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Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, July 3, 2021
Nominations open for 2021 county committee elections
Sweet
summer time
Farm Service Agency News
The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency encourages all farmers, ranchers and FSA program participants to take part in the Benton and Mille Lacs counties committee election nomination process. County committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs. Committees are comprised of locally-elected agricultural producers responsible for the fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs.
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Elections page 3B
John Svihel holds two Personal variety watermelons, which will grow to 3-5 pounds, June 26 at his farm in rural Duelm. Svihel and his wife, Julie, own and operate Svihel Vegetable Farm with help from their 100-plus employees.
Watermelons are one product of Svihel Vegetable Farm BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
DUELM – Red, white and blue may be the colors of the Fourth of July, but when it comes to the potluck spread of summer, some may be looking for the perfect pink. Watermelon is a summertime favorite of those living in the United States. During the months of June, July and August, it appears printed on clothing, patio tablecloths and disposable napkins – not to mention in the fridge. In 2019, Americans consumed an average of 15.4 pounds per capita, according to
of consumption in the United States. Four states – Florida, Georgia, Texas and California – produce 80%, or 2.96 billion pounds, of U.S. watermelons. Yet, not all watermelons come from outstate. Enter John and Julie Svihel. The owners of Svihel VegA pipe from a center pivot carries water to connecting driplines June etable Farm, just east of Duelm, 26 at the 100-acre watermelon field on Svihel Vegetable Farm in rural grow seeded and seedless waDuelm. Melons are watered with dripline on raised beds to prevent termelon plants with help from standing water from inciting disease in the vine crops. their 100-plus employees. the United States Department for the vine plant, imports have of Agriculture. increased, but domestic waterSvihel page 2B With year-round demand melons remain the main source
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BENTON AG
Page 2B | SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021| SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
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Raised beds are formed by machine at Svihel Vegetable Farm. Soil is mounded beneath a biodegradable plastic strip, dripline irrigation is placed simultaneously and plant plugs or seed is sowed in openings on the surface of the plastic.
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“I grow a lot of different crops, but I’ve done well with the watermelons the last couple years,” said John, who started selling produce from roadside stands about 40 years ago. The Svihels use both plugs and seed when planting season arrives. Custom grown 4-weekold plants arrive at the farm in 100-cell flats. “I’ll plant the melons typically after the first full moon in May. May 20 give or take,” said John, who grows up to 800 acres of fruits and vegetables each year. Using six varieties to meet demand and protect him from risk should a particular type of plant not produce well, Svihel Vegetable Farm sows the watermelon plants into a 100-acre field. A machine mounds soil under a strip of biodegradable plastic to make a 28-inch raised bed for the vines. Dripline irrigation, which is connected to a center pivot, is installed at the same time. The raised beds and dripline are beneficial because standing water on the foliage can be an invitation for disease. Plus, in a year such as this, the dripline makes the most use of the farm’s water supply.
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“There’s very few weeds that will grow in between the plastic because they aren’t getting any water,” John said. “We’re only putting the water down in the melons’ root zone, where they are using it.” The crop is interplanted. Plant rows are rotated between seed and seedless varieties in some portions of the field, and John places one pollinator plant – which bears smaller unusable fruit – for every two seedless watermelon plants to provide extra pollen for bees. The hope is to sustain the pollinator insects in the area as well as encourage the bees to fertilize more flowers, culminating in a higher yield. Demand for watermelons in Minnesota precedes the Svihel Vegetable Farm harvest, so John imports watermelons to his roadside stands and wholesale accounts typically from mid-June to mid-July. The imported melons arrive from states such as Indiana and Georgia and satisfy his customers until his Minnesota grown watermelons ripen. “It’s never dimensional on a watermelon,” said John of when a melon is picked from a field. “When they’re ripe, they’re ripe – they’re not going to get any bigger. So, you don’t want to pick them when they’re underripe, and you don’t want to pick them when they’re overripe.” John expects his watermelons to be ready for picking July 20 or later. “If you keep the vines up and keep them healthy, they’ll produce longer; you might get a month out of them,” said Svihel who said he yields about one semi-load of watermelon per acre. When it is time for harvest, manual labor is the only way. Workers comb through the watermelon fields each week and pick ripe melons. They distinguish seeded and seedless varieties by shape: Of the varieties John sows, oblong fruit has seeds while round fruit is seedless. John said knowing a watermelon is ripe takes experience. He and his workers can tell by looking at the color of the rind, dependent on plant variety, and by observing the stem. Where the stem of the watermelon meets the main vine, a curling tendril extends. When the tendril is dried up and brown to the base of the main vine, the watermelon should be ripe for picking. Svihel page 3B
BENTON AG
SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021 | Page 3B
Kernza growers host field day July 8
from page 2B “You can just kind of tell,” John said. “I have a half dozen varieties, and they all have just a little bit of a color difference.” In addition to observing the plants, employees cut some melons open to check for ripeness. “We’re slicing them open all the time,” John said. … “You’re going to cut a fair amount just to get an idea of how they’re cutting.” W i t h fruit developing in the watermelon crop, the Svihels will ensure the plants receives more water in the coming weeks as they prepare to pick the summer staple. “It’s an optimal year for all vine crops,” John said. “They love the heat, so they’re doing really well this year.”
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
(Above) A seedless watermelon with a black-green rind lays in a field June 26 at Svihel Vegetable Farm in rural Duelm. Black rind varieties, which in this case is a Sugar Baby, are in demand due to their flavor. (Left) John Svihel holds a seeded watermelon which is beginning to form on a plant June 26 at his farm. Svihel Vegetable Farm plants oblongshaped seeded watermelon varieties and round-shaped seedless varieties to distinguish the fruit during harvest.
(Right) A mobile application allows John Svihel to start and stop his center pivot irrigation system at Svihel Vegetable Farm June 26 in rural Duelm. Watermelons use dripline irrigation which is sourced from a center pivot.
A honey bee pollinates a watermelon blossom June 26 in rural Duelm. Pollinator plants, that produce fruit that will not mature, are interplanted with other watermelon plants to attract pollinator insects with the hopes of increasing yields.
from page 1B
Committee members are accountable to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. If elected, members become part of a local decision making and farm program delivery process. A county committee is composed of five elected members from local administrative areas. Each member serves a three-year term. LAA 1 and LAA 4 are up for election this year. LAA 1 consists of Mille Lacs County townships Bradbury, Dailey, East Side, Hayland, Isle Harbor,
Kathio, Lewis, Mudgett, Onamia, Page and South Harbor. LAA 4 consists of Benton County townships St. George and Glendorado and Mille Lacs County townships Milo and Greenbush. County committees may have an appointed advisor to further represent the local interests of underserved farmers and ranchers. Underserved producers are beginning, women and other minority farmers and ranchers and landowners or operators who have limited resources. All nomination forms for the 2021 election must be postmarked or received in the USDA Service Center by Aug. 2.
For more information ton-Mille Lacs County on FSA county commit- USDA Service Center at tee elections and appoint- 320-968-5300, Ext. 2. ments, refer to the FSA fact sheet, “Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office as a COC Member,” available at fsa.usda.gov/elections. For more information, contact the Ben-
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MADISON – The public is invited to learn the latest research about Kernza, the first perennial grain crop to be commercially available for production in the United States. The event will be hosted July 8 at Carmen Fernholz’s A-Frame Farm in Madison in Lac qui Parle County. Fernholz will be joined by Luke Peterson, A-Frame Farm manager. Kernza is the trademark name for the perennial grain harvested from new varieties of intermediate wheatgrass. As a perennial, Kernza is planted once and provides several years of harvestable grain. Kernza has a deep root system that provides environmental benefits. This new perennial grain can influence farm income due to decreased inputs and costs from reduced tilling, pesticide requirements and nutrient runoff. The event will feature a tour of two Kernza stands and a soil pit that will give attendees a view of Kernza roots in the soil. The Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District will run soil and water erosion demonstrations, and University of Minnesota Extension educators and Forever Green Initiative researchers will be on hand to answer questions. Leaders from Perennial Promise Growers Co-op, the newly formed Kernza growers cooperative, will share their mission and vision for building markets and commercial opportunities for farmers. The event will showcase businesses and makers using Kernza, including James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, Beth Dooley. Attendees are encouraged to stay for an after-hours social. A-Frame Farm is located at 2484 Highway 40, Madison. The farm is located 2 miles east of Madison on the 15-mile marker and has a distinctive A-frame farmhouse visible on the north side of the highway. The tour will start at 1 p.m. and is rain or shine. Attendees are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear for walking in fields and bring a water bottle and sunscreen. The event is free but reservations are necessary to plan for parking and refreshments. Reserve your spot at www.eventbrite. com/e/kernza-field-day-a-frame-farm-tickets-156553282081. This work is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Program grant No. 2020-6801231934 from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Rice residents Gavin Riba (from left), Beckett Prelvitz and Sylvie Prelvitz build a structure to determine whether it can withstand the power of an earthquake June 10 in Sauk Rapids. The Benton County 4-H Extreme Weather Day Camp taught students about the forces of floods, volcanoes, earthquakes and more.
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4-H to host food detective camp in July
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BY ANN OLSON University of Minnesota Extension Educator
FOLEY – Benton County 4-H Day Camps are in full swing for the summer. 4-H summer intern Rachel Danielson has worked hard in preparation for exciting handson activities and opportunities to learn new things in both the Sauk Rapids and Foley communities. Danielson is supported by 4-H summer assistants, Brady Roberts of Sauk Rapids and Travis Boyle of Foley, as well as 4-H ambassadors. So far, six camp sessions have taken place. The first camp was about extreme weather where participants learned about forces of nature from earthquakes, floods, volcanoes and other extreme weather conditions. They brought home volcanoes following the session. The second camp was Agsploration, where participants made wa-
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termelon baby necklaces, a hanging garden and planted seeds. They also created detailed seed art masterpieces. At the third camp, Experiments Galore, Danielson showed participants what happens when you mix Red Bull and milk. The acids in
(Above) Adult 4-H volunteer Bonnita Bernhardt (left) explains diffraction glasses to Oliver Driessen (second from left), Ali Schommer, foster grandparent Dennis Clark and Edith Clausen June 22 in Foley. The glasses helped the students see spectrums of the rainbow at the 4-H Experiments Galore Camp. (Left) Serenity Cripps (left) and Aliya Wakey, both of Sauk Rapids, pause from making watermelon baby necklaces June 17 at the Benton County Fairgrounds during th e 4-H Agsploration Day Camp in Sauk Rapids. The necklaces can be transplanted into larger pots as they grow.
Red Bull caused the protein in the milk to curdle, break apart and rise to the top. The kids were surprised by the different reactions between whole, skim and chocolate milk. During a session
led by adult volunteer, Bonnita Bernhardt, participants used diffraction glasses that produce a spectrum of rainbows in light. 4-H camps page 7B
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BENTON AG
SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021 | Page 7B
4-H camps
MILLE LACS SOIL SERVICE
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from page 5B
Truck Driving, Applicator, Plant Work The kids asked many questions about lasers and spectrums as they experimented with light. Benton County 4-H has two remaining day camps happening July 13 in Foley and July 15 in Sauk Rapids. Participants will become food detectives as they investigate what causes bacteria to grow in food, extract DNA from strawberries, create art with food and much more. For more information or to register, call 320-968-5077.
SEASONAL, COMPETITIVE PAY Job Description: Hours may vary due to weather, Expect long hours 5-6 days each week. Need to be on time each day and willing to work hard. Contact Duane at Mille Lacs Soil Service
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Benton County 4-H’er Logan Herbst gives a plant to his mom, Jessica, at 4-H Agsploration Day Camp June 17 in Sauk Rapids. Day camps take place in both Sauk Rapids and Foley.
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