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.
4
A school repurposed Diane Leukam column
10 Hearts in a Barn Lowry
17 Fingers in the Dirt Sauk Centre
5
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