Country Acres South - February 4, 2023

Outstanding in their field

Heins family recognized for conservation practices

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

ALTURA – What started in 2015 as 20 acres and a vision, has now turned into a continuous opportunity to learn and experiment with land, crops and cattle rotation.

Eric and Michelle Heins and their three children, Brayden, Adelyn and Grayson, run Hoosier Ridge Ranch near Altura in Wabasha County.

Their ranch is based on rotationally grazing their herd of 25 Normande beef cows, creating a 100% grass-fed market

animal for butcher. They also offer custom grazing during the growing season and manage the custom grazing herds separate. They run a total of 350 acres.

“Our ultimate goal is to graze nearly every square inch of the acreage we run, including the wooded areas, to help minimize inputs,” Eric Heins said. “We can feed cattle using the pastures and crop residue, sell their meat to customers, all while adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.”

From the beginning of their farming venture, the Heinses

knew they wanted to rotationally graze and find a niche in the grass-fed beef market. Their efforts earned them the 2022 Outstanding Conservationist Award for the Southeast region of Minnesota. Needing some guidance on fencing, pastures and water line/management in the beginning, they sought help from their local Natural Resource Conservation Service. The NRCS helped them get started on their venture, and they have continued to learn from, and grow, their operation.

Now, nearly 8 years after they started their farm, the Heins family accepted the conserva-

tionist award Dec. 14 in Bloomington during the 86th Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ annual meeting.

They were among eight farms to be recognized statewide. The award recognizes farms and people for their accomplishments with implementing conservation practices and improving the land around them. The Heinses were nominated by Terri Peters, manager of the Wabasha Soil and Water Conservation District.

“We haven’t been doing this very long, so we felt surprised that we were nominated for the award,” Eric

Heins said. “It’s an honor to be recognized for what we are trying to achieve.”

The Heins family centers its operation on the Normande beef cows they pasture yearround, only bringing them into the barn for wind protection during extreme winter weather and for annual herd health and maintenance checks.

Heins page 2

Spend more money Grace Jeurissen column

PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO

Eric Heins spreads a bale of grass hay Jan. 30 near Altura. The Heinses’ herd of Normande beef are being wintered on this field.

PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO

(Above)Normande beef cattle munch on hay Jan. 30 at Hoosier Ridge Ranch near Altura. The Normande breed originated from the Normandy region in France.

PHOTO SUBMITTED (Right) The Heins family – Michelle (from left) Grayson, Adelyn, Brayden and Eric – run Hoosier Ridge Ranch in Wabasha county. The Heinses were selected as recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Conservationist Award for the southeast region of Minnesota.

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Heins from front

“Our ultimate goal is to be as efficient as possible,”Heins said. “Rotating our herd between paddocks takes about 15 minutes every few days.”

During summer months, cattle are rotated between green pastures. Following fall harvest, the herd grazes crop residue until there is no longer sufficient feed for them to forage. From there they are fed bales out on the fields that will be planted in grains the following spring.

Rotating the cattle on fields during the winter means less manure handling for the Heinses. By the end of winter, Heins said there is a small compost manure pile they have to handle, which eventually gets spread on the fields for fertilizer.

Heins is working to analyze approximately how much manure the cows are creating each day on the fields that will be planted in the spring. The total

manure can be calculated to find out how much nitrogen and other nutrients were added to the soil over winter. Once spring planting starts, they can use that

number to assess if additional nutrients need to be applied to the land to maximize the yield potential in the field.

The fields in which the cows are being wintered were on a conventional corn and soybean rotation before the Heinses started renting it. Food grade oats were grown there in 2022 followed by a cover crop for fall grazing. In the future they plan to add different crops to the rotation.

“We are looking into adding a few small grain crops into our operation,” Heins said. “Last year we planted food-grade oats on one of the fields.”

Heins page 3

PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO

A hen sits in a nesting box at Hoosier Ridge Ranch. The Heins family sells farm fresh eggs and meat chickens when available.

Eric Heins breaks apart a bale for his herd of beef cattle Jan. 30 at Hoosier Ridge Ranch.

He is feeding the herd on fields that are to be planted in grains in the spring to help replenish the nutrients in the soil.

Heins

from page 2

Heins said foodgrade oats is not a common crop for the area they are in; most farms plant on a corn and soybean rotation, something they don’t have the equipment to do.

“Right now we have to custom hire the corn and soybean fields,” Heins said. “We would like to plant some additional acreage into kernza and try canola because it works really well with how we want to graze our cattle on the crop residues.”

Their herd of Normande beef are a hardy breed, dual purpose and exceptional grazers, Heins said. The Normande cattle breed is recognizable by the circles of color around their eyes. The Heinses wanted to branch away from some of the traditional beef breeds.

eyes. ed some beef At Hoosier Ridge Ranch May pastures turity. high-quality grasses cows that are demand gy.

possible,” Heins said. “All our cattle calve on pasture where they are relaxed and calm. This way we don’t

need additional barn space to do so.”

Ranch cows calve in May and June when the pastures at their best maturity. They utilize the high-quality pasture grasses when the cows calve because that is when they are at their highest demand for energy.

According to the North American Normande Association, Normande beef originated

crossbr an produce mande high-qu adaptab materna

in the Normandy region of France and are presently used in a variety of crossbreeding programs in dairy and beef herds. Beef producers that raise Normande cattle enjoy their high-quality carcasses, adaptability to climates, maternal instincts and ficiency.

grow in popularity in the near future.

Over the years, they have fine-tuned their operation, expanded, and, in 2020, built a homestead on 80 acres they purchased. This is where they built a new barn for managing their herd and a new house for their family.

work with nature as much as

“We try to work nature much

Customers of Hoosier Ridge Ranch can purchase hamburger, cuts, quarters, halves or whole carcasses. All of the cattle raised for market at the farm are processed at Dover Processing.

“We give every firsttime customer of ours a book on how to cook grass-fed beef,” Heins said. “Grass-fed beef is leaner than a traditionally raised feedlot animal. Low and slow is the trick to enhance the true flavor of the

Cu R hambur es. All mar process cessing “W c grass-fe “ leaner t f slo th meat.”

“I like to joke that this is my retirement plan,” Heins said. “In reality, I’m being serious because in the future I want to be farming full-time. This is something that keeps me busy and feels fulfilling.”

On th egg chicken pasture ho

On top of grass-fed beef, the Heinses are raising egg-laying and meat chickens, also raised on pasture. It is something they hope will continue to

f

PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO Eric Heins enjoys working on his family’s farm and hopes in the future to farm full-time.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

A Normande cow checks her calf during the summer on one of the pastures at Hoosier Ridge Ranch. Cows calve on pasture in May and June.

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Spend more money

Maybe I’m different. Maybe I carry old-school values because I wasn’t shielded in my childhood from the stress and challenges of frugal living.

Now, I’m not saying we were poor when I was growing up, but I’m also not saying we had a lot of money. Farmers have an economic class all their own.

My parents did well – they did a really good job of showing my siblings and me how to find value in simple living and not in the idealization of materialistic things.

We wore hand-me-downs from my cousins. I still shop the clearance rack before anything else and often put anything over $40 back on the store shelf.

Something in the back of my mind still echoes, “Um, we are going to have to watch what we spend, and I don’t know that we will be able to get everything on your Christmas lists this year.” These are the words my mom said while driving us to school one morning in 2009.

As a nine-year-old, you don’t quite understand exactly what your parent means when they say something like that, but I still remember a gut-wrenching feeling.

That same conversation was had a few more times throughout my childhood and teen years. Each time Mom mentioned it, I think that was her way of expressing her stress, maybe relieving that weight off her shoulders.

For those of our readers familiar with dairy farming, you may know it is notorious for volatile commodity prices.

I think my generation was sheltered from the reality with which our parents struggled. Some are going into mountains of debt to afford a $600,000 dollar home when maybe a $200,000 home would make more sense. What for? More bath-

rooms? Roomy square-footage? A heated garage with more stalls? The perfect location one mile outside of the city limits?

I see acquaintances going on vacations two weeks after complaining about their rent prices and how gas and groceries have gone up.

It’s all about choices. A person can choose to work an extra week and pay off credit card debt or can continue making minimum payments and worry about a credit score.

Retail therapy is such a slippery slope. It starts at the push of a button online and, next thing you know, 15 packages a week are cluttering your doorstep and you’re on a first name basis with the UPS delivery person.

It seems like so many people see spending money as a way to make them happy. Granted, it is everyone’s right to spend their own money as they so choose.

Maybe it’s being limited to what we can have as a child or teen that makes us want to have everything we couldn’t then, now.

Yet here I am, saving money to purchase a group of bred heifers to invest in the future of our family farm. I’m making double payments on my student loans and car so I can get approved for a young farmer loan by 2025, if not earlier. I’m looking for grants that might be able to help us implement a grazing system for our beef herd and dairy heifers.

I find value in driving with dad to the sale barn and watching a group of steers walk off the trailer, making bets on what the weights will be.

It’s best to say that I don’t measure success by how big my house is or how fancy my car is, but rather how much I listened, laughed, learned and changed.

Touch of Grace by Grace Jeurissen

Routine comfort

Dux century farm stands strong

BY JAN LEFEBVRE STAFF WRITER

STEWARTVILLE – Willie Dux has milked cows all of his life on his farm near Stewartville.

“I knew before we married, that Willie would be milking cows, it’s his passion,” said

Kathy Dux, Willie’s wife. “Still to this day, he really loves to milk and work with cows, and he’s 66 years old.”

Willie and Kathy raised four children on their farm – Ginesa, Yolanda, Clara and Kenny. Kathy said the farm was a good place to raise kids to have values and a good work ethic.

Today, Willie milks 30 cows in a stanchion barn – Holsteins, Brown Swiss and a few Jerseys –one by one, twice each day. Kathy has been working off-farm as a pre-school teacher since 1985, and she takes care of the calves each morning and evening. She also helps in other ways, especially during the summer, but she doesn’t milk cows. That’s Willie’s job.

“I love milking,” he said.

“It’s the same from day to day and something to do. I like the routine.”

The farm has been a solace and a focus for the couple through the years. They’ve owned the farm since 2000, but it has been in the family more than a century.

“(The farm) brought the gift of hard work,” Kathy said. “Our kids saw the dedication and work it takes to make this all run. They had their own chores and commitments, and they were in extracurricular activities and had homework to do.”

Willie agreed.

“I appreciate the work ethic and getting to work together with family,” he

said. Kathy said that Willie especially demonstrated a love of hard work.

“Back then, when we would bale hay, Willie would handle each bale to put on the wagon,” Kathy said. “I would drive tractor and unload, and he would then stack

Dux page 6

PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO

(Above) Heifers walk on the Dux family farm Jan. 30 near Stewartville. The farm is more than one hundred years old.

(Right) Willie and Kathy Dux are the fourth generation in the Dux family to farm on their current site, where they milk 30 cows near Stewartville. The couple also own beef cattle and sheep.

for 54 Years

Cresco 563-547-3121

Dux from page 5

each bale in the haymow. So, he would handle every bale twice every summer, however many thousand bales we did. After a long day of this, unloading seven wagons or so in a day, he’d say, ‘Ah, didn’t that feel good.’”

Kathy and Willie now enjoy watching their four grandchildren experience the farm.

“The grandkids love coming here,” Kathy said.

“When Kenny and Willie get the cows in, the kids stand and watch every cow come in like they are watching TV.”

Their son, Kenny, lives and works off-farm, but he hopes to take over the farm someday and helps when he can.

Changes Willie and Kathy made to the farm throughout their stewardship have turned out well. They still grow crops, but they also turned some acreage to pasture 34 years ago and began grazing their cows.

“Cows are prairie dwellers, not cave dwellers,” Willie said. “Rotational grazing is also a good way to reduce labor. It’s cheap feed, too.”

The Duxes have 25 beef cows as well and raise their

youngstock before selling them.

When Kenny was a teenager, they added sheep to the farm. A sheep association was giving away groups of four ewes to encourage families to raise a flock. Kenny wanted to try it, and the Duxes took on the project.

Today they have 10 ewes and sell lambs for meat. Although Kenny has given the okay to sell them, Willie has grown attached to them.

“Willie says he likes to keep them around because they are entertaining,” Kathy said. “Plus, there is getting to be more of a demand for lamb meat, and they also clean up well and eat (in pasture) what the other animals don’t eat.”

Kenny does the sheering, and they sell the wool, but it doesn’t bring much profit.

“If you hire someone to sheer your sheep, that equals pretty much what you get for the wool,”

Kathy said. “It’s a breakeven deal.”

The Duxes built a new shed in 2014 for feeding silage. It is on a hill next to the stanchion barn and a contrast to the old, original barn the family said they don’t have the heart to tear down.

“We don’t use that barn anymore,” Kathy said. “It’s cracking and looks like it’s going to fall down.”

But, Kathy said, it’s a part of the farm’s history.

Dux page 8

PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO

Sheep gather Jan. 30 on the Dux family farm near Stewartville. The Duxes have a flock of 10 ewes and one ram and sell lambs for meat.

“Your future is secure with us”

When someone says they “grew up on a farm,” what do you envision? I envision a little tousle-headed, blonde three-yearold sitting in a 1990’s-era, blue Ford F-250 pickup being babysat by a Statler Brother’s gospel cassette while her family fenced pastures. I envision sisters doing rock guitar in the barn when they were supposed to be feeding calves, or a new mom milking cows with a baby in a front pack. I envision braiding dandelion chains while guarding a pasture gate against escaping cows or sitting against a wagon tire, eating sandwiches. Maybe I envision it all this way because those examples are my stories.

by Amy Kyllo

the farm, and I credit the strong relationships that I have with them to those hours spent together. My parents also homeschooled my siblings and me, which allowed us to spend even more time together. Thankfully, all the quality time was a good thing, and I love my three sisters and Dad and Mom dearly, but I also know how to push all their buttons. We sold our cows in 2020, but I’ll always be grateful for the amazing way I grew up.

connect with you as you share a speech.

I am excited by this opportunity at Country Acres South to get back to my rural roots and continue to be an advocate for the rural community. I believe that rural life is more than just a place you live; it is a lifestyle and identity. I have come to realize that no matter where I go, or what I do, it will define me. I bring that identity with me, whether it’s a love for outdoor walks, a quart of milk as my favorite road trip snack or some cowspot shoes to complete my look.

University of Northwestern – St. Paul in December. I’ve also had different communications and marketing internships during my college years, including at The Salvation Army, Five16 Film Festival, 98.5 KTIS and the City of Edina.

As I begin with Country Acres South, I’m thrilled to be a part of sharing the stories of rural living that no one else is telling. I hope you’ve been able to envision a little of the story of my life because I am so excited to start telling the story of yours.

I grew up on my family’s dairy farm located near Byron, Minnesota. Our farm is a beautiful 400 acres of rolling hills, woods and a river. The hills and river make farming a challenge but the views unbeatable. My family and I worked together every day on

The rural community means a lot to me. I was a county dairy princess for Olmsted County for two years and in 2019 had the enormous privilege of being crowned the 66th Princess Kay of the Milky Way to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the Minnesota dairy industry. It was an experience that deepened my respect, love and gratefulness for the work that farmers do every day. It’s crazy rewarding to teach little kids about dairy farms and dairy foods, make a successful social media post or feel the audience

Beyond my rural identity, in my free time I always love laughing at a good comedy video or meme on social media or YouTube. I’m a big people person, so investing time in friends and family is a huge priority. I also am a proud auntie to two nieces and one nephew, who are (in my unbiased opinion) some of the cutest little munchkins in the world. I enjoy books, movies, hosting, the Minnesota Twins and cooking in payment for cheerful admiration of what culinary skills I have. I graduated with a degree in public relations from the

The barn was used for milking until 1984. Then, Land O’Lakes made the decision to no longer pick up cans of milk. Farms working with Land O’ Lakes, including the Dux farm, were required to change to bulk tanks. The old barn was not able to be upgraded, so a shed was instead converted into a 30-stanchion barn tha allowed room for a new milking system and bulk tank. The couple married in 1983 and moved to the farm in 1989.

Willie, who returned home to milk every morning and evening during college, and then on the weekends when he continued school further away, still milks in that converted barn today.

It is a routine performed by Dux men going back four generations to August Dux, Willie’s great-great step grandfather who gave the family its last name. He also launched its farming legacy in the fall of 1919 when he and his wife, Wilhelmenia, bought the farm site. His stepson, Emil Dux, moved there to farm with them, bringing his pregnant wife, Agatha, and their toddler son, Gordon, who later became Willie Dux’s father.

Perhaps the routine of milking and the daily demands of farming helped August and Emil through their

TOM HEFFERNAN

l t b Willi grief when tragedy struck a few months later in January of 1920 in the form of the Spanish Flu. Wilhelmenia, Agatha and the baby girl Agatha had just delivered all perished in the pandemic. August, Emil and one-year-old Gordon survived. The two men and little boy carried on, keeping the farm running. Emil never remarried. When August died in 1929, Emil inherited the farm. When Gordon was in college, Emil became too ill to work due to a heart condition, and Gordon came home at the age of 19 to take over the farm.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the U.S. in 2020, it was shortly after the Dux farm celebrated its centennial and exactly 100 years since the Spanish Flu arrived on the farm. Kathy said she couldn’t help but compare the two.

“People predicted (the coronavirus) pandemic would be over fast, but I didn’t think so,” Kathy said. “I knew that it couldn’t be that different from the pandemic a hun-

dred years ago. They said back then how it started in the big cities and slowly worked its way to the rural communities. The Spanish Flu began in 1918, but three of Willie’s family passed away from it in January of 1920. I just knew that (the coronavirus pandemic) would be a long haul.”

She was right. However, this time the Dux family fared well. In fact, they and the farm are thriving. Kathy said the changes have been good, but one inevitable change down the road will be bittersweet.

None of Willie and Kathy’s children want to milk cows. When the farm is passed on to Kenny, it will be a crop and beef farm, but not a dairy farm.

Willie knows the time will come, but in the meantime, he continues to milk cows.

“We get to see the circle of life on the farm, from pulling a calf to handling old cows,” Willie said. “No two days are alike.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED Emil Dux and his son, Gordon, are pictured around 1925 on the family’s farm. The farm was purchased by Emil’s mother and stepfather, Wilhelmenia and August Dux, in 1919.

PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO

The original stone barn still stands Jan. 30 on the Dux family’s dairy farm near Stewartville. The barn dates to the late 1800s and was the first milking facility on the farm when the Dux family bought the property in 1919.

Family provides farm learning experience, fun

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

HAYFIELD – A big red barn, sheds and a variety of farm animals dot the landscape of the Scanlan family’s farm near Hayfield. Once their barn doors open, school buses line up with eager students ready to get, for some, their first glimpse at a life in the wide-open countryside.

Between April and October, Brian and Brenna Scanlan and their three children, Wesley, Paisley and Conley, operate Red Barn Learning Farm. As people have become further removed from agriculture over the years, the family said they’re hoping to bridge the gap between producers and consumers by providing hands-on learning experiences on their very own 8-acre farm.

“Family farms have become far and few between; we thought there was a need for a place to learn about agriculture,” Brenna said. “Our farm introduces people to agriculture on a smaller scale that is easy to navigate.”

Brian agreed.

“There is demand for something like this,” he said. “Schools and families really enjoy coming here. Some come back every year.”

Red Barn Learning Farm started in 2012 as a way for the Scanlans to give back to the surrounding communities as a family. They do birthday parties, school tours and Farm Camp, and they offer open visiting times on Fridays. They also offer a mobile zoo.

Every member of the family is involved in the farm. The kids help clean pens, set up for visiting times, and serve as Farm Camp counselors. Brian and Brenna take care of daily farm operations, do paperwork, and organize trips for schools and groups.

The farm provides a variety of friendly farm animals including mini donkeys, llamas, a mini cow, ponies, pygmy goats, poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs and pot belly pigs.

Scanlans page 10

Pygmy goats are waiting for visitors at Red Barn Learning Farm near Hayfield. The Scanlans welcome visitors each spring to see the baby animals that were born before the season started.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

The Scanlan family – Paisley (from left) Brenna, Conley, Brian and Wesley – run Red Barn Learning Farm near Hayfield. They opened their farm to visitors in 2012 and have since expanded the variety of activities available.

They hope that, by introducing their visitors to a fun farm experience, those visitors can learn something, become inspired and maybe someday consider a career in agriculture.

Brenna said she connects with people who are experiencing agriculture for the first time on her family’s farm. She grew up in Rochester, not knowing much about life in the country or farms. She said she was always intrigued by farms but never had the chance to visit one when she was young.

“I see these kids walk up to our animals and pet them, and their eyes light up,” she said. “They spark excitement and make a lasting impact that opens up conversation.”

For Brian, their learning farm is a bit different in comparison to the farm he grew up on, which was a traditional hog, beef and crop farm. Being on the farm is part of his everyday life, but he said their farm in particular adds a different sense of fulfillment when they make a lasting memory for the groups that visit.

“We have a lot games and activities for kids to do while they are here,” he said. “Growing up on

a farm, I sometimes think I maybe took advantage of the games we played, thinking it was part of everyday life.”

When the Scanlans fi started their venture, they came across a few challenges. The first challenge was getting their name out there. Then, there was road construction the same year they opened their barn doors to the public, making it difficult for people to get to the farm.

The first few years were the hardest, but once the word got out, their schedules soon filled up. Now, the family can make a living off the farm.

“Originally, we were only open in the fall, but after the positive feedback we thought, ‘Why not stay open for longer and expand some of the activities we provide?’ Brian said. “Now we run from April to October.”

Now that the farm is a decade old, they are hoping to expand their parking area and build an additional shed where they can host birthday parties and events without having to worry about the weather. In addition to another outbuilding, they hope to someday have a variety of vendors supplying food and other products for people to enjoy while spending time at the farm.

The Scanlans are excit-

ed to offer a quality learning experience for people once again this year, and Brenna said they hope they can reach new audiences and bring them to the farm for family fun.

SMITTY’S MARINE

“We are agriculture too,” Brenna said. “I like to say that maybe we are the missing link to showing people what farms are and what they are capable of.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Children brush the hair on one of the ponies at Red Barn Learning Farm near Hayfield. Providing a hands-on experience with animals is part of the Scanlan family’s mission as an interactive farm.

CAountry cres

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