ountry C Friday, September 3, 2021
cres A Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 29
Caretakers PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Don Berheim looks over the Aberdeen cattle on pasture Aug. 5 at the Berheim farm north of Benson.
Berheims’ philosophy brings joy to daily life on the farm
B
Don and Helen Berheim, along with their son, Nate, raise cattle north of Benson on land they see as a gift, while they see themselves as caretakers.
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
ENSON – On the picturesque hills north of Benson, Aberdeen cattle graze on the Don and Helen Berheim property where they farm with their son, Nate. For them, everything is about relationships – between family, as stewards watching over their cattle and, most importantly for them, the land. There is a symbiotic relationship, a mutually beneficial cooperation to serve the needs of all. “From a perspective of caretaking, what we are constantly seeking to do is for our ground to be healthy, to do our best by it,” Nate said Aug. 5 at his parents’ home, just next door to his own. “Cattle are the tool used to work with the ground, a partnership in a sense. If we take care of the ground it takes care of the cattle, which then take care of us.” What is very obvious on meeting the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Sept. 17
BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
4
Farm-fresh service connects producers, consumers Opole
7
A sense of place Diane Leukam column
9
Euerle crowned 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way St. Paul
Berheims is their enjoyment of their work and of one another. As Don, 82, and Helen, 78, approach their retirement years, Nate, 53, has chosen to be there for them. He moved to the farm four years ago. “It’s a rich relationship and he loves to learn about these things and if that were not the case, it would be a painful experience,” Don said. Don and Helen are still active on the farm, with Nate using his flexibility as a full-time carpenter/contractor to be there for much of the heavier work. “This works right now because of what Dad’s able to do; in the future, he is not going to be able to do that,” Nate said. Bantering back and forth, Don said, “When will that be?” Nate considered the question, but
Berheims page 2
12 Animals we love 14 Country is a way of life Luxemburg 21 Untamed paradise Kimball 24 Country Cooking Royalton
26 Ruckheims find happiness through growing hemp Parkers Prairie 28 Country Acres according to: Randall 29 FFA Q&A 30 What’s this?
Page 2 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Country Acres
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
A temporary fence is lifted to allow cattle to move to fresh grass, Aug. 5 north of Benson.
Published by Star Publications Copyright 2014 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: 320-352-6577 Fax: 320-352-5647 NEWS STAFF
Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Ben Sonnek, Writer ben.s@saukherald.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Jennifer Coyne, Writer jenn@dairystar.com Evan Michealson, Writer evan.m@star-pub.com Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com Natasha Barber, Writer natasha@saukherald.com Sarah Colburn Freelance Writer
Story ideas send to: diane@saukherald.com SALES STAFF Kayla Hunstiger, 320-247-2728 kayla@saukherald.com Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899 missy@saukherald.com Tim Vos, 320-845-2700 tim@albanyenterprise.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Warren Stone, 320-249-9182 warren@star-pub.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988 Jaime@star-pub.com Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248 bob.l@star-pub.com
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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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Berheims from front only for a moment. “I don’t know, but we know that time is coming,” he said. “There are certain physical demands to doing this and Dad is in incredible shape, not to mention Mom being in incredible shape.” The three laughed while Helen acknowledged the recognition. “That’s it; I’m there to help if I’m needed!” she said. The Berheims run a 35- to 40-head cow-calf operation on 200 acres. They sell the calves each year, although they keep two breeding bulls back from each calf crop. Their choice of Aberdeens was the result of figuring out just what they wanted, what would fit their specific needs. Cows run 800 to 900 pounds a head, with bulls at 1,200 to 1,300 pounds. “We were looking for something that would do well on grass and fatten well,” Don said. “We’ve been very pleased with them and they have been very productive per acre.” They practice rotational grazing and move the cattle to a new paddock twice a day using a combination of permanent and temporary fencing. Pastures with permanent fencing on both sides run lengthwise to the end of the property, creating a central lane. A portable, perpendicular fence is then moved along each time a new paddock is created. Paddocks vary in size from two to two-and-a-half acres, depending on the condition of the specific piece of
Nate (left) and Don Berheim discuss the size of the paddock they will create before moving their cattle, which they do twice a day.
land. Water lines run along the lane, with spigots 300 feet apart feeding 150 feet of hose that fill a portable 40-gallon tank. Another large area of the property to the south is a repeat of the same system. By the time the cattle are moved from one paddock to another, completing the circuit, it might be one-and-a-half to two months before they graze the same ground again. “We are constantly evaluating how big a paddock to make and how much we want to beat it down this year because the drought has been a challenge,” Nate said. “We encourage grazing near the wetlands closer to the slough and give the other grounds more time for rest. It’s
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a constant [case of] no set pattern, trying to do right by the ground and by the cattle and it’s absolutely a partnership on all levels.” Each morning the three have coffee to discuss the day. “Dad and I, we see things about the same,” Nate said. “We set up paddocks and they generally work out right, but we talk about it. He sets them up in the morning and I set them after work.” In the winter, the cattle are still on pasture except in very severe weather. They are fed purchased round bales of grass hay that are brought to the top of a hill and rolled out. The bales are placed where there is less fertility in order to improve
the land through the composting, as well as the fertilizer naturally spread by the animals. In the interest of herd health, the Berheims have kept a closed herd since Don and Helen moved to the land in 2002, starting with 11 heifers and a bull. Originally, those heifers were three-quarters American Lowline, a breed whose official name was changed to Aberdeen in 2017. Aberdeen is a familiar word in the family, as it is the place in South Dakota where Don was born, just one of a long lineage of places the family has lived over the course of their lives. “We moved a lot,” Don
Berheims page 3
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Berheims from page 2 said. That might be an understatement. By the time he was 7, Don and his family were living on a farm near Boise, Idaho, where he still has relatives living. Helen was born in Montevideo but grew up in Washington State, California and Arizona. Don’s lifelongg work as a Lutheran pastor began with an education that took ook him to Kansas, Nebraska, raska, Houston, Minneapapolis, Pennsylvaania and Chicago.. He was a pastor of a congregation in Manitoba, Canada for eight years where Nate and his older brother, Brent, spent their early childhood. “My first call was the Icelandic people up there,” ,” Don said. “It was wonderful to livee in another country and see our home country from the outside.” He later did specialized pastoral care training in the Twin Cities and Willmar and then became a hospital chaplain out in Washington State for eight years. Then, he and Helen started a retreat center for pastors for renewal. “We moved onto a farm by Yankton (South Dakota); it was
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Nate Berheim pounds a stake for a portable water tank as he prepares to move cattle to a new paddock, Aug. 5 north of Benson.
(left) Cattle check out the portable water tank just after being moved to (le n paddock. Paddocks vary in size from two to two-and-a-half acres, a new depending on the condition of the specific piece of land. de
“Yes, there are times when it’s not fun, but for the most part, everything we do we flat-out enjoy.” - Nate Berheim a good experience and we did that for 10 years until we ran out of money,” Don said, smiling. They even came back to Minnesota for a while to farm on Helen’s parents’ land. “Don and I came here and farmed the land for three years to give the boys the opportuni-
ty to live on a farmsite,” Helen said. As time went on, the Berheims were drawn back to Minnesota permanently. “My mother was in the retirement home in Glenwood so we chose to move here,” Helen said. “We bought a house in Starbuck and she lived for six
weeks after we moved here.” They didn’t enjoy town life, though, so they searched for a country property. From there, it was only natural they start raising cattle, grazing them on the hills. Don’s ministry was still going strong in the meantime. After moving to Minnesota, he
began working with conflicted congregations, something he found extremely rewarding until the pandemic hit. Nate came on board in 2017. “I worked in carpentry a total of 25 years, 10 of them for the city of Sioux Falls Parks and Recs department and that is as good as it gets,” he said. “But, I wanted to be here for the folks for the home stretch, so that’s why I came home.” He’s glad he did. “I am profoundly happy to be here – I absolutely love it,” Nate said. “It’s gorgeous. To be here with all the lakes starting here going north … for me, it’s kind of like heaven on earth.” And, the work is not bad either. “Yes, there are times when it’s not fun, but for the most part, everything we do we flatout enjoy, and we love the stories and the laughter about all the things that happen out on the farm.” For the Berheims, their lives of faith are reflected onto their philosophy of life on the farm. As a pastor, Don is naturally accustomed to expressing his thoughts on these connections. “I think of this as God’s creation; I think then of this as a gift,” he said. “We have a right to use it but we will never take it with us, so our role is to be caretakers, and to try to do the best by the land and the cattle and the soil and so, that’s a response that we want to make because of the sense of gift that is here.”
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Page 4 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Farm-fresh service connects
producers, consumers Borash explains Fructus program while sales grow BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
(above) Gary Borash scalds the broilers prior to plucking. (right) Courtney Borash eviscerates broilers while Gary scalds in the background.
the business and Borash networked with farmers who wanted to move their products directly. “We were very open to looking at other ways to cut out the middle men and market our products to a wider audience or
make them more available,” Borash said. “We want to move toward as much direct sale as possible and this is a direct sale with a transport service.” The Borashes, who have two kids and a third on the way, met the Hartigs
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through a mutual friend at church who connected the two couples. Today, the service offers farm-to-table chicken, beef, rabbits, lamb, pork, eggs, maple syrup, honey, homemade pasta and cornmeal. “People can ask questions about the farm and develop the relationship that I think is lacking in a grocery store,” he said. “They can get really good, quality product at a reasonable price that way; it’s even comparable or better than they can get in a retail outlet and they know where it’s coming from.” He’s thinking salsa or jams may be available in the not-too-distant future and they’d also like to
eventually add cheese and milk to the equation. “We’re hoping to expand a little bit on those value-added products too, with things that are easy to transport and where there’s an opening for things that can be hard to find in a grocery store,” Borash said. When marketing direct to consumer, there are some regulations that farmers must abide by that often change the delivery of the final product to the consumer. “Each product has its own tricky regulations to navigate to make sure
Borash page 6
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OPOLE – Gary and Courtney Borash have a farm that’s growing in two directions and both are built on relationships. The couple has a cow/ calf operation and finishes steers, but their 40-acre farm is also expanding its broiler business and this year, they’ll raise 400 of them. The demand from family and friends has been increasing and sales via word-of-mouth are climbing as their network of consumers grows. In addition, Gary Borash was integral in helping start Fructus, a farm-totable delivery service that moves product from the farmer directly to the consumer. The service was already in start-up mode and organized by Dan Hartig out of the Twin Cities. He had customers and set up the delivery end of
everybody is doing it in a safe way and a legal way as well,” he said. At his farm in Opole, for instance, Borash can sell live animals direct to the consumer so when it comes to his grass-fed beef, he usually collects customer orders for a quarter of the animal and waits until he has the full animal sold before he does the slaughter and processing. “It’s more cost-effective that way,” he said. He goes to a local custom-exempt butcher for the processing. “A lot of people aren’t peo used to buyuse ing a quarter at a time, so the there’s some he hesitation and ha hangups there wh where people are nervous to take that plunge,” he pl said. sa He has enough en customers to who now regularn ly buy their meat m that way, but Bow r rash is still r researching what it would take to offer USDA inspected beef. There are hoops to jump through, he said, but it would allow him to sell individual cuts of meat rather than a whole portion of an animal at once. The broiler chickens are easier because the animal is so much smaller. Even so, Borash said, he would like the purchasing of broilers to become more of a personal experience for customers. He’s thinking about offering some on-farm times each spring where customers can come on site,
Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 5
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Page 6 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Borash from page 4
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Gar Borash moves his chicken tractors every day so the birds have fresh, clean grass. The chicken Gary tractors house pastured broilers. trac Sara Borash enjoys e help helping with chicks on ch her Opole farm. f
consistency in terms of packaging so when the consumer receives the end product, all the meats are cut, packaged and labeled in the same manner to provide some uniformity in the finished product. For now, the Fructus truck stops at farms in Opole, Litchfield, Little Falls, Royalton, Rice, Gilman and the Bowlus area. They’re hoping to add other suppliers as well. “We’re certainly open
if there’s interest and availability, we’ll try to add any products we can fit in,” he said. As of now, the Fructus truck makes weekly stops at the farms. The farmers take orders and the truck comes up every Saturday to pick up the foods and then deliver them to consumers across the Twin Cities area. In addition, Courtney Borash works directly with consumers who want to come to the Borash
Gary Borash picks eggs from the mobile layer coop.
farm to pick up goods. She connects with people, Gary said, showing them pictures of the farm and explaining how it’s different. She’s in charge of scheduling pick-ups
for customers, contacting people and networking. “I think it’s more fair to the farmer and the consumer in a lot of ways,” Borash said. “The farmer is getting a little bit better
share of the money the consumer is putting into it and they’re able to get a very fresh product of their choosing that speaks to their values.”
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see the operation, place their orders and choose a processing day to pick up their meat. “Again, it gets back to that hat relationship and, I guess, s, the transparrency; they can n see how we doo things, they y can understand d a little moree of the background and why the thing they’re eating is the way it is,” he said. He also wants to use the onfarm time to show the consumer what a difference ence their purchase is making for his family and for the environment. “We’re raising grassfed beef, for one,” he said. “We don’t have to till the soil to come up with their feed – they can harvest it on their own. It makes for healthy animals; it makes for healthy soil.” As the service grows, its leaders are looking into ways to process their meat animals on a more consistent basis. They’re also considering providers who can provide
Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 7
Comedy in the country
A sense of place Random Reflections by Diane Leukam
Farmland, cornfields in particular, have been in the national spotlight lately. The 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was resurrected in a grand way with the Aug. 12 major league baseball game played adjacent to the original movie baseball field. In a recreation of the movie, the players made their appearances as they walked out of the cornfield. All this happened just a few miles northeast of Dyersville, Iowa. For me personally, Dyersville is tugging at me; it is where many of my ancestors lived and loved, worked and raised their families, and are now buried – within five miles of the “Field of Dreams” site. My great-great-grandparents on my dad’s father’s side of the family, the Goerdts, farmed beginning in 1850 with 80 acres. On his mother’s side of the family, the Weimerskirches came from Dyersville as well; my great-grandfather, Nick, married Rosa Singsank in 1897 and the two became my grandma’s parents. According to Marianne (Weimerskirch) Walker, who stopped by my office on Monday, the family eventually ended up in Belgrade because Great-grandpa wanted to find farmland close enough to a church that he could see it and hear the church bells. This brings to mind “The Angelus,” the famous Jean-Francois Millet painting where a peasant couple working in the fields pauses at dusk to pray with the church steeple visible in the background.
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“The Angelus,” by Jean-Francois Millet, depicts a peasant couple praying at dusk. The American buyer who originally commissioned the painting rejected it, after which Millet added a church steeple in the background; in 1890, it sold at auction in a bidding war, becoming the most valuable painting of its time.
It was painted between 1857-59. Originally named “Prayer for the Potato Crop,” it was rejected by the wealthy American who commissioned it. So, what’s an artist to do but add a church steeple in the background and change its name? It sold at auction in 1890 for 750,000 francs, becoming the most valuable work of art in its day. The painting is on permanent display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and, although I was unable to find a current value for you, after the bidding war at auction at the time, Vincent Van Gogh said its price was “enough to make one dizzy.” What’s so special about it that it has touched the hearts of literally millions of people? The curator of the Van Gogh Museum said just a few years ago, “The work is both earthly and religious, both intimate and universal.” In a way, those words could be used to describe the sentiments so many of you have about your properties in the country. The land
pulls on the heartstrings as an almost spiritual sense of place. This farm or hobby farm, these woods, this lake, these hills – all are vastly important to those who live in the country. The connections to place are integral to who we are as people. The features in this issue very much embody this sense of place, both physically and spiritually. As the fall harvest progresses, I think of the fields in this region and how they vary so much in their production this year. Some of those corn and soybean fields look quite good, while others have been figuratively beaten down by the drought and in some cases, literally, by hail. It’s been a tough year in many ways, but like those peasants who stopped to pray in their fields, people keep on going. And, as we all navigate our area roads this fall, let’s watch out for farm equipment, slow down and give them some space. Be safe out there!
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Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 9
Euerle crowned 68th
Princess Kay of the Milky Way Litchfield woman will serve as goodwill ambassador for Minnesota dairy families
BY JILL TRAUT STAFF WRITER
ST. PAUL – The night before the Minnesota State Fair prepared to welcome back fairgoers, a crowd of enthusiasts watched as Anna Euerle had the coveted crown placed on top of her head, making her the 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Euerle, a 19-year-old from Litchfield, representing Meeker County, was one of 10 finalists vying for the title of Princess Kay, a role where she will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 2,500 dairy farm families. Isabelle Lindahal (Chisago County) and Megan Meyer (Winona County) were named as runners-up. “There were a lot of emotions,” Euerle said of the crowning moment. “It was really a dream come true. I’m just full of pride
Princess Kay page10
PHOTO BY LAURA HINTZEN
Anna Euerle is crowned the 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way Aug. 25 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Euerle grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Meeker County near Litchfield.
Congratulations, Anna! Princess Kay of the Milky Way Photos: Matt Addington
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Page 10 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Princess Kay from page 9
PHOTO BY KRISTA KUZMA
(a (above) Anna Euerle is pictured with her parents, Vaughn and Joan, after being crowned the 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way Aug. 25 during a coronation at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in P St. Paul. The Euerles milk 80 cows on their dairy near Litchfield. (left) Yvonne Johnson (left) and Lori St Christofferson, of Litchfield, proudly show off their T-shirts, supporting candidate Anna Euerle Aug. Chr 25 at a the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul.
a Princess Kay finalist. Melissa has offered guidance over the years in helping her sister prepare for a possible role as Princess Kay. That insight, along with Euerle’s past leadership roles as an FFA Regional and State Officer have made the transition to a public spokesperson easy. “Melissa was always
very supportive sup in helping me m find my own opinio opinions and seeking ki outt other th mentors besides herself,” Euerle said. “Those [other leadership] roles were great because they forced me to learn to do very well under pressure. [Princess Kay] has to be good at last-minute stuff on the fly, whether it’s talking to media, answering consumer questions or being asked to give a last-minute speech.”
Congratulations!
Euerle is looking forward to the diversity of the Princess Kay role and the vast outreach she will have across the State of Minnesota. The first official duties of Princess Kay began on opening day of the Minnesota State Fair with media interviews and sitting in a rotating cooler getting her likeness carved in a 90-pound block of butter. Euerle spent about eight hours, over two
days, in the cooler before butter sculptor Linda Christensen placed a crown on her completed butterhead. Euerle’s butter sculpture is the final butterhead carved by the long-time butter sculptor, marking the end of Christensen’s 50-year butter carving career at the Minnesota State Fair. “Originally, going into [the State Fair] I planned to do a sweet corn feed with my butterhead, but after sitting
in the cooler for two days I realized how historical my butterhead is. It’s Linda’s last sculpture,” Euerle said. “When Linda turned [my butterhead] around and put the crown on it, I fell in love with it and can’t imagine parting with it now.” “To hear Linda’s stories and watch her interact with the multiple media teams was so cool,” Euerle said. “It was real-
Princess Kay page11
Congratulations! Anna Euerle
Anna Euerle 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way
68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2021
Thank you for representing Meeker County. We commend you on your commitment to the dairy industry. Enjoy your year ahead!
Best Wishes for an exciting year ahead as you represent the agriculture industry!
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to be able to represent the dairy community.” Euerle grew up on an 80-cow dairy farm near Litchfield, owned by her parents, Vaughn and Joan Euerle. She has also worked at two other dairy farms: Corstar Farm, a 30-cow dairy operated by Cory and Kristen Salzl, and Ru-Be Dairy, a 600cow dairy operated by Joe and Karen Becker and Rachael and Patrick Rusch. These places are where Euerle credits gaining a broader knowledge base of the dairy industry. “To go into a role like this and have experience working on farms of all sizess is a huge asset,” Euerle le said. “It will make it easy to share with consumers when they y ask about things like ani m a l care. I can tell them I have firsthand experience and d all dairy iry farmers care for their animals, nimals, regardless of the size of the farm.” Euerlee will take her knowledge and experience with her throughout the year as she makes public appearances across the state of Minnesota to share the story of dairy with consumers – a leadership role for which she has been preparing for a long time. At just 2 years old, Euerle watched her older sister, Melissa, be named
Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 11
Princess Kay from page 10
ly awesome to be in the presence of someone who is considered a legend in Minnesota.” After Euerle’s butterhead was complete, Christensen handed over the reins to Gerry Kulzer, who will complete the remaining nine finalist sculptures this year, and then take over all carvings in future years. Like Euerle, Kulzer happens to also be from Litchfield. While busy with multiple Princess Kay duties
at the State Fair, Euerle didn’t miss the opportunity to head over to the 4-H Dairy Show, where she got to watch her cow, Christiana, earn Champion Milking Shorthorn cow honors. “My favorite breed is the Milking Shorthorn and my favorite cow is Christiana,” Euerle said. “She has a unique color pattern and even more unique personality. I was happy she recognized me, even in crown and sash.” Euerle will continue serving in her role all 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair before she heads back to Ridgewater College, where she is completing an Agri-Busi-
ness degree. She will then have the year to travel the state making the most of her opportunity to promote the dairy community she grew up with, and loves. “Over the past month or so I’ve come to the realization that the dairy community includes far more than just dairy farmers,” Euerle said. “It includes veterinarians, nutritionists and other professions that help make farmers successful. When we say ‘dairy community,’ we mean everyone who is in support of our dairy farmers.”
Congratulations
Thank you. We wish you a fun year ahead!
Anna Euerle
68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way
Good luck with the rest of the year representing Minnesota’s dairy farmers
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Page 14 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Country is a
way of life Watrins use land to expand imaginations, appreciate nature BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER
PHOTO SUBMITTED
LUXEMBURG – Joe and Kathy Watrin planted 8,000 trees on their 70 acres of field and wetland. Twice. Today, their property is lush with conifers and deciduous trees, switchgrass and miles of natural trail for them to walk and their grandchildren to winter camp and ride ATVs. The Watrins consider themselves conservationists and have taken a piece of land that they said was highly erodible with a light, sandy soil and turned it into a wildlife habitat with cover, water and food for the local animals. When the Watrins purchased the land, Joe knew he had to line the site with trees to create a snow break, allowing him to reap the benefits of the spring melt-off to improve his soil. “A lot of my neighbors laughed at me when I started planting trees but then they got to be six or eight feet high, they quit laughing and saw the value of returning the land back to what it was intended for (crop land and pasture).” The Watrins have an aerial photo of the property when they first moved in; the open pasture land that existed in the beginning has been filled in and now their house isn’t even visible from the road. They planted their first batch of trees in 1988 – exactly 8,000 of them – and three weeks later, in a drought year, the temps in June hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit and they lost all but 1%. “It toasted all of them,” he said. In 1990 though, things changed. It was cold and wet and miserable as they describe it, the perfect weather for the trees to root. They planted 4,000 the first year and another 4,000 the next year in hopes they wouldn’t lose their entire investment if the weather turned on them. They planted Red Pine, Norway Spruce, Black Spruce, White Pine, Jack Pine, Ash and Red Oak. They
Kathy and Joe Watrin often go walking and riding on the trails through their Luxemburg property.
Watrins page 15
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Daylilies bloom in the Luxemburg yard of Joe and Kathy Watrin.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Joe and Kathy Watrin pose in their backyard with their adult children. Pictured are Kathy Watrin (front, from left) and Amy Koltes; Back: Lance, Joe, Adam and Patrick Watrin.
Watrins from page 14 planted a wildlife packet of shrubberies, which arrived 8-12 inches tall and included flowering apple trees and chokecherries. They rented a single-row tree planter from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and pulled it behind their tractor. Joe drove the tractor while Kathy and a neighbor, and dear friend Jake McNally, tossed in the
sticks from behind. The wildlife packet they planted by hand. Today, the landscape is ripe with birds, deer and an abundance of wildlife. Kathy, who grew up in St. Paul, said she never imagined liking country living as much as she does. “We’re only seven miles from St. Cloud but we feel like we’ve got a little bit of Heaven here,” she said. In February and March, their 11- and 17-year-old grandkids
winter camp on the property in hammocks, something they’ve been doing for three or four years. In obligatory grandmother fashion, she leaves the lights on in case the kids decide they’re too cold. Over the years, their four adult children – Amy (who’s married to Jeff Koltes) and Patrick (Stacey), Adam and Lance (Katie) Watrin – and their nine grandchildren ranging in age from baby to 21, have gathered on the property to pick an abundance of apples and pumpkins in the
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fall. They’ve been known to make some 80 quarts of applesauce as well as apple cider and frozen and canned apples. The grandkids accompany their parents and/or grandparents to hunt the land, shooting their own deer and processing it on site for venison. They have a smoke house on site, where Joe smokes not only venison, but homemade sausages from his father’s recipe, bacon, ham and turkey for
Watrins page 16
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Page 16 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021 Joe Watrin pulls his wife, Kathy, and grandkids on a sled behind the side-by-side; the couple often adventures through the trails in the woods. Pictured are Elizabeth (from front), Maddie, Kaitlin and Kathy Watrin and Natalie Koltes.
Watrins
from page 15 family dinners. When the Watrins’ children were younger, the land was home to a full-scale hobby farm with horses, chickens, pheasants and a vegetable garden. The kids had a riding arena and a horse corral, the remnants of which are still visible on the land, but now the space is used for planting corn. The property features nine flower gardens and, since 2011, a water feature with a stream and a pond filled with goldfish and koi. The water feature was dug by hand by their youngest son who also landscaped the entire area. Through the years, the Watrins have run a number of businesses out of their home. Kathy ran a beauty shop out of her home for 25 years. She and Joe launched Granite Pest Control Company out of the property and now they have three generations of family working out of the business and seven full-time people. Kathy was the first woman president of the Minnesota Pest Control Association and is still on the board of directors in what she said has been a his-
HARDWORKING. JOB-TESTED. COMMITTED.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Joe Koltes and Natalie Koltes pose with a turkey they harvested on the property.
torically male-dominated industry. The land has been a good home for their business as well as for relaxation. Two decades ago, the Watrins worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Army Corp of Engineers and a State Hydrologist to excavate the land and create a small man-made lake in an area fed by a freshwater creek. Joe spread the heavy peat out of the hole onto the fields and now, those fields hold moisture and the couple rents them out
for crop farming. When the kids were younger, they had a paddleboat and a rowboat with a seven-horse motor on the lake that they would take out fishing. They stocked the lake with walleye and sunfish and watched the walleye grow to almost keeping and cleaning length before the fish supply was decimated by neighborhood otters. “When the kids are close to nature, they understand the circle of life,” Kathy said. The kids gardened, grew flowers, canned and preserved food and
showed chickens and horses for 4-H, doing both English riding and Western. Even today, Kathy said, all the kids can cook, bake and preserve foods, as well as sew. For her, 4-H was an opportunity to work with her kids and teach them skills as they worked on things they enjoyed. Now, bridges cross the trout stream so the grandkids can ride four-wheeler. The kids occasionally get “lost” in the woods, though their grandparents always know where they are. The landscape, Kathy said, has been Joe’s way of recreating the Sandstone woods and lifestyle he grew up with. Country living for them has been a welcome way of life. The kids, and now the grandkids, have used the land to expand their imaginations, learn how to live and learn how to respect and appreciate nature. “I love it, I love country living, it’s great to raise a family here,” Kathy said. “If you think you’re poor you are, and if you think you’re rich you are. It’s not about money, it’s a way of life and we are so grateful we have been able to raise our family here in this great community, with a good church and in tune with God’s creation.”
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Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 19
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WORK SMARTER, WARNING: Polaris off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. ALL riders should always wear helmets, eye protection and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 8003423764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2021 Polaris Industries Inc.
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cres A Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 29
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
d e m a t n U PARADISE
Rose and Ed Borman stand with their Percheron draft horses, Doc and Matt, Aug. 3 at their home south of Kimball.
Bormans create “old-fashioned” country property
BY DIANE LEUKAM STAFF WRITER
K
IMBALL – “Back in the day” might be a good way to describe Ed and Rose Borman’s 35-acre hobby farm south of Kimball. The presence of Grandpa and Grandma lingers on. It probably always will. Oddly enough, Rose’s grandparents never saw the property because they were never there. Their presence lingers through the artifacts and memorabilia carefully placed throughout the Bormans’ home, and even in Rose’s painting studio attached to the horse barn, where wood from an old dock from the family’s lake home now covers a featured staircase wall. When her grandparents were aging on the farm they needed extra help, so Rose, one of nine siblings, stayed with them. “I will never regret taking care of my grandpa and grandma; I loved be-
The Borman home was built to appear old. One room at a time was finished in an early 20th Century style reminiscent of Rose’s grandparents’ farm home.
ing on the farm – that was where my calling was,” Rose said. “I stayed with them until they died.” The love of the farm and country lifestyle called her until she and Ed were called home – to
bare land they they settled on and where they recreated the old-fashioned place of her dreams. Rose calls it their untamed paradise. “We built this place in order to make it look old,”
Rose said. “I thought, if I’m going to be here I want to create an environment I want to hang out in.” Ed was in agreement, so the two moved from Maple Grove in 1990
and in 1991, began building their new old house, complete with a front porch and aged amenities throughout. Reclaimed racquetball wood flooring covers much of the main floor; walk into the kitch-
en and there is an antique cook’s stove complete with a blue enamel coffee pot and accessories. Everything either appears to be or is very old, like Grandpa and Grandma’s Victrola, the staircase, the wall phone, bathroom features, and even a faded mural on the ceiling of the living room that Rose painted herself. Stepping into their home is like stepping into the past, with no detail incomplete. One room at a time, they completed their new old house. “That’s what we designed it for; it was a labor of love,” Ed said. The home is warm, inviting, comfortable and for many years it was filled with daycare kids who Rose cared for in addition to their own children – Ashley, Joe, Abby and Jake. Around the home outside, the surroundings reveal 4-H projects such as arbors, a pond, flower beds and landscaping features. Not far from
Bormans page 22
Page 22 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
An old-fashioned cook stove is part of the kitchen in the Ed and Rose Borman home south of Kimball.
Bormans from page 21
the house is an outhouse that was built for a library fundraiser, and a small shed they got from a friend. “They stored feed in there, so we remodeled the inside and put a loft in it,” Ed said. One of Rose’s favorite possessions is parked nearby: her dad’s 1942 Chevy farm truck that the couple purchased from Rose’s parents in 1974. “It’s about a 12-year project and everything is original,” Ed said. Rose has fond memories of using the truck on the farm as a kid. “I have an attachment to that truck because that’s the truck my dad and I would always use to go pick up loose hay bales in the ditch,” she said. “It would have been a shame if it was left to rust; I am PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM just so happy we can go The living room features old wood floors and vintage furniture, along with a faded get our feed and throw
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mural on the ceiling, painted by Rose Borman.
that in there. We also do some old car runs.” Besides working, the Bormans enjoy their downtime. As the sun comes up and on cool evenings, they can sit on their front porch and view the rest of their property. Across the driveway is a horse pasture and the Kimball Community Gardens that began many years ago as Abby’s 4-H project, a project for which she received grand champion at the Meeker County Fair. The community gardens have been a rewarding addition to their lives, and a source of ongoing friendships with the people who have rented plots; friendships with people like 81-year-old Leon Zachman. “Leon is a cool old guy; we have met so many nice people,” Rose said. Leon had stopped by to check on his garden, but is always ready for a visit with the Bormans. He lived on a farm
his whole life and, after moving into town several years ago, he missed the ability to have a garden. One day while at the Kimball city hall, he was told the Bormans have a community garden and he was given their number. “I’m welcome here anytime day or night,” Leon said. “I’ll drive down and sit in the shade and take a nap or read a book. I had big zucchini in the middle, sunflowers around the perimeter, set onions – I ate those already. Us sharecroppers out here, if we have too much of our own stuff we pass it around and share it with other people.” The feeling is mutual. “There’s tomatoes for you, you make sure you take them home,” Rose told Leon. One of Leon’s favorite parts of coming to the garden is seeing Doc and Matt, the Percheron draft horses that normally hang
Bormans page 25
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Page 24 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
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WANT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES TO BE FEATURED IN COUNTRY ACRES?
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Cook rice with milk until thick. In small bowl, dilute gelatin in cold water, then add to rice. Mix well; cool. Whip cream until soft peaks form; then beat in sugar and vanilla. Fold whipped cream into rice. Pour into glass bowl. To make the glaze, cook raspberries, cornstarch and sugar until thick; cool. Pour over rice. Refrigerate.
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Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 25
Bormans
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Ed Borman drives Doc and Matt past the Kimball Community Gardens Aug. 3 on the Bormans’ hobby farm south of Kimball.
from page 22
around in the corner of the pasture. They remind him of his own childhood. “I was 8 or 9 years old when the tractors took over,” Leon said. “[Later on], Dad liked to hook them up once in a while on the mower to cut hay when he wasn’t in a big hurry, which wasn’t very often, I guess.” Rose smiled. “You see why we love what we do?” she said. Doc and Matt are 22-year-old “brothers,” born just four days apart. Their mares were sisters and they had the same sire. They were purchased as weanling colts from Don Becker of Watkins. “He was a legend and he showed us the ropes; we learned from the ground up,” Rose said. The horses are most often used in the fall and winter for wagon and sleigh rides, along with church events. “We showed them at one time, but really, they are for work and pleasure,” Rose said. “They are able to haul their own manure, plow and plant.” Their former owner had given the Bormans advice when they bought the colts. “He said, ‘don’t make pets out of them; they will never respect you and
they will walk all over you and you will have problems because they are so big,’” Rose said. The Bormans harnessed the horses to the delight of Leon, who watched as he continued his reverie into his childhood. “I used to drive the horses when I was a kid on the hay wagon with the loader behind them, and they had to make a wide turn on the corner so the loader would pick it up – those horses knew more than I did,” he said. With the horses harnessed up, Ed and Rose walked them up the gradually curving scenic
driveway back to the garden. The peaceful scene is just what Rose always dreamt of as she thought of living her life on the farm. “I always thought I would marry a farmer and God sent me Ed!” she said, grinning at the hobby farmer who has helped make her dreams come true.
A 1942 Chevy farm truck once owned by Rose Borman’s parents has been restored and is still used to haul feed for the horses.
"
“I have an attachment to that truck because that’s the truck my dad and I would always use to go pick up loose hay bales in the ditch. It would have been a shame if it was left to rust."
Leon Zachman is a “sharecropper” who keeps a community garden plot in the Kimball Community Gardens, located on the Borman property south of Kimball. He has become a friend who is welcome any time at the farm.
- Rose Borman
"
Ed and Rose Borman walk with their horses alone the lane between their home and barn, Aug. 3 south of Kimball.
Page 26 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Ruckheims find happiness
through growing hemp
Parkers Prairie farming family continues to learn about new crop BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER
PARKERS PRAIRIE – Sometimes, a journey-altering course arrives with a simple Google search. Matt and Casey Ruckheim out of Parkers Prairie realized this firsthand during the summer of 2019. The couple, who maintain a 160-acre farm together along County Road 79, were looking for a plentiful crop to feed to their cattle, but their discoveries branched out to far more aspects of farming than simply feeding. The Ruckheims’ most viable option, as it turned out, was hemp, a crop that became legalized for cultivation in Minnesota as part of a pilot program in 2015. After attending a hemp conference in Rochester, Matt made one PHOTO SUBMITTED of the boldest decisions of The cola of a hemp plant grows healthy Sept. 30, 2019 his life. in Parkers Prairie. The Ruckheim family ordered 20,000 “I jumped right into it hemp seeds during the first year as hemp growers, with and ordered 20,000 seeds many of them successfully germinating. the first year,” Matt said.
PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON
Matt and Casey Ruckheim are pictured with hemp-farming equipment Aug. 25 in Parkers Prairie. While Matt is an experienced farmer, growing hemp has offered its fair share of challenges, including sampling and hanging the plants.
“It seemed very, very lucrative. Crop prices were quite low at the time, and something better needed to happen on the farm. I’m the person that’s willing to take risks to try something new, and this
was it.” Two years later, the Ruckheims continue their hemp-planting endeavors, having bought thousands of hemp seeds for continued production. While this year has seen a little
over 50% of their hemp seeds germinate, the family is impressed with the crop’s strength and resilience. “Once it grows, it’s
Ruckheims page 27
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Friday, September 3, 2021 | Country Acres • Page 27
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A row of hemp plants are watered as Matt Ruckheim, co-owner of R Bottled Gold, is seen planting additional seeds into the soil July 8 in Parkers Prairie. While this year PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON has been difficult for farmers, at least 1,000 of Ruckheim’s Matt Ruckheim inspects one of his hemp plants Aug. 25 in Parkers Prairie. While the plants are hardy and grow plants are germinating this season. quickly, it is important to keep an eye on their temperature and surrounding weeds.
from page 26
in the ground,” Matt said. “It’s a hardy plant.” Before the season began, the Ruckheims teamed up to line rows of potential hemp plants with plastic and drip tape to make sure weeds did not grow and interfere with their latest supply. To do this, Matt operated a tractor with a transplanter attached, so his children could ride along and apply the irrigation as
he drove. Matt and Casey’s three children – Audrey, 15, Isaac, 13 and Levi, 10 – all play a big role in maintaining the farm and its increasing usage of hemp. When the farm was first cleared to grow the crop, the family planted the seeds in propagation trays, with much of the preparation work coming during the late-evening and nighttime hours, as Matt had to attend to his corn, soybeans and grain before turning toward his newly-acquired hemp. “We put a lot of trust
in our kids the first year,” Matt said. “You can’t borrow money from a bank to start a hemp farm. It’s not a thing. You’re scratching whatever you can on your own to make things happen.” While the Ruckheims saw their hemp grow healthily back in 2019, the uncertain nature of the plant led to a lot of challenging moments, as Matt and Casey sought to keep their plants at the perfect temperature in their
Ruckheims page 29
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Page 28 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
Country Acres According To:
COMMITTED
Victoria Wendland from Randall
TO HELPING YOU
SUCCEED! Founded in 1957, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC is a complete agronomic solutions provider. Our core strength is our commitment to help increase productivity, enhance crop yields and provide reliable product performance. This includes crop protection and crop production products, seed and seed treatments, AGRIntelligence® tools, professional application, financial services, and chemical formulation.
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PHOTO AND STORY SUBMITTED BY VICKI WENDLAND
These "smiles" were left in a log in 2010, after a thunderstorm felled an oak tree at Vicki Wendland's home near Randall.
God smiles
RANDALL – Sometimes, you need to open your eyes to see. With all the chaos and trouble in this world, God sends us a quiet, simple smile and all we have to do is look and see with an open heart. In the summer of 2010, we had a tough thunderstorm with a lot of wind. In our backyard, we had live highline wires touching each other, sending off loud bangs and lots of sparks, you would have thought it was the Fourth of July. Next thing, the wind had an extra-strong gust and took down an oak tree across the road which hit the trans-
! " # $ % ! & % ' ( ! ) *$ %
former and broke the highline wire. Lights out. Early the next morning, I noticed the broken line down on the ground and called the electric company. After they repaired the wire and transformer, they cut up the rest of the oak tree and left the wood behind, along with God’s wonderful smile for us to enjoy (see photo). One smile was upside down but still very much a smile. I saw smiles, was excited our home was still in one piece and no one or animal was injured in the storm.
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Ruckheims from page 27
greenhouse while keeping tabs on a large amount of hemp. “We decided we weren’t going to do it the same way we did it the first year ever again,” Casey said. “We had a lot of steep learning curves that first year. We had too many plants and no irrigation system. It was a lot of finger-crossing.” Preceding the first harvest came another stressful aspect of hemp cultivation, as a test sampler visited the Ruckheim farm and went through their expansive field of hemp, cutting five inches of cola off of 30 plants to gauge their tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels. THC is one of many compounds found in hemp and is what produces the psychoactive effects in marijuana, and if a hemp sample is found to exceed the 0.3% legal limit of THC, the plants must be destroyed. “Our first year, our test results were .294,” Matt said. “It took a bit for it to sink in to us.”
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Hemp plants hang inside of a barn on the Ruckheim farm Oct. 17, 2019 in Parkers Prairie. After hemp plants are cut from the ground, they must be hung to lose moisture immediately afterwards to preserve their chemical compounds.
Once the harvest arrives, the next step starts: hanging up the hemp plants. The Ruckheims take hand-pruning shears and remove their plants from the ground at the base and load them onto trailers. From there, the family will hang their hemp in a barn to dry, as the plants often maintain a moisture content of up to 80% after being cut. Because of this, and the pos-
sibility of losing valuable chemical compounds, it is essential to hang hemp plants immediately after cutting them. “By the time you have them on a trailer, you want them hung in an hour,” Casey said. “We listened to a lot of stories when we were at the hemp conference. A lot of people lost crop by not being prepared.” Preparation extends
much further than simply moving the product from one location to another. The Ruckheims use a bucking machine and a hemp trimmer, with the former to remove the flower material from the stem, while the latter sheds unwanted leaf material. While these stages of hemp farming could be exhausting and meticulous, it did have its benefits. The Ruckheim family grew closer as they worked side-by-side to harvest plants. “There was some bonding time, since most of the time, I don’t see my wife for six months while
I’m farming for the summer,” Matt said. “I saw her every day, right by my side, for two weeks.” While this step-bystep undertaking can be complex and detailed, the couple received help from Leigh Barry, a hemp farmer from Fergus Falls who owns a hemp extractor. “He was a wealth of knowledge,” Casey said. “He gave us a lot of advice and helped us fill in the blanks we didn’t have yet.” Barry’s extractor has opened up more possibilities for the Ruckheims and their journey and growth as hemp farmers. While
Matt and Casey originally planned on selling the plants, they gravitated to cannabidiol (CBD) oil, which can be used to ease pain. Behind this legal, health-oriented focus, the Ruckheims began their own CBD business, titled R Bottled Gold, which sells tinctures, roll-on gel, balm and even gummies and pet products. “If you have a good product to sell, you can’t go wrong trying to get into business with it,” Matt said. And every so often,
Ruckheims page 30
Paynesville
320-243-3938 www.feedcomn.com
salutes
ETHAN HAYES
Audrey Ruckheim, 15, feeds hemp branches into a bucking machine January 2020 in Parkers Prairie. The Ruckheims own both a bucking machine and a trimmer for their hemp plants, helping in the processing of their crops.
Pierz Healy High School Senior Parents: Karen and Corey Hayes Pierz FFA Chapter Tell us about your FFA chapter and your involvement in it: Mrs. tax is our advisor. Our chapter has a meeting every month and weekly practice for a contest. The officers have a meeting every two weeks. I participate in the dairy and livestock judging. This summer, we also got together and decided to help people move. And, every year during FFA week, we get together and decide what we are going to give to our farmers around the town to help them out and to let them know that we appreciate them and all the hard work they do. Name one current issue you believe will impact agriculture in the future. Why? The dry weather, because the hay and corn will not be able to grow.
CASept3-1B-MT
What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? Getting to meet a lot of new people and getting closer to everyone in my FFA chapter. What do you enjoy most about FFA? Why? Doing a contest because you meet new people and learn a lot. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Riding horse, farming and hunting What are your plans for the future? I am going to college and becoming a conservation officer.
?
Page 30 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
WHAT’S THIS
PHOTOS BY EVAN MICHEALSON
Casey Ruckheim and Matt Ruckheim display their R Bottled Gold CBD products Aug. 25 in Parkers Prairie. The couple started their CBD business after receiving a license to grow hemp on their farm in 2019.
Ruckheims from page 29
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
This novelty plant is Senna didymobotrya, better known as “Cassia” or a popcorn plant. When rubbing its leaves through your hands, they leave the distinct odor of popcorn, hence its nickname. The small yellow flowers are also have a similarity to corn. The popcorn plant can be grown in Minnesota during the summer as an annual. Care must be taken with this plant, however, because all parts of it are poisonous if ingested.
Breakfast
Specials 1. Two Eggs and 2 Slices of Toast 2. Two Eggs, Choice of Meat, Toast 3. Two Eggs, Choice of Meat, Hash Browns and Toast
Date Customer’s er Order Numb
(Meat Choices:
4. Country Fried
Sausage Patty,
3.75
Customer’s 6.00er Order Numb
- With Hash Browns
Ham, Bacon, Sausage, Onion, Green Pepper, Cheese, 2 Eggs, Toast ON ACCT. - Egg, Cheese, Choice of Meat on on English English Muffi Muffin ffin or Bun
6. Breakfast Sandwich
Address
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7. Eggs Benedict
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on bread with
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DESCRIPTION QTY
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Sides
full 7.00
Meat - Bacon, sausage patty, Links, or ham Hash Browns
8.00
11.00 10.00
EXTRAS
10.50
Cheese Onions
50¢ 50¢ * Con Consuming raw
218-769-4177
French Toast (1) Toast (white, wheat Oatmeal
Bacon Sausage Ham Pepperoni
2.00 or sour dough)
2.00 1 slice
1.00 3.50
1 Egg
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50¢ 50¢ 50¢ 50¢ $1.00
Beverages
Coffee
$1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
Hot Tea (green,
1.00
1.50
black, peppermint
)
Milk (white or chocolate)
1.50 1.50
Lemonade
Gravy Hollandaise sauce
Ice Tea - Freshly
50¢ 1.00
or uncooked meats, poultry or eggs your risk of food may increase borne illness.
Monday Closed
3.00 3.00
American Fries
Ham) ss Addre
5. Skillet - Hashbrowns,
M
Biscuits & Gravy Biscuit French Toast - 3 Slices
Pancakes Pancak 1 - 3.49 Blueberry Blueber Pancakes 2 - 5.99 1 - 4.99 Chocola Chocolate Chip 2 - 6.99 Pancakes 1 - 4.99 3 Eggs & Cheese 2 - 6.99 Omelet 5.50 w/Hasbrown 9.00 Ham & C s Cheese Omelet 7.50 6.50 w/Hasbrown 11.00 s 8.50 SOLD Bacon & Cheese Omelet 6.50 w/Hasbrown Sausage & Cheese s 8.50 Omelet 6.50 10.00 w/Hasbrown Western O s 8.50 Omelet 8.50 w/Hasbrown s 10.50 4.50QTY ADDITIONA
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1.50 or cranberry)
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the couple hears about what their CBD products have done for their customers, from an 80-yearold woman being able to vacuum her house without pain to a man with Crohn’s disease who has found relief through consuming R Bottled Gold CBD gummies. “These plants are amazing, with what they’re doing for people,” Matt said. “CBD is known for reducing inflammation, which is the root cause of a lot of people’s problems. If you can reduce that inflammation naturally, you can beat a lot of symptoms that people are dealing with.” Matt has been driving tractors since he was 10 years old, and first rented land for farming in high school. While his CBD business has been thriving, this summer has been incredibly difficult for the Ruckheim farm, as historically-low precipitation
R Bottle Gold tinctures sit in front of the Ruckheims’ hemp farm Aug. 25 in Parkers Prairie. The business is owned by Matt and Casey Ruckheim, who have been growing hemp since 2019.
totals and dry spells have led to the worst drought the longtime farmer has ever experienced. Despite this year being summed up with insurance claims and crop inefficiency, there is always hope. “I always look to the future, that the future will be better somehow,” Matt
said. The Ruckheims will host an open-house event on their farm toward the end of September that will inform the community about the local hemp farm. Like the plant itself, hemp cultivation is growing at a lightning-fast rate, which is good news
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for the Ruckheim family and their ever-expanding hemp farm. “We want the opportunity to educate people on what CBD is all about and be an advocate for this hemp industry,” Matt said. “It’s going to grow.”
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Page 32 • Country Acres | Friday, September 3, 2021
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