Central MN Farm Edition
4F Schedule and Speakers
7F Sustaining the operation
11F St. Cloud Spray Foam, Norway Insulation, Central MN Ag Services
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12F Passion for agriculture
16F Midwest Machinery
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19F Impact of agriculture
24F Evolution in the ag industry
35F Bigger and better
39F MN Tarp & Liner
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40F Maximizing Manure
42F Lifestyle Lumber
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Copyright 2025
522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378
Phone: 320-352-6577
Fax: 320-352-5647
SALES STAFF
Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899
missy@saukherald.com
Robin Brunette, 320-293-5911
robin@star-pub.com
Tim Vos, 320-492-6987
tim.v@star-pub.com
Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988 jaime@star-pub.com
Neil Maidl, 320-292-4454
neil.m@star-pub.com
Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248
bob.l@star-pub.com
Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com
NEWS STAFF
Sarah Middendorf Editor & Writer
sarah.m@star-pub.com
Natasha Barber Editor
Ben Sonnek Writer
Tiffany Klaphake Writer PRODUCTION STAFF
Amanda Thooft
Nancy Powell
Maddy Peterson
Cheyenne Middendorf
Karen Knoblach
Annika Gunderson
Nadiia Griepentrog
223, 322 A.M. Maus and Son & LINEX of St.
A.M. Maus and Cloud
206, 208 Ag Tech Drainage, LLC
813 American Door Works
709 AMPI
306 AMPS Inc.
923, 925, 1022, 1024 Arnzen Construction Inc.
315 Belgrade Co-op
403, 502 Farmers & Merchants State Bank
121 Finken Companies
911, 913, 915, 1010, 1012, 1014 Gilman Coop Creamery
519, 521, 523, 618, 620, 622 Hanson Silo Company
210, 212 Midwest Machinery Co
919, 1017 MN Tarp and Liner
1011 RAM Buildings
717, 719 Real-Tuff, Inc. 839, 841, 843, 845, 940, 942, 944, 946 River Power and Equipment
505 The Boot Shack
802 Bongards Creameries
803,902 Compeer Financial 806, 808 Complete Grain Systems Inc.
811 Star Publications (Country Acres/ Benton Ag Plus)
603, 605, 607, 609, 611, 613, 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, 712 Dairyland Supply
114 Dooley’s Petroleum, Inc.
303, 305, 307, 402, 404, 406 Farm-Rite Equipment of St. Cloud
931, 933, 935, 1030, 1032, 1034 Hartung Sales & Services Inc.
416 Hydro Engineering
829, 831, 833, 835, 837 Johnson Seed and Ag Services
723 Lifestyle Lumber
5,6 Litzau Farm Drainage
104 Magnifi Financial
9 a.m. — What is Soil Health and What Can I Do On My Farm? Stephanie McLain, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
10:30 a.m. — Cutting Winter Feed Costs for Beef Cows: Practical Approaches for Sustainable Feeding. Jared Luhman, farmer and podcast host.
11:45 a.m. — Estate Planning and How to Effectively Implement It. Panel by Keith Olander, AgCentric, and John Wenker, Quinlivan & Hughes.
12:30 p.m. — Profits from a Small Diversified Farm. Joel Barr, Abraham’s Table Farm.
2 p.m. — Growing Great Garlic in Minnesota. Jerry Ford, Minnesota Garlic Festival.
3 p.m. — Meet & Greet with Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson. Showroom floor.
9 a.m. — Maximizing Nutrients from Dairy Manure: Strategies for Fully Utilizing this Fertility Resource. Doug Voss, Sustainable Farming Association.
10:30 a.m. — Demystifying Cover Crops: Key Questions and Practical Tips for Successful Implementation. Kent Solberg, SFA.
12:45 p.m. — Using the Smartmix Calculator to Formulate an Optimal Cover Crop Mix. Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA.
2 p.m. — The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program: What It Is and How It Can Benefit You. Angie Walter, SFA.
Jared Luhman, farmer and podcast host
Jared Luhman farms with his wife, Valerie, and dad, Jon, in Goodhue. They raise 230 registered Red Angus and 50 Angus cattle bred to thrive without costly inputs. They practice no-till, cover cropping and livestock integration, aiming to enhance land health, profitability and quality of life. Jared also hosts the “Ranching Returns” podcast, where he interviews farmers and ranchers across the United States about improving financial returns, land health and lifestyle through ranching.
Jerry Ford
Jerry Ford has been growing and selling garlic from Living Song Farm since 2002. He is the director of the Minnesota Garlic Festival, coordinator of the Upper Midwest Garlic Growers Group and a co-author of the University of Minnesota Extension publication, “Growing Garlic in Minnesota.”
Doug Voss
Sustainable Farming Association’s Doug Voss farms in Central Minnesota with a dedication to regenerative agriculture. He collaborates with organizations and farmers alike, providing consultation and education on improving soil health and the transformative benefits of regenerative practices.
Kent Solberg
Sustainable Farming Association’s Kent Solberg farms in northwestern Minnesota and has over 30 years of experience working with farms on soil health, cover crops and grazing management. He has also served as adjunct faculty on these topics and has consulted with farms nationwide.
Angie Walter
Sustainable Farming Association’s Angie Walter is an organic grazing dairy farmer. Along with her husband, Nate, she has been farming in Villard for over 20 years. For the past five years, Angie has worked with the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship through SFA, and together, they have hosted multiple apprentices on their farm over the past eight years.
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BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
From fixing fences and grazing cattle to visiting with farmers across the United States, Jared Luhman does it all.
Luhman is a beef farmer alongside his dad, Jon.
“The stuff that we are doing, the actual farming methods, grazing and the cattle, … it’s enjoyable,” Luhman said. “I love what we do for our land. I feel like we are improving our land and our management, and that’s exciting.”
Luhman and his dad manage their beef operation near Goodhue. They have 230 registered Red Angus and 50 Angus cattle. They also raise bulls for Pharo Cattle Company, which are sold in Nebraska and Colorado.
Aside from their cattle, the fatherson duo farms 900 acres of land, which is a combination of pasture, row crops and annual forages.
Luhman will be speaking about cutting winter feed costs for beef cows
The Luhman family — Jared holding Colton (left) and Valerie holding Briley — gather in the pasture in August 2024
rural Goodhue. Luhman came back to the operation in 2015 after he graduated from University of Minnesota. and sustainable farming practices at 10:30a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Central Minnesota Farm Show in St. Cloud.
Luhman graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2015 and then
made the decision to return to the farm and make it his full-time career. He also has experience as a consultant for the Sustainable Farming Association.
their
Luhman said growing up, vacations for his family consisted of going to events such as the Central Minnesota Farm Show and other farm-related workshops.
Luhman page 8F
Red Angus beef cattle graze green pasture on the Luhmans family farm in rural Goodhue. Aside from the operation, Jared Luhman also has a podcast called “Ranching Returns.”
from page 7F
As he got older, his dad encouraged him to attend these events on his own. This allowed Luhman to learn and gain knowledge that he could bring back to their operation.
“That’s been a huge part of my learning experience,” Luhman said. “I have learned more through things like books, podcasts, conferences, conventions, field days and pasture walks than I ever learned in (a classroom).”
On their farm, the Luhmans have been working to establish sustainable practices to further their operation. Luhman said he has a goal of having 100% of their land used for grazing.
“Right now, we are expanding our grass and land base faster than we have been expanding in our cow herd, so we keep raising crops as a fill in,” said Luhman, who shares his agricultural life with wife Valerie and two children.
The biggest challenge for the Luhman family is the operation’s work load. They have been making efforts to limit the amount of work they have to do, so they
can spend more time with family and friends.
“Cattle require some sort of managing every day of the year, so it’s harder to get away,” Luhman said. “It can be challenging to get together and see other people. You get a lot of benefits obviously from the lifestyle, but there’s definitely challenges to having the lifestyle of a livestock farmer specifically.”
Aside from being involved in the day-today operation, Luhman
keeps diversity in mind.
In 2021, he started a podcast, now known as “Ranching Returns,” where he visits with farmers and ranchers across the United States.
“I love listening to podcasts,” Luhman said.
“I thought it would be fun to be able to talk to who I want to talk to and ask the questions that I wanted to ask.”
When he was working with SFA, Luhman appeared on their podcast, which gave him the needed push.
“I didn’t expect it to turn into what it’s turned into,” Luhman said. “I enjoy what I get to do.” By implementing sustainable practices, Luhman is looking toward the future.
“It’s always fun and enjoyable to expand,” Luhman said. “Longterm, I would like to have a business that my kids would someday want to be a part of and come home and take over.”
BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
Growing up in agriculture can result in a passion for the industry.
Such is the case for Kalie Ritter and Eva Moore.
Each are recipients of the 2024 Central Minnesota Farm Show scholarships for college students.
The scholarships are bestowed to college and high school students to encourage youth to explore the agriculture industry through various academic areas and careers.
“It’s brought me so many different experiences that other people don’t get, especially those who live in town or in big cities,” Kalie said.
Kalie is the daughter of Glen and Leslie Ritter. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm in rural Albany.
“From a young age,
I was exposed to life and death on the farm and things that teach you a lot of values and morals,” said Kalie, a South Dakota State University
senior who is majoring in agriculture science with an emphasis in beef, dairy, and marketing and communication. “It’s taught me about hard
work, time management, sacrifice and really putting your all into what you do.”
Eva is the daughter of Tom and Theresa
Moore. She grew up on her family’s crop and livestock operation in rural Osakis, and is a North Dakota State University senior studying crop and weed science. Scholarship page 15F
“My favorite part about agriculture is being able to see the reward you get from everything and how things turn out,” Eva said. “I have always been interested in agriculture. It’s just something where, when you grow up in it, you see the passion, and I’ve always just been passionate about the people and the industry, too.”
Both recipients intend to have agriculture as part of their future, whether that is helping on their farms or working in the industry.
“There’s a huge purpose for it (agriculture), and there’s also a huge community in it, too,” Eva said.
Eva plans on finding a career in agronomy, and Kalie is exploring opportunities in both breeding and genetics as well as marketing for agricultural companies.
“I wouldn’t trade this for the world,” Kalie said. “Growing up, joining 4-H and FFA (and) getting involved in showing the cattle we have on the farm really put it in drive that I decided
Eva
drives the tractor Aug. 5, 2020, on her family farm in rural Osakis.
Moore plans to be an agronomist following graduation.
agriculture was my passion.”
Eva and Kalie were both actively involved in their community and are now involved in different organizations in college.
“Most of the things that I do and things that I am involved in seem to be agriculture related,” Eva said.
Eva was involved in FFA in high school, holding various officer positions and competing in career development events. In college, she
is involved in agronomy club, where she was the president for the 2024 calendar year. She also is involved in Saddle and Sirloin — an agriculture related club that focuses on teaching students about animal husbandry — and will be showing a sheep at this year’s Little International livestock show.
In high school, Kalie was involved in 4-H and FFA, and she was a Stearns County Dairy Princess. Throughout
college, she has been involved with dairy club, Collegiate Cattlemen, swine club and Little International.
Their passion for the industry will stick with them as they graduate college and work toward their careers.
“It’s just something that I can’t really imagine not doing,” Eva said. “It seems like the more you put into it, the more rewarding it can be.”
Ritter holds her cow at the Minnesota State Fair in August 2023 in Falcon Heights. Ritter was involved in 4-H, FFA and was a Stearns County Dairy Princess in high school.
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The Central Minnesota Farm Show awards agriculture scholarships to students attending high school and college. In 2024 they awarded four scholarships to high school students who are now furthering their education in agriculture. The scholarship is surrounded by being involved in agriculture and how they will be involved in agriculture in the future.
Alicia Holtz is the daughter of John and Melissa Holtz. She graduated from Little Falls High School in 2024 and is a freshman at South Dakota State University.
Within her community, she is involved in FFA, 4-H, Mississippi Valley Cattlemen’s Association and Minnesota State Beef Ambassadors. In college, Alicia became involved in Collegiate Cattlemen’s Club, lamb and wool club, Block and Bridle and is serving as the Little International assistant sheep superintendent.
Alicia also raises, sells and shows her own flock of registered Targhee sheep and shows beef cattle throughout the summer months. In her spare time, she helps out on her family’s cow/calf and feedlot operation of Charolais and Red Angus cattle.
She plans to continue her animal science degree with minors of either meat science or ag business and agribusiness marketing.
Chase Dahler is the son of Nick and Sarah Dahler. He graduated from Foley High School in 2024 and is a student at Iowa State University.
Chase was a member of the Minnesota Honor Society in high school, along with playing football, basketball and baseball. He is an alumnus of the Foley FFA program and served as chapter president his senior year.
In the community, Chase is involved in 4-H by showing livestock and taking a leadership position on the leader’s council and Benton County 4-H ambassadors program. FFA and 4-H were organizations for Chase to share his experience in agriculture and promote how important it is for everyone.
He is also a member of the Foley Knights of Columbus.
Chase also works on his family’s farm and part time at a farm near his college. Upon graduation, he would like to work for a bigger agriculture company.
We
Stop
BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
Driving around the countryside, many can see farms that have crops, cattle, chickens, pigs or even turkeys. Throughout the past few years, several more of those farms have gone from being operational to a building site that sits empty.
Nathan Hulinsky, University of Minnesota Extension educator, gathered data from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and the United States Census Bureau. He shared the trends from 2012 and 2022. The data is reflected from 11 counties in Central Minnesota
— Benton, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Stearns, Stevens, Swift and Todd.
“(I believe) the number of farms decreasing is partly due to technology,” Hulinsky said.
Some farmers choose to update as there are improvements made in the industry while others decide to sell the farm and retire.
According to the USDA census, the total number of farms in 2012 from the 11 counties was 14,729. Farms decreased by 2,466 from 2012 to 2022.
“As farmers are retiring, … they have some decisions to make,” Hulinsky said.
If the next generation no longer wants to be a part of the family operation, farmers often need to make a tough decision. This can lead to selling any or all of the farm operation.
The cost of farms has increased, Hulinsky said, making it harder for farmers to initially start or even take over the family farm. He said as the cost of farming increases, the number of farms has decreased.
“On the other end of the spectrum, the consolidation of farms will continue,” Hulinsky said. “The successful farms that maintain profits will keep growing and farm more land and animals.”
Based on the data from the USDA census, as of 2022, there are 12,263 farms that are still in operation within the 11 counties.
Many farms vary in size and area of expertise.
USDA Economic Research Service defines farm size by its annual gross cash farm income. Small farms have a GCFI less than $350,000, midsize farms have a GCFI of $350,000 to $999,999, and large-scale farms have a GCFI of $1,000,000 or more.
“Farms do tend to be larger when they tend to not have livestock,” Hulinsky said.
Larger farms have an opportunity to grow because they have bigger equipment to make it easier to handle more land, Hulinsky said.
Hulinsky said he believes that, in the future, there will be even more farm workers who will have full or part-time jobs off the farm. There will be farms that have 50 to 500 crop acres or 10 to 100 beef pairs and have off-farm income to support the family, he said.
BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
Being outspoken and willing to listen has helped Allen Brinkman and Travis Theis in their new adventure as Central Minnesota Farm Show cochairs.
This will be their second year holding the committee positions.
“It’s our way to contribute to the chamber,” Brinkman said. “It’s motivating. When you can get out and create a positive culture, you’re creating a positive atmosphere.”
As co-chairs, Brinkman and Theis assist Laura Wagner, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce director of programs and events, with the two-day agricultural show.
Brinkman said Theis and he came in with a fresh set of eyes, new ideas and an eagerness to help.
“I’ve always appreciated what farmers have done and the work that they put in and the time it takes,” Brinkman said.
The duo attended a St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce meeting in
October 2023 and learned the Farm Show was in need of volunteer help. Brinkman and Theis ended up talking to each other about the opportunity and became co-chairs for the event together.
Theis said they call themselves the traveling farm show because, roughly every Thursday, the duo gets in a vehicle and drives around Central
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Minnesota.
“I’m old school,” Theis said. “We do deals with a handshake.”
During their cruises around the countryside, they talk to businesses and community members about the Farm Show. They want to learn what each individual likes or dislikes about the show and if they have any suggestions to make it better.
“We really put ourselves out there not to be vulnerable, but to be more open and transparent,” Brinkman said.
Theis’ farming background and Brinkman’s knowledge of farming communities has helped planning.
“We just try to put a really good show together that the farmers and ag people can appreciate and the business people can understand more,” Theis said.
Brinkman said their tagline for the Farm Show is “From the backyard to the back 40.” They want all sizes of farms to be included and learn from the event.
“Even in the ag industry, everything is so diverse now,” Theis said. “There’s so many different avenues to take, so we kind of spread out in that a little bit.”
Going into their second year, the duo is trying to make changes to enhance the show.
“Change is good sometimes,” Theis said. “Small things go a long way.”
Co-chairs page 36F
As they were talking to people in the community, they received some hesitation since the coronavirus pandemic put a damper on a lot of trade shows.
“(I told them) we have new kids on the block here,” Theis said. “We are going to go in a new direction; we are going up. This is going to get bigger and better.”
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MN Tarp & Liner includes a large, fully stocked inventory selling all brands and sizes of replacement parts, tarps and liner rolls. Over time, tarps and their electrical systems get torn and worn out; Coil and his team are there for all the truck tarp and liner needs. They serve as an industry leader in electric installations and
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MN Tarp & Liner’s tool and equipment selection ranges from the standard to the most specialized, offering steel and aluminum welding and cutting, HMW and UHMW plastic liner welding and everything in between.
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BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
Continuing education and teaching those around him about soil health are important to Doug Voss, a Central Minnesota farmer.
Voss will be speaking about maximizing nutrients from dairy manure at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Central Minnesota Farm Show in St. Cloud.
“Everybody always has more to learn … (like) how sometimes, micro changes can make for big changes with the economics,” Voss said. “I mean, it is a high input, low return business.”
Voss’ presentation will discuss unidentified losses that are usually associated with traditional dairy methods, but it will touch on general livestock production, too. He also will talk about how to utilize and achieve the highest amount of fertility on the land.
Voss has a grass-fed beef operation and custom grazes dairy replacement heifers during the grazing season on his farm near Paynesville. He has been custom grazing for roughly 10 years. His journey started in 1999, when his farm became certified organic.
Following the certifications, Voss said he continued learning by taking in new opportunities with seminars and workshops.
Looking at how soil functions, soil health and the life in the soil with whatever management is being imposed is important, Voss said.
When farmers bring manure to the field, if nutrients are bonded to a carbon source, such as corn stalks, it allows soil to absorb more of them, Voss said.
Voss said often times, people do not have conversations about the differences between certain bedding materials. Using sand, corn stalks, straw
bales or other options affect soil differently, he said.
Identifying other products that are being used in the operation, such as footbaths, and how that impacts the biology in the manure pit, can help soil health as well, Voss said. Some of these products may have different effects on the soil, so identifying them can help.
“So, looking at everything from bedding sources to when livestock could be considered put on the landscape (grazed), we have an advantage here,” Voss said. “We have five months of free concrete (frozen ground), but often think our animals need to be put in this bed and breakfast situation.”
Often, Voss finds many farmers are traditionally good at what they do, but there are always more opportunities to learn.
“We want to make those farms
more profitable, but we don’t want to do it at the expense of the resource,” Voss said. “From the environment perspective, (if) we can capture more, we can reduce inputs.”
Being able to understand basic soil function, what makes soil function in nature without human intervention, how to simulate that and how to work with it are areas that Voss finds important.
“You can’t implement what you don’t understand,” Voss said.
Over the years, Voss has changed his practices and educated himself about soil.
““Sometimes, harder isn’t better when we are looking at … working harder. It’s just working differently. I think we can make better-informed decisions when we are looking at continuing education, and there’s a lot more information to be learned from an understanding of soils and farms than we had 20 years ago.”
“Change does not equal an indictment of ‘Everything that I have done before is wrong,’” Voss said. “Change is for the better. It’s not a critique, it’s not a scrutiny or criticism.”
By managing manure, farmers can better maximize nutrients in the soil, which can help reduce inputs since they are getting more fertility out of it, Voss said.
“Sometimes, harder isn’t better when we are looking at … working harder,” Voss said. “It’s just working differently. I think we can make better-informed decisions when we are looking at continuing education, and there’s a lot more information to be learned from an understanding of soils and farms than we had 20 years ago.”
