Country Acres - October 1, 2022

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Humb le Humble beginnings

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

Flowers raise cattle with family in mind

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

HOLLOWAY – Farm kids often look up to their mentors and grow passion from watching the success of those close to them. This was exactly the case for the Flower family.

Jared and Makayla Flower, along with their kids, Jaelyn, Tayton, Ty and Emerson, own a 100-head cow/calf beef operation, JMF Herefords and SimAngus. JMF raises Hereford and SimAngus cattle which started because of the lovebirds’ passion for quality cattle in the beef industry.

Both Jared and Makayla grew up on beef cattle farms. Their deep roots in the industry are what drove their passion to start their own seedstock operation shortly after saying “I do.”

“I was ready to get myself established in the seedstock industry from right out of high school,” Jared said. “I never went to college, and gained experience by finding places to work that had great mentors in

the cattle industry. After we got married, within a year, we saved enough to make a down payment on a farm.”

In 2013, Jared and Makayla purchased the farm site they call the “west farm.” And, just last year, they purchased their new place which they call the “east farm.” Though growing and implementing a new site is fun and exciting for their family, they won’t soon

forget their humble beginnings on the west farm.

The west farm was a bull test station previous to the Flowers’ purchase of the site. The buildings and loading zones show many years of hardworking ranchers and well-fed cattle in rural Swift County. The site was built in the 1970s and came with a few

A newborn Hereford calf rests in the front pasture at the farm. From humble beginnings, the Flower family has grown their cattle operation to accommodate the commercial livestock producers.

The Flower family look over their pasture of cows and calves Sept. 22 near Holloway. They are raising quality cattle while focused on raising a family with passion for the future of the livestock industry.

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NEWS STAFF

Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com

Grace Jeurissen, Editor grace.j@star-pub.com

Jan Lefebvre, Writer jan.l@star-pub.com

Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com

Tiffany Klaphake, Writer tiffany.k@star-pub.com

Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com

Natasha Barber, Writer natasha@saukherald.com

Sarah Colburn Staff Writer Christine Behnen FreelanceWriter

Story ideas send to: grace.j@star-pub.com

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Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com

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Flowers from front

sheds and a cattle processing facility front and center.

The processing center, equipped with a 12- X 24-foot vet room, is where the young couple began raising their family. Young Jaelyn even mentioned the humble abode.

“We used to live in there,” she said.

Jared remembers it well.

“When we bought the farm, that was where we lived until we moved a trailer home onto the property,” he said. “We were ready to make those sacrifices to grow our herd and raise our kids with respect for the cattle industry.”

For around six months, the small vet office with two rooms was what they called home, and they are appreciative of how far they have come in the last decade.

“I can’t say it was easy raising our first baby in that space, but it certainly makes us appreciate how our hard work has paid off,” Makayla said.

As their herd progresses, the Flowers hope to eventually purchase some additional pasture and cropland to mitigate their dependance on rented pastures. Their new site will eventually become a bull development facility for their future sales.

Part of the JMF philosophy is to breed cattle that are efficient and low-input that still add value to their breeding

program. They define productive cattle as sound-structured, loose-hided, easy feeding with calm temperaments. They aren’t just raising cattle; they are also raising kids that want to be around cattle.

“You can’t go wrong with an even-tempered cow, bull or heifer,” Jared said. “We want our kids to be comfortable around cattle, and our cattle comfortable around people.”

A true testament to Jared’s

statement came when walking through the sale heifer pen, with Jaelyn, Tayton and Ty comfortable as they pointed out some of the animals they had been working on and walking the heifers around the pen with ease.

The Flowers enjoy their tame herd of Herefords and SimAngus cattle.

The SimAngus herd started from one cow that was purchased by Jared when he was

a senior in high school. Then, after the couple got married, they began investing in the Hereford breed which is a majority of their herd today.

“We not only have cattle for purebred breeders, we have cattle that work well on the commercial side of things,” he said. “As time has gone on, I’ve seen the industry begin to put importance on fancy-looking cows but, at the end of the day, it’s the cows that wean calves that have pounds that pay the bills.”

Jared having grown up on a registered cattle farm, developed a network of mentors who were able to teach him about raising cattle, and the values in some of the older generation’s lessons.

“I miss the time of cattle being the way the old cowboys raised them,” he said. “We want a moderate framed cow that can wean a calf half her weight, and still have good finish by the end of summer.”

With over 100 cows to calve each year, the family sells offspring in an annual bull sale, and new this year is a fall heifer sale.

“We needed to get our name out there somehow, so we decided to host our first bull sale, which was nine years ago,” Jared said.

Makayla agreed.

“Being we were just getting started, we didn’t have many bulls to sell, but we had friends in the industry that had contributions to the sale

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

Sale heifers graze in the viewing pen at JMF Herefords and SimAngus. The family is excited about this group of heifers being functional as future cows.

The Flower family – Tayton (front, from left) Ty and Jaelyn, (back, from left) Makayla holding Emerson, and Jared – raise registered Hereford and SimAngus cattle near Holloway. This year is their ninth annual bull sale and first-ever heifer sale.

page 2

to make it larger and draw more of a crowd,” Makayla said.

With the heifer sale this year, the kids are an important part of getting them ready for the sale. After school, the kids will often wash, comb, dry and walk the heifer calves.

Tayton and Ty agreed their favorite part of living on the farm is working cattle. Oftentimes, the kids will hop on the horse, Izzy, to bring the cows into the yard.

When the Flowers were just getting the farm on its feet, Makayla had an off-farm occupation at a local corn research center, and Jared worked at Wulf Limousin, Leonard Wulf and Sons. Eventually, as their family grew, Makayla took time away from a full-time job and focused on taking care of the kids while

helping Jared on the farm.

She began experimenting and learning graphic design to make their bull sale ads and catalogs. She went to South Dakota State University for Animal Science and graphic design wasn’t in her area of expertise, but after practice and a few years of developing, she now works as the editor for The Stockman magazine.

“It’s nice to be able to do my work from home so I can be here to help during cattle processing, taking care of the kids, as well as that additional income,” she said.

Jared agreed.

“I stand by the saying, ‘every successful farm has a good woman behind it,’” Jared said.

“I’m blessed to have Makayla as my partner, she is so much the reason we have progressed

Flowers page 4

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Ty,

A SimAngus cow and calf walk through lush pastures Sept.

at the JMF Herefords and SimAngus farm near Holloway.

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

Red River is one of the newer bulls that the Flowers have raised to breed their herd of cows. He is the sire to several bull calves that will be for sale in their ninth annual bull sale.

Flowers from page 3

so far. I just take care of the cattle; she does all of the important promotion and keeps me in line most importantly.”

What started as 12 cows and a dream to raise high-quality Herefords and SimAngus crosses has become a growing family with a passion for their cattle and livelihood.

For them, a true testament to their success is the interest each of their kids shows in the farm and the industry. The kids want to be there when they run cat-

tle through the chute for vet checks and are excited to help prepare for the bull sale each year.

“I want to see my kids evaluating cattle not just for a showring, but for the benefit of the herd; already they notice the little things about different types of cattle,” Jared said.

Makayla agreed.

“Already, they understand some of the different aspects to raising quality cattle and it makes you smile,” she said.

Decorating time is here FALL

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

Ty and Tayton Flower like working cattle on their family farm.

Jaelyn and Emerson Flower stand by the family’s horse, Izzy. Jaelyn often rounds up the cows with the horse and brings them to the corral.

Fence posts on

Boot Hill

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

(Above) Boots are silhouetted against a cornfield backdrop Sept. 20 on Boot Hill north of Glenwood.

Blairs keepers of roadside novelty

BY DIANE LEUKAM STAFF WRITER

GLENWOOD – Just north of Glenwood on Minnesota Highway 29, regular travelers will be met with a familiar sight. For at least a quarter mile, dozens of fence posts are topped with boots. At the top of the hill is an American flag. Not-so-regular travelers might wonder at the story behind it all. For the property owners, Ted and Suzanne

Blair, it’s simply called Boot Hill.

For the Blairs, the entire scene developed naturally from their love of horses. With a rich family history to build on, their own four children grew up riding ponies and horses. As they outgrew their boots, Mom and Dad decided to memorialize their well-worn footwear by placing them on fenceposts along the highway.

“It started out we put our own boots on the posts and people start-

ed adding to it,” Ted said. “I’ve put in more posts and they just keep adding.”

People will often leave boots near the flag pole, and the Blairs put them up. Some are dropped off at Blairview Saddle Shop in Alexandria, a western store owned by Ted’s brother, John.

Boot Hill page 6

(Left) A boot shines in the late summer sun.

Primarily, the fence posts sport cowboy boots and military boots, especially from Korean and Vietnam veterans. And, there are work boots. Other types of footwear are not displayed and, if left, the Blairs just dispose of them.

“If they put up tennis shoes or rubber boots, we take them down,” Suzanne said. “It’s mainly military and western people that really love horses and that have served.”

The Blairs know very few of the donors. Still, they have many stories to tell. One of their favorites is the story of the flag.

“Two ladies that were in the military in Kuwait, they sent us a flag,” Ted said. “They fly an American Flag one day and they get rid of it, and they sent it to us.”

They had hopes it would be flown on Boot Hill.

“They were from the Air Force, and they sent it with a letter asking us to fly it,” Suzanne said.

Some of the veterans’ boots, especially, are marked. Next to the flag are cowboy boots with information carved into the soles telling their wearer’s story: Glen W. Shannon, Korean War 1952-54. Born 5-11-31, Died 2-11-2017.

Another story is particularly dear to the Blairs’ hearts. A woman

called to ask if they would display her father’s boots.

He had cancer and every time she would drive him to Alexandria for treatments, they would drive by and he said he would love to have his boots displayed there.

“We said we’d be more than happy to,” Suzanne said. “She embroidered some dishtowels for me [as an appreciation gift].”

Those boots are old now, and not in very good shape, just like most of their counterparts.

Unfortunately, the couple has several stories of mischief that surround Boot Hill, but they have chosen to look at the bright side. With a twinkle in their eyes, they explained the boots are cool on the outside but, inside, they are a sanctuary for field mice.

Ted had always told Suzanne there were mice in the toes of the boots, and they have “nice little homes” in them.

“I didn’t believe it, so one day he took me out there and he took a boot off and threw it on the ground and did I run,” she said. “They all live in those nice little homes; they stuff stuff in there and it’s nice and warm and that’s where they live for the winter. Whoever took five pairs one time, wherever they put ‘em in their car, they had a surprise.”

Laughter – and mischief – aside, the couple is still willing to put more posts into the ground for more boots.

“We have 10 more pairs to put out now, but we don’t have any posts left,” Suzanne said.

PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM

Ted and Suzanne Blair are the proprietors of Boot Hill near Glenwood, where a quarter mile of roadside is lined with western, military and work boots.

A sole of this veteran’s boot is carved with his name, service years in Korea, and dates of his birth and death. A well-worn flag gives honor to the country he served.

Fall brings all sorts of fun. Football is back, harvest is gearing up and apples are ripe for the picking.

I have to say one of my favorite things during fall is weddings, especially if they are in scenic spots. The weather during this time of year is gorgeous; the evenings cool down, the bugs aren’t as thick and sunsets are magnificent.

I would love to someday have a fall wedding on the farm. It might interrupt a bit of harvest, but my family has always made it apparent that it’s good to slow down and appreciate the “little” things in life – like getting married.

All jokes aside, I’ve been told I’m an entertaining wedding guest. I don’t mind making a fool of myself on the dance floor, breaking out moves like the Cherry Picker and knowing some of ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson.

Our family loves the dance floor. We love it so much that many of us have made face imprints on the hardwood in various reception halls.

One of my still-vivid memories was my sister’s wedding. This wasn’t a face-plant situation, but still entertaining, nonetheless.

I grew up in a small town where we were lucky to get 20 people to attend a school dance because, evidently, no one knew how. So to my surprise, one of my classmates, a rodeo cowboy, taught me a little bit of country swing dancing during my sister’s wedding.

That was the most fun I have ever had at a wedding dance.

Here’s a little word of advice to ru-

Touch of Grace by Grace Jeurissen

ral Minnesota bachelors: Watch a YouTube video and learn how to dance. I don’t know a single girl that wouldn’t swoon over a guy willing to spin her around the dance floor.

I know my buddy from school is probably stealing all sorts of hearts down south wearing his cowboy hat and moving around the dance floor with ease.

Naturally, after a fun night of dancing with a semi-professional, I have expectations.

Nothing turns heads more than knowing how to do the pretzel and table top.

I lived the single life for a few years after my sister’s wedding, probably because I was trying to find another cowboy. So, when my current significant other approached me at a party, (after a few or many sips of liquid courage) and had a southern accent, I thought I had found my cowboy!

He even had on a Lane Frost hat, Ariat shirt and cowboy boots.

Lo and behold,

that’s his alternate identity and, on our first date, dressed in boots, jeans and a very nice button-up shirt, he said “Ope, scuse me” to a waitress.

I still had my hopes up because he had a nice Ram pickup, was on time for our date and paid for dinner. The next few weeks we hung out and he helped me finish chores at my parents’ farm, casually mentioning he had prior experience milking cows.

Still, I was hoping he knew how to dance.

Our first wedding together, I pulled him on the dance floor. He reluctantly followed and I asked if he knew how to dance.

“Kinda, not really,” he said.

Well we can learn, or so I thought.

Disclaimer: I love my man with all of my heart, but my heart dropped when I realized what “Kinda, not really,” meant. Not only did he not know how to dance, but he had stage fright and two left feet.

He may not have all the boxes checked, but he certainly makes up for his absence of rhythm with his willingness to learn and ability to drive equipment and milk cows for free.

In the words of my dad: I don’t pay boyfriends.

Salutes...

KALIE RITTER

Albany High School

Grade: 12

Parents: Glen and Leslie Ritter

Albany FFA Chapter

Tell us about some of the things you’ve done in FFA: In my six years of FFA, I have held four officer positions. I was previously the Sentinel, Reporter, Vice President, and I am currently serving as the President of my chapter. I have obtained my Discovery, Greenhand and Chapter Degrees. I have competed in multiple Career Development Events (CDE’s) such as Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Management, Dairy Cattle Handling, and Small Animals/Vet Science. I have attended and competed at the Minnesota State FFA Convention for four years. I have gotten first place in our region’s Dairy Production Placement Proficiency area for the past two years. I have also been awarded with our chapter’s Top Sophomore and Outstanding Junior awards. Along with competing in competitions, I have helped chair and plan many of our chapters activities, such as our annual petting zoo, farm safety day, FFA week, School Ag Olympics, Kiss the Cow event, and many other fun activities our chapter puts on.

Name one current issue you believe will impact agriculture in the future. Why? A current issue that I believe will heavily impact the future of agriculture is consumer misconceptions and mislabeling of products. This happens on both the animal production side and the crop production side of agriculture. With the spread of false information, more and more people will believe misconceptions and their eating habits and grocery lists will be affected by it. One example is Genetically Modified Organisms. GMO’s have been classified as safe for human consumption by the USDA and National Academy for Science. GMO’s actually have many benefits, including higher crop yield, less need for pesticide and fertilizer, and they make weed control less expensive. News outlets have led people to believe misconceptions about these and other labels. This has resulted in over-labeling and mislabeling of products. I believe this will impact agriculture in the future if the public is not properly educated on how their food is made.

How would you encourage an inactive FFA member to become more involved? FFA offers so many different paths and opportunities for its members. I strive to inform all of my chapters members of the different options they have to get involved, whether it’s competing in competitions, applying to be an officer, or even to help plan and put on our chapter’s events. This year, I planned and put on a CDE fair at our first monthly meeting so members could go to all of our different stations to get more information and see what each CDE is all about. I always tell members struggling to find their place to try at least one thing and, if they don’t like it, they can always try something else. FFA is a great place to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. I also strive to keep our chapter fun and to keep open lines of communication with members so that any member knows they can always ask me about any questions they may have.

What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? FFA has greatly helped me work on being the best me that I can be. This organization has helped me become the leader and the advocate for agriculture that I am today. My public speaking skills and interpersonal skills are something that I greatly attribute to FFA. This organization has also given me so much knowledge about agriculture, built relationships, and made me feel more a part of the community.

What do you enjoy most about FFA? Why? The thing that I enjoy most about FFA is being able to find and use my voice for good. Agriculture is a big part of my life and I love being able to share my knowledge with others, as well as showcasing it. Everyone is so welcoming in the FFA community. There is truly something for everyone in FFA, whether you are from rural roots or not. My FFA advisor pushes everyone in our chapter to go out of their comfort zone and to try new things. FFA has allowed me to experience all sides of agriculture and not just the dairy side that I am incredibly comfortable with. I have learned more about crop production and other parts of animal production.

What does leadership mean to you? To me, leadership means being able to inspire, educate and motivate others. I try to lead by example, not only for the members in my chapter, but for the students in my school and members of my community. It is important for the younger members of our community to have someone to look to when they have questions, need advice, or help trying something new!

What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? I live on a fourth-generation family dairy farm that milks about 70 cows. I am involved in the Albany Southsiders 4-H club, where I am currently serving as the club President. 4-H has introduced me to showing dairy cattle from my farm, which quickly grew into my passion and main hobby. I am now entering my 10th year of showing my family’s cattle. This year, I was selected to attend the National 4-H dairy conference. I also had the privilege to serve as a Stearns County Dairy Princess this past year. I loved getting the chance to go out in the community and talk about all things dairy to local consumers and producers. When I’m not on the farm, showing, or doing 4-H and FFA things, I like to get outside and go hunting and fishing!

Boot Hill from page 6

“We’d like to get it as long as we can before we hit the slough out here. If anyone has any posts they want to donate, they can drop them off at the base of the flag – any boots, too.”

Equine beginnings

“I grew up at the farm over there,” Ted said,

pointing to a building site just north of their home. “My parents started with some ponies on the pasture out here by the lake and people kept stopping and looking, and wanting them, so he started raising them and buying and selling.”

The four siblings, children of Ermal and Helen Blair, had access to up to 130 ponies and, later, horses. When Ted was about 10, the pony market stalled so they went into horses.

When Suzanne came to live in Glenwood, she met Ted. Those memories, naturally, involve horses. “Before I met him, I lived right in town and he used to ride in at night on his horse,” Suzanne said. “I used to think that was so cool; he’d come sauntering down the hill on his pony, Duke. He was a smaller horse, but he was pretty.”

It was meant to be. “I met him and I’m like, ‘that’s the man I want to marry’ and

darned if,” Suzanne said.

Ted cut her off mid-sentence with a grin.

“And I haven’t had a thing to say since,” he said.

Ted and Suzanne raised their kids on ponies and horses, too. They went on trail rides in the fall with the saddle club, the Waska Riders. They went to relatively nearby places, like Redwood Falls, Koronis State Park, Hinckley or Fergus Falls.

“We had a lot of friends that were into horses and we went for weekends and camped,” Suzanne said. “The kids all grew up going for trail rides with us.”

During those years, they farmed about 300 acres and raised beef cattle on pasture while Ted worked with the Soo Line Railroad and Suzanne worked at the Douglas County Hospital.

One of their favorite things to do in the evenings was to hook up a pair of ponies to a buggy and, along with their dogs, go through the field and down the road on our own trail rides.

They would also travel to go to horse sales in Pine City or Verndale, sometimes Sisseton, South Dakota, or Corsica, South Dakota.

“I got a beautiful Palomino out there one time, he was my last horse,”

said. “His name was Big John and I loved that horse.”

Admittedly, there have been scary moments in their years of riding and owning horses.

“It’s not all fun, and you have to be careful,” Suzanne said. “But, it’s so fun to just ride.”

Their riding days are over now. They don’t own horses anymore, either, but do enjoy the serenity of their home, nestled between sloughs and a small lake, where wildlife and waterfowl keep them entertained. Their pasture land and livestock are rented by their nephews, who now run 250 head of cattle. The Blairs enjoy their kids, grandkids and campfires. Their dogs, a shih tzupoo named Phoebe, and Cooper, an old lab-shepherd cross, keep them company.

They both wear their boots.

“I have two pairs, one a western and one is a round toe, and they are just for looks,” Suzanne said. “We go to Cheyenne Days in Wyoming and I wear them, or for horse sales. We still do that. But, they will be like brand new when I’m gone.”

Someday, those boots may just be found on the top of fence posts along Highway 29, on Boot Hill.

320-351-4872

Suzanne

PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM

(Above) The American flag is flown above Boot Hill, a sentinel over the boots honoring the lives and service of those who wore them.

(Right) Suzanne (left) and Ted Blair wear their western boots Sept. 20 at their home north of Glenwood.

A fence post protrudes from the toe of this old, worn boot.

their farm near Rockville. The purpose of purchasing a place in the country was to give Donna and Ava an opportunity to raise animals and have a wholesome country living experience.

All part of theAll part of theHoner herd

Family open hearts to animal variety

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

ROCKVILLE – Being part of a pack of wolves usually means they’re all wolves. But for the Honer herd, every being has a place, big or small, hairy or scaley. For the Honers, animals have

always been part of the family, even before they moved to a small farm site in rural Stearns County.

“My parents were always supportive of having animals for my sister and I to care for,” Donna

Honer said. “We had rabbits when we lived in town – a lot of rabbits. What this property did was just allow us to share our love for animals on a larger, more diverse scale.”

Honer’s parents, Scott and Toni Honer, though not growing

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Honer from page 13

poultry alone get six different types of feed. The quail can’t eat the same feed as a chicken because of pellet size, and the rooster can’t eat the laying hen feed because of the extra calcium.

Honer even raises worms to feed some of her animals, and purchases live insects to feed to the lizard. The easiest things to feed, she said are likely the cats and dogs.

“I’ve truly become

a Jack of all animals because of our little farm,”

Honer said. “You have to research and understand your pets so that you can give them the quality of care they deserve.”

One thing Honer has noticed since having these animals was that oftentimes, they have similar symptoms between

like species. If her rabbits had something that was off, it’s likely that what the guinea pig had is the same thing. Like a rancher knows how to spot a sick cow, Honer knows how to spot a sick pet. All of the animals

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

The Honers bought this Paint mare shortly after moving to their home outside of Rockville.

Jigger the bearded dragon often gets to come out and enjoy the Honers' company. He eats live bugs as part of his diet.

Donna Honer sits on the front step with her bearded dragon. She enjoys the purpose that raising animals gives her life, and can’t wait to add more to the Honer herd

in Honer’s life led her to a career in Animal Husbandry, where she gets to care for animals and research the way they grow. She graduated in the spring of 2020 from Ridgewater College in Willlmar with a Farm Management degree and continues to work diligently to provide topnotch care to all of the creatures she works with.

“Having animals to rely on you gives life more purpose,” she said. “Part of who I am is the animals I care for.”

Raising animals has given the Honer family something to keep their hearts, home and calendars full. Caring for so many animals has given them a hobby and a responsibility to uphold.

“This is our hobby; some families take vacations or do hockey together, but we have these animals to dedicate our time to,” she said. “I am happy with the animals and it helps me slow down and appreciate all I have in life, my whole family, human and not. If I could describe my family in one word, it would be Ramé, the Bolivian

word that means joyful and chaotic.”

As time marches on, Honer hopes to continue adding to their animal family. Maybe an alpaca or llama is in the near future.

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN

The Honers have a donkey, named Moses, that acts as a protector for the other animals; he also likes to get treats.

Donna Honer loves her 6-yearold female emu, Niko. The emu likes to cuddle with Honer and her family. (Left) The emu eggs are a unique teal color. The Honers emptied the eggs and decided to have them as a keepsake.

Adamek raises scholarship money through plant sales

Growingfutures

BY SARAH COLBURN | S TAFF WRITER

RANDALL – At Cathy Adamek’s greenhouse, sales are on the honor system when she’s not home. She grows thousands upon thousands of flowers from seed, including colorful zinnias, petunias and geraniums.

As a retired teacher, who taught for 34 years at Dr. S.G. Knight Elementary School, the money she raises from plant sales goes toward the Randall Area Scholarship Fund. She has been growing plants specifically for the fund for nearly 12 years and, to date, has donated $38,000 to the effort.

She does it for the kids.

“It shows we believe in them,” she said. “We believe that they can do good things and succeed in life and make the world a better place.”

The scholarship fund was started 30 years ago by Adamek, along with another teacher and an administrator. The three worked together to reach out to businesses, community organizations and others willing to come together to create one fund for area kids. At the time, a bunch of local places offered individual scholarships, but there wasn’t one main distribution hub.

As the money began to build, and organizations, businesses and individuals contributed to the effort, Adamek said they set a goal of raising $100,000 to establish a fund big enough that scholarships could be made to students off of the interest, leaving the

bulk of the dollars for the fund to continue into perpetuity. They held fundraisers and, within three years, had met the initial goal.

In the beginning, Adamek said, the fund awarded $100 scholarships to any student who completed three or more years at Dr. S.G. Knight Elementary School. Today, the fund awards $500 per student. The dollars can be used at any accredited two-year or

four-year institution.

The goal is for each and every student to receive an award, not just the top athletes or top academic performers. Every single student needs to know they’re important, Adamek said.

PHOTO S U B MITTED

Cathy Adamek is a retired school teacher who grows and sells flowers each year to benefit the Randall Area Scholarship Fund.

During her teaching years, Adamek taught each and every grade and even had some combination grades when there weren’t enough kids for a second section but too many for just one. Now, she attends the scholarship awards ceremony each year and sees the kids as young adults. She said she appreciates the handshakes and words of thanks from students, but nothing compares to hearing their personal stories.

She had one student come back who hadn’t known what to do after high school, but with the scholarship dollars decided to try vocational school to become an electrician. Another student told her she became an educator because of the inspiration from Adamek’s teaching. “It makes you feel great,” Adamek said.

She works hard on her flower business much of the year, planting seeds indoors as early as January. Seed racks fill her four-season porch that she once envisioned would be a quiet reading room. There are plant stands with lights affixed

and four card tables covered with plastic and a large heat mat. When she runs out of space, she sets up plants in the living room window. Her granddaughter commented that she even has plants in her bedroom.

Once the plants get larger, she sets them up in the basement with grow lights and then moves them out to the greenhouse once the temperatures consistently hit the 20s and 30s, using electric heaters to supplement in the space.

The 10- by 20-foot greenhouse was a gift from her children. They and her husband, David,

bought the first one for her after retirement and then eight years ago decided she needed a larger work space. Her son gathered lumber from a deck he was disassembling and began construction on the second greenhouse. The first greenhouse is used for growing vegetables to sell. She also divides and sells perennials.

While Adamek admits she has an awful lot of fun looking through seed catalogs and choosing all the seeds, it is also

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Cathy Adamek cuts the stalks off some hostas in her garden as coneflowers sway in the wind.

Tray after tray of plants sprout inside Cathy Adamek’s home. She plants thousands of flowers and vegetables to sell through the Randall Area Scholarship Fund.

her downfall.

“Seed catalogs are terrible,” she said. “You see something like zinnias, you have to have zinnias, but then you have to get some tall, some short and then, oh look, that’s a new color.”

She tries out lots of different plants and if she isn’t satisfied with them, she doesn’t grow them again.

“It just builds itself. You have people asking for different things and I try to grow them,” she said.

Growing is in her genes. Her siblings are gardeners, and her grandmother, who used to live with them, had a huge vegetable garden and flower garden, so the interest has always been there.

Adamek stumbled across plant sales kind of by accident. She grew too many plants one year for her landscape and stuck a sign out in the yard saying she was selling the rest. She made $300.

Now, her passion just has another purpose.

“As long as I can keep going physically, I will do this because I think it’s beneficial,” she said.

Through the years, people have asked her

why she works so hard for the fund and why she doesn’t just allow the principal of it to be spent down. Her answer is that she wants the fund to benefit others.

“I’m looking to the future,” she said. “I value education.”

Adamek is determined to help support the education of future generations in her own family and many others.

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Petunias bloom inside Cathy Adamek’s Randall greenhouse.

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Cathy Adamek stacks empty flats inside one of two greenhouses on her property. Cleaning and organizing flats and pots is time-consuming.

Pretzel Salad

• Crust:

1/2 cup margarine, melted

• 2 cups pretzels, crushed but not fine

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Spread:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

• 8 ounces Cool Whip

• 1/2 cup sugar

Topping:

• 2 packages strawberry Jell-O

• 2 cups boiling water

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries

Yogurt Dessert

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes; cool. Blend mix and spread over crust. Combine Jell-O with water and add strawberries. Chill until the consistency is equivalent to egg whites. This doesn’t take long if using frozen strawberries. Pour over cream cheese and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, combine milk, yogurt and lemon juice. Fold in the whipped topping and berries. Chill until serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

TAMMY

Anderson from page 23

Bill knows the land from the family homestead and still runs cows on the very same river bottom.

“The river goes right through the place, in the lowest part of Pope County,” Bill said. “You’ll never run out of water. I could just see, with all of the water and all of the springs, how that would have looked so good to my great-grandparents.”

Grandpa Don was born July 10, 1932, the youngest of William and Ida’s children. As Don got older, William began experiencing health troubles. Because of William’s health, at 13 years of age Don started running the four-row planter.

Farming and its methods would change in the course of Don’s life, but planting the corn was to remain a seasonal certainty for the next 75 years, up until the cusp of his last year.

Don and his father farmed together until William died in 1965. Both men were known

to be progressive and successful farmers. Don and his son, Steve, were pictured in a 1964 trade magazine showcasing the newest, latest and greatest farming trends and practices. The photo is comprised of a brilliantly red Massey Ferguson 300, manned

by Don and Steve in blue, and a wagon full of bright yellow shelled corn.

“Shelled corn was a new development at the time when most people used corn pickers,” Bill said.

Anderson page 25

The river bottom in the lowlands of Pope County is the land that attracted William and Ida Anderson and is still farmed by Bill Anderson.

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Don Anderson was surprised to find himself featured in a photo in a 1964 trade magazine with his son Steve, showcasing shelled corn.

Anderson from page 25

Blackleg was often a death sentence for cattle. Don didn’t just have a small hobby herd; he had 600 cattle on feed. An operation of that size was nearly unheard of at the time.

Beset by blackleg, they could be lost in a matter of days. Every effort was made in an attempt to save the cattle.

“From sunup to sundown, all they did was treat cattle,” Bill said. “At the end of the day the vet would pray with him. Don said he sobbed like a child; he was under so much pressure. His whole livelihood was in that deal.”

Don’s prayers were answered; he lost only seven head of cattle.

“That would be really good even nowadays,” Bill said. Don, his wife, Dorothy, and their growing family passed through formidable dif-

fi

culties, coming out of them on prayer, with gratitude.

Marveling at the perspective and experience of his grandparents, Bill mentioned another near tragedy that occurred when he was only 2 years old. Don’s son, Steve (Bill’s father) had been turning a tractor on the road when a semi attempted to pass him. The semi T-boned the tractor, breaking it into two pieces.

Bill shared his maternal grandmother, Lila’s, account of this time, as written in her journal:

“June 30, 1981. Now that things have calmed down a bit, and we all have our feet back on the ground once more, I can write. Thank you, dear Father for keeping our Steve in your protective hands when he was hit by that semi truck last Wednesday morning.

Accidents like this happen so quickly, and we can go to pieces so fast. But how I praise You over and over for helping

all of us. I was so proud of my Marie, how she kept trusting in you and realized your strength through it all. Accidents like this can happen so quickly, and we can thank you for saving her from the tragedy of widowhood. Thank you for all of the marvelous Christian friends and neighbors.”

Over the years, Don continued doing his part through the seasons, planting corn every year. He was confident to run his planter, and nobody would run it but him.

That did not change until close to a year before his passing.

One day, in 2021, when Don was 88, he arranged to teach Bill how to run the planter, which would pass that responsibility officially to Bill.

Don had been getting too weak and having a hard time keeping his balance. “He was planting, and he wanted to teach

Anderson

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Don Anderson is pictured with young Steve Anderson on the gravity wagon during corn harvest many years ago.

Kurt Herickhoff

Gregg Weller

Owen Rajdl

Anderson from page

me how to do it,” Bill said. “We had one round and then dinner time. We went back to the field, and he was showing me how. I dropped him off at the tractor, and I went back. He had failed to get in. He went to climb up the steps and his feet gave out. I had to carry him back to the pickup. He said, ‘Just take it and go. If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it. I make mistakes all of the time.’ “

Don was a perfectionist, and it showed not just in the straightness of his rows, but also in his expectations for himself and in his care for his dogs and cattle.

Bill had never run the planter before his father, Steve, showed him a few rounds and then it was Bill’s turn. It was a big step in their family operation to have someone other than Don planting the crop.

“I wanted to start,” Bill said. “I just put it in forward, and that was it.

It was a trial by fire.”

Bill remembered a rainy June Sunday last year, just two days before Don broke his hip, when his grandfather’s

mind had been exceptionally clear.

“Grandma came out with an old bread bag of pictures,” Bill said.

Don went through the photos, telling stories of his life, their family’s life. A normally short visit lengthened into hours, as Bill took advantage of what turned out to be the last day that he would find his grandfather so sharp and alert.

So much can be learned from the life of another, especially another in one’s own family. Donald farmed with his wife, Dorothy, and

raised six children, all without ever holding an off-the-farm job. He wasn’t the only one in his family to value the strength of farming under his own direction.

From William to Bill, each generation of Andersons have enjoyed farming on their own and the first and current generations of Andersons share a similarity.

Bill’s great-grandfather, William, worked for the railroad then farmed. Bill, farmed and then worked for the railroad. Bill teased at the fact three generations of

Andersons farmed, and he had to go back to the railroad.

The stories of the Andersons are remembered, retold and passed on as an intimate family knowledge, to Don’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond – vivid memories, a history shared. Donald Anderson planted corn for 75 years in a row, from age 13 to age 88. He passed away September of 2021.

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Don Anderson stands next to his John Deere 4560 on the Anderson farm near Farwell.

Don Anderson checks corn at one of the Anderson’s farm sites. He loved to be precise while planting each spring.