teaching opportunity
Coffman family raises garlic, apples
BY AMY KYLLO | W
WEST CONCORD — En
Entering
Tom sh an in stacks to be so r pro
Tom and Maria Coffman’s shed on an early August day, bags of garlic hang from the ceiling and lie in stacks to be sold, dry in a wagon in the drying room or wait to be processed in a wheelbarrow.
Growing garlic started as a way for the Coffmans to teach their children life lessons of work and money, but has become their own STAFF
“It’s been a good project for the kids,” Tom said. “Of course, they’re growing up, and now we keep it going just because I like to do it.”
Coffman’s Garlic and Apples is located near West Concord. Each year, the Coffmans harvest around 9,000 garlic plants from a quarter acre field as well as apples from 30 Honeycrisp trees.
The Coffmans sell the majority of their garlic at the Minnesota Garlic Festival, which occurs the second Saturday in August each year. The event is a highlight for the Coffmans and their main marketing.
“They’ve kind of limited the entry into it as far as the garlic vendors,” Tom said. “(Because of that) you could sell enough there to make it a good effort.”
Coffman page 2
PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Tom Coffman removes the stems off dried garlic plants from the bulbs Aug. 8 at his farm near West Concord. The Coffmans dry their garlic with the stems on because they feel they are easier to work with and cure better.
Garlic waits to be processed Aug. 8 at the Coffmans’ farm near West Concord. The Coffmans harvest approximately 9,000 garlic bulbs each year.
Maria Coffman uses high pressure air to loosen the outer wrapper of a garlic bulb Aug. 8 at her farm near West Concord. The Coffmans process their garlic for four days during the week leading up to the Minnesota Garlic Festival.
Coffman
from page 2
“The thickness of mulch is kind of critical,” Tom said. “If you get it too thick, then sometimes the garlic struggles to get through in the spring. .... If it’s too thin, then you end up with a few more weeds.”
The plants put down roots in the fall but do not sprout until late March.
The Coffmans weed by hand, usually going through their field once or twice. In the early summer, they remove the garlic scapes, which if left, would develop into seed heads.
Garlic is harvested mid-July. The Coffmans use a tractor pulling a middle buster to undercut the garlic and loosen them from the soil. Then, they can pick the garlic out by hand.
are kind of brown and dried off, and then the rest are kind of yellowish green, so there’s a lot of green, and the stem is real thick and wet.”
The Coffmans do not cut off the stem during drying. They said it is easier to work with the garlic if the stem is on and they feel the garlic cures better.
After drying, the Coffmans are ready to prepare the garlic. The week leading up to the Minnesota Garlic Festival, they spend several evenings processing the garlic with family and friends.
The Coffmans’ garlic tasting recommendations
• Thinly sliced raw garlic on a butter cracker with a slice of cheese and a dollop of fruit jam
• Thinly sliced raw garlic wrapped in summer sausage
• Fresh bread spread with butter and topped with thinly sliced raw garlic
Usually, the Coffmans brush the dirt off the roots and send the garlic to the drying room, but this year, muddy soil from rain caused them to have to dry them outside on a wagon long enough to get the soil dry to brush off. The Coffmans had received over 21 inches of rain from May through June.
Once garlic is harvested and dirt removed, the garlic is placed in their drying room on wagons and suspended from the ceiling. The room is climate controlled for 75 degrees and 45-50% humidity. It takes about two and half weeks to dry down.
“You have to have a lot of air circulation for this,” Tom said. “When you harvest the plant, … the lower two leaves
The first step is cutting off the roots and stems. Then, they peel off the outer wrapper of the garlic. They also sort the garlic to ensure quality.
“Anything that looks kind of crummy that we can’t sell, we just box it up for home use,” Tom said.
Most years, their cull rate is about 5%. However, this year they are dealing with adverse effects of rain and leaf hoppers and have been culling 30-40%.
The Coffmans raise 10 varieties of garlic, which they said each taste different.
“Once you cook it, it’s all fairly similar,” Tom said. “It kind of tempers, and (cooking) takes the heat and the hotness.”
The Coffmans have several ways they enjoy preparing raw garlic.
Looking to the future, the Coffmans plan to continue growing their garlic.
“I’ll keep doing it as long as I feel up to it and healthy,” Tom said. “It’s a good hobby.”
MONDAY
8:00 am Overnight market cows/bulls
10:00 am Fed cattle, followed by day-delivered market cows & bulls
1:00 pm Dairy cattle, stock cows & breeding bulls followed by feeder cattle
4:00 pm Baby calves, arena 2
TUESDAY
8:00 amSheep and goats
11:00 am Feeder pigs
WEDNESDAY
10:00 am Hog/Sow/Boar Auction 2:00 pm Fed cattle, followed by market cows and bulls
THURSDAY
10:00 am Special feeder cattle auctions, September - April
FRIDAY
Closed Office open 8:00 am – Noon
YARD HOURS
Sunday Noon – 10pm
Monday 6am – 10pm
Tuesday 6am – 10pm
Wednesday 6am – 4pm
(Open until 10pm, preceding special Thursday sales ONLY)
Thursday 6am – 4pm
Friday 6am – Noon
Saturday By Appointment
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Maria Coffman removes the outer wrapper of a garlic bulb Aug. 8 at her farm near West Concord. The Coffmans planted their first big year of garlic in 1999-2000.
The Minnesota State Fair
As an adult, I never miss the Minnesota State Fair. Each year, my wallet is lighter, my pants tighter and my smile bigger from participating in the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
My first important state fair memory came when I was 12. My oldest sister was moving overseas for four years, so she planned a grand adventure to the fair as a last hurrah.
Sunshine & Flowers by Amy
Kyllo
We started by going to a delicious and filling restaurant outside the fairgrounds so the flavors of the fair would go from irresistible and expensive to just a fun snack.
At the fairgrounds, we sisters received a surprise — waiting for us was our first meeting with her boyfriend, who would later become our brother-in-law. Since she was the oldest, I was not used to the concept of boyfriends. I remember being in slight awe and shock when they held hands. Though it sounds pretty silly now, I had not taken the idea of a boyfriend from conception to reality until that moment.
My next big adventure at the state fair was at age 19 as the newly crowned 66th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
The night before at the Minnesota State Fair’s Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage my whole life changed as a crown came down on my head. That night was a beautiful bombshell pinata cracking open to reveal my childhood pipe dreams coming true. I still count those first two days as Princess Kay as the best days of my life.
The next morning, with nearly no sleep under my belt, I was smiling at the gates of the Minnesota State Fair in the dusky dawn visiting with news stations and meeting politicians.
The first two days of the state fair were a blur of media interviews on top of media interviews. There were 23 in total between print, radio and TV those two days.
In the midst of a kaleidoscope of new experiences was the wonder of the butter cooler with the insanely talented Linda Christensen sculpting my likeness in 90 pounds of butter.
From waving and smiling for photos with fairgoers through the glass of the rotating cooler where I sat to be sculpted to talking about random things with Christensen, it’s an experience I’ll treasure forever.
During sculpting, I remember a
TV crew coming into the cooler with cameras bigger than my head saying, “Pretend we’re not here,” as they attempted to get natural footage.
Now, I use that same line in my job as I take photos of interviewees. Though my camera isn’t as big as theirs was, it is still a somewhat-large, professional camera that makes an aggressive clicking noise when the shutter is engaged.
As I say that same phrase I heard five years ago, I always apologize for how ridiculous an idea it is for them to just ignore someone aggressively taking photos of every angle.
As Princess Kay, I spent all 12 days at the fair, and the memories are cemented — many moments spent outside the butter booth visiting with attendees watching the sculpting, answering questions, the daily parade with Fairborne and Fairchild and running the trivia wheel in the Dairy Building are just a few of those cherished memories.
Since being Princess Kay, I have become a total has-been who must relive those happy memories on the yearly. One of my girlfriends and I have made a tradition of heading to the State Fair together. This year marked our fourth annual expedition.
There’s always much to see from the crop art to the baked goods to the amazing floral display in the horticulture building. I even enjoy going into the industry buildings to see how many random giveaways I can score.
Another stop is the International Bazaar, where I visit an artist’s booth with stacks of gorgeous, unframed paintings on canvas. The vibrant colors and beauty always inspire me. Perhaps someday I’ll have the space and money required for a purchase.
Overspending on food is a given. I tried deep fried cheese curd tacos last year, which were pretty good. This year, my favorite, new-to-me food was chicken paella. One of the muststop booths every year is Mouth Trap Cheese Curds in the Food Building.
Regardless of what else I do and see, I always find my feet taking me back to the Dairy Building. I go to happen across old friends and to get a strawberry rhubarb malt at the Dairy Goodness Bar. It’s in the Dairy Building where I relive my best state fair memories; and in doing so, I also relive some of the most beautiful memories of my entire life.
Round bales are set up for a miniature maze for kids September 2023 at The Great Big Pumpkin Patch near Caledonia. Connor McCormick estimated around 500 people visit during the fall season.
McCormick from page 6
“I always do something positive and encouraging in the corn,” McCormick said. “To create the maze, I mow the corn about three times and then will go back and plant a rye and oat mix in August. It makes a nice green carpet and helps with mud.”
A highlight at the patch last year was a calf McCormick rescued.
“Right before the pumpkin season, the neighbor had a calf in the woods. He was blind and without his mom,” McCormick said. “He wasn’t ours, but I went over there to see what I could do.”
After treating the calf’s eyes and feeding him for a couple days, the calf became strong and healthy and received the name Sully. Kids were able to pet, play and even feed Sully when they attended the patch.
“I have (Sully) out on pasture right now with our other cattle, and he is very happy,” McCormick said. “I would like to bring him back this year to show kids how quick cattle grow.”
McCormick said pumpkins have multiple uses. They can be used to make a snack for people as well as deer and cattle.
“Pumpkins are often seen as just decoration,” McCormick said. “However, I always encourage people to utilize them as food. Deer and cattle really like pumpkins as well, so I have people bring them back to the farm so the animals can have a snack.”
In future years, McCormick said he would like to expand on the pick-your-own side of his business by adding different fruits and vegetables to the farm.
McCormick page 8
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
McCormick
“Last year, I planted about a dozen apple trees around the farm,” McCormick said. “I want families to have a bigger window to get out and enjoy the country.”
When McCormick started the patch in 2008, he had five plants he received from his eighth grade math teacher. That first year, he picked the pumpkins and set up a
roadside stand. About five years ago, as the patch continued to grow, it transitioned into a pick-yourown pumpkin patch that still has some prepicked pumpkins in a stand.
“I couldn’t do it without my family’s help,” McCormick said. “My mom, Gail, helps with all the décor and the pumpkin stand while my dad, Kevin, helps me with the planting. My aunt, Rosanne Hargrove, also helps, along with many other family members and friends.”
McCormick’s mom
also comes up with different activities for the year. One of her yearly activities is hiding a golden pumpkin in the corn maze. The first person to find it receives a free pumpkin of their choice.
“My favorite part is seeing the kids find their ‘Charlie Brown’ pumpkin and hearing them hoot and holler and watching all the families that come out,” McCormick said. “Fall has just always been my favorite time of the year.” McCormick said after seeing how excited people are to come out to the farm and enjoy part of the day in the country, he knows he has to keep doing it.
“I always tell my dad that people are looking forward to it, so we have to keep going,” McCormick said. “We have been here long enough that people expect it to still be here. Plus, I look at it as more of a passion and a hobby than a job.”
Checklists
All information is courtesy of the Upper Midwest Agricultural
Grain handling safety checklist
Is equipment powered off at the main disconnect, locked and tagged?
Are there possible combustible gases, vapors or toxic agents? Has the oxygen level been tested?
Are a rope and harness available for entering the grain bin?
If a worker enters the grain bin, is an observer present who is trained to initiate rescue in communication with them?
Is rescue equipment suited for entry available?
Are there National Institute for Operational Safety and Health-approved masks or respirators available?
Are the hazards of flowing grain/feed clearly labeled?
Are there permanent ladders inside and outside the bins?
Are good-condition equipment guards and shields in place?
Preventing field
fires checklist
Do you regularly clean build-up of chaff and plant material?
Are the bearings and gears well lubricated?
Are there worn bearings or areas that could overheat?
Are there damaged wires, worn insulation or frayed belts?
Do fuses match the recommended capacity?
Are exhaust systems in good shape, with preventative measures like a spark arrestor?
Are engines off and hot engines cooled for at least 15 minutes when refueling?
Are open flames extinguished before refueling?
Are repairs needed for leaks in the fuel system? Is excess fuel that spilled on the engine wiped away and fumes dissipated before starting the engine? Are oily rags removed from near the equipment or in the cab?
Are there two working, charged fire extinguishers on the combine, tractor or grain hauling equipment? Is one accessible from the cab and one accessible from the ground?
Are you carrying something with which you can communicate with others in case of an emergency?
Is there limited entry to manure storage areas?
Is manure storage well-ventilated?
Are there fire hazards?
Is there a working gas monitoring system?
Are at least two people present during manure handling?
Are all workers trained on safe manure handling and biosecurity?
Silage storage checklist
Do silage harvest teammates remain in their machine and wear high-visibility safety vests?
Are you conscious of the timing for silage gas when working in the silage area? Silage gas is elevated for up to 10 days after storage.
Skid steer safety checklist
Are the seatbelt and restraint bar used throughout operation?
Is the machine inspected and in good repair before use, including looking at the handholds, safeguards, fittings and hydraulic hoses?
Does the farm have a standard skid-loader operating procedure for the operator and other workers?
Does the skid-loader operator enter using contact points with the loader arms down and the brakes set?
Fatigue farm safety checklist
Are rest, recovery and sleep being prioritized?
Rest is essential for safe work.
Farm arrmSft
All information is courtesy of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
Manure Safety Check
Is information in place in case of an emergency? Post emergency contacts, addresses and plans. Make sure personal protective equipment (self-contained breathing apparatus and harness with lifeline) are available. Designate safe exits and ensure full, up-to-date fire extinguishers are available.
Do you use a buddy system when working around silage?
Are you using a self-contained breathing apparatus while working around silage that may contain gas?
Are workers trained on symptoms and prevention for silage gas exposure? Is there an emergency plan?
Is maintenance up to date? Is there debris or a bucket that is not hooked/locked? Are there smooth tires, etc.?
Are there passengers? Passengers, including small children, interfere with control and vision and may bounce out of the vehicle.
Is the machine operated exclusively from within the cab?
Does the operator understand their field of vision and blind spots?
Is the loaded bucket secure, within the limit and evenly distributed?
Is the operator trained on operation, safety, dangers and is 16 years of age or older?
friend or practicing mindfulness.
Are you eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated?
Are you heavily reliant on caffeine?
Gibbs family continue to live with effects of UTV accident
BY AMY KYLLO | STAFF WRITER
ROLLINGSTONE — The day was Oct. 8, 2017, and 15-year-old Cora Gibbs was driving between her house and her family’s dairy farm in a utility task vehicle.
Traveling the county road between the two locations, the UTV Cora was driving caught the shoulder of the road. Cora overcorrected; the vehicle caught a lip in the road and the vehicle rolled. Coming out of her seatbelt, her body was pinned half-out of the vehicle. She called 911 but did not speak. Then, she lost consciousness.
Cora was found by two neighbor boys, one of whom stayed with her and talked to dispatch, while the other went and found her dad, Nathan. When emergency personnel arrived, Cora was flown to Rochester.
“You just think how (the UTV) even had to hit just right (for it to happen),” said Bridget Gibbs, Cora’s mom.
The Gibbs family are dairy farmers from the Rollingstone area.
“Everything you would hope for and dream in her future is different now,” Bridget said.
The perspective they have chosen has helped the family through the healing.
“At first, we didn’t have a choice,” Bridget said. “I guess (we are) choosing to be happy. As a family we take more vacations. We make it to their sporting events (and) school events.”
The Gibbs family attribute their faith in God to getting them through. Bridget said they attended chapel every day Cora was in the hospital.
“You can’t change (the accident),” Bridget said. “It’s a choice — you can be happy or angry. … I guess we just choose joy.”
The months following the accident were spent in the hospital. Cora spent a month in the intensive care unit before transferring to rehab.
“You’re pretty numb,” Bridget said. “You’re always thinking ‘She’ll get better,’ but then they’re telling you she’s not.”
In all, Cora spent 14 weeks in the hospital before returning home in mid-January 2019.
“She’s had to relearn how to do everything — eating, talking, walking,” Bridget said.
Do you know the symptoms of fatigue, which can include drowsiness, apathy, dizziness, headaches, vision impairments, poor concentration, slow reflexes and changes in mood?
How is your stress management? Strategies include a regular short walk, talking with a
Does your employee safety plan for employees address managing fatigue? Options could include maximum work times, rest minimums and working in pairs.
Do you have reliable, regular communication on the farm? Fatigue and working alone can be risky.
Cora experienced an anoxic brain injury as a result of the accident. Before the accident, Cora had hoped to take over her family’s dairy farm. The Gibbs milk 200 Holstein and Jersey cows. The family also farms 550 acres of corn, alfalfa and soybeans.
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Cora Gibbs holds a Jersey show heifer Aug. 9 at her home near Rollingstone. Gibbs was in a utility task vehicle accident in 2017, where she suffered an anoxic brain injury.
SAFETY TIPS FOR OFFHIGHWAY VEHICLES
Information courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• Wear goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots, gloves and DOT-compliant helmets.
• Avoid riding on paved roads except to cross when done safely and permitted by law.
• Carry no more than one passenger on an OHV specifically designed for two people, and never carry a passenger on a single-rider OHV.
• Ride an OHV that is right for your size.
• If an OHV comes factory-installed with seatbelts, wear them.
• Youth under age 16 must have permission from their parent or guardian to operate an OHV. Even when permission is granted, active supervision is a must.
Bridget said one of her biggest moments of victory came when she could speak to her daughter.
“For the first six to nine months, she didn’t talk much,” Bridget said. “It was nice to hear her (and) have a conversation again.”
Cora said her biggest victory was when she could start walking again.
Cora’s left side of her body continues to have spasticity. She can walk with the assistance of a walker. She can be alone but needs help and care. Nathan said watching the changes in ability is difficult.
“I guess the toughest part is seeing her not be able to do what she could,” Nathan said.
After the accident, Cora went to outpatient care three times a week for three years until COVID. Now, for 2.5 years she has been going to The Functional Neurology Center located over two hours away in Minnetonka once every six weeks to two months or more.
“The biggest thing is you take for granted everything you do,”
Farm Safety
Nathan said. “Then, when you can’t do it, that’s when it’s (hard). … You don’t think you’re going to lose the ability to be independent.”
Cora uses a hyperbaric chamber daily at her home. According to the Mayo Clinic, because of the pressure in a hyperbaric chamber, the body can take in more oxygen. As a result, this releases growth factors and stem cells, which aid in healing. She also uses a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit to help her nerves.
The summer after her accident, Cora was able to show dairy animals at the Winona County Fair with the help of her dad. Since her accident, she has shown locally as well as at the Minnesota State Fair, World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, and the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Gibbs family’s
perspective has changed since the accident.
“We worry about the things we can control,” Bridget said. “(We) can’t control the weather, so we try not to stress (about) that. We definitely rely more on our employees for help, because we can’t be there as much.”
For other families going through a traumatic farm accident, Bridget said she encourages them to find others who have gone through the same thing.
“In Cora’s situation, there hasn’t been many people that have gone through this to ask questions,” Bridget said.
Bridget has shared their family’s story at a farm safety camp. It was difficult to be at the event, but Bridget said if it helps the children, it is worth it. She encourages families to teach their kids to respect machinery and its power, to be careful around skid loaders, to respect cattle and to wear a helmet while operating a UTV.
accident.
Looking to the future, Cora would like to gain independence and live on her own. She also would like to get out and about more.
She is taking an online college class right now.
“With her memory, it’s tough, but it’s what kids her age do, so she is taking it,” Bridget said.
“Today we filled out applications (for a job).” ear said
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Cora (left) and Bridget Gibbs smile Aug. 9 at their home near Rollingstone. The Gibbs family said their faith is what has sustained them through the years since Cora’s utility task vehicle accident.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cora Gibbs shows a Jersey at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights. Gibbs has shown dairy locally, at the state fair and across the nation.
Driven by
BY AMY KYLLO | STAFF WRITER
WINONA — The sun shines on a long driveway winding through prairie grasses and flowers back towards the heart of Willie Nillie Farm. There, over an acre of garden beds grow a bountiful variety of vegetables.
“I love being outside,” Kelsey Fitzgerald said. “I love having my hands in the dirt. I love growing food.”
Fitzgerald is the owner of the enterprise, which is a vegetable community supported agriculture farm.
Fitzgerald’s farm is off the power grid. She uses solar panels for electricity needs and has no well on the farm or running water in her tiny home. Water for the gardens is captured as rain in tanks, and whatever is lacking is supplied by the fire department. Fitzgerald has been expanding her solar panels and, at the end of this year, expects to have 18 solar panels running.
“One of the things about being tiny and then off grid is that everything I do has to relate to how much power I have,” Fitzgerald said.
This is Fitzgerald’s sixth season as a CSA. She has around 19-20 members, who receive five-ninths of a bushel of produce each week. Generally, they feature 5-12 different items, depending on the time of year within the 18-week season.
“It’s not a super huge operation,” Fitzgerald said. “Part of it is that I want to create a sense of community.”
Fitzgerald also sells to Bluff Country Co-op in Winona.
Her CSA pickup is on the front porch of one of her CSA members. There, Fitzgerald visits and builds connections.
“That’s the biggest thing that I love about it, because then, there’s this deeper connection of food, but also to the farm,” she said.
Many of her customers have been with her since the beginning.
“It’s more than just the CSA at this point with a lot of them,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re friends, we help each other out. (I) feel like that’s what it should be, and that’s what I have with a lot of my neighbors too.”
Fitzgerald page 14
The sun shines behind the farm sign July 22 at Willie Nillie Farm near Winona. Kelsey Fitzgerald purchased the farm in 2017 and started a vegetable community supported agriculture farm in 2019.
PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Owner Kelsey Fitzgerald leans on a gate July 22 at Willie Nillie Farm near Winona. The farm is off the power grid.
Willie Nillie Farm grows vegetables, connections
Cabbages grow July 22 at Willie Nillie Farm near Winona. Kelsey Fitzgerald includes 5-12 different items in each vegetable community supported agriculture share box.
“It was a really good sense of community and the people that own that farm are really great,” Fitzgerald said. “I decided, ‘Well, why can’t I do that?’”
She ended up working on four farms with CSAs, including one in Alaska.
“They were really into community and their community supported them wholeheartedly,” Fitzgerald said. “I was like, ‘This is what life should be like,’ it was like a utopia for me, and so I just came home
back to Minnesota super jazzed.”
Fitzgerald purchased her farm in 2017 and, in 2019, she started her CSA.
Looking to the future, Fitzgerald said she would like to diversify her farm operation. She wants to do on-farm education as well as community-oriented events. This year, she is working on a cob oven, where she could bake bread or pizza. She said she envisions possibly doing cooking classes, a temporary food stand, a CSA potluck or a movie night.
“I’m now thinking about, in terms of getting people out here engaged, (and) building community, which is really important to me,” Fitzgerald said.
Monday, September 9th (online only) Complete Commercial Woodwork Shop and Moving Auction for Bill Larson. Selling woodworking tools, sanders, routing tables, table saws, drill press, hand tools, lumber, shop supplies, household items and lawn and garden equipment. Bidding starts closing, Monday, September 9th at 3 pm (Maring)
Tuesday, September 10th (online only) Farm Estate/Trust for The Joyce E. Reese Revocable Trust; Tractors, two very clean Chevy grain trucks, John Deere planter, Case IH disc and ripper, tillage equipment, grain fans and handling equipment and farm support equipment. Bidding starts closing Tuesday, September 10th at 10 am (Maring)
Tuesday, September 10th (online only) 7+ Acre Nice Country Building Site for The Joyce E. Reese Revocable Trust; 1974 3 bedroom rambler home with 2 stall attached garage, insulated shop, good storage sheds, 39,000+ bushel grain storage bins and located on a nice hard surface highway. Bidding starts closing Tuesday, September 10th at 10 am (Maring)
Tuesday, September 17th (online only) Farm and Household Auction for Jim and Liz Foss; Tractors, skid loader, livestock and flatbed trailers, livestock feeders and gates, tools, collectibles, furniture and household items. Bidding starts opening Saturday, September 7th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, September 17th at 4 pm (Maring)
Wednesday, September 18th (online only) Welsh Farms Auction; 150,000+ bushel grain storage facility, grain dryer, grain leg, 12,000 and 8,000 gallon LP tanks, grain handling equipment, Ford F350 pickup with man lift and other good items. Bidding starts opening Monday, September 9th at 8 am and starts closing Wednesday, September 18th at 10 am (Maring)
Tuesday, September 24th (online only) Moving Auction for John and Joyce Remkus; Several good collector cars, New Holland 520, Farmall Super M, Toro Grounds Keeper Mower, John Deere Gator, International Semi Tractor, Semi Van Trailer, power and hand tools, car hauling trailer, old signs and more. Bidding starts opening Saturday, September 14th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, September 24th at 3 pm (Maring)
Tuesday, September 24th (online only) Antique and Collector Auction from Multiple Estates; Antiques, collectibles. Red Wing stoneware, spongewear bowls, lunch boxes, toys, furniture, household items and vintage microscopes and testing equipment. Bidding starts opening Saturday, September 14th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, September 24th at 4 pm (Maring)
Tuesday, October 8th (online only) Construction Retirement Auction for Tom and Sue Trnka; Mini excavator, enclosed trailer, construction materials, large assortment of power and hand tools, antiques and vintage items. Bidding starts opening Monday, September 30th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, October 8th at 10 am. (Maring)
Tuesday, October 15th (online only) Dispersal Auction for Brad Carlson; Chevy pickup, Allis Chalmers tractors, trailer, Polaris snowmobile, machinery manuals, dealership signs, toys and much more. Bidding starts opening Saturday, October 5th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, October 15th at 4 pm. (Maring)
Tuesday, October 29th (online only) Complete Dispersal of H&M Plumbing and Heating; Excavators, skid loaders, dump truck, dozer, wacker, trailers, man lift, well derricks, power and hand tools, new product inventory and much more. Bidding starts opening Saturday, October 19th at 8 am and starts closing Tuesday, October 29th at 10 am (Maring)
Wednesday, October 30th (online only) 99.33 Acres of Prime Goodhue County Farmland from David L. Bobert Rev. Trust; Prime bare cropland located in part of Section 32 Leon Township, Goodhue County, MN. 89.5 tillable acres, 89.3 Crop Productivity Index and very good soils that lays very well. Bidding starts opening Friday, October 18th at 8 am and starts closing Wednesday, October 30th at 10 am (Maring)
Wednesday, December 4th (online only) Large Farm Equipment, Tools, Antiques and Household from the Lawrence Schweich Estate; John Deere utility tractor, 3 pt attachments, livestock equipment, power and hand tools, welders, metal working equipment, farm tools, very nice antiques, modern household and furniture, gas grills, patio furniture and much more. Bidding starts opening Saturday, November 23rd at 8 am and starts closing Wednesday, December 4th at 10 am (Maring)
UPCOMING 2025 AUCTION
Sunday, January 12th (online only) Exceptional Collector Toy Auction for Bruce Schuetzle; Minneapolis Moline, Cotton Wood Acres, Oliver, Tonka, John Deere and IH Key Series, Toy Farmer, Product Miniatures, Silky Toys, Franklin Mints, Tru-Scale and much more. Bidding starts opening Saturday, January 4th at 8 am and starts closing Sunday, January 12th at 3 pm (Maring)
Sunflowers bloom July 22 at Willie Nillie Farm near Winona.
Goats are innate habitat cleaners compared to cattle or sheep, which prefer forages.
“They’re natural browsers,” Tim said. “A browser eats higher-up, brushy, woody stem material. That’s what their preferred diet is. ... If forced to, they will eat grass, but they prefer to eat weeds and brush.”
On buckthorn, the goats will strip leaves and bark, leaving the plants vulnerable to sunlight. For the buckthorn that is too tall for them to push down and nibble, Tim will trim them if the owners want and the goats will eat the regrowth from the stump.
“That just slowly drains the energy out of the root system of the buckthorn,” Tim said. “Over the years, they’ll start dying off. Each season we graze, some of it dies off.”
Besides eating undesirables, the goats also fertilize.
“Goats have a super-fast metabolism,” Tim said. “They’re constantly eating, constantly laying down urea and nitrogen.”
Tim said this fertilization helps the soil to be more hospitable.
“It’s all about building the soil quality,” Tim said. “The thorny brush and stuff ... thrive in poor soil, where clovers and grasses and prairie flowers need a little better soil.”
Many of the Goat Pros jobs are at individual residences, but they also are working at Lake Louise State Park near Leroy, the City of Rochester and the aforementioned Bear Cave Park, which is a multiyear contract.
The couple has operated the business as their full-time endeavor since 2020. Before that, they both worked at the Mayo Clinic. Tim remembers checking on goat jobs on his lunch break. Ashley said this was difficult.
The Senjems purchased their first goats around 2014-15 to clean up their 25-acre property near Hayfield. Along with the goats, they also own chickens and beef, and have recently branched out into sheep. They plan to use them on their jobs on prairie or to start grazing solar farms.
In 2018, Tim’s cousin from Rochester was their first goat habitat management job. From there, the business grew alongside the herd, through word of mouth and their web presence.
“We built a little website and ... the phone started ringing off the hook,” Tim said.
Tim said he has always enjoyed animals and agriculture, having grown up on a dairy farm. He said farming full time was a long time coming.
“(I) was looking to figure out a way to make a living on it, but I only have 25 acres, so I had to come up with a niche,” he said.
“We kind of had to decide where we wanted to put our focus, too: Do we want to keep our jobs in town or do we want to try to grow this into something?” Ashley said. “It was hard to do it when you were doing both, because it was ... divided attention.”
Customers coming to Goat Pros go through a several-step process, starting with a phone call to discuss pricing. Then, the Senjems go out to the property, assess it and learn about the owner’s goals.
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Senjem
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Goats trot July 18 across their pen at Bear Cave Park in Stewartville. The Senjems own between 300-400 goats.
Testimonial
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SOUTH
SPECIAL EDITION presents the local 2024 Farm Families of the Year
Olmsted Farm Family
The Leigh family — Marina (from left), Ava, Jason and Ellen — pause for a family picture in June 2024 at their local park. Jason and Ellen are first-generation farmers who started their farm, Maplebrook Farm, in 2011.
Farm Families
Olmsted County’s Farm Family of the Year
The Leigh family thrives as first-generation far mers
The Leigh family thrives as farmers
BY HAILEY HOKANSON | STAFF INTERN
BYRON — Many times, county farmers of the year have extensive family background when it comes to their farm. Whether it has been in the family for generations or there are multiple ties dating back dozens of years, it is not uncommon to have a deep history, especially in rural Minnesota.
For the Leigh family, they could not be farther from the typical trend. They paved their own path as first-generation farmers, getting their start on the agricultural scene in a unique way.
“I kind of got into farming after going through master gardener training and doing that for a while,” Jason Leigh said. “I
would just volunteer with gardens and do gardening in a city lot.”
A former master gardener for Olmsted County, Leigh would take care of answering questions at farmers markets, working with demonstration gardens and participating in garden tours. His stint as a master gardener led to him taking the next step and owning a farm of his own.
Leigh, along with his wife, Ellen, and daughters, Ava and Marina, moved onto their current farm property in January 2011. They wanted to expand more on what they enjoyed growing.
“We wanted an area to sit and grow more of our own fruits and vegetables,” he said. “It just kind of expanded from there.”
With no previous farming background,
the Leigh family got to work, growing a variety of perennial fruits and vegetables as well as keeping chickens. They recently started doing U-Pick blueberries, giving community members the opportunity to pick locally sourced blueberries for a small charge.
They also have apples, pears, meat chickens, eggs, honey and maple syrup, all of which are available for purchase and are home grown.
“We do a mix of things we like ourselves,” Leigh said. “We just produce a little bit more than normal so we can sell them to other people.”
The farm itself, entitled Maplebrook Farm, is 33 acres and located just outside of Byron.
Leigh page 2B
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Light shines off containers of homegrown honey on the Leigh Family Farm near Byron. The Leigh family harvests their honey from bees on their farm.
Farm Family
the next the next generation generation
Scheffler family dairy farms, participates in 4-H, FFA
BY AMY KYLLO | STAFF WRITER
ZUMBROTA — Seeing their children’s appreciation for the dairy community is part of what keeps Tony and Maizie Scheffler farming.
“Our kids are very, very involved, and that makes it easy for us to want to keep doing it because they enjoy it, too,” Maizie said.
The Scheffler family was named the 2024 Goodhue County Farm Family of the Year. The Schefflers milk 140 cows and farm 130 tillable acres on their farm near Zumbrota.
“We farm because we enjoy working with cows,” Tony said.
Tony and Maizie both work full time on the farm, and Maizie also works off the farm as a nurse at the Mayo Clinic.
“More than anything, we just are really proud of being dairy farmers,” Maizie said. “When I go to work, I really enjoy all my coworkers who often always have ... questions for me, and so I enjoy teaching them about agriculture and dairy farming.”
The Schefflers farm as a family, and each member of the family has their role.
“Our kids are so passionate about ag,” Maizie said. “They’re at the farm all the time finding something to do.”
Outside the farm, the Schefflers are active in their community. They have worked as coaches for dairy judging in 4-H and FFA for about 25 years and have also assisted with several collegiate teams. In their coaching career, they have sent four teams overseas for dairy judging.
Maizie said their family’s life revolves around 4-H and FFA, as all their children have been active in 4-H and FFA as well as the Junior Holstein Association.
“It has made them well rounded, confident,” Maizie said. “They’re not afraid of hard work. They see hard work pays off. They’ve become much better public speakers. ... They’ve gained a ton of leadership experience.”
Besides for showing at the Goodhue County Fair, the Scheffler children also help friends at their fairs. This year, they helped at the Fillmore, Wabasha and Rice County Fairs. One year they helped at eight county fairs. Maizie said they receive calls with requests for their children’s help with show strings for open class and the state fair.
Looking to the future of their farm, the Schefflers are open to the next generation returning.
“We’d like to give any or all our kids the opportunity to come back, ... if that’s something they would like to do,” Maizie said.
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Maizie and Tony Scheffler smile with a show heifer Aug. 13 at their dairy farm near Zumbrota. The Schefflers milk 140 cows and farm 130 tillable acres.
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Tony and Maizie Scheffler visit in their freestall barn Aug. 13 on their dairy farm near Zumbrota. The Schefflers milk 140 cows and farm 130 tillable acres.
Houston Farm Family
The Tessmer family — Brevyn (front, from left) and Laynie; (back, fron left) Madisyn, Sara, Jayden, Makayla and David — pause Aug. 15 at the Houston County Fair in Caledonia.
The Tessmer family’s farm is in its fifth generation of ownership.
Five generations in ve generations in
Tessmer family named 2024 Houston County Farm Family of the Year
BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER
CALEDONIA —After about 150 years of nurturing the land, the Tessmer family has been named the 2024 Houston County Farm Family of the Year.
“It’s quite an honor,” said David Tessmer, one of the farm’s owners. “It’s an acknowledgement of your work and everything you’ve done. … When I was in school, I had a feeling that (farming) was what I was going to do. I’ve always liked the equipment (and) to watch the crops get planted and watch them come out.”
Founded in the 1870s, the Tessmer farm is in its fifth generation of ownership, with David and Sara Tessmer taking over from David’s father, Eugene Tessmer, about 10 years ago. David and Eugene debate whether the farm has hit 150 years yet, as the former believes they still have a few years to go.
“We’re very close, anyway,” Tessmer said. “It’s quite something to be on the same farm, the same land, that has been in the name for almost 150 years. It’s not that common anymore.”
David and Sara have five children: Madisyn, Makayla, Jayden, Brevyn and Laynie. The twins,
Madisyn and Makayla, are both college juniors, while the other three are in middle and grade school. Everyone in the family helps as they are able. Eugene even continues to lend a hand as he gets close to 90.
The Tessmers have a 30-head cow and beef calf herd. They also raise corn, soybeans and hay as cash crops and do custom harvesting.
The farm has kept growing under David and Sara’s care, as they continue adding more equipment and renting land. For David, one of the big payoffs to seeing the farm continue thriving over the years is the sense of accomplishment and progress.
“You get to see what you’re working for,” he said. “You plant in the spring and watch the crop grow during the year, and you get to harvest it in the fall. It’s the work, the money, the planning and the effort all put into it.”
Off the farm, Sara works at a local community education office, and the family stays involved with the community.
“We’ve got a really good, supportive community,” Tessmer said. “They help one another when someone needs help.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION
