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Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, August 21, 2021
Horses capture hearts
Beef cattle feed at Emslander Farms Aug. 1 in rural Oak Park. The Emslander family runs a beef finishing operation.
Back home
on the farm
Emslander Farms is 2021 Benton County Farm Family of the Year BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
Youth provided equine interaction BY ELLARRY PRENTICE | STAFF WRITER
RICE – Horses and kids bonded Aug. 17 in rural Rice. Six youth attended a horse camp at Gaits of Hope, an equine-assisted therapy center owned and operated by Jodine Adelman.
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PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
The Emslander family – Ethan (from left), 15, Megan, 13, Lisa, David and Shayla, 18 – stands on their property Aug. 1 in rural Oak Park. Emslander Farms was selected as the 2021 Benton County Farm Family of the Year.
named the 2021 Benton County Farm Family of the Year. They were recognized by the University of Minnesota Extension and Benton County Board of Commissioners Aug. 4 at the Benton County Fair. “The award was unexpected,” David said. “We were just doing what
we do.” Although the award may have come as a surprise, Farm Family of the Year is nothing new to the Emslanders. David’s parents, Dave and Rosie Emslander, received the award for their own contributions 25 years ago in 1997. David credits one
Emslander page 2B
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main piece of advice from his parents for his family’s success today. “They always said, ‘If you take care of the land and the animals, they’ll take care of you.
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PHOTO BY ELLARRY PRENTICE
Prentice Serra Younkin, of St. Cloud, loves on a Palomino gelding, Maverick, during a horse camp Aug. 17 in rural Rice. The camp was offered by Gaits of Hope, an equine-assisted therapy center.
OAK PARK – When David Emslander was a student at Foley High School, he did not think agriculture was in the cards for his future. Yet, after pursuing the construction industry for almost 15 years, Emslander returned to the family farm looking for a full house. “The biggest thing was trying to raise the family by Bible principal and being together as a family,” said David of purchasing the family farm in 2014. “That was the biggest driver – to be closer to the kids. A lot of families nowadays, the kids are raised by other people. It was hard to see my kids growing up so fast.” David and his wife, Lisa, reside on Emslander Farms in rural Oak Park with their children Shayla, 18, Ethan, 15 and Megan, 13. For their contributions to the agriculture industry, the Emslanders were
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Page 2B | SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2021| SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
BENTON AG
Emslander from page 1B Take care of God’s creation, and he’ll take care of you,’” he said. “We try our best to take care of the animals and the land.” The Emslanders maintain a beef nishing operation on three farmsteads within 4 miles of their home. Two of the farmsteads, which total 75 acres, are owned by the family and the third is rented. They also rent acreage where they grow corn and hay to supplement their herd’s forage needs. Cattle, the majority being Holstein steers, are found on all three farmsteads. Purchasing the animals at about 400 pounds, the family feeds up to 1,800 animals at one time as they raise them for market. “When we started out, we started feeding calves and nishing them all the way,” David said. “But, once we got to a certain amount of cattle, it became more than the family could handle, so we decided to quit feeding calves and buy bigger ones and nish them out.” Each member of the family plays a part in the success of the farm. David takes care of
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
(Above) The Emslanders – Shayla, Ethan, Lisa, David and Megan – walk through a cattle shelter at their farm Aug. 1 in rural Oak Park. The building allows the family to keep the animals and their bedding dry. (Right) Shayla Emslander stands on a Case IH Magnum 275 tractor Aug. 1 in rural Oak Park. She is a full-time employee of her parents and enjoys field work.
the day-to-day operations alongside Lisa, who also home schools their children. Lisa is in charge of bookwork. A 2019 high school graduate, Shayla is employed full time by her parents. She assists with any chores that need to be done but prefers working in the elds and driving tractors. Megan and Lisa are responsible for bedding chores at one location, and Megan lends
a hand by operating the skidsteer loader and tending to small projects. While Shayla and Megan have aspirations to remain involved in the farm, Ethan plans to follow in his father’s initial footsteps of working in construction. Not keen on the livestock, he helps where his talents are best suited. “He helps us pour concrete and tear things
n,” Lisa down,” said.. “Anything to do with projects on the farm, Ethan loves those types of things.” Being good stewards of the land is important to the Emslander family, and they strive to improve their operation by working with the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service and University of
Minnesota Extension. The Emslanders have incorporated manure management such as ltration areas and covered stacking slabs with feed lanes to keep pen pack, or bedding, under cover. “It’s been a great experience,” David said of his latest project. “It really taught me a lot about how much having a cov-
ered area saves and how much better the animals do when they are under cover and not ghting the mud and the runoff. It keeps the animal healthier and dryer.” Working with extension educator Nathan Drewitz, the family has had a crop research plot for two years. They hosted a eld day for farmers on their property Aug. 17. “Going in and being able to put something in that is going to be valuable not just to him but to growers around us, from grow my perspective, is somethi thing that is highly important,” im said Drewitz, who added the w Emslanders’ E actions re r ect the Farm Family program. “The i program p is about being active in the comin munity, within the inmu dustry and within other dustr organizations. He exemorgan pli ees, especially with his work with extension and soil aand water.” But David is quick to point out that his family’s efforts are joined by others who help the farm succeed. “It’s not just us,” he said. “We thank Jehovah every day, and we’re thankful for all the landlords, nutritionists, parttime help and others who are a big part of the operation and make it happen.”
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40th annual Farm Picnic discusses drought, health care At FarmFest, KMSP Union’s Rural Voices ham, sweet corn and poEvent set for Aug. 22 news reported that Pe- Discussions. Brakke will tato salad begins at 1 p.m. at Pierz Park tersen expects relief for address the high cost The Minnesota Farmers and the work that Health Care for All Minnesota (a partnership of doctors, nurses, farmers, businesses, unions and citizen groups) is doing to alleviate it. Minnesota COACT and Morrison County Farmers Union co-sponsor the Farm Picnic which annually celebrates family farming and main street businesses as pillars of the rural economy. Serving of the traditional country dinner of
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Union-NFO Direct Marketing Program is providing the ham, and the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls are offering the potato salad, fresh-baked bread and garden vegetables. Morrison County Dairy Princesses will serve milk and ice cream. Free tickets, compliments of local businesses, are available at businesses displaying Farm Picnic posters and will be available at the picnic.
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LITTLE FALLS – Relief for drought-stricken farmers and unaffordable health coverage will be respectively addressed by Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture, Thom Petersen, and the Chairman of Health Care for All Minnesota, Dr. Mark Brakke, at the 40th annual Farm Picnic Sunday, Aug. 22. The event begins at 1 p.m. at Pierz Park, 603 Park Ave., Pierz.
drought-stricken farmers to come from both the state legislature and federal government. Some of the aid will be logistical, like opening public lands for grazing, and some will be nancial to help cover the gap between losses and what insurance does not cover. Adding to the distressed farm economy is unaffordable health coverage for farmers and business owners, reported by Minnesota Farmer
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from page 1B The day camp was sponsored by Agape Warriors Ministry, based in Sauk Rapids. Children’s camps help young people develop communication and social skills, regulate emotions, foster teamwork, gain resiliency and build con dence, Adelman said. Children spent more than three hours interacting and working with ponies and horses at Adelman’s farm, located 5.5 miles east of Rice. They spent the latter part of the morning with a Palomino gelding, Maverick, and a black mare, Lexi.
PHOTOS BY ELLARRY PRENTICE
Becca Muniz, of Sartell, leads a Palomino horse named Maverick in a corral during a children’s camp Aug. 17 at Gaits of Hope in rural Rice. The equine-assisted therapy center, located 5.5 miles east of Rice, is owned and operated by Jodine Adelman. Serra Younkin, of St. Cloud, rides a horse named Maverick, led by Jodine Adelman, at Gaits of Hope Aug. 17 in rural Rice. Four of six children who attended a horse camp took turns riding the horse without a saddle. BA33-1B-BL
YOUR LOCAL FEEDS DEALER Seann Younkin (right), of St. Cloud, gets the horses’ attention by displaying a colorful hula-hoop as Jodine Adelman (left) looks on Aug. 17 in rural Rice. Adelman, who operates the equine therapy center, did exercises with the kids to demonstrate how their behaviors affect others.
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