Country Acres - December 17, 2022

Gerds makes boats, blueprints for over 20 years

BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER

RICHMOND – As an artistic person, Tom Gerds of the Richmond area has plenty to enjoy when he builds canoes and other boats. The blueprints have their own aesthetic quality, the views from the water are often stunning and the boats themselves draw others’ attention. These elements have kept him interested in the activity for over 20 years.

“There is a certain charm and beauty that you just don’t get with fiberglass and carbon fiber,” Gerds said.

Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Gerds was adopted at birth with his older

sister and grew up in Wisconsin. A graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he used the nickname “Eskimo Tom” throughout college – and still uses it today. In 1995, when Gerds was 33, he flew to Alaska to meet his birth mother, Ethel Sallison, and it was around this time that his interest in building watercraft began.

While in college, Gerds and his friends would go to the boundary waters once or twice a year to camp and go boating, but the canoes were always heavy to portage across land. Additionally, to get up north, they would end up driving along Lake Superior.

“On a few occasions, I kept thinking it would be really cool to see the North Shore looking back toward land,” Gerds said. “That got me into the idea of sea kayaking.”

A professional, manufactured sea kayak can weigh from 60 to 80 pounds – which can be an irritating weight to portage or hoist onto a car – so Gerds wanted to find something lighter.

Tom Gerds holds one of his first boats, a scale model of a wood frame kayak. Gerds built his first kayaks in 2000.

Gerds

Published by Star Publications

Copyright 2014

522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378

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Then, one of his friends bought a solo fiberglass-kevlar canoe that weighed only 40 pounds.

“It was the coolest canoe, and everybody on every trip would just about break each other’s arms to be the person to paddle that canoe because it was fast,” Gerds said. “It was very tippy; it was called the Sawyer Summer Song, and we joked around and called it the Sawyer Somersault because, if you didn’t know what you were doing, you’d go over. Once you got the hang of it, it was just the most beautiful thing, and I’ve been in it in very scary waters without worrying about it.”

Gerds has that canoe in his garage today.

After college, Gerds was also looking into buying a proper touring and expedition sea kayak, but those could cost over $2,500. He later found a shop in St. Paul called The Boat House, and he bought several books from there: “The Aelutian Kayak,” “The Strip-Built Sea Kayak” and “The Kayak Shop,” each book with a different boatbuilding technique.

Gerds wanted to find out what he wanted to build before starting a whole project,

though, so he began by making a scale model of an Aelutian-style, two-hole, woodframe kayak, something that traced back to his heritage. A real kayak of this type would have animal skin or lightweight canvas stretched over it to make it watertight. However, Gerds never made a fullsize version.

“When I got done with that model, I said, ‘That’s too much

work,’” Gerds said.

He then looked at making a strip-built boat, a watercraft made by cutting long, thin strips of cedar and forming them into a boat. Many canoes are built that way, but to Gerds, it looked like he would end up with too much wasted material. He then researched the stitchand-glue technique. This starts with a manufactured marine plywood which is developed into panels or planks that are ultimately stitched together with copper wire into the shape of a boat. All the little holes are filled later.

The stitch-and-glue technique was the one Gerds ended up spending the most time using; the boat weights can vary, but Gerds can usually keep them under 40 pounds. He built his first couple of kayaks in 2000, using two sets of plans he had bought from The Boat House’s proprietor, Dale Hedtke.

“The first one is typically the longest (to make) because you don’t know what you’re doing,” Gerds said. “I got to the point where I could actually put the hull together but not finished – meaning, not fiberglassed – in 40 hours, so about a week’s worth of effort.”

By his own estimate, Gerds has built at least 10 boats and has worked on about eight or nine others. The first sale he made was to a collector.

“He was like, ‘You’re going to be somebody someday, and I want to have your first

thing,’” Gerds said.

Another sale Gerds made was to someone at a music festival who saw the boat on Gerds’ car. Indeed, a benefit of good boatbuilding for Gerds is how nice the final product looks and how it catches people’s attention.

“They’re gorgeous on the vehicle,” Gerds said. “I used to live in the cities, and then I’d travel to the north shore. Cruising on the freeway, everybody would be waving and looking and pointing, and no matter where you go, people will be like, ‘Wow, that’s beautiful,’ and so you have that sense of pride and joy.”

Boatbuilding also gives Gerds an opportunity to work with his hands, something he welcomes after working in front of a screen for much of the workday.

“The work is truly relaxing,” Gerds said. “I got bitten by the whole wooden-boat-building bug; I’ve got about 200 books, and I ended up building a library of just traditional boat building, not so much because I thought I was going to become a boat builder but because I enjoyed the subject matter so much.”

Gerds has enjoyed building sea kayaks, and he also bought plans for a MacGregor Sailing Canoe – a type of canoe with mainmast in the middle and another, smaller mast at the stern. He really wanted to build a

PRODUCTION STAFF

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Tom Gerds sails a canoe in 2021 along the Kickapoo River in Wisconsin. Gerds made the boat and nine others as well as assisted with eight or nine boats.

PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

Tom Gerds holds one of his first boats, a scale model of a wood frame kayak, Dec. 2 at his home near Richmond. Gerds built his first kayaks in 2000.

more regular canoe, though, and after scouring the internet and cobbling together some software elements, he got to the point where he could design canoes himself. He then started a business, Fine Wood Water Craft LLC, where he could sell his canoe designs; he has sent blueprints to customers on every continent except Asia.

“I would take orders for people who couldn’t find something they were looking for and literally design a boat that would meet specifically what they were looking for,” Gerds said. “I primarily specialized in solo canoes; I had about 15 different kinds of plans and still mess around with the software to do that kind of work.”

It is more difficult to use the software nowadays, though. It dates back to Windows XP, and more modern versions of the system do not support it.

As a graphic designer and owner of website design business Yupik Studios, one of Gerds’ favorite things about boatbuilding is the blueprints themselves and the way they look.

“I have plans, and I’m thinking about turning them into artwork,” Gerds said. “To me, it’s just a thing of beauty to look at.”

Boat blueprints such as Gerds’ will sometimes have language on them stating that the blueprint entitles the buyer to build one canoe, and then additional licensing would be needed to make another of the same kind. However, that works more or less on the honor system.

“As the internet exploded, the piracy was overwhelming,” Gerds said. “It almost hardly made any sense to put effort into it. I ended up finding numerous photographs I had on my website; people had copied them and were using them to sell boat plans on other websites.”

Gerds has also taught people how to make boats. Once he and his wife, Pam Gerds, had moved out of the Twin Cities to a property near Elk River, he met a man named Nick Peterson who had heard about his boatbuilding skills.

“He wanted me to teach him,” Gerds said. “I didn’t really know what to do, so we sort of winged it. He would come by, and we would get together once or twice a week, and then we built him a boat.”

Once, Peterson purchased two old cedar-and-canvas canoes from a collector out east. They needed restoring and refinishing, and once he had done most of the woodwork, Gerds helped by replacing their canvas.

“(Peterson) and I, we were basically canoe buddies,” Gerds said. “If we had our druthers, we probably would find a way to make a canoe building and restoration business together.”

For anyone else interested in building boats,

knows there is a lot of good data on the internet, but for his money, any of the books he has will have more information than any given website.

“I would start by first figuring out what you’re looking for, and that can be quite the effort right there,” Gerds said. “For me, in the end, it was a solo boat, whether it’s a sea kayak or a solo canoe. So, figure out what it is you want and figure out the technique that suits your patience level.”

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Gerds

Gerds

PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

Tom Gerds looks over a set of blueprints for a MacGregor Sailing Canoe Dec. 2 at his home near Richmond. As a graphic designer, Gerds appreciates the artistic quality of boat blueprints.

Today, Gerds still has four of the boats he has built, and he uses them on fishing and camping trips. From what he has seen, the view of Minnesota from the water – the view he wanted that had started him on boatbuilding –is everything he knew it would be.

“It’s that and just not being fixed to shore wherever you go,” Gerds said. “I’ll drive to Richmond, and people are sitting on shore, casting from shore, and I’m like, ‘I’ll bet there isn’t a one of them wishing they couldn’t be just ten feet farther.’ Getting out in a canoe or a kayak is a reward in itself too, just that peace of mind you get out on the water.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Several of Tom Gerds’ early boats, in various stages of completion, are set up in 2003 in Gerds’ shop in St. Paul. Gerds usually built boats with a stitch-and-glue technique.

PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

Tom Gerds’ first three boatbuilding books, as well as a couple of his scale models, are arranged on his counter Dec. 2 at his home near Richmond. Today, Gerds has about 200 books on the subject.

Pure pine Pure pine traditions

Wendlandts’ tree farm idea sprouts

BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

GARFIELD - A red, century-old barn greets visitors to Centennial Hills Tree Farm, creating a backdrop for a quintessential holiday tree-shopping experience.

Miranda and Jamie Wendlandt and their three kids offer hundreds of precut Christmas trees at the farm, and they’re on track to offer cut-your-own trees by Christmas of 2028.

“I think everyone has those memories we look back on that give them warm feelings of family and tradition,”

Miranda said. The Wendlandts, who first bought their 75-acre property west of Alexandria to have hunting land, began their foray into the Christmas tree business at the urging of Jamie’s mother, Doris Wendlandt.

Doris visited the farm site each December, hauling small bundled kids on a tractor and trailer to search out the perfect wild spruce to become the centerpiece of the family’s Christmas celebration. Following the trek deep into the snowy woods, the kids

would head into Miranda and Jamie’s house on the

property for cookies and hot chocolate.

“It was such a good feeling that we thought it might be fun to have somewhere in the community that people could go to cut their own tree,” Miranda said.

In 2019, the couple planted their first trees550 seedlings including

PHOTO SU B MITTED Nate and Miranda Wendlandt hand-plant Canaan trees in 2021. These trees are hardy for Minnesota, with latebreaking buds, meaning they’re safer from harsh weather and deep freezes.

Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir and Fraser Fir – the trees Google told Miranda were most popular.

Though both Jamie and Miranda grew up on farms, him on a beef/cattle/crop farm in Paynesville and her on a dairy farm in Freeport, they didn’t have experience growing trees and quickly turned to the Minnesota Christmas Tree Association. They attended the association’s summer conference.

“We learned a lot about planting, fertilizers, shearing; it’s been a wonderful resource to

connect with those farmers,” Miranda said.

While many Christmas tree farmers work on a seven-year growth cycle, Miranda said the couple is aiming for more of a 10-year cycle as they’ve continued learning and adjusting their soil to get it to just the right pH level for optimal growth.

The Wendlandts didn’t anticipate marketing their farm to the public until 2024 in anticipation of a Christmas

– Steven Jennings, CEO

PHOTOS SU B MITTED

The Wendlandt family – Nate (from left), Jamie, Erin, Emily and Miranda Wendlandt – stand in front of their precut Christmas trees at their farm near Garfield. The Wendlandts started planting trees for their farm in 2019.

Wendlandts

from page 5

2028 opening.

Instead, as they made connections within the association, they purchased equipment from a retiring farmer who then asked if they’d like to sell his Christmas tree inventory. They got 50 precut trees from him the first year and have carried more trees every year. This year, their fourth, they’re offering 200 for sale to the public and receive trees from two other growers.

Additionally, they sell handmade holiday planters as well as wreaths. In previous years they purchased wholesale balsam wreaths to offer at the farm, but this year Miranda is creating them herself with a mix of pine and cedar. Each one takes 20 minutes to design.

As a farm, Miranda said they pride themselves on providing education to consumers about the tree-growing industry. The trees at Centennial are displayed 100 at a time, and the trees are fully open for viewing. Once customers choose a tree, it gets shaken and baled for

easy transport.

As the precut trees leave the lot, and the years of work of planted seedlings continue to grow into trees large enough to cut, the Wendlandts continue to plant seedlings in anticipation of the years to come. This year they plan to plant another 950 seedlings and open up an-

other 15 acres of their land for planting in the future. They’re adding Scotch and White Pine to the mix on the farm along with Dogwood so they will eventually be able to harvest the bright red stems off their own land for holiday decorat-

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

The 100-year-old barn at Centennial Hills Tree Farm was monumental in choosing the name for the Wendlandts’ future tree farm. Eventually, the family hopes to turn the barn into a gift shop and tree-sales area.

The Wendlandts’

The farm currently lacks irrigation, so the Wendlandts hand water the trees, aiming to provide an inch of water a week to the three acres of land that is currently planted. With the six-by-six grid they use for placing seedings, they can plant almost 1,200 trees to an acre using a mechanical planter.

Soon, Miranda said, they’ll need to begin shearing their trees to give them that picture-perfect Christmas haircut, but that begins sometime between year three and five. The other thing the Wendlandts contend with is deer – in a good snow year the seedlings get enough protection from the environment, but they know eventually they’ll have to consider some kind of deer deterrent.

Heidi Beissel CISR Elite/Account Manager

Sandy VonWahlde CISR/Account Manager

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

The Wendlandts, along with family friends, plant trees. The Centennial Tree Farm plans to have cut-your-own trees by 2028.

Jamie Wendlandt gets ready to plant seedlings at Centennial Hills Tree Farm near Garfield. He uses a mechanical planter.

Young Christmas trees grow at the Centennial Hills Tree Farm near Garfield. The Wendlandts grow a variety of trees from Blue Spuce to fir trees.

Salutes... TERESA HEINZE

Sundress Garden, Part Three

Belgrade Brooten

Elrosa High

School

Grade: 12 Parents: Joe and Julie Heinze BBE FFA Chapter

Tell us about some of the things you’ve done in FFA. I am the current president of the Belgrade Brooten Elrosa FFA chapter. In the past, I have participated in the soils, dairy, livestock, and poultry judging contests, as well as dairy handling. I have gone to the U of M invitational contests and the state convention every year for the past 5 years. Last year I was the sentinel of our chapter.

Name one current issue you believe will impact agriculture in the future. Why? I believe that one of the major issues in agriculture right now is people›s miscomprehension of the dairy industry. Most people only see the negative side of agriculture, and they get turned away from supporting the industry.

How would you encourage an inactive FFA member to become more involved? This year, I would like to hold fun events for non-active FFA members to attend and get more involved.

What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? The greatest benefit I have received through FFA is I have pushed myself and learned to be a better leader

What do you enjoy most about FFA? Why? My favorite part of FFA has been making new friends and being able to represent the agricultural industry.

What does leadership mean to you? To me, leadership means taking charge to make a change for the better.

What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? I like to spend time with my animals, working on my vehicles and doing fieldwork at home.

On a morning in April of 2021, Ron, Silas and I began the process of chipping the brush piles from the initial clearing of trees for Sundress Garden, Silas’s dream garden in a portion of our woodlot. We had worked until noon and then took a lunch break (see previous issues).

Before heading back to the work site after lunch, I changed into a long-sleeve T-shirt since my arms were accumulating a variety of scratches.

Ron started the chipper. I laid a few branches in the hopper with the intention of pushing them into the intake drum when it was warmed and ready. However, the drum grabbed them and pulled them in. The machine stopped. Plugged again, but this time it wasn’t in the chute. It was in the chipping mechanism.

We looked for any way possible to see into that space but there was no access. Ron called the friendly rental guy, again. He explained how to remove a metal bar over the mechanism and engage a hydraulic lever to lift it and then replace the bar, holding it in the up position. Then, the blockage could be located and removed.

By hydraulically lifting the chipping drum and using two pry bars of varying length and a block of wood for a fulcrum, Ron succeeded in moving the rotating bars of the chipper to release the wood. With everything clear, he started the motor, engaged the hydraulics to lower the intake drum and, after the machine was well warmed, chipping resumed.

We chipped, cut

small stumps, moved the machine to another position and resumed chipping, all afternoon. We had another interlude when Ron fed in a piece that was too large. Chipping ground to a halt once more. Using what had been learned earlier, we didn’t take nearly as long to clear the blockage.

Though in the morning we had politely waited for one of us to feed the hopper before the next one moved in with their branches, by afternoon we were loading from both sides and assisting each other in getting as much in as we could. I had to laugh the first time I saw Silas grab what seemed like a quarter of a pile and move toward the chipper. The chipper could take it, so we pushed it through but always watching for whipping branches and the prickly ash pieces that could slash and gouge. Getting a lot of work done is great but anyone getting injured would take away from the achievement.

It may be just as well that we had those few interruptions of work. They allowed for rest that we probably wouldn’t have taken time for otherwise. We tried to stay well-hydrated and stopped for lunch, but otherwise, we worked hard all day.

We cleared all of the

brush piles in the middle of the “garden” and two piles of small logs, leaving about five piles on the west side. It was about 5 p.m. and we were all tired and dirty. Ron said he wasn’t hungry and was going to take the chipper back to Little Falls right then, rather than get up early and take it back in the morning.

Ron pulled out with the pickup and chipper. Silas and I took the chainsaws and other equipment that were in the gator back to the shop and unloaded them.

We had watched the sky most of the day and, though it wasn’t forecast to rain during the day, we wondered if it would hold off until we finished. Shortly after Silas and I went in the house and while Ron was driving to Little Falls, the much-needed rain began to fall.

Ron texted from Little Falls, “Got thirsty so got burger with root beer.”

Ron said that when he called the rental guy to say he’d returned the chipper (it was after hours) the guy asked how we’d done. His wife wanted to know how old we were because, apparently, he’d told her we were crazy seniors with a big job.

After food, baths and comfy clothes, we settled into the recliners and couch to watch some TV. When I got up to cross the room from recliner to couch, I found I could hardly move. Arms, legs and back had all stiffened up. Silas recommended some analgesics and rounded up ibuprofen and aspirin and administered them to all of us.

Working out –outdoors, that is by Nancy Packard Leasman

Niehaus

one morning at the World Trade Center, more than 300 firefighters died in service along with other safety and rescue personnel. The images were everywhere in the media for months afterward.

“I thought, ‘What did I get myself into?’” Niehaus said. “It really made me think, do I really want to be here? But, I stuck with it, and it’s been great.”

Training changed in the wake of 9/11. For instance, a system for identifying firefighters was put in place in case they were injured beyond recognition. Firefighters now have two metal tags with their identification number on them. If the fire is big enough where more than one unit is called in, firefighters pin one tag to their clothing and give one tag to the lead firefighter before

going into a burning building.

“That’s for accountability,” Niehaus said. “It all stems back to 9/11. The departments all had numbers but not the individual fire fighters.”

Niehaus’ has No. 1139.

“The only other way (to identify a burned firefighter) would be through DNA testing,” he said.

Niehaus went through 160 hours of medical and first responder training along with two nights per week for four months of training in firefighting and hazmat. Because Niehaus was the only one joining the Osakis department at the time, he drove to Parkers Prairie for training.

“I tried to get the chores done before I went,” he said.

Niehaus said he appreciates the support he has had all along to make his service possible.

“I’ve always had

special people in place when I receive calls,” he said. “I’ve been blessed that way.”

In the beginning, his dad, sister and stepmother would help cover for him.

“When I was on the farm working with my dad, he understood,” Niehaus said. “He didn’t always like it when I left in the middle of chores or when in the field, but he respected it. Other family and friends stepped in too.”

Today, he and his wife, Rachel, have six children. Niehaus also has an adult daughter who lives away from home. His oldest at home, Clayton and Garrett, are among those who step in for him now.

Like Niehaus did as a child, his children look up to firefighters.

PHOTOS BY MARK KLAPHAKE

Dale Niehaus holds his helmet Nov. 11 at the fire station in Osakis. Niehaus is the only dairy farmer at the city’s fire department.

Dale Niehaus stands by a firetruck Nov. 11 at the fire department in Osakis. Niehaus, a dairy farmer, has served as a firefighter for 21 years.

“It’s not just (toy) John Deere tractors at home,” Niehaus said. “It’s yellow firetrucks. You’ve gotta have yellow. Sometimes we have to go online to find them.”

The Osakis department has yellow trucks.

“They’re starting to change colors,” Niehaus said. “The red ones are used now for parade trucks. They’re finding out that yellow is a stimulant to the eye as a caution to slow down.”

Although Niehaus said he is glad he joined more than two decades ago, he and his fellow firefighters have to deal with the aftermath of difficult calls.

“That’s part of it when you live in a small town,” Niehaus said. “It can be people you know, so that can make things even tougher.”

As a farmer, barn fires also feel especially personal.

“You go to a barn fire and see a lot of dead cows,” Niehaus said. “It’s gut wrenching to see. The barn is engulfed in flames, and there is not much you can do.

You feel the loss, but you have to do what you can do to put the fire out.”

Niehaus said he became better equipped to leave calls at the department and focus on family and work again once he was home.

“You learn,” he said. “There are people who can help you if you

can’t deal with it. For the most part, the guys on the department are the ones who help you get through it.”

Everyone on the team steps up to do whatever is needed and is trained in all the jobs of firefighting.

“Generally, I’m one of the guys that goes into

the fire,” Niehaus said. “I’d rather do that than be a pump operator. It’s very stressful, but I’m more of an adrenaline junky, I guess.”

He has great respect for his fellow firefighters.

“They really matter,” Niehaus said. “You all go in with the same

mindset. Let’s get this fire out or let’s get this accident taken care of, and we do what we have to do to get back (to the station) safely and back to our families.”

He also sees some similarities between dairy farming and firefighting.

“It’s a lot of the same

things,” Niehaus said. “If something goes wrong, you drop to a plan B or maybe even a plan C. Things go bad, things break, you have bad weather. You adjust to that and have a different plan in farming and in the fire department.”

Wishing all of you

Happy Holidays

PHOTO BY JAN LEFEBVRE

Dale Niehaus feeds youngstock Nov. 18 on his farm near Osakis. As a firefighter, Niehaus has had to leave in the middle of chores when called to an emergency.

Miniatures raised near Evansville

BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE STAFF WRITER

Cute, fluffy cows ”

EVANSVILLE –

Lana Fedje has nearly two dozen miniature cows, and she knows each one by name. She considers her operation a no-harm farm, and she’s working to develop the genetics of her breeds.

Her herd at Rose Manor Farms consists of miniature Highlands and miniature Jerseys, and she’s sold them to other cow-loving enthusiasts across the country and Canada. She shipped one miniature Highland cow to Florida to Jay Cutler, who was the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins at the time.

Most customers who purchase miniature Highland cows keep them as pets.

“I work with them to make them tame and approachable,” Fedje said.

Since temperament is an inherited trait in Highland cows, Fedje does her best to breed for docile personalities. The

females are mostly used as breeding animals; the steers are the ones raised as pets because of their calm demeanor. Bulls are carefully selected when offered as herd sires.

Fedje, who immigrated to the United States in 1998 from Russia, first moved to California and then Texas before finally settling in Minnesota and beginning her farm.

“It has been a dream of mine for a very long time,” Fedje said.

She knew from a

young age she wanted to raise animals. While growing up, she and her sister would often help their aunt on her goat farm. When Fedje began farming in Minnesota, she was uncomfortable with full-size cows and did not have enough land to support a full-size cow farm.

A miniature Jersey cow stands beside a standard Jersey Nov. 28 at Rose Manor Farms. A miniature Jersey is 42 inches or less, while a standard Jersey is 48 inches.

PHOTO S BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE Lana Fedje stands with her favorite cow, a miniature Jersey, on Nov. 28 at her farm near Evansville. Fedje raises miniature Highland, miniature Jersey and other breeds of miniature cattle.

”It has been a dream of mine for a very long time”

- Lana Fedje

ers to get true miniature cows. These cows were continuously bred down from standard cows to smaller breeds until a miniature cow was able to consistently produce miniature offspring.

All of Fedje’s animals are cared for deeply, and building a relationship with each animal is her favorite part of owning the animals. The cows are fed hay year-round and the milk cows are fed a grain supplement for additional nutrition.

“My miniature Jerseys that are trained for milking are very personable,” Fedje said. “They know their names and come when they are called.”

Once Fedje’s cows to an animal sanctuary in Hinkley to retire and live out the rest of their days.

Earlier this fall, rising prices and hay shortages forced Fedje to sell most of her miniature highland cows. She kept only six and has partnered with another farm to start a breeding program using embryos. The other farm, Thompson Farms, is where half of Fedje’s herd is spending their winter.

Fedje and her fiancé Vlad Connell both have full time jobs off the farm. Fedje is able to work from home part of that time, where the remaining Highlands as well as her Jersey herd, two emus, five Tibetan yaks and chickens reside.

There are 25 Jersey cows in her herd, 15 of which are miniature Jersey cows.

The miniature Jerseys are often used as a family milk cow for hobby farmers with small acreage. The Jerseys need to be milked by hand since their udders

PHOTO S BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE

A Tibetan yak comes up to greet Lana Fedje Nov. 28 at her farm north of Evansville. Fedje has five yaks on her farm.

yaks joined the farm in 2022.

Fedje has two emus on her farm.

Moving ahead on the farm, football field

Three-sport athlete relishes work on dairy

BY MARK KLAPHAKE AND GRACE JEURISSEN STAFF WRITERS

SAUK CENTRE –Matthew Warring loves to move things forward.

On the football field, Warring loves nothing more than executing a drive as his team marches down the field toward the end zone; likewise, when he is at his job milking cows, he gets gratification as he progresses down the barn prepping cows until he reaches the end and everything is milked.

Warring, the starting quarterback for the Sauk Centre High School football team, also has a parttime job helping milk 120 cows in a stanchion barn for Jarrett Borgerding and Chuck Klaphake on their farm near Sauk Centre.

“I get bored sitting

around; it’s always busy on the farm,” Warring said. “I like that there are a lot of different things to do. Jarrett doesn’t like to poke around.”

game

friends on the team were working for a gas station or delivering pizzas.

said. “You don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder. There’s a lot of trust and freedom. I can see why people farm –the freedom, being your own boss.”

Warring, who grew up in town, admittingly did not know a lot of the inner workings of a dairy farm. But, because of his part-time job, he has a newfound admiration for dairy farmers.

“I always knew farmers worked a lot of hours,” Warring said. “I didn’t know the extent of the work they were doing. It’s not easy work either. They are always moving.”

On a typical busy night for this teenager, Warring finishes up football practice shortly before 6, stops at home to put on his farming apparel and starts chores around 6:30 p.m. Before

of his

“I don’t have to look presentable,” Warring

Warring recently guided the Sauk Centre football team to their first state tournament appearance in 39 years. The state quarterfinal

was on a Thursday night. Earlier the same week, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night, he was in the barn doing chores while some

Warring

from page 25

milking, he feeds the dry cows in a nearby shed, feeds calves and pushes up feed for the milking herd. Then, he brings in the switch cows and is ready to milk. During milking, he preps, wipes and dips each cow while Borgerding follows closely with the milking units.

Warring has conversations with Borgerding about school, football and topics at random during milking. He enjoys the camaraderie that takes place in the barn.

and obviously a helping hand,” Warring said. “I keep Jarrett young.”

During milking, Warring also feeds the milking herd a total mixed ration and keeps the mats as clean as possible. When he reaches the end of the barn and the milking is complete, he spreads feed out and then scrapes the mats one last time before leaving around 11 p.m.

“My dad (Charlie) and mom (Kari) like that I am out there learning different stuff,” Warring said. “My mom makes me leave my barn clothes in the laundry room though and won’t let me sit on the couch with them.”

Warring was introduced to farm work in

fifth grade when he started picking rock. Since then, the duties have multiplied. He still walks the field for rock picking. He also has the unenviable task of working in the hot sun unloading small square bales of hay or straw and then does miscellaneous work around the farm.

“I like to drive around in the (all-terrain vehicle) and bring grain to the pasture lot,” Warring said. “I would like to drive a tractor or plow some fields, maybe climb a silo. It would be an experience.”

The vastness of duties along with the adversity farmers face has been eye-opening for the high school senior, some of which have benefitted Warring on the football field.

“When I first started, I would get all mad if something would break,” Warring said. “After time, I got a different mentality, and now, I just keep moving and solve the problem.”

Experiences on the farm can leave unforgettable memories, and for Warring, it is no different. When he first started working on the farm he was wary of the cattle. After a few milkings he said he adjusted and now walks through the barns with ease.

“I’ve gotten kicked a few times,” Warring said. “One cow got me square in the thigh. I got (shocked) by fence. I watched a cow give birth and helped.”

It’s not easy work, it’s a challenge for Warring, which is part of the reason he enjoys working on a dairy farm. Warring being a senior

year, even

“I try to bring some energy, a positive attitude

PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE

Jarrett Borgerding (from left), Matthew Warring and Chuck Klaphake stand in the milkhouse after milking Nov. 16 at Borgerding/Klaphake Dairy near Sauk Centre. Warring has been working part time on the farm since his sophomore year and Warring was the quarterback for the Sauk Centre High School football team that recently advanced to the state tournament.

Matthew Warring preps a cow during evening milking Nov. 16 near Sauk Centre. Warring helps prep cows before Jarrett Borgerding places milkers on during milking.

Christmas Q&A’s

Courtney Heg g

Courtney Hegg Willmar • Haug Implement Co.

What do you enjoy most about the Christmas Season? What I enjoy most about the Christmas season is spending time at family gatherings and going to see all of the Christmas lights.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions? I love the “Elf on the Shelf” tradition with my children. I also enjoy baking Christmas cookies with them.

When does it officially feel like Christmas in your home? After Thanksgiving, it feels the most like Christmas. I can finally put my tree up and that marks the start of the Christmas season.

What is the best gift you’ve given at Christmas time and why did you choose it? When I was in high school, we all put our money together and purchased gifts for children whose families could not afford it. We gifted them anonymously, and it was the best feeling in the world.

What is your favorite Christmas treat? My favorite Christmas treat would be almond barked pretzels.

EthanWinter

Ethan Winter

Sauk Centre • Dairyland Supply

What do you enjoy about the Christmas Season? I enjoy being around family during the Holidays.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions? I really enjoy the food and having additional company around.

When does it officially feel like Christmas in your home? I can really feel the Holiday spirit when my wife decorates and puts up the tree. She does it usually around Thanksgiving.

What is the best gift you’ve given at Christmas and why did you choose it? I purchased my wife’s engagement ring and gifted it to her on Christmas. She is the love of my life. That was the best Christmas gift I’ve ever given.

What is your favorite Christmas treat? Cookies

KristiDiVietr

Kristi DiVietro

What do you enjoy most about the Christmas Season? I like celebrating the birth of Christ and all the joys that come with it.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions? The Decorations and Lights!!

When does it officially feel like Christmas in your home? I decorate every year in the middle of November. It’s my favorite thing to do during the start of the holiday season.

What is the best gift you’ve given at Christmas time and why did you choose it? I have delivered meals and gifts to families in need several times. Those are moments you never forget.

What is your favorite Christmas treat? I put peppermint creamer in my coffee. p

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Sauk Centre • Minnesota National Bank