the condition of ball diamonds. About 15 years ago the majority were agri-lime infields, with less-than-great pitching What have been the big changes over the mounds. Today, most have grass outfields, improved years? grandstands, electronic scoreboards and some have The training players get. More and more added lights. play on high school and post high school teams. One long-time observer pointed out that in rural Do different teams have different feels? Minnesota it is rare to have a good amateur Very much so. Some have a tradition of playing program without a good high school program, or the best who come to the team; others have more of a seniority system. Some consistently put competitive teams on the field; others seem to look for an excuse to lose. Not only teams but leagues do have flavors. The SCL

had for a long time a six-mile radius for eligibility to play, and players pretty much stayed with their home towns. In the Victory League, players move around a bit more. Is there any ball park venue you’d recommend? Yes – all of them. They all have something unique. Most have decent concessions (although I can’t seem to find bacon-brat-cheeseburgers anymore) and have improved sight lines. Those with low fences between dugouts and foul poles are really appreciated. Anyone who has a chance should get to the state amateur tournament, this year held in Delano, Dassel and Maple Plaine. The crowds generally get into the games and the

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Page 16 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019 COUNTRY ACRES ACCORDING TO continued from page 15

quality of play is good. In 2017 it was amazing to see the crowd line the foul lines and fill the grandstands as Kimball (pop. 791) played Lake Henry (pop. 108) for the state title. Of course the best thing about any venue is the baseball being played there.

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What are some of your favorite ballpark anecdotes? Favorite is tough, but some stick out. Lake Henry’s Lynn Hemmesch in an All-Star game, was asked by a third baseman where he should stand to play defense. Hemmesch said not to worry about it because he wouldn’t let the batter hit the ball to third base. Hemmesch was also the pitcher in a game in which a good high school hitter kept telling his teammates they should be able to hit him. “He has nothing,” the high schooler said. When he faced Hemmesch, he sat down after being struck out. “It’s hard to hit nothing,” observed one of his teammates. Elmer Schleper, the Farming manager who was known for disagreeing with the umpire’s calls, once came from a dugout after a close play and told an astounded umpire he had made the right call, but the game was going too fast and there were concessions to be sold. One batter, who was known for hitting home runs, watched the ball float across the plate for a called third strike ending the game. When he came back to the dugout his explanation was “Anything moving that slow should drop shouldn’t it? I was waiting for it to start dropping.” There was a veteran who told a very angry young

player who had struck out that he could either move and play the game, or confront the umpire and never get a hit again. There was a girl putting up numbers on the Greenwald scoreboard who didn’t want to put up the opposition’s runs because people driving by would then know Greenwald was losing. Another elementary girl once stood beside me at a game and she was making some fairly good observations about the players on her father’s team as they came to bat. When she became silent when the No. 4 batter came up, I observed that he, too, was good hitter. “Oh,” she said. “That’s just Dad.”

What are your most memorable baseball moments of your career? There was the 26-strike-out game by Mitch Reller of Freeport this year; seeing 27 consecutive batters reach base without an out some years ago between St. Stephen and St. Wendel; watching Jim Eisenrich playing in the amateur game, and the SCL stunning a Sauk Valley League with an All-Star win. The top memory is the Pat Illies home run for Elrosa in the 2017 Regionals at Farming. Elrosa trailed Regal 2-1 in their final at bat. In the ninth inning, Kevin Kuefler doubled and Illies came to the plate. There was a sense that the game would be decided that at bat. With two strikes, Illies connected and the world was condensed to looking at the right fielder, the ball and the home run fence. It was just quiet until the ball hit the ground beyond the fence and Elrosa had a win – then it got loud.

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 17 ALL PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM

Fingers in the dirt

Sue Tschida stands before a flower garden July 26 at her home northeast of Sauk Centre. Tschida loves getting her fingers in the dirt and has created many gardens on the five-acre property in her 35 years there with her husband, Kevin.

Tschida always up for a new garden project By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer Sauk Centre – Five acres can mean different things to different people. For Sue Tschida northeast of Sauk Centre, it means there is always room for one more gardening project. “I love gardening,” Tschida said. “I hate winter and I just want to get out here and get my fingers in the dirt.” Tschida grew up just a mile down the road, the daughter of Jerome and Vivian Friedrichs, but she didn’t grow up gardening. “We lived on the farm and Mom didn’t have much time for anything,” she said. “A little rock garden and a couple pots.” Tschida and her husband, Kevin, have lived on their current property for their entire married life of 35 years. Sue is retired from Stearns Manufacturing, a company that made life jackets in Grey Eagle, where she worked for near-

ly 29 years. Kevin works at Standard Iron in Sauk Centre where he has been for more than 40 years. “He came with the building,” Tschida said. “I don’t know if he’ll ever retire.” Now, the couple’s yard is filled with gardens, each with its own unique purpose. But in the beginning, Sue started small with her gardening. “I guess I just needed something pretty,” she said. “Once you get your own place you start adding. People start giving you more and it keeps growing and growing.” She has received many plants from friends and family over the years. Tschida pointed to a rather elaborate hillside, complete with mature plants, along with layers of garden walls that she installed herself. Originally, Kevin had requested she landscape the area. “This is the hill he hated to mow; this is what

started this mess,” Tschida said with a smile. “I put hostas in here and kept on going.” In the backyard, a large border garden along a tree line is beautifully manicured, with a variety of plants, a brick path and entry graced by a lovely iron arbor. Kevin built the arbor, using skills he has gained in his lifetime of work.

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Page 18 • Country Acres - Friday, August 16, 2019 TSCHIDA continued from page 17 “Kevin had to get them out of here.” On their way out they damaged some of her flowers. On the other side of the house, Sue’s latest project was finished to beautify an area where they have been unable to keep a lawn growing. A paved area is filled with bird feeders that are visited by bluejays, cardinals, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, orioles, buntings and grosbeaks. Sur-

rounding that is a variety of hostas and other shade plants. Up a hill from there is a large vegetable garden, and a shed that is flanked by native perennials. Tschida loves paths, and when touring the gardens with her, one is likely to be using them. One is not likely to hear the names of each of the flowers. Since

TSCHIDA continued on page 19

(left) A large border garden is filled with perennials and features a brick path and metal arbor at the Kevin and Sue Tschida residence northeast of Sauk Centre. (upper right) Native flowers line a shed in a sunny spot on the property. (lower right) A variety of feeders attracts a multitude of birds. The frames, including squirrel deterrents, were built for Sue Tschida by her husband, Kevin.

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“He’s good,” Tschida said. “If I need something made – anything metal – he’ll make it for me. If I want something he’ll create it. I just have to describe it.” Other pieces Kevin has created include various trellises, chime holders and a large variety of bird feeders. Tschida pointed out a set of bird feeders that Kevin will have to redo, courtesy of some visitors

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 19 TSCHIDA continued from page 18 stopped on their motorcycle to express their appreciation of her gardens. He had noticed her working as she laid all the block for the walls as he drove by every day. “I have a lot of people that stop and ask ‘do you want to come and do mine,’” she said. She just smiles and

declines. She already has enough to do. Someday, Tschida would like to start a garden that is just native plants… and another flower bed up by the vegetable garden, and one by the shop. And there are some shrubs she would like to remove. And then she will quit. Maybe.

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 21

COUNTRY COOKING

Linguini Veggie Pasta Salad Dressing: • 1 cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise • 1/4 cup sugar

Veggies: Combine your choice of vegetables – black olives, celery, carrots, green onions, broccoli, red onions, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, red grapes (cut in half), mushrooms or any other veggies you like. Cut bigger veggies into bite-sized pieces. Pasta: Cook plain spaghetti noodles or flavored linguini noodles (basil garlic or tomato basil) according to the package – do not overcook them. Pasta amounts: Cook as much as you like – some people like quite a lot of pasta and others like just a little. Rinse cooked noodles with cold water. Drain well. (Let sit for some time so it drains real well.) Combine the cooked noodles and the veggies and store in the refrigerator until almost ready to serve. Remove from fridge and stir in enough dressing to coat all the ingredients. Serve. Makes quite a large batch by the time you have all the veggies and noodles mixed.

Recipes submitted by

KENN BURR Albany Stearns County Seafood Pasta Salad • 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. white pepper • 1 tsp. sugar • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced small • 2 stalks celery, diced smaller • 3/4 of a 10-ounce jar of green olives, sliced diagonally in half • 1 (16-ounce) package artificial crab chunks, flaked out

Mix Miracle Whip, yogurt, lemon juice, yellow mustard, dill weed, Cayenne pepper, sugar and white pepper until well mixed. Add to the cooled pasta the diced onions, olives and celery; toss gently. Add flaked crab; mix well just until coated. (You may have to make a batch and a half of the dressing mix if you like it creamier.) This recipe gives a nice light dressing coating – not too heavy. Salad gets better if allowed to set for a couple hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

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Dressing: • 2 cups Western dressing • 3/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper powder (if using Jalapenos, reduce Cayenne pepper) • 3 Tbsp. chili powder • 1 tsp. garlic powder • 1 tsp. ground cumin Mix well and set aside. Salad: • 2 (16-ounce) boxes spiral noodles, cooked according to package, drained and cooled • 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed • 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained • 1 large green pepper, chopped • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion • 1 small jar pimento • Optional: 1-1/2 chopped Jalapeno peppers

• 2 tsp. dill weed • 3/4 of a 12-ounce bottle buttermilk dressing (Kraft or Hidden Valley Ranch dressing both work) • 2 Tbsp. Miracle Whip • Salt and pepper (I use white pepper)

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Mix all salad ingredients together well, add dressing and stir well. Chill overnight and stir just before serving. This recipe can be increased to serve many or cut in half for a small group.

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Page Page Pa g 2222 • Country Acres - Friday, August Aug uggus ust 16 116,, 2019

Remembering country school Walker reminisces on learning in the “good old days” By DANNA SABOLIK Staff Writer

SAUK CENTRE – As Marianne Walker recalls country school, the former student – and eventually educator – cannot help by smile. “I remember it fondly,” Walker said. “There was a lot to be desired by today’s standards, but I was fortunate to attend a one room country school the first seven years of my education. There, I was the only student in my grade in a school that averaged 13 students from grades one through eight.” Walker, then a Weimerskirch, attended District 94, a small schoolhouse five miles south of Sauk Centre from 1945-52 and is now president of the retired teachers association locally. She gives tours of a schoolhouse similar to the one she attended during Sinclair Lewis Days in Sauk Centre and reminds attendees of what school was like in “the good old days.”

Walker lived one mile from school and walked there and back almost every day. If the weather was particularly unaccommodating, she would get a ride from her parents in the car. She remembers her father coming with a horse-drawn wagon full of blankets during a snowstorm. The school day was from 9-3:30, signaled with the ringing of a hand held bell. Every day started with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. “When one class was being taught, the other students were studying and learning,” Walker said. “I remember learning the letters of the alphabet and the phonetic sounds for each letter, and when it was my turn to stand at the teacher’s desk for my lesson, she would point to the letter on a chart and ask me to recite it and its sound.” Reading and spelling were easier with this method, Walker said. “I was proud when I got my own reader [book],” she said. “I had stories with black-and-white pictures

and most stories taught a moral.” Correct penmanship was very important for students and a variety of methods were explored, but the most common, the Palmer Method, stressed swinging the arm instead of just the wrist and started with practicing lines and circles before letters. “Arithmetic was the hardest subject for me.” She said. “Memorizing addition and subtraction flashcards followed by the multiplication and division facts seemed to take a long time.” The class would focus a large part of the day learning the “3 Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic – and then move on to learning history, science, geography, civics and current events. “My favorite of these was geography and my favorite lesson was from a book called, ‘Gopher Tales,’ about Minnesota,” Walker said. “The school had a globe and large maps that pulled down over the blackboard that helped me

PHOTO SUBMITTED

A District 94 class attends country school Oct. 1951 south of Sauk Centre. Pictured are (nearest row, from front): Raymond Barhorst, Lois Lahr, Mildred Mueller and Clarice Barhorst; Middle: Marlene Rousslang, Jeanette Ceynar, Paul Ceynar and Joyce Weimerskirch; Back: Larry Lahr, Arlis Lahr, Margaret Klaphake, Marianne Weimerskirch and teacher Bernice Campbell. Not pictured is Jeanette Ceynar’s twin sister, Jane. This was the last fall the school was open before consolidating with Sauk Centre Public Schools.

locate the places I read about.” There was a library in the back of the room with glass doors that held shelves of books that instilled Walker’s lifelong love of reading. Music and art were subjects reserved for once a week, usually on Fridays. If all lessons were com-

pleted early, there was free time to draw and color. “There was so much more that I learned in country school besides the basic subjects,” Walker said. “I learned about good study habits, working hard for good grades, patriotism, making friendships and respect for people of all ages. I learned all this

without the aid of television, computers and other technology.” In the winter, the schoolhouse was heated with a large coal stove. There was a small room attached to the school where the coal was stored.

WALKER continued on page 23

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Friday, August 16, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 23 WALKER continued from page 22

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Students pose with their teacher outside the District 94 one-room country schoolhouse in the mid-20th Century.

The teacher would start the fire in the morning on cold days and the students would stand by the stove to warm up. “There was a jacket around the stove to prevent students from getting burned, but once I stood with my back against the stove jacket too long and soon smelled the burnt wool of my winter coat,” Walker said. “My mother was not happy about that.” Another of the teacher’s duties was to bring in drinking water for the fountain from the farm where she roomed during the week. The water was used for drinking and washing hands. “A few years after I started school, a well was drilled so water was more accessible,” she said. “We then also used it to pour down gopher holes during recess.” Lunches were brought from home in a lunch pail that usually held a sandwich, an apple and a cookie. After lunch, weather permitting, there would be a recess outside. During bad weather, students would read or play board games during indoor recess.

Games like tag, jump rope, baseball, red rover or ante-over would be played. During recess it was also time to use the privies, where mail-order catalogs were the standard toilet paper. Time was taken from lessons to have a Halloween party, complete with costumes and treats, and a Christmas program, complete with sheets hung from wires for a makeshift stage. Christmas carols were sung, plays, poems and recitals were performed and Santa came with sacks of goodies. In May there was a field trip to Mueller’s Creek, across the road, which was a hands-on science lesson. At the end of the year, there was a last-day picnic where parents brought a potluck. That was when awards, like perfect attendance and spelling bee participation, were given out as well as report cards. “As I look back fondly at that little school, I think of the part that it, along with thousands like it, played in the progression of this century,” Walker said. “There would have been no education for many people had

Teacher’s College in 1961. Her first contract was for $4,600 a year, whereas her mother’s first contract was for $765 annually in 1927. Today’s average first-year teacher in Minnesota receives $38,500. Walker taught in every public elementary school in St. Cloud School District 742, including her years as a full-time teacher, then as a substitute teacher after retirement. While substitute teaching, she taught every grade from pre-school to eighth grade. “That was a goal for me,” she said. “I’m proud to have accomplished it.” Walker recognizes the advantages of schools of today, as well as those of her time. “Children today have a lot of advantages and opportunities I didn’t,” Walker said. “The technology and other learning material available for today’s students is incredible.” From chalkboards to SMART boards, Walker embraces all learning styles and says one thing is the most important – the

there not been those little schools.” The Minnesota Territorial Act of 1849 stated that “all persons between the ages of 4-21 had access PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH to a free grade school edMarianne Walker has been involved in education nonstop for more ucation.” Soon, hundreds than 70 years, and fondly recalls her years at the District 94 country of rural schools dotted the school south of Sauk Centre. rural landscape. In 1952, District 94 education of all students. eryone’s lifetime. consolidated with Sauk When asked if she Walker stressed that learnCentre Public School Dising is lifelong. It doesn’t would do it over again, trict 743. The items in the stop after graduation, but Walker said, “Yes, in a school were auctioned off continues throughout ev- heartbeat.” as well as the building, which was purchased by a local farmer and used as a shed. While the school is no longer there, the memories remain. The education that formed Walker also formed her teaching career, which lasted 70 years. “I went to school nonstop from ages 5 to 75,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of that.” It was during her first year of school at age 5 that she had already decided to be a teacher one day. Her mother was a rural school teacher six years prior to marriage. This had a big influence on her decision to pursue a career in education. Walker received her PHOTO SUBMITTED degree in elementary edu- Santa visits the students and teacher of a Dictrict 94 country school class south of Sauk Centre. Santas cation from St. Cloud State often wore masks to disguise their identities.

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