Country
cres A
Friday, September 18, 2020
Volume 8, Edition 12
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTOS BY KRISTA SMUDE OF SMUDE PHOTOGRAPHY
The Smudes’ sunflower field sits in full bloom under the setting sun at their property in Pierz.
Sunny
solution Drought sparked new enterprise for Smudes BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER
PIERZ – Acre upon rolling acre of Tom and Jenni Smude’s land near Pierz is filled with large, vibrant yellow sunflowers. People come from all around to see the fields and take pictures, some arriving in shorts and T-shirts for a quick jaunt around the farm land while others come for full-fledged photo shoots wearing their Sunday best, and even sometimes, a wedding gown. Though the fields are lush and beautiful and teeming with healthy bees, a sunflower field was never really in the Smudes’ game plan. Today however, the couple’s business transforms 6,000 acres’ worth of sunflower seeds into 12 million pounds of seed used to craft the sunflower oil that they sell across the country under the name Smude’s Sunflower Oil. “I just wanted the byproduct, the feed – we just wanted to feed our cattle,” said Tom Smude. “I wanted to have a feedlot and feed the cattle and put up a protein source for the cattle, I never expected to set
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up grain bins.” But grain bins, he did. Lots of them. A dry year in 2007-08 as the Smudes were raising corn and soybeans, and shortly thereafter adding a feedlot for 400 steers and 60 cows, brought struggles. Instead of wallowing in their loss on a year with no harvest to speak of, the Smudes turned to research. They began looking for drought-resistant crops, and up popped sunflowers. It was a crop that could help offset the tens of thousands they were spending on feed so they dug in – literally. The first year they planted 30 acres, and in 2009 began building a crushing plant, which crushes the seed into oil. The plant came online in January of 2010. Tom connected with a guy who sold oil presses and who guided him on what to look for in a good seed.
This month in the
Tom Smude shows off a bottle of cold-pressed Virgin Sunflower Oil straight from the bottling machine in Pierz.
Sunflowers page 2
COUNTRY
4 Family farm is still here Diane Leukam Column 7 Farewell, brother Freeport 10 Thinning the herd 11 From hunters to ranchers Little Falls
15 A diet for healthy soil New Munich 18 Racing for home: West Union 23 On rural road Herman Lensing 24 Country Cooking
26 Plant bulbs Robin Truat 27 Moonlight vineyard Melrose 29 Thurks feature Cockshutt collection Villard
Page 2 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
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
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Deadlines: Country Acres will be published the first Fridays of April, May, June, September, October and November, and the third Friday of every month. Deadline for news and advertising is the Thursday before publication.
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PHOTOS BY KRISTA SMUDE OF SMUDE PHOTOGRAPHY
Smude’s Sunflower Oil makes its way down the bottling line at the plant in Pierz. These bottles are for the company’s retail distribution.
Sunflowers from front
A high-oleic sunflower seed would produce a healthy cooking oil with 0 trans fats, which is high in “good” monounsaturated fat, and low in polyunsaturated fat. From there, he negotiated his first deal with a customer who wanted to purchase the sunflower oil at a specific price. The Smudes set to work, eventually crushing enough seed to produce a semiload of oil. When they went to sell it to the broker, it was worth half the price they anticipated because oil had just been shipped in from the Asian market and caused a drop in what was being offered. The semi filled with oil that had been destined for sale suddenly became an urgent concern for the Smudes. They ordered 12 cases of bottles off the internet and set up a big kettle with a spigot to fill one bottle at a time and begin to label them. It was March 2010; they were three months into sunflower oil and didn’t have bottling in their sights until the end of their five-year business plan. They reached out to the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) for help transitioning their system and machines to produce a food-grade sunflower oil product. “They did all the technical stuff, the nutritional facts, they
Katelyn (from left), Tom, Mitchell and Jenni Smude pose for a winter photo shoot. The Smudes began growing sunflowers after a drought caused them to search for a drought-tolerant crop.
sales bottles and microwave popcorn. They grow about 50 acres of sunflowers each year on their 160-are farm while contracting with local farmers within a 90-mile radius to grow about 1,200 acres. To get the remainder of the acreage they need, they contract with farmers in the Dakotas to purchase additional seed. Overall, Smude said, sun-
Though the fields are lush and beautiful and teeming with healthy bees, a sunflower field was never really in the Smudes’ game plan.
helped us get our label set up Today, they use 600-800 correctly and did the testing of acres’ worth of sunflower seeds the oils,” Smude said. to create oil for their retail
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Sunflowers page 3
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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 Kayla Albers kayla.a@star-pub.com Sarah Colburn, Freelance Writer
Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 3
Sunflowers from page 3
The ordered beauty of a sunflower head creates an artful display at Smude’s Sunflower Oil farm near Pierz. PHOTOS BY KRISTA SMUDE OF SMUDE PHOTOGRAPHY
NO OTHER MACHINE RAISES THE BAR SO HIGH.
Sunflower oil is coldpressed straight from the pressing machine at Smude’s Sunflower Oil company in Pierz.
The oil can also be used to create artisan breads, soaps and as a base for massage oil. “It’s crazy where it ends up,” Smude said. The oil, which touts a buttery flavor when brought to temp, has more of a nutty flavor when used in baking. Tom loves to sauté vegetables with the oil and uses their Mediterranean blend on the bread for grilled cheese sandwiches. “It tastes like a $20 sandwich and stays really crispy,” he said. He also blends the Mediterranean with Montreal steak seasoning as a flavoring for braised salmon and said now it’s the only way he wants to eat it. The oil can be used for dipping, sautéing or in baked goods. Though there are a multitude of uses for the oil, the reason the Smudes created it in the first place still exists. Their solution to a drought has not only produced an additional business, but the by-product that feeds the cattle on their farm.
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flowers enjoy poorer soil. They don’t need heavy ground or good soils to grow and do just fine in sandier soils as they’re drought tolerant. “Sunflowers are a fairly easy crop, I guess,” Smude said. “Once you’re done planting, you’re pretty much done with them for the year until harvest.” The Smudes rotate their crops and this year are planting barley; they’ve also planted corn on the plots of land. They typically grow a crop for a year or two on the land before restoring it to sunflowers. They plant the middle of May using a regular corn planter with a different disc for sunflowers. When planted, the seeds look similar to bird seed with the shell on. The stalks begin to flower in July and August and flower for 21 days. The plants dry down and typically the Smudes begin combining Oct. 1. They store the seed in grain bins and crush seeds 24 hours a day, seven days a week at their two crushing plants, one on the farm north of Pierz and the other in an industrial park in Pierz. The seeds are constantly transferred from the bin to the pressing plants. The dust and dirt are removed and they are cold-pressed at less than 138 degrees. The cold pressing, Smude said, helps the oil maintain its nutritional value and Vitamin E, a natural preservative. They filter it down to 1 micron. “It’s used in ingredients to help shelf life in a lot of different products,” Smude said. The oil is packaged in 250-gallon totes and 55-gallon drums. Pet food companies top the list of consumers of sunflower oil. Additionally, various companies blend it off for use in lip balm, chip manufacturers fry with it, it goes to the equine market for horse feed and in tincture bottles along with hemp or CBD oil.
Page 4 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
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the vast majority of farms we see in Central Minnesoly woven into the fabric of ta are still what they were this nation. From pioneer in the beginning: family days until now, the family farms. farm has been the backbone It is my pleasure to of agriculture. The Homevisit with the people of the stead Act was signed by land and to see the wide President Lincoln in 1862, range of farms both big and encouraging westward exsmall. I have no preference pansion by allowing up to for one or the other, just for 160 acres of public land to by Diane Leukam hard-working people trying be claimed and ultimately owned by citizens or future citizens. to make a living under various circumIn exchange, they had to pay an $18 fil- stances and each has their own unique ing fee, live on the land for at least five story. Do many of our farms look different years, build a home there and cultivate the land. Candidates had to be the head than they did a hundred years ago? Of of a household or at least 21 years old. course. Everything in our lives looks difThe act was designed for everyone from ferent, but some things remain the same. former slaves to women, citizens and im- Our farmers still work hard and value migrants who were citizens-to-be, which family. They still have incredible chalwas quite an achievement for its day. As lenges and setbacks – and dreams. They a result, 10% of the land in the United are creative, resourceful and always hopeful for a better future. States was settled. We cover a wide variety of topics in We can still see the results of the Homestead Act as we drive our county this paper, including many families relatroads. The roads themselves outline each ed to agriculture. In this issue, we have 640-acre section plotted out in the mid- a special section highlighting the 2020 1800s, each of which was originally di- Farm Families of the Year for our seven vided into quarters of 160 acres. On each counties of Douglas, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Stearns and Todd. Conof those quarters was a family farm. Families struggled together, working gratulations to each of those farm famhard with challenges we can only imag- ilies! Speaking of families, our Country ine now. Often, they had many children who in turn became farmers themselves. Acres family continues to grow. I would As the industrial revolution began to like to officially welcome new readers in dramatically change the need for labor, nearly all of Morrison County, as well children became fewer and many of them as the northern half of Todd County; we began leaving the farm and making their have previously covered the southern half way to cities. We still see that on our of Todd County and just the southern tip farms; they have become much larger in of Morrison County. If this is the first ismany cases, with fewer people needed to sue of our paper coming to your mailbox, run them. it is free to you based on the number of Today, farms can be a specialty farm country acres you have and through the of 160 acres or smaller, up to many thou- courtesy of our wonderful advertisers. sands of acres and anywhere in between. We hope you enjoy this issue of Whatever they are, I am thankful that Country Acres!
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Bergs from page 12
mented with Wagyu, but soon realized the other red breeds were a better fit for their business. “They’re not as efficient as we thought they might be,” said Nancy of the Japanese breed. “It was a fun experiment to try out, but we just couldn’t raise them how you traditionally raise Wagyu beef.” Joe agreed. “I found that most of our crossbreeding we have been doing (with the red breeds) is paying off a lot better,” he said. “The flavor in our finished animals is phenomenal.” When the Bergs have cattle ready for slaughter, they sell quarters and
halves to customers who then can customize their cuts with the meat processor. This year, Joe and Nancy have plans to start offering finished cuts to customers. “It’s not about grassfed, or cornfed or whatever,” Joe said. “I want people to know where their food comes from.” From its humble beginnings, Berg’s Red-Tail Ranch has developed into a reputable farming enterprise in central Minnesota. And for Joe and Nancy, it is the venture they were looking for when they found an opportunity to better utilize their hunting ground.
“It’s a four-year process to see whether or not you made a good decision,” Joe said. “Some decisions are good; some are bad when you go back and look at the pedigrees.” Every year, they begin their breeding season around July 4, which makes for a spring calving season the following year. “I think calving is the best,” Joe said. “It is the most exciting and most stressful time because you are doing everything you can to get that calf up and going.” The last two years there have been snowstorms in April, making calving extremely difficult. “All of our cows don’t calve on the same day,” Joe said. “We try to calve within 35-45 days, which helps.” Nancy and Joe keep records on every single animal that is born on their ranch. They spend quite a bit of time with the calves and heifers, to the point where they are not skittish around new people. “I get comments about how docile our animals are,” Joe said. “It’s like having 50 dogs.” Nancy agreed. “It’s weird, they recognize you,” she said. “It’s funny watching their personalities.” The Bergs purposely raise the three breeds of cattle for their docility, breeding traits and marketing traits as finished A Red South Devon/Hereford mixed-breed calf wanders animals. through a pasture on Joe and Nancy Berg’s ranch, where They once experi- calving usually happens in April.
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PHOTOS BY KAYLA ALBERS
Red Angus/Red Simmental cross-bred and Red Simmental cows graze after being moved to a new pasture on Sept. 9 in Little Falls.
Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 15
A diet for healthy soil Pflipsen takes crops to new level BY DIANE LEUKAM STAFF WRITER
NEW MUNICH – When Bill Pflipsen talks crops, he is as likely to mention technology, tissue samples, micronutrients and grid sampling as he is acres, yield and profits. That’s because they all work hand in hand. And, he has the results to back them up. In three of the last four years, Pflipsen’s soybeans have been some of the best in the nation based on region, approaching 80 bushels an acre. His best yet was in 2016 at 79, with 2018 at 78 and 2019 beans yielding 75.4 bushels per acre. Pflipsen, 37, farms 5,200 acres with his parents, Michael and Marlene, growing corn, soybeans and kidney beans, along with being owners of Pflipsen Trucking, which specializes in turkey litter, ag lime, beet
“It’s kind of like when you are on a diet and you have a plan for what you want to eat to keep healthy; this is a diet you put on the field to give the soil what it needs.” - Bill Pflipsen
lime, grain, garbage, pigs and oil. Bill is also the owner Pflipsen Ag Service LLC in Sauk Centre, formerly Central Grain Inc., buying and selling grain and selling seed corn and soybeans. Pflipsen and his wife, Kristin, have four children – Caiden, 12, Clair, 10, Ashlynn, 6 and Abigail, 2.
Pflipsen shared some of his agricultural methods and secrets to success Aug. 24 at the farm. It all comes down to healthy soil and healthy plants garnered through advanced farming technology.
Pflipsen page 16
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
Bill Pflipsen stands in one of his soybean fields Aug. 24 near New Munich. Pflipsen has placed near the top of the nation in soybean yields for three of the last four years, with a high of 79 bushels per acre in 2016.
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Page 16 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
Pflipsen from page 15 “It’s kind of like when you are on a diet and you have a plan for what you want to eat to keep healthy,” he said. “This is a diet you put on the field to give the soil what it needs.” Finding out what the soil needs is where things get interesting, and perhaps a bit complicated. Grid sampling is one of the tools Pflipsen uses. If differs from tradition soil sampling in that instead of a sample being taken for every 40 acres every year, samples are taken once every three years. With each field on a grid, multiple samples are pulled on each twoand-a half-acre portion of the field, blended together and tested for a multitude of nutrients, organic matter and other markers. Those samples are used to inform decisions on where there is an increased need for more fertilizer, lime or drainage. Data is used to create maps that are downloaded into the tractor during planting season, so areas that are capable of producing a better yield are planted with a higher density than others. This is a method called variable
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
This heavy-yielding soybean plant features a thick stem, along with a large number of nodules to take up nutrients from the soil.
rate planting, something Pflipsen has been doing since 2012. “I make maps before the year and program them in the tractor and as I go through the field the rate will change on the go,” Pflipsen said. “Where there is irrigation I will up it and where there is no irrigation I will lower it.” Seed varieties are
even varied per field to enhance the yield based on soil conditions. What works on one field will not work on another. That’s just the beginning. As crops grow, tissue samples are taken throughout the growing season. “It’s where we pull samples of the leaves and send them into a lab and they find out what the plant is uptaking and if
it’s short on various nutrients,” Pflipsen said. A perfect soil sample does not necessarily ensure perfect plant uptake. Samples must be taken in a timely manner, and this year’s tissue samples have all been taken on Monday mornings. “You have to take them at the same time each day; if you pull a sample in the morning
and pull one in the afternoon, your plant acts different,” he said. “In the morning, your plant is more alert and it’s more active, so if you take it in the afternoon and it’s hot and it’s starting to shut down because it’s dry or something, it will throw off your tissue samples.” Samples are pulled by an agronomist, and once the results are back from
the lab, decisions can be made, especially with samples done earlier in the growing season. “If we pull these early, say on June 16, if we see something going on out there we have time to go out and fix it yet,” Pflipsen said. Nutrients, chemicals and fungicides are applied using a high-tech sprayer designed to be used even in 10-foot corn, able to put nutrients down by the roots of the plant or if needed, spray a mist on leaves. Controls on the sprayer shut off certain sections during application, so there is never any overlap. Regardless of what is being applied, the amounts per acres are miniscule compared to what was done in years gone by. While 10-20 gallons an acre is being applied, all but a few ounces is either water or a water conditioner. “We are putting on as little as one ounce an acre, or even a halfounce an acre,” Pflipsen said. “Some people think farmers are just out there throwing everything at these fields, well, it’s a waste of money, you can’t afford to do that. You are watching what’s going on in the soil; you’re watching so it doesn’t leach.
Pflipsen page 17
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Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 17
Pflipsen
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A colorful map shows the results of grid testing on a field. Information gleaned from a map like this helps inform Pflipsen on which areas of a field may need fertilizer, lime or even tiling, as well as where to vary densities in seed population during planting.
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If it leaches through the soil and the plants aren’t using it, it’s no good for me and it’s no good for the environment.” For example, nitrogen is applied two or three times during the growing season instead of once, to make sure it is being utilized by the plants. Micronutrients and fungicides are sprayed before 1 p.m., or at temperatures below 80 degrees to optimize absorption. From planting through harvest, everything is monitored for each crop and field and is recorded with an app called Climate Field View. “What we try to do each year is to analyze yields; what’s going on in that field is a big key and that’s where you get the grid samples and the tissue samples and put everything together and make it work,” Pflipsen said. To him, farming has become technology and has reached a whole new level. The technologies are expensive, but he has seen them pay off. This year, seven of his fields are registered in the National Corn Growers contest and he is hoping for good results. All of it is an effort to take some of the guesswork out of farming. “You can’t predict the price of corn or soybeans, but you can predict your yields if you put your time and effort into it; you can’t predict it 100 percent but you can predict it from 100 to 150 to 200 bushels,” he said. “If you spend the money and
home
Page 18 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
Racing for
Quistorff raises homing pigeons for sport
W
BY KAYLA ALBERS | STAFF WRITER
EST UNION – Homing pigeons were first used during World War I and World War II to carry messages across enemy lines. Now, it is common to raise homing pigeons for sport, an event that quickly grabbed Mark Quistorff’s attention. Quistorff and his wife, Nancy, of West Union, developed a fascination for homing pigeons after their neighbors introduced them to the sport in 1999. By 2000, the Quistorffs were racing their own homing pigeons with the Mid Minnesota Pigeon Racing Club. In Quistorff’s club, members come from Swanville, Pelican Rapids, Ottertail, Wadena, Eagle Bend and Hewitt. “We have met a lot of people by racing pigeons,” said Quistorff, who has a loft of about 70 birds. The birds are divided into two racing groups. One group
is the older birds that are a year or older, and they race in May and June. The other group is birds that were born this year, and they race in August and September. Each bird wears two bands, one on each leg. A colored band indicates the club and year the bird was born. The other is a green band with a chip inside that monitors the time when the bird is released and arrives back at the loft. In his most recent race that took place Aug. 15, Quistorff sent out about a dozen young birds. He began by dropping them off with his racing club in Hewitt, where they were then taken to Watertown, South Dakota. Each location that the birds are released from is called a station. All of the pigeons from the club are released simultaneously, and members wait to see how long it takes their birds to return home.
“You have no idea what is going to happen,” Quistorff said. “You never know which bird is going to make it home first.” Throughout each race, it is expected that not all birds will make it home. “Overall, you lose fewer old birds,” Quistorff said. “Young birds you can lose anywhere from 10-50% and old birds you might lose 5%.” It is about 125 miles from Watertown to West Union. Calculating a headwind and assuming the birds fly at about 40 miles per hour, Quistorff expected his birds home three hours after takeoff. The mileage of the race increases each week. The whole club starts at 100 miles, and
PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Mark Quistorff holds two of his racing pigeons Aug. 13 in West Union. Quistorff has raced pigeons since 2000.
Quistorff page 19
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Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 19
Quistorff from page 18
Quistorff page 20
CA_Sept18_1B_MT
Quistorff usually goes up to about 470 miles; the young birds travel up to about 300 miles. The farthest Quistorff takes his birds is to Kansas City, Kansas. Quistorff’s best race was from Des Moines, Iowa. “I beat everyone in the club by half an hour,” Quistorff said. “Normally in a race, you PHOTOS BY MARK KLAPHAKE finish within a minute or A colored band identifies the club the pigeon belongs to two of everyone.” the year it was born, shown here on Aug. 13 at Mark There are no awards and Quistorff ’s home in West Union. for winning a race, but each member of the club races for notoriety. If a bird places really well, then a member receives a diploma in recognition for their bird’s achievement. The shorter the race, the better chance those who live closer have of winning, but longer races even out the chance of winning. Breeding is another important aspect to pigeon racing. Some members of the club will selective breed, mating their fastest birds. However, Quistorff allows the birds to breed naturally. A green tracking band is placed on the leg of each pigeon to track the time from when the pigeon is released for a race to its return back to the loft.
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Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 25
ountry C cres A
Featuring stories & photos on several local farmers, Q&As, recipes & so much more... If you are a business with a rural customer base and would like to advertise in future Country Acres contact Missy Traeger
missy@saukherald.com 320-291-9899
Country A cres
Friday, Ma y 1, 2020
s e r c y r t A n Cou tion Volume 8, Edi
17, Friday, July
family Cattle
Volume 8,
Edition 5
Focusing on
Focusi
2020
al Environm
Polzins pu elite gene rsue of various tics breeds By DIANE LEU Staff WriterKAM
BY KAYLA ALB
DARW and Leslie IN – At the Chris in Darwin, Polzin household tle … and it’s all about catnections. family, and conNo one else wit w, like everyadjusting to h kids, they are due to CO school at home VID begins with -19. Each day legiance. Atthe Pledge of Althey sit in 9 a.m. Central, I wit driv a buddy of h Neal McCoy, the e around and talk more than theirs who for the phone and my wif on hand to produc e 1,5 days has rec 60 consecutive wo kids do the bulk of and and perhaps anoe embryos, compan y. of Allegiancited the Pledge smirk,” Chris said wit the cipients to rec ther 50 reThe Pol eive h a bryos. le. “I am e live on Facebook Those embry the em- many bulls zins also own page. Then, his We make a goonot organized. bec for their os have school day ome their to me d team tryi begins. ng cattle in some of the leading ics, but the bulls are genetet in the mid elsewhere, housed McCoy is a the industr dle.” The organization ic legend wh country mu- ma “I have alw y. semen use and only frozen is rily d. Their 5 albums o has released adm done by Leslie, pri- thing for elite ays had a ics are gen qua wh ma sinc its o rke lity e she and ted throughetthe catt prefers to our goal is 990s, includ le partnersh early in a stay best ip ma wit kin h g AB the um and one ing three plati- mo the background. She catt S Global, formerly st gol is even bet le in the industry investor in d. He is also day involved in the day-toBreeders Ser the American ter,” Chris operatio cattle a d said “W vice are i
Creativsihtyed
ERS
PHOTO y takes a Rick Murphworking on break from sculptures one of his kis. July 8 in Osa
unlea
art ds works of Murphy welLBURN | STAFF WRITER
ountry C cres A
Are you out of our coverage area? Subscribe TODAY!
CO rts with BY SARAH ling his shi h passions. riddes and his arms wit hol t with their joining nec e of the creatures are pock-marked burns. , ers tink Som ted crea blems, Murphy Murphy star t gether as the d with car em h
NAME: ADDRESS: CITY:
STATE:
PHONE:
E-MAIL:
ent
PHOTO SUB Brooke (fro MITT rae and Coltm left), Chris, Leslie, ED the 2019 Minon Polzin are picturedDesiBrooke’s Her nesota State Fair, whe at efor d heifer, Lil Red re her class at the , won 4-H Sho w. The Polzins invested in elite embryo center cattle at their farm are and in Darwin.
nment s Rural Enviro ng on Today’
9
Today’s Rur
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Page 28 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
Moonlight vineyards from page27 Growing grapes has provided Chad and Bobbi with a lot of enjoyment by having the opportunity to be outdoors and meet new people in the wine industry such, as other growers and winemakers. But grape growing comes with challenges just like any crop. “The weather has always been a determining factor,” Zirbes said. “It’s a constant learning opportunity from year to year as no two years have ever been the same.”
After 11 years of growing grapes, the Zirbes couple have done their share of experimenting to see the best results in their grapes that they can. Now going forward they hope to grow the best quality grapes for their winemakers. “We partner with the winemaker to create the best grapes that we can provide them so they can make their best wines,” Zirbes said.
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Friday, September 18, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 29
PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE
Megan Seifert leads a parade of Cockshutt tractors as they plow a field Sept. 5 east of Villard. Seifert’s grandfather, Ken Thurk, coordinated the event to showcase the family’s collection of Cockshutt equipment.
Thurks feature Cockshutt collection in fall fieldwork Family, friends gather for Sept. 5 event
V
BY JENNIFER COYNE | STAFF WRITER
ILLARD – Under a strong afternoon sun, dust rolled and smoke billowed as a line of tractors came over the crest of a field Sept. 5 near Villard. Amidst the roar of the tractor engines, one could hear the chatter of family and friends taking in the spectacle with photos and videos. “This is really something to see,” Ken Thurk said. “It’s nice to have the tractors out.” Thurk and his son, Chris, coordinated the day where they showcased the family’s five Cockshutt tractors as a 26-acre field was plowed with the antique equip-
ment. “We usually chisel plow this field, but Chris spent all summer getting the tractors ready so we could do this,” Thurk said. Driving the signature vermillion red and harvest gold tractors were Thurk’s granddaughter, Megan Seifert, and her husband, Eric; Chris; Thurk’s son-in-law, Josh Radil; and his grandson, Jeremy Thurk, and Jeremy’s friend, Ryce Skime.
Thurk page 30
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Page 30 • Country Acres - Friday, September 18, 2020
Thurk from page 29
After a handful of passes of the Cockshutt parade, Thurk’s grandson, Jared Christensen, and friends Jerry Albers and Larry Zarbok joined the fleet in John Deere models to finish the field. “We wanted to start the field with the five Cockshutts,” Thurk said. “And, we only had to borrow a few plows. We have some Cockshutt plows, and those are rare.” Thurk and his family have always had an affinity for the Canadian-manufactured farm equipment. In 1968, Thurk and his wife, Jackie, purchased their first Cockshutt – a Model 570. “We farmed with that tractor for 10 years,” Thurk said. “Jackie did all the plowing and that was her tractor.” The 570 Super was the last manufactured model for the tractor company with less than 2,000 produced in 196162. In the family’s parade, this tractor was driven by Megan, who led the fleet. It was also the same piece of farm equipment Megan took her now-husband to prom with in high school. “It’s a rare tractor,” Thurk said. “They didn’t
PHOTOS BY JENNIFER COYNE
Tractor drivers take a break from plowing a 26-acre field Sept. 5 near Villard as Ken Thurk had family and friends work up his field to showcase the family’s collection of Cockshutt tractors. Pictured are (front, from left) Ryce Skime, Jared Christensen, Megan Seifert, Ken Thurk and Larry Zarbok; (back) Jeremy Thurk, Eric Seifert, Josh Radil, Chris Thurk and Jerry Albers.
make many of them.” Throughout the years, Thurk added to his collection. He found three from the same seller in Brandon. And, the family’s Model 30 was discovered in South Dakota while his granddaughter spent the summer interning in the neighboring state. “We got it home and painted it,” Thurk said. “That was a confirmation present for one of the
grandchildren.” Another model came from Reading. The previous owner contacted Megan after reading about her tractor pulling in a local newspaper. He was wondering if she would be interested in purchasing a Model 560. Unlike the other tractors, this Model 560 has an English built motor in it. The history of Cock-
shutt Farm Equipment Limited is distinctive, having gone through several company acquisitions and breaking into the American market by repainting the famous red and yellow body with a vibrant orange. “At one time they couldn’t sell to the United States,” Thurk said. “They had to paint the tractors, then they could be sold here. They’re
unique; that’s why we like them. Plus, they’re easy to work on.” As the day went on, a drone was used to capture aerial footage of the plowing fleet and pictures were taken to submit to the Cockshutt Quarterly magazine of the International Cockshutt Club Inc. Lunch was served on the side of the field as the Thurks’ family and friends enjoyed a fall af-
ternoon in central Minnesota. Unique in their own regard, the Cockshutt tractors have played an important part in the Thurk family. After first being used for daily farming practices to now being the centerpiece of family events, Cockshutts have brought the Thurks together in more ways than one.
Thurk page 31
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Jerry Albers helps plow Ken Thurk’s 26-acre field Sept. 5 near Villard. Albers drove his John Deere tractor while much of Thurk’s family sported the Cockshutt models.
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Thurk from page 30
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Ryce Skime operates a plow as Jeremy Thurk drives the Cockshutt tractor through a 26-acre field Sept. 5 near Villard.
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Chris Thurk (left) and his brother-in-law, Josh Radil, work up a 26-acre field Sept. 5 near Villard. The Thurk family spent Saturday afternoon doing fieldwork.
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