ountry C Friday, June 4, 2021
cres A Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 25
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
These breeding rams show off the large double sets of horns particular to the Jacob sheep, an ancient breed that originated in Palestine some 3,000 years ago.
The ancient
Jacob sheep Couple raises rare breed, along with elk on Garfield hills BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
GARFIELD – A flock of sheep grazed on a gently sloped field of alfalfa May 12, the occasional soft sounds of bleating and the dinging of a bell competing with those created by a stiff spring breeze. Nearby stood their shepherd, keeping a close eye on the flock while they enjoyed a treat of new grass alfalfa with no fence in sight. Even though it is 2021, the scene was reminiscent of what may have occurred in Palestine nearly 3,000 years ago. “This particular breed is called Jacob; they originate from Palestine, Israel region,” said Charles Francis, owner of the flock along with his wife, Kim Esala Francis. “The belief is, this is the same breed that Jacob in the Old Testament was taking care of, that he took from his father-in-law, the spotted sheep.” In the biblical Book of Genesis, Jacob, who would become the patriarch of the Israelites, was given as wages all the spotted sheep and goats from Laban’s flock. According to Charles, the breed has remained the same for millennia and his will remain the same as well.
Charles Francis and his wife, Kim Esala Francis, raise Jacob sheep and elk on their property near Garfield.
ST R COUNTRY: Publications bli ti This month in the
The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on June 18!
Jacob sheep page 2 5
A renewed focus on youngstock Swanville
7
Farm cuisine: Everything but the squeal Diane Leukam column
8
A shared collection Richmond
17 Selling perfect campfire nights Burtrum
10 What’s this
21 Country cooking
12 Going against the norm Kerkhoven
22 Contemplating rocks and nuts Herman Lensing column 25 Animals we love
Page 2 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
Country Acres
Published by Star Publications Copyright 2014 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: 320-352-6577 Fax: 320-352-5647 NEWS STAFF
Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Ben Sonnek, Writer ben.s@saukherald.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Jennifer Coyne, Writer jenn@dairystar.com Evan Michealson, Writer evan.m@star-pub.com Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com Natasha Barber, Writer natasha@saukherald.com Sarah Colburn Freelance Writer
Story ideas send to: diane@saukherald.com SALES STAFF
Kayla Hunstiger, 320-247-2728 kayla@saukherald.com Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899 missy@saukherald.com Tim Vos, 320-845-2700 tim@albanyenterprise.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Warren Stone, 320-249-9182 warren@star-pub.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988 Jaime@star-pub.com Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248 bob.l@star-pub.com
Jacob sheep from front
“I have never mixed them with any other breed – they can be mixed, but I refuse to; I want to keep them pure,” Charles said. That day, Charles talked about the characteristics of Jacob sheep while the flock happily grazed. Besides their white coats with dark spots, the breed is known for being hardy and able to thrive in a variety of climate conditions. Males grow to around 180 pounds while females average around 120 pounds. Typically, the females give birth to twins, although this spring, Charles is happy to report there were two sets of triplets that are doing well. Most have blue eyes, with an occasional animal having brown. They are not known as meat animals, but their meat is lean with a sweet taste. Perhaps the most unusual trait of the Jacob sheep is their horns; most of them have four horns and some up to six horns. “The males and females both have horns, but the males tend to have much bigger, much more prolific horns,” Charles said. “We don’t castrate or band the males; we let them grow, so with the testosterone the horns grow really huge.” The flock he was watching, though, consisted of about 20
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PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Charles Francis walks behind his flock of Jacob sheep as they return to their pasture after enjoying a treat on a field nearby. The sheep listen to Charles and follow his instructions when they are outside their pens.
to other pastures, with their master called out instructions. “I have trained them,” he said. “They know the routine and so they will stay here. I have to be the shepherd and watch them.” Every year, Charles lets them out in the summer, but if he is not watching they will start wandering. They like to go alongside the road ditch if left unattended. “They are awfully spoiled. The last few days I have been giving them fresh alfalfa as a treat; I told them, ‘if you misThese Jacob lambs are known for their characteristic dark spots on behave you are not going to go white hides, blue eyes and multiple horns. out,’” he said, laughing. “They listen.” ewes and 30 lambs. Charles ex- are flighty, they can easily be After a while, it was time plained that even though they rounded up and moved around for the flock to make its way back to their fenced-in area. Amazingly, they listened and went right back into their pen, with ewes named Irene, Sadie and Indy responding to his voice. “That’s why you keep the older girls, as leaders,” he said. “They know what you want and the rest just follow, you know. They listen to me.” One of the ewes is 13 years old, but the majority are between 5 to 7 years old, by which time they have very few problems lambing and can take care of themselves. Charles considers that to be the ideal age for the ewes. With the animals’ inquisitive nature, the majority of their time is spent inside smaller pastures closer to the house – pastures lined with six strands of hot wire.
Kim Esala Francis shows a skirt of fleece she has sheared from a Jacob ewe. The animals are sheared once a year and the wool sold after being made into various products.
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Jacob sheep page 3
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Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 3
Jacob sheep from page 2
Back up in the yard, Kim was busy shearing a ewe, whose baby was close by. All the sheep are shorn once a year. Together, they have been working on this project for several days; Kim does the actual shearing and Charles keeps the clippers clean and sharp. A large section of wool was lying on the ground, ready to be bagged up for the woolen mill. Kim explained she only takes the best, cleanest portions of the wool off first, and keeps the dirtier bottom parts for placing on the ground around tomato plants in their gardens. On the other side of the farm, three breeding rams share an old barn, with access to pasture. As he approached, Charles called them to come near. “I talk to them all the time so they are used to me,” he said. “So far, I have been selecting rams with horns that grow away from the body and the jaw; there is a very good chance the babies will have that trait. And, I like four horns; they are unique and one-of-a-kind.” Some of the animals are sold for breeding but for the others, no part of the sheep goes to waste. Meat is sold, wool is shipped to a mill where it is washed and made into various products such as batting for quilts and comforters which are then made on commission by the mill. Stuffing is used for pillows, while rovings (round balls of wool) can be spun and
yarn can be sold and later used for knitting or turned into rugs. Even the skull mounts find a home. When the animal is slaughtered, the hides are brought back to the farm, where the process of tanning begins. Excess fat is scraped off, a thick layer of salt applied, and the hides laid out in an old wooden corn crib to dry for about four months. Then, they are sent to a tannery in Milwaukee to finish the process, creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind hides. Charles said they are machine washable and last forever. “Not everybody does this; they don’t bring the hides home,” he said. “They are a lot of work, but we don’t mind it, as the hides are most valuable and impressive.” He pointed out some darker hides, from Icelandic sheep they had gotten last year in an exchange with a neighbor. Elk hides are visible as well. All of these items are eventually sold on Saturdays at the local farmers market in Alexandria. Raising elk and a journey home Charles and Kim Esala Francis have been raising the Jacob sheep and a herd of 40 elk for 25 years.
This sheepskin is one of a kind from a Jacob sheep, a breed originating in Palestine about 3,000 years ago.
Wool is cleaned and processed into yarns of various shades of brown and gray.
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Sheepskins are salted and laid out to dry in an old corn crib near Garfield. Once fully processed and tanned, they will be sold as oneof-a-kind product.
Jacob sheep page 4
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Page 4 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
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PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
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Tip Top, a 5-year-old bull elk, is currently growing his velvet antlers at the Charles and Kim Francis property near Garfield.
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Jacob sheep
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The two met at the University of North Dakota, where Kim earned a degree in civil engineering and Charles in mechanical engineering. After graduation, they both worked in Minneapolis, Kim for 3M and Charles for another large manufacturing company. When Charles’ company was sold and they wanted him to transfer to New York, the two chose instead to move to Lexington, Kentucky where he worked in a similar position as an engineer with Trane Co. While there, they bought a 30-acre horse farm and converted the rolling hills into pasture land for sheep and elk, a natural fit for both breeds. In 2004, their life journey took them back to Minnesota. Kim is an only child, and they came home to be closer to her parents, Charles and Jean Esala, and to help on their 240acre beef farm. Eight-foot-high fencing for the elk was put in place before the move,
“I have never mixed the [Jacob sheep] with any other breed – they can be mixed, but I refuse to; I want to keep them pure.” - Charles Francis
along with corrals and chutes engineered specifically to safely handle the large animals. As with the sheep, the males and females are kept on opposite ends of the farm, ensuring safety and purity of genetics. Elk products from meat to hides, antlers and even dog chews are also sold by the couple, as well as vegetables from their extensive gardens. During the summer, the couple often gives tours of the farm to their customers as they view the animals on their scenic pastures inside neatly manicured fence lines. Back by the sheep barn, Kim brought in an-
other ewe for its once-ayear shearing. She enjoys the process. “Shearing went very well yesterday, until I realized I have 14 more years to do this,” she joked. When the couple came back to Minnesota to live on the farm, their home was strategically place on the top of a hill where they can see for miles in any direction onto the beautiful, rolling landscape dotted here and there with groves of trees and small lakes. Retirement may be on a distant horizon, but that’s OK with them. As Charles said, they love their work.
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youngstock
Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 5
A renewed focus on BY JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER
SWANVILLE – Jared Capko and Renee Hebig can describe their calfraising facility in three words: Clean, convenient and efficient. “We did all of this for healthy calves,” Capko said. “Our death loss is down, and these calves are healthier when they leave this barn.” In the second half of 2020, Capko and his family built a 128-by60 tunnel-ventilated calf barn equipped with four group pens fed with two automatic feeders and 20 individual hutches. Capko milks 300 cows with his dad, Jerry, and uncle, Larry, in Morrison County near Swanville. The family put calves in the barn last November. “We’re getting that consistency now,” said Hebig, calf manager. “We’ve created a system that lets everyone be selfsufficient here, and we’re watching calves succeed.” A feed room is in the center of the barn with individual calf hutches in
PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Jared Capko and Renee Hebig stand in the Capkos’ tunnel-ventilated calf barn May 17 near Swanville. The Capkos built the barn this past year to improve calf health and wellbeing.
the middle on the north and south sides of the room. To the east and west are two sets of group pens that are fed with Holm and Laue Calf Experts. A set of three calf hutches are set aside and used for
sick calves or those that do not adapt well to the automated feeders. The barn also includes sloped flooring throughout, with trench drains below each pen to remove excess moisture
as well as fans and side curtains to improve ventilation. Newborn calves are kept in hutches for the first two weeks and then transferred to the group pens until weaned, with
pens designed to house 20 animals each. All youngstock in the barn receive free-choice grain and water. Hebig oversees this group of youngstock on the farm and works closely
with three employees to maintain detailed records of each animal. Calves are monitored through the automated feeder’s computer program which Hebig can look up on her phone, and also tracked with vaccinations and health occurrences via an intricate chart Hebig designed in the feed room. “Our protocol is laid out so it is convenient for everyone,” Hebig said. “We found a way to make calf chores consistent for everybody.” Previously, the Capkos were housing the calves in a naturallyventilated dirt-floor barn and feeding with one automated calf feeder. There were 11 individual hutches near the farm’s maternity and sick cow pen for background calves, and an overflow of youngstock were housed in hutches in the nearby hay shed. The overstocked pens and poor ventilation made it difficult for calves to thrive, said Capko. “We were seeing so
Capko page 6
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Comedy in the country
Farm cuisine: Everything but the squeal
Milchsuppe
4 cups milk 2 eggs 3/4 to 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt or chicken base
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A steak, burger or brats on the grill whether oatmeal should be cooked with with vegetables on the side, a salad, rolls water or milk, with at least a compromise and a refreshing dessert – sounds like a agreement that it should never be microtasty menu for any Memorial Day get-towaved and always cooked on the stove. gether. There was milk soup, which had a milk Food is dear to our hearts and for base along with old dried bread, with a little good reason: We need it every day. sugar added or, on good days, dumplings. While visiting with friends at a party Looking into this, milk soup was a big deal over the weekend, the topic of converin Europe, which is why it was part of meals sation turned to food. The food we were on the farm. When the cows were milking Reflections heavier (think “June Dairy Month”) the eating was delicious, of course, but the Random by Diane Leukam conversation turned to food cooked on milk needed to be used and not wasted. My the farm years ago. Everyone at the tahusband had this often while growing up ble had grown up on a farm and a common thread and while it wasn’t his personal favorite, it was a norwas evident: Nothing was wasted and the old phrase, mal part of life. “everything was used but the squeal” came into play. Milk soup was considered peasant food at the There was talk of blood sausage and memories of time but, today in Switzerland, “milchsuppe” is iconmaking it in a basement. In fact, my own kids love it, ic and considered a delicacy, garnering the attention having made it with their grandparents. I have never of some of the best chefs. There is quite a history betried it, and the thought of it makes my stomach feel hind milchsuppe and honestly, I would like to try one queasy. of the many recipes available online. Some of them Animal organs like cow tongues and liver and look really good! onions were on the discussion menu, which didn’t Don also remembers collecting dandelion greens help my stomach, either. for salad. His mom made them with bacon and onion Scrapple was a dish made of all the extra piec- with a vinegar dressing. es of pork when butchering and likely included bits A favorite of his was strawberry bread in early of head meat, along with the heart and liver. It was summer. Fresh strawberries were mashed with cream cooked until very tender, then minced and mixed and a little sugar, and the mixture served over freshly with flour and spices. It was formed into a loaf and baked homemade bread. With five boys and one girl chilled. Later, it was thinly sliced and fried. I vaguely in the family, the last one to the table was out of luck. remember scrapple and thinking it tasted good. Many of the menu items we talked about began Then, there’s head cheese, which really has noth- centuries ago in Europe. Absolutely nothing was ing to do with cheese. The head of a pig is cooked wasted, because starvation was real. When the Euroand a sort of meat jelly forms. Other ingredients like peans immigrated to America, those traditional foods organ meats, salt, pepper, onion powder and a host of were brought along with them. seasonings are added. When it all gels together, it is That was really not so long ago. Those were days sliced and eaten with or without vinegar, on its own of cows, pigs, chickens and large gardens on most or on crackers. It sounds fancier when described as of our farms. They needed the meat, milk, eggs and a paté. vegetables to raise a large family, and they did it well. I can’t bring myself to eat that either. My hus- Some of that is coming back as people are trying to band, Don, jokes that he was ready to try it once but, become more self-sustaining on their properties. We when he looked closer, he noticed there was an eye are in our ninth year of publishing Country Acres, and looking at him from within the head cheese. In real- I have personally seen this movement taking place. ity, the eyes and brain are removed before cooking More and more, people are finding joy in producing the head. their own food on their place in the country, and why On a less meaty note, there was a discussion of not? There’s room to grow.
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Page 8 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
A father-son collection Rodens focus on outboard motors, boats BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER
RICHMOND – It’s a hobby passed down through the generations and one that father and son have been enjoying together for years. Jim Roden and his adult son, Kyle, have 13 boats and around 100 motors in their marine collection. Most are Scott Atwater/Scott McCulloch Outboards; that’s the company Jim’s grandfather worked for as a tool and die maker and machinist. He built driveshafts for the engines and any tools they needed at the plant. In addition to the Atwater/ McCulloch outboards, the collection includes a few Evinrudes, Johnsons and Mercurys. The models are from the 1940s to the late 1960s. Father and son both prefer to head out on the lake after dinner when the water is calm and sunsets are at the ready. As the smell of two-stroke exhaust puffs out into the crisp Minnesota air, they cruise the waterways enjoying the scenery and taking in the sights and sounds of loons, deer and water lapping against the shoreline. The collection keeps them on the water. “It has been the passion I’ve had my whole life,” said Jim. “It’s seeing the smile on my kid’s face knowing he is enjoying all the work we have done.” Jim can often be found on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes and Kyle, who lives in Nevis, can be found on East Crooked Lake, Belle Taine Lake and Long Lake. The two run their boats together most often on lakes in the Park Rapids area. The collection of boats, motors and parts is split between their two homes. Most of the boats are considered racing boats. They do have a few pleasure boats in the collection, including a 1958 Tomahawk runabout that Jim restored to original before Kyle was born – it’s one Kyle has a particular fondness for. The boat is stored at his home and he takes it out regularly with his girlfriend. There are photos of Kyle pretending to drive it as a baby and it has become his favorite in the collection. Jim, on the other hand, likes the Scott factory boat that’s part of
PHOTOS BY SUBMITTED
Jim Roden (left) in a homemade boat and Kyle Roden (right) in a 13-foot Checkmate, stop for a photo together as they cruise the lake in their boats.
great-grandfather helped their collection. build. He said he wishes he The two men have alcould have known him and ways had a fondness for that he knows he would boats. Jim’s grandfather, have learned a lot from Jim Pierro, owned a cabhim. in on Horseshoe Lake in He takes that connecRichmond. They spent tion with him on the lakes. summers there playing “Depending on the with the boats. The colboat, some are loud and lection includes three of some are quieter, but Pierro’s original motors there’s nothing I like more and they all still run – evthan hearing a motor we erything in the collection built run across the lake does. The original 1963 with no issues,” Kyle said. 45hp Scott is currently on “It’s a sense of pride.” Kyle’s pontoon and is used For him, it’s also a regularly. way to clear his mind and Jim started to invest reset his mood. in the hobby in 1995, but “(When I’m on the said he never thought he’d water) it feels like there’s have as many boats as they nothing to get in my way,” do now. he said. “I kind of just let “He says that’s all my stresses go because my fault,” Kyle said. it’s just me and my pasThough Jim started the colsion.” lection, Kyle has been the For both men, the colimpetus behind growing it lection also signifies their substantially the last few relationship and bond as years. He loves boats and father and son. motors so much, he be“We get to do a lot of came a service technician things together and we both at Johnson’s On the WaKyle (left) and Jim Roden love doing it,” said Jim. “A ter Services in Park Rapshow off gear cases from lot of dads and sons don’t ids. He does everything their outboard motors inside share the same interests or from basic winterizing to Jim Roden’s shop. hobbies together.” g overhauls and He parspecialtticularly likes izes in fixing the Mercum motors and ry Merw watching his Cruiser son so enjoy what s t e r n they’ve built, th drives. even ev though The parts pa aren’t alcollecways wa readily tion grew available av and as Kyle the prices keep got older. increasing. inc It began “It’s somebefore he thing we can thi was born do together,” he with lots said. said of moJim Roden and his son, Kyle, who was 5 at the The maintetime , hit tors and a the lake in a 12-foot Crestliner. The two in father are pictured here s wor nd ked nance on the boats gra tog his ethe few boats. d r to an mak n e de the Ro boa t look Jim shoe Lake. The Jetto wa original experimental boat from the like the and motors is pretThen togetha Jetto in 1961 on Horsem the factory that Roden’s fact ory. ty straightforward. er, the two an experimental boat frought to the cabin. grandfather bro They try to run all of them would go to regularly to keep them opboat shows to its original glory,” Kyle great-grandfather in per- erational. They’ll swap out and pick up a motor or go to a good home. “There’s something said. son, he feels a special conboat, or someone would Kyle said though nection to him when he’s call them and say they about taking something Roden page 9 needed their equipment to old and bringing it back he never got to meet his running the motors that his
Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 9
Roden
from page 8
a handful of motors on a handful of different boats. When they’re done using them, they run the gas out of them and wash them down. Following simple rules helps make it easy, Kyle said. Winterizing is the bulk of the work in their hobby. They put oil in the cylinders, drain the gear oil and gas out and clean them up. The two bring their boats to some shows throughout the year but mostly, they use them to spend time with the family. They both belong to The Antique Outboard Motor Club (AOMCI), a club for gear heads to get together and share their passion for boats. Though they always say they might sell a boat after they fix it, Kyle says they won’t. “I will continue to collect until the day I die,” he said. “This is my passion and my life; I love doing it.” He also values the time he spends with his dad and the two are very close. Moving out, Kyle said, was hard on both of them. “It’s a bond between me and him,” he said. “It brings us closer together. We always talk about boats and motors and I feel it just brings us closer as a family.”
PHOTOS BY SUBMITTED
Kyle Roden takes the Hydrocraft Fantasy out on Horseshoe Lake.
In all its glory, this is the 1958 Tomahawk boat that Jim Roden restored before his son, Kyle, was born. This is the pride of Kyle’s collection and his favorite boat.
These boats are the stars of the Roden family’s boat collection. Though a few favorites aren’t pictured here, these are the boats Jim and Kyle Roden take out most often.
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Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 13
Radtkes
from page 12
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cows rest on a bedding pack outside the Prairies Edge Farms parlor barn. For the Radtkes, the move to the farm and a self-sustaining way of
life was about being prepared but also about the challenge. side as membership has increased. Today, the site has 11 regional homesteading groups with 10 in the United States and one in Canada. The effort and the interest have prompted the couple to plan for a June launch of their new podcast, “The Homestead Podcast.” They commandeered an old camper and fixed it up to serve as their studio. After 11 years of the Facebook group, they have a lot of material, the first of which will be the security chicken – yes,
security chicken. After Rich’s dad died, people began stealing things from the farm. He and Carol were driving back and forth to fix things up but it wasn’t until they invested in some chickens that people backed off and realized someone must be caring for the property. The Radtkes live on a 160-acre farm that was owned by Rich’s dad. He had abandoned the place a decade and a half before he died in 2005, and the farm became theirs. They started cleaning up the
property, demolishing the house and buildings that couldn’t be repaired. The one thing left standing was the dairy barn. The barn was custom built in 1964 by Rich’s father. Rich and Carol decided that though they wanted to continue to homestead, the way they were doing things was going to be a sure way to slowly go into debt. They wanted to be self-reliant but needed something else. They researched all types of farming and kept coming back to dairy which nei-
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ther really wanted to do. They started with goats, meat goats, which at first they didn’t realize wouldn’t make good milkers. They ruled out beef because they didn’t have enough land; pigs didn’t work either. Then, a farmer came to look at some of their animals and they ended up trading most of their goats for their first dairy cow. She was bred and though she fed her calf, she still milked five gallons a day. “The smell of the dairy cow, I just missed
that smell,” Carol said. Since their land was organic the cows were actually a good fit, and they got word that Organic Valley just happened to be looking for farmers to provide organic milk. To this day, Carol handles all the milking herself at Prairies Edge Farm. She has 65 cows, 35 to 40 of whom are lactating. “I know my cows and if something is wrong or something is right,” she
Radtkes page 14
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“I like being out in the county and living out of town,” she said. For their daughter, Madison, it was a natural fit. So natural, that Madison went on to college to student animal science with minors in zoology and farm business management. For their son, Austin, the transition was more difficult; his parents said he’s a city kid. Their kids are grown now and have moved out, except their first child, Chasiti, who remains living with them and has mental and physical disabilities that require care. As they grew into the homestead lifestyle, there was a lot of downtime in the winter, which is how they began the Facebook group. Rich launched it one day and began moderating. It soon had hundreds of followers, then thousands, then tens of thousands. Members discuss homesteading tips, livestock, animals, gardening, pasturing, fertilizing, weeding, harvesting, canning and processing animals. Many of the topics are cyclical with the seasons. In the beginning, Rich said, the group was more of a social space but that’s gone by the way-
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Carol Radtke teaches her daughter, Madison, how to can foods at age 10.
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Radtkes
“Like farming, you have to figure things out on the fly,” Rich said. “Here, if you don’t chop enough wood, you’re going to be cold. If you don’t do enough canning during the fall, you’ll be hungry.” - Rich Radtke
spots. On the Radtke farm, they winter in deep straw bedding outside and have so much fat that they’re well-insulated and are often found on the outside of the bedding area, only tucking under when it goes below 10 degrees. In the past, the Radtkes have found baby goats jumping on the pigs and sleeping on top of them, or ducks sitting on the warm straw pile with the pigs underneath. On their farm the boars, sows and piglets exist in the same pen and they never have problems with it, “It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” Rich said. Things have changed since the early years living in the mobile home and learning what it means to homestead. They spent three years living in that first mobile home and
then bought a house that was involved in the Fargo, North Dakota floods. They paid $38,000 and had the 1,600-square-foot home brought to their property. “Most of my friends felt bad for us. [They] thought I had lost our house in town and we were on the skids and moved to an abandon house on the farm,” Rich said. “We still have the church house in Raymond, and own it. It’s not like we lost anything, but we simply stepped off the cliff. We took that one step and went from really good living and a really comfortable house to living like the homesteader.” That was May 30, 2008, when they first said, “Let’s go out to the farm,” and they’ve really never been back.
e .Carol Radtke’s canned goods line the interior of her cupboards in her Raymond home.
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scribes him as a baby and said once Madison starts petting him, he lays down to get belly scratches. Madison taught some of the pigs how to sit and beg like a dog, with their front feet raised off the ground – their reward, day-old bakery bread. “They’re extremely intelligent,” Rich said. Through the years they’ve had 60 to 70 American Guinea Hogs, but no more than 20 at any one time, including the piglets. Most often they sell them to other homesteaders or hobby farmers. They’re often too fatty to be of interest to the commercial market, Rich said. But, the lard can be used for soap-making, which the Radtkes have done. One of their guineas is white in color, something that’s rare and recessive. They’re slow-growing hogs and take a year to mature. They have bred them with Yorkshires and other faster growing hogs to speed up the maturity process. They also breed them to get different colors. Typically the pigs are black but, as crossbreds, they are often black and white or orange with dark
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from page 14
Page 18 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
Lanners
from page 17
she came to America, she taught herself the language by watching soap operas when she wasn’t working on the farm or the ski hill. Ursula died at the age of 79 in December of 2019. Together, they brought snow tubing to the area.
Lanners page 19
Bob Lanners sells his sticks of wood by a rack that holds 153 pieces of wood.
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cow/calf operation for three decades and did rotational grazing, but in the 1980s when the economy took a turn, they had feeder pigs; then they had up to 30 beef cows. They also sold hundreds of fence posts made from solid white oak off their property. At first, Lanners did business word of mouth, he’d place ads in the paper and then, when the internet grew and calls started to fall, he had someone build him a website. Even though he no longer does any advertising, his phone rings once a day with calls for wood, even in the off-season. Lanners keeps a book containing the name and contact information of every single person he’s ever sold wood to. It’s his calling list in case he ever runs out of customers, but he’s been so busy through the years he’s never taken it out to make any calls. Though the wood today is his main business, but in earlier years it was a side job that could be done when he wasn’t working on the ski and tube hill. He and Ursula ran the business and the farm together. She was from Germany and didn’t know any English when
PHOTOS BY ANNA HAYNES
Bob Lanners pauses near a pile of pole wood, which is sold to be used in large outdoor furnaces. Lanners manages his land with an assistant who works one day a week.
See dealer for complete details. Offer expires May 31, 2021 WARNING: Polaris® off road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2021 Polaris Industries Inc.
Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 19
Lanners
from page 18
PHOTOS BY ANNA HAYNES
Behind remnants of Eagle Mountain Ski and Snow Tube, a pile of firewood stretches roughly a thousand feet down Bob Lanners’ driveway near Burtrum.
Equipment from Eagle Mountain Ski and Snow Tube is visible on Bob Lanners’ property, pictured May 18 near Burtrum.
legend of Eagle Mountain Ski and Snow Tube. They had hard-bottom tubes that went faster and soft-bottom tubes that were safer and went slower. They sold extra tubes to other local hills. Through the years they expanded their technology on site, too, moving from rope tows to handle tows for better ease of going up the hill. The business offered cross-country skiing, a restaurant complete with a wood-burning fireplace and a bunkhouse at the bottom of the three-story chalet so groups could stay the weekend. For the Lanners, business – even though it wasn’t what they always envisioned – was good.
“I’m 6’4”, but now I’m half bent over,” he said. “I think all that hard work made a guy into good shape (but also took a toll).” - Bob Lanners
(above) Bob Lanners stands behind a large wheel tthat was used to pull snow tubes up Eagle Mountain SSki and Snow Tube, which Lanners ran for 35 years with his wife, Ursula. w (right) Bob Lanners keeps track of his firewood sales in a handwritten notebook. Lanners refers to the book as his calling list in case he ran out of customers; he’s never used it.
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In 1973, Lanners went to a gas station to ask if they had any inner tubes he could have. Most tires were tubeless at the time but farm equipment had tubes, so he left the gas station with a bunch of tubes that needed patching. He brought them home to Eagle Mountain and the two got to work patching. Lanners brought the idea to the Midwest Ski Areas Association and said people laughed at him, but they began offering something that was new to the area anyway, snow tubing on the beginner ski hill. In 1986, just after they got the first crop of hay cut and the calves were born, the Lanners went to Vail, Colorado to get some commercial snow tubes. They drove out in a Blazer and rented a U-Haul trailer to pick up tubes from a ski business that was ready to sell them because tubers kept breaking through their ski barriers. The resort put the Lanners up in a hotel and they toured a few ski resorts in the area. They looked at each and every tube, counting them and deciding which to bring home. They decided on a batch of 300 or so and had to rent a bigger trailer to haul them all back. And so began the true
Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 21
COUNTRY COOKING MARIE KUMMET |
Hillman, Morrison County
WANT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES TO BE FEATURED IN COUNTRY ACRES?
Contact Diane at diane@saukherald.com
Marie’s Breakfast Bake • 8 frozen hashbrown patties • 2 cups Cheddar cheese • 1 pound sausage, browned and crumbled
• • • •
7 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage, crumbling while cooking, and drain. Place hashbrown patties snugly into a greased 9x13-inch pan; sprinkle with cheese and sausage. Mix eggs, milk, mustard and salt; pour evenly over the top of patties, cheese and sausage. Bake for one hour.
Wild Rice Soup
Pepsi Beef Roast • 3-pound beef roast • 1 can cream of chicken (or your choice) soup • 1 can Pepsi
Place roast in Dutch oven; mix soup and Pepsi and pour over roast. Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until meat reaches a temperature of 175 degrees.
Blueberry Breakfast Bake Sour Cream Swiss Steak • 3 pounds round steak, cubed • 1/3 cup flour • 1-1/2 tsp. salhasht • 1-1/2 tsp. pepper • 1-1/2 tsp. paprika • 1-1/2 tsp. ground mustard • 1-1/2 cups water
Sauce • 16 ounces sour cream • 1 cup onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 1/3 cup soy sauce • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed • 3 Tbsp. flour • 1-1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, paprika and ground mustard. Dredge meat in mixture. Grease Dutch oven with oil or butter; brown meat, stirring often. Add water and simmer for 1/2 hour until tender. Combine sauce ingredients and add to meat. Bake in oven at 250 to 300 degrees for 1 hour. Sprinkle with paprika.
• 12 slices of bread, cubed • 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed • 1 cup frozen blueberries • 12 large eggs • 2 cups milk • 1/3 cup honey or syrup
• • • • •
Sauce: 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup blueberries 1 Tbsp. butter
Combine bread, cream cheese, frozen blueberries, eggs, milk and honey or syrup; place in a greased 9x13-inch pan and chill for 8 hours. Allow to warm for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes; uncover and bake another 25-30 minutes. For sauce, combine sugar, water, cornstarch and blueberries in saucepan and cook through until mixture begins to thicken into a syrup; add butter at the end. Top breakfast bake with sauce to serve.
Purina Dealer
• 6 Tbsp. butter or margarine • 1 Tbsp. minced onion • 1/2 cup flour • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth • 2 cups cooked wild rice* • 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped • 1/3 cup ham, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. slivered almonds (optional) • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1 cup half and half (fat-free works well) • 2 Tbsp. dry sherry wine • Fresh parsley or chives, snipped
In large saucepan, melt butter or margarine and sauté minced onions until tender. Blend in flour and gradually add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute; mixture will thicken. Reduce heat and stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt. Simmer until carrots are tender, 5-10 minutes. Blend in half and half and sherry wine. Heat to serving temperature. Garnish with parsley or chives. Makes 12, 1/2-cup servings. *Note: 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice equals 1-1/2 to 2 cups cooked.
Frozen Cucumber Salad • 2 quarts small cucumbers, sliced, unpeeled • 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. salt • 1 cup vinegar • 1-1/4 cups sugar
Combine cucumbers, onions and salt. Let mixture soak for 3 hours. In a saucepan, warm vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Drain cucumbers and add to vinegar mixture. Ladle into plastic freezer containers and freeze. When ready to use, defrost and serve chilled.
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N OW H I R I N G Pro-Tech Service Inc., the leading independent forklift company in central MN, is hiring a equipment repair technician apprentice. Recent high school graduate preferred but not required. Must be mechanically inclined.
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Contemplating rocks and nuts
I like eating mixed coming. It made no sense, until nuts. I got to thinking about mixed I don’t care for rock nuts. The attraction of mixed picking. Other than the nuts is the blending of various former being a reward afflavors and textures and oils of the nuts. There is also a frustrater the latter, they really tion. Mixed nuts rarely mix. It don’t have much in comseems like the Brazil nuts and mon – but there is a conwalnuts are almost always are nection. Annually, harvest- Mirrors of Smoke at the top; peanuts, cashews ing rocks from fields was by Herman Lensing and pistachios are at the bottom In the world of logic, that never a source of joy or makes no sense. You’d think anticipation for me. There might be days that are nicer for pick- the bigger nuts would go to the bottom ing rocks, but there never was a nice – they are heavier. Of course you’d also rock-picking day. Eating mixed nuts is think that rocks would sink below the something that can be done at almost ground – they are heavier. It turns out that the same laws of any time, but is not something that has physics that bring the bigger nuts to the to be done. Picking rocks has to be done. What top, work for rocks also. Apparently, was always sort of intriguing was the what happens is a combination of gravreason there were so many rocks to ity and size. Take a mixture of nuts and put pick each year. When listening to oral family his- them in container that allows some tories and reading historical books, al- movement. Mix them as you want, then most always it is mentioned how hard shake the container. As the nuts shift, it was for our ancestors to clear these the smaller ones fall between the cracks lands and farm. Stories are told and of the larger ones, forcing the larger recorded of how hard they worked to ones to the top. Do it long enough and remove trees, break the sod and move the top layer is all the bigger nuts. The same holds true for rocks. As rocks. They changed the land. The trees earth tremors, freezing, frost heaves, which once created forests are pretty sub-surface movements and, to some much gone. The soil they turned pro- degree tilling, cause the soil to shift and duced great crops, but some of it blew shake, the smaller grains of soil fall unaway in the dust bowl. The rocks? Well derneath the denser, heavier rock, forc… the rocks remained. For the most ing them to the surface. No matter how part, they couldn’t be sold for cash big, eventually that stone, whether a or burned for fuel, as was the lumber. pebble or a boulder, will come to rest Some became part of roads, fences or on the soil – where they (like my favorbuildings – but for the most part, they ite mixed nuts) have to be picked. But, I suppose I cannot complain stayed where dumped. What is maddening about them is too much about the need to clear off they keep coming back. Pick a field the rocks. After all, if someone, someclean of rocks in the spring and, by where had not done so, chances are the next spring, you will see there will there would not have been a field for be the same number to pick. Unload- the plants, bushes and trees that proing a trailerful of rocks at the rock pile duce the nuts in a mixed-nut combinasimply means the trailer is ready to be tion. And, it was when eating such a filled again. It seemed odd to some degree combination that it gave me a chance to that within a generation, a whole for- contemplate why there were so many est could be removed, but rocks kept rocks.
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Page 24 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
Paynesville
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Country Acres To advertise in Country Acres contact your marketing specialist below
University of Minnesota Crookston Sophomore Parents: Keith and Denise Olander Staples-Motley FFA Chapter Retiring State President Selected for the James W. Tracy Scholarship Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: My FFA program is comprised of approximately 60 members filled with individuals who are wanting to learn or grow themselves as individuals to make tomorrow a better world, both inside and outside of agriculture. These students serve their community, their school, and themselves by becoming involved in competitions, work-based learning, leadership positions and much more. My involvement included serving on chapter, regional, and state officer teams to serve members. I had the opportunity to work at several enterprises to compete against other hard-working individuals in proficiency and star areas. I also had the chance to compete in Fish and Wildlife, Ag Sales and Ag Communications career development events and through creed speaking and extemporaneous speaking in leadership development events. My involvement has paved the way to interests and passions I never knew possible. Through FFA, I was able to see the horizons in agriculture were endless and that I could truly be a piece of the puzzle in rural American agriculture. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? The greatest benefit I have received from being involved in FFA is the ability to see the agricultural industry first-hand with the allowance to make connections with peers who share similar interests and passions. I have found that through my time in FFA, whether that be in competitions, work-based learning (SAE’s), or officer positions, the growth, sustainability, and relationship that holds the pieces of the agricultural puzzle are only getting stronger and I am excited to see that come to life as I transition out of FFA and into situations where I can use practices and skills I have gained while being in the organization.
Missy Traeger missy@saukherald.com 320-291-9899
What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Outside of FFA, I was involved in organizations like NHS, Student Council, Band and stayed active in baseball and basketball. Throughout my first year of college, I got involved in the agronomy, ag industries, and Ag Arama clubs as well as basketball and volleyball intramurals. Outside of school and FFA, I enjoy spending any time I can outdoors hunting, fishing, farming, or gardening as well as welding and building projects. What are your plans for the future? I plan to graduate from the University of Minnesota Crookston with degrees in Agriculture Business and Agronomy as well as a minor in Finance. With this gained skillset and education, I am planning to return to the roots of rural America where I can be a part of a local cooperative to help manage farms and operations of local agriculturists. I would also enjoy beginning my own farming operation and if I can dream big, I would love to have my own farming operation along with an agronomy and financial services business.
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Friday, June 4, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 25
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY PRAIRIES EDGE FARMS
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PRAIRIES EDGE FARMS
Kerkhoven Young calves wait for a bottle of milk.
(above) These Corgis are getting sleepy while watching cows being milked in the parlor at the Radtke farm. (below) Adorable Corgi pups are all ears!
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY AMANDA THOOFT
Sauk Centre Dot (left) and Bracco (right) are like pets!
PHOTO S These little UBMIT TED Sauk Cen and taking foxes are growing q tre pictured in on their red color; theuickly our Ma y were coats begay 7 issue before their n to chang e.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY MADDY PETERSON
Alexandria (above) 6-month-old Labradoodle, Sprout, lays in the sun. (Right) Sprout plays with one of her favorite toys.
WANT TO SEE YOUR FURRY FRIEND HERE? Submit your photos to
diane.s@dairystar.com
Page 26 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
Want a
$10,000 Web Presence? SIGN-ON BONUS Seeking Full-time CDL Drivers with Class A license. For more information please call or stop in.
320-693-8370 CA-June4-1B-MS
62824 250th Street, Litchfield, MN 55335
Check out these websites created by our team: www.unitedsuckowdairy.com www.coilsflags.com www.cornerstonetrailerrepair-electric.com www.canvastechmn.com www.appletonsteel.com www.muellerbuild.com www.eaglecreekstoragemn.com www.forestoncreamery.com www.johnsonseedandag.com www.timflaniganhayandstraw.com www.greenwaldfarmcenter.com www.minnesotadairysolutions.com
Hydraulics Sales & Service Serving central MN
SALES AND PARTS, HYDRAULIC REPAIR & HOSES AND FITTINGS 17
6C e ount y Rd. 186, Sauk C
, n t re
MN
HOSE ASSEMBLIES WHILE YOU WAIT Call Ryan at 320.351.7875 | Email ryan@ceshydraulics.com
Bob Leukam
Marketing Consultant Office: 320-352-6577 Cell: 320-260-1248 bob.l@star-pub.com
CA-June4-1B-MT
39
CONTACT ME TO LEARN MORE
WEB DESIGNS
522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. | Sauk Centre, MN 56378
Page 28 • Country Acres | Friday, June 4, 2021
SUMMER DISCOUNTS New Products P r cts
Early Order Program for Qualifying Orders: 4% Discount With Free Shipping
Buy 1 product, get $50 per row rebate
Starting June 1st, receive 4% off Startin dro 1% per month after that and drop
(vDrive, DeltaForce, and Speedtube)
Buy 2 products, get $150 per row rebate (vDrive, DeltaForce, and SpeedTube)
Buy 3 products, get $200 per row rebate
Discounted financing for up to 60 months is available from June 1 - September 30, 2021 on orders of $10,000 or more through our partners at AGCO Finance and Diversified.
New Reveal Row Cleaner
Beginning June 1, 2021, growers can choose one of the following options: • 0.0% Financing for 12 months • 0.99% Financing for 36 months • 2.25% Financing for 60 months Rates will be updated monthly during this period.
Furrow Force Closing System
(vDrive, DeltaForce, and SpeedTube) Until supplies last.
BELGRADE Nick Hanson 320-979-6820
LAKE LILLIAN 4041 180th Ave SE, Peter Johnson Lake Lillian 320-212-8551
616 Parkway Drive Belgrade, MN
CA-June4-1B-JO
In-Stock ONLY!
Hillman Stock-up Sale
IF IT’S HILLMAN TAKE
10
%
Off
STOP IN for all your Spring & Summer ag product needs! Tama
Orange Plastic Twine - 110
20,000 ft. -P20000 ......................................
19.97
$
Tama
Orbeseal Teat Sealant
Orange Plastic Twine - Single Ball $
20.17 Orange Plastic Twine - 130 $ 9,000 ft. ......................................... 23.97 20,000 ft. -SBP20000B................................... -P9000
S&S
Nuts & Bolts • Nails & Screws Hinges & Handles • Signage & Keys Electrical Components Shelving Components Ag Products
Cow Trainers #1143910 $
4.07
Hunting & s Fishing License ll A Available At Locations!
CA-June4-1B-WS
#NO890705
24.17
$
Big Mak Prestarter CALFPRE
15.07
$
PAYNESVILLE
GLENWOOD
LONG PRAIRIE
1050 Centre Street • Ph. 320-352-5261 STORE HOURS
Hwy. 28 & 55 • Ph. 320-634-5209 STORE HOURS
Hwy. 71 S. • Ph. 320-732-6195 STORE HOURS
Hwy. 55 West • Ph. 320-243-3556 STORE HOURS
Monday-Friday 8:00am-7:00pm Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
SAUK CENTRE
No Cash...No Problem. Charge It!
Dairy Wipes Refill - 700 ct.
23.07
Hawkinson Ag
STOCK UP TODAY!
YOUR COMPLETE FARM & HOME STORE
Dairy Wipes Pail - 700 ct. #NO890700 $
#026622
3.17
$
Tama
Prices Good June 4-17, 2021
GLENCOE
FARIBAULT
Hwy. 27 • Ph. 320-632-9240 STORE HOURS
3105 10th St. • Ph. 320-864-4304 STORE HOURS
80 Western Ave. • Ph. 507-334-3232 STORE HOURS
Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
LITTLE FALLS
