Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 1 Saturday, September 3, 2022Volume 9, Edition 44 A cres Ccres ountr y ountry Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment 5 Horses know the way home Spring Hill 7 For the love of all things fair food Grace Jeurissen column 11 Blooming prairie Little Falls 15 The bee yard Nancy Packard Leasman column 16 An organic way of farming Browerville 21 Country cooking Sauk Centre 22 FFA Sauk Centre 24 Andersons raise beef after dairy Farwell ST PublicationsRbliti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow. This month in the COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Sept. 17, 2022 GROVE CITY – Not many families can say they spend every other weekend of their summer racing around in tiny motor vehicles, but the Stai-Slinden Racing Team can. On those weekends, Kari and Chris Slinden travel with their two kids, Keeley and Caysen, to the Stockholm Karting Center in Cokato to race go-karts. Chris Slinden has been racing since he was 12 and, from early in their relationship after meeting Kari, the couple spent time together enjoying the racetrack. Go-kart racing has brought the Stai-Slinden team to Wisconsin, Indiana and even to Arizona; Chris Stai, Slinden families make time for motorsport BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER Off to the and Kiara once raced in Florida as well.Once Kari’s nieces, Kiara and Katie Stai, were old enough to participate, Chris and Kari made sure to get the two sisters involved. “I’ve been doing this since I was 5,” Kiara said. “Kari and Chris are like our second parents and really helped get us started with go-kart racing.”Katie agreed. “I was too scared to do it, so I waited a while to start racing,” she said. “Now, I love spending my weekends here at the track.” Races page 2
Page 2 • Country Acres | Saturday, September 3, 2022 Published by Star Sauk522CopyrightPublications2014SinclairLewisAve.Centre,MN56378Phone:320-352-6577Fax:320-352-5647 NEWS STAFF Diane Leukam, diane@saukherald.comEditor Grace Jeurissen, grace.j@star-pub.comEditor Ben Sonnek, ben.s@saukherald.comWriter Herman Lensing, herman@melrosebeacon.comWriter Jennifer Coyne, jenn@dairystar.comWriter Evan Michealson, evan.m@star-pub.comWriter Carol Moorman, carol@melrosebeacon.comWriter Natasha Barber, natasha@saukherald.comWriter Sarah Colburn Staff Writer Christine Behnen FreelanceWriter Story ideas send to: grace.j@star-pub.com SALES STAFF Kayla Hunstiger, kayla@saukherald.com320-247-2728 Missy Traeger, missy@saukherald.com320-291-9899 Tim Vos, tim@albanyenterprise.com320-845-2700 Mike Schafer, mike.s@dairystar.com320-894-7825 Warren Stone, warren@star-pub.com320-249-9182 Jaime Ostendorf, Jaime@star-pub.com320-309-1988 Bob Leukam, bob.l@star-pub.com320-260-1248 PRODUCTION STAFF Pat AnnikaCheyenneMaddyAmandaTurnerThooftNancyPowellPetersonCarlsonKarenKnoblachGunderson 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. CAountry cres ST PublicationsRbliti “Committed to being the eyes and ears of our communities.” Reasonable rates.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Stai-Slinden Race Team of (front from left) Caysen, Kari and Keeley Slinden; (back from left) Chris Slinden, Kiara Stai, Katie Stai, Kathy Stai and Gary Stai, stop for a family photo in the shop. Racing has become a family affair where everyone can be involved.
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PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN Caysen is ready for a practice run Aug. 27 at the Stockholm Karting Center in Cokato. His favorite part of the track is the horseshoe turn.
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Kiara and Katie are both in the Senior class of racing now. The two sisters act as mentors to their younger cousins, Keeley and Caysen, as they begin their race careers. The track has a busy atmosphere with the quick turnaround the karts have between different classes. There is never a dull moment during race weekends under the pink and white circus tent. Last year, the Slindens’ race friends from Wisconsin, the Gaffers, decided to invest in a large pink and white circus-type tent to be their all-encompassing rendezvous spot between trailers and campers. There have even been themed circus games for the kids to participate in during a race weekend.“Wealways have so many kids in our campers and trailers, we thought the tent would be a nice addition,” Kari said. “This is our second home during the summer, so having a large space to cook out, socialize, work on karts and for the kids to play has been really nice.”Keeley is on her third year of racing and Caysen, their youngest, started racing this year.Kids can start racing when they turn 5 and participate in the Speedsters class of racing. Once they turn 8, they get moved up to the Rookie classes, then at 12, they join the Junior division. Once they turn 15, they have a few different options as to which classes they can join based on the type of go-kart they are driving. Experienced drivers can fine-tune their karts between classes to better suit their needs during a race. Some will switch gears, depending on how the track environment is that day, from cold and slippery to hot and dry. Things like adjusting tire pressure can make a large difference in kart performance, too. Chris is the lead mechanic at the Stockholm Karting Center. During the week, he works on fine-tuning go-karts for customers; he races occasionally but, most importantly, he is on the pit crew for Kiara, Katie, Keeley and Caysen. He is a great mentor to the kids at the track, not just because he races, but because he can teach them how to tune their own Go-kartskarts.are an investment. Drivers invest not only money, but also time to the sport. Most of the karts the Stai-Slinden Racing Team have been purchased used Because of Chris’ experience with go-karts, the family can do most of their own repairs on the“Thiskarts.is pretty affordable for a motorsport,” Kari said “It also is really safe and, as a mom of two young racers, I really appreciate that aspect.” The pits are where the kids can play and make new friends. It’s not uncommon for the campers to be full of kids playing. Kari said the atmo sphere around the track is very family friendly. “I like playing with my friends at the racetrack,” Kee ley said.There is much fun to be had while racing and playing with friends at the racetrack. For most, the excitement of the day starts when the karts are pushed toward the ramp on top of the hill leading to the track. Though it may look in timidating from the top, even the speedsters maneuver their karts gracefully down the hill and around the bend. Then, it’s off to the races.
from front Races page 3
Races
(right) Kari Slinden helps Caysen Slinden get situated before his practice run. Kari is grateful for their racing family and excited to see her kids and nieces’ passions for the sport grow. The track consists of a series of tight turns and horseshoe curves that can make for a complicated race, depending on how many racers are on the track to pass. Sometimes, taking a corner too fast can mean spinning out, almost like hitting a banana during a Nintendo Mario Kart game. “I like going fast and sliding through the horseshoe turn,” Caysen said.
2 Races page 4
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Being at the racetrack every other weekend makes many connections between the kids and families. They all tease, play and collaborate with each other to make the weekends enjoyable.“Ilike to consider the people at the track our racing family, because this is like a second home for us,” Kari said.
Slinden from page
(below) A racer crosses the finish line during a race.qualifyingOnelapp Getting involved in Go-kart racing can teach kids patience and responsibility.During races, Kiara, Katie, Keeley and Caysen have to patiently wait for the right moment to pass someone or when to decide against it. Then, after the races, everyone gets involved to clean and prepare karts for the next “Go-kartsrace.are a wonderful way to get into racing,” Kari said. “It can teach the fundamentals and introduce you to a great group of people.” It’s not uncommon for new families to make a friend during their debut at the racetrack. Even following a bad race, the kids leave the race on the track and are back with each other having fun. Following the Aug. 27 and 28 race weekend, Keeley and Caysen wanted more time with their race friends, the Heideckers.“It’sa testament to the inclusiveness of the race community, to see my kids wanting to spend more time with their friends, even after a whole weekend together,” Kari said.
Kids in the Speedsters class line up for practice Aug. 27 in Cokato. Speedsters are racers between the ages of 5 and 8.
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Go-karts are parked under the circus tent between classes. Fine-tuning of gears, tires and engines takes place during free time. Keeley Slinden gets ready to race Aug. 27. This is her third year racing, and her favorite thing about race weekends is seeing her friends.
Races from page 3
S BY GRAC E JEURI SS EN
many
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PHOTO
PHOTOS
Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 5
Horses
know
BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN more Lisa, 20oz.
information, please email
SPRING HILL – Dan Welle has worked with horses all his life. His father, Vernon, worked with numerous teams in the harness and ridingThesehorses.days, Dan’s family has a mix of driving, riding and pet equines. Their team of black Percheron mares pulls a wagon for weddings, the Stearns County Fair, family outings and other occasions. Ryan, Dan’s son, has become a competitive and accomplished horseman. The youngest children of the newest generation are already being offered their turn to take the reins. When Dan Welle was young, everyone had horses.“Instead of a bicycle, you had a horse,” said Dan.He grew up only a mile north from his current farm, and friends 13 or 15 years old would ride all over the place, to Spring Hill or Greenwald. They would ride through the woods out to Lake George and camp overnight. “Nowadays people load their horse up to go riding.” Dan said. “We’d get on our horse and take off. Sometimes, it was 10 miles one way. It would be dark before we got home. The horse always knows its way home.” Vernon used to farm with the horses, but he wouldn’t just get a good team and call it settled. He liked to break in new teams, work them, sell them and then start a new team. Dan was there to see it all, and to be a helpful hand. “He would go to the spring sale in Waverly, buy a team, use them a bit and then sell them to the Amish,” Dan said. “For some of them, it took three people: one to hold onto each horse, and one dumb guy to get on the wagon. That
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Lady and Linda BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN (above) Members of the Welle family go for a horsedrawn wagon ride at their farm near Spring Hill. (right) Lady and Linda are Dan Welle’s trustworthy team of Percheron mares. At 20 years old, they just get better with time. Welle page 6 was always me! Some horses were good, but some wanted to run. You never knew what you were getting.” In this way, Dan learned how to integrate new horses and train them in. He would ac-
the way homeWelle family raises next generation with equine tradition
PHOTO SUBMITTED Dan Welle and his Percheron mares, Linda and Lady, pull a plow during a draft horse field day.
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PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN The newest member of the family, newborn Aimsley Welle, goes on her first drive with the Welle farm visible in the background. From left: Brad Welle holding Aimsley, his wife Brittany, Dan Welle holding Wesley Imdieke, Mallory Imdieke, Delaney Imdieke, Ryan Welle, Adam Imdieke, Megan Imdieke and Deanna Welle
Welle from page 5 company his father to give rides with the horses, which is not unlike how Dan’s son, Ryan, helps with giving rides. Over the years, Vernon continued to work with the horses, even as horse-farming largely gave way to machinery.
“People would stop and take pictures of him cutting hay,” Dan said. Seeing the horses working is a novel experience in these times when tractors and other mowers are available to do the same work. Horses can still be seen demonstrating field work like plowing or disking and giving rides. The Welle family has sometimes participated in the HorseMinnesotaNorthernDraftAssociation field day, which this year will occur on Sept. 24 in Verndale at the England Prairie PioneerDan’sClub.current main team is composed of two 20-year-old black beauties, Lady and Linda. They are older, but strong, and they know what is expected of them.
Welle page 8
Mike,
“The older they get, the better they get,” Dan said. “They’re a quiet team. My dad likes the ones up in the line that want to go. I like the ones that stand there. He always tells me mine are slow ones. Anyone could drive these two.” With the Percherons, giving rides is rewarding. Santa once received a very special ride through Elrosa to hand out candy in the gently falling snow. This has been a great way to share the driving horses with the public. “I do it for the people who grew up with horses and still like to see them,” Dan said. After giving rides, loading them on the trailer to go home is as simple as removing their bridles and opening the door for Dan’sthem.teams, and the family horses, have become so reliable and trustworthy that they’ve made impromptu appearances in unexpected places. The family used to hook the team up to drive to nearby Spring Hill, have a drink and a pizza and drive home. The horses would stand there waiting patiently. Dan’s wife, Deanna, laughingly recalled the story when Ryan once ventured out from the Stearns County Fair to ride his horse through the McDonald’s drive-thru. The mares know their job well. Linda and Lady can stay steady on the side of a highway with oncoming semis roaring by. They have learned to walk in sync with each other, as they are always moving in tandem in the yoke. Complex movements like a U-turn on the road look easy, but the coordination required to do this movement is a testament to the easy and coordinated grace of the mares. Getting a horse to this level of partnership is not a complicated process, in Dan’s experience.“Just use them,” Dan said. “That’s the main thing.”To elaborate upon that, Dan explained how a new young team might
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As the Great Minnesota wraps up, wanted to refl on the melting pot that is the Minnesota State complain about people like me someone who eats, sleeps and breathes the state fair and all of its adventure. Not even the terrible driving and parking situations discourage me while headed for a sweltering hot or rainy day of walking the exhibit buildings and midway. I grew up going to the state fair for 4-H with both my sewing projects and beef cattle. I always had great experiences visiting the fair and even have found some loopholes to avoid suffocating crowds. (A magician never reveals her secrets.)
Touch of Grace by Grace Jeurissen
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Fair. People
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My best experience at the state fair, hands down, was my year as a Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist. I spent the first four days of the fair walking in heels between the barns and stages and doing radio and TV interviews. I was also in the butter booth, of course. It was an unforgettable experience. The best perk of being a Princess Kay finalist at the fair is you get served whatever delicious fair food you want. I ate a Cuban sandwich from a rinky-dink stand off the side of the horse barn two days in a row. It was the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. I vividly remember the sweet and tangy taste of that sandwich; I have intentions to revisit the stand this Inweekend.myyounger days, I loved the chicken on a stick stand that is down the road from the dairy building. I would be remiss to forget the french fry stand that dots the landscape of the fair grounds. I appreciate a large bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies and a glass of ice-cold milk, a guilty pleasure. We take advantage of the effort, staff, exhibitors and cost that goes into putting on the Minnesota State Fair. Walking around the fairgrounds, we forget to notice the groups preparing our foods and playing the sweet music. I began to notice how each stand has a unique crew of people putting it on. There are some great ethnic foods; one can find Italian pasta, Mexican tamales and German schnitzel, amongTheothers.United States itself is a melting pot of so many people, and Minnesotans are privileged enough to experience a trip around the world’s cuisine on 322 acres. It’s not only the cuisine that makes the Minnesota State Fair so great. You turn a corner and can hear music from any era and any corner of the globe. I have made a habit to find the Calypso band near the International Bazaar during the fair because I love the rich, fun melodies they play. No matter where we come from or our past, the state fair is the best way to network with people, find a new favorite food and listen to something inspiring. The nation’s fairs were originally a place to exhibit and educate the public on agriculture. The heart of the state fair is still the families who bring their animals through the barns on the west end of the fairgrounds. The barns are easily one of the most visited places on the grounds – besides the entrance gates. This all ties back to the food we get at our favorite stand. If it weren’t for the farmers and ranchers who raise the livestock and crops, we would not get to eat the best Cuban sandwich during the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
I
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Working with his father gave Ryan a foundation for riding, but the support of neighbors and other riders, as well as hard work, solidified Ryan’s “Youskills. meet people, get connections, and they teach you along the way,” said Ryan. “The horse community is great; everyone is willing to help everyone out, even though you’re there Welle
PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN Ryan Welle and his mare, Hannah, have created an unbreakable bond after countless hours of training together.
PHOTO SUBMITTED Ryan Welle and his mare, Hannah,
compete in games.
Welle from page 6 be trained. Once they can be handled quietly, they will need to spend time with the harness on. Next, they will be tied alongside more experienced horses and become accustomed to walking along. Finally, the new team can transition to working directly together, without the support of an already established team. Dan has a pair of 2-year-old Fjords in the barn that will likely have completed this process by next summer. The finishing touch of this philosophy of training may include putting in work hours at an AmishDanfarm.isn’t the only one in the household who knows his way around the horses. The entire family of Dan, Deanna, and their three children at times go trail-riding, which explains their generous herd of 12 horses. The children started with a pony when they were young. Over the years, the family would sometimes go for weekly rides, followed up by bonfires, with a group of friends. Dan and Deanna’s four grandchildren live nearby and have begun to experience rides and spend time with their miniature donkey, Ricco.Ryan, became quite involved in horses since he was 10 years old and now, at 23, is still responsible for readying the horses every spring for family riding. He learned driving alongside his father and his grandfather. He began competing in 4-H, WSCA (Western Saddle Club Association) games, cattle sorting, and joined the Rocky Riders Saddle Club.
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“They build a bond with you. They know you’re their owner and they’re part of your family.” - Ryan Welle
His current main horse, Hannah, has been with him for six years and they have come a long way together. “I practiced every night getting to know her, getting to know the way she does things and her getting to know the way I do things,” Ryan said. “I had to learn pretty much everything from scratch. I haven’t parted with her, and I won’t.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN Dan Welle (from left) offers the reins to his grandchildren, Delaney, Mallory and Wesley Imdieke. Horses have been a big part of raising a family on the Welle farm. Delaney Imdieke brushes Ricco, the family’s miniature donkey.
Traditions may change on the farm over the years, but the horses driven and ridden, brushed and cared for are still part of the Welle family.
Thinking about his nieces and nephews, one of them still newborn, Ryan hopes for them to enjoy experiences like his, Dan’s, and Vernon’s with the horses. Perhaps they may show in 4-H like Ryan, and learn to drive a team.
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“They build a bond with you,” Ryan said. “They know you’re their owner and they’re part of your family.”
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“With all of my years, I’m sure I can convince them,” he said.
Dan and Deanna Welle show their granddaughters, Delaney and Mallory Imdieke, two Norwegian Fjord horses that will be trained to drive in the next year. Welle from page 8 to compete. They’re kind of like a second family.” Ryan was surprised to realize how much he works with his horses. He won the top saddle log for his saddle club one year, for riding the most between March and September. “I rode every day,” Ryan said. “I would ride multiple horses. I rode almost 400 hours; over time, it addsTheup.”time that goes into the horses is well worth it and, between Ryan’s horse Hannah, or Dan’s team of Linda and Lady, the relationship just gets better with time.
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Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 11
“It’s a great place for natives to come and hang out,” he said. “Right now, the monarchs are coming through on their migration. When the blazing star starts blooming, they are attracted to the prairie.”
BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
prairie
LITTLE FALLS – Fall is a special time of year for Peter and Patty Vogel on their 80-acre property south of Little Falls. Their many acres of prairie are a sea of mostly yellow and purple as blazing stars and goldenrod come into full bloom.
Each day, they keep an eye on the prairie, watching for tiny flashes of orange, signs of the fall migration of monarch butterflies. On Aug. 24, they were there. On that day, the Vogels shared the story of the prairie not only with Country Acres, but a busload of people on a tour with the Morrison County SWCD. As they filed through the pathways on the prairie, Peter explained the process of an abandoned cornfield being transformed into a successful habitat for deer, birds, bees and butterflies.
With Peter far ahead on the trail, Patty talked about the butterflies.
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PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM Patty and Peter Vogel stand in the restored prairie Aug. 24 on their property south of Little Falls. (top) The prairie is in full bloom and provides a habitat for growingthroughoutpollinatorsitsseason.
Vogels provide pollinator haven
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As the Vogels walked along the prairie trail, they watched monarchs land on the blazing stars, bees buzz and birds dart effortlessly in the sky around them. They talked about plants they have watched grow along the way, and they watched their prairie bloom.
“If people would take a little corner of that kind of place and plant prairie flowers, that would really help the pollinators,” he said.
The bee yard, just beyond our orchard, is roughly 45 feet in diameter. Three strands of electric wire are suspended on 11 posts surrounding this circular area. One side has three plastic gate handles, on the three wires, to allow access to the enclosure. The wires are charged by a solar-powered battery. The intent is to deter bears and other large creatures that might be interested in the bee boxes. This came after a young bear did significant damage a few years ago. Bears do love honey. The bee presence came with the land when we bought it 40 years ago. I don’t know how long the bee men had used this site before we acquired the land, but two subsequent apiarists have provided us with honey over the last four Thedecades.beemen bring the hives in the spring. They tend the bees through the summer. There are six towers, each one made up of layers of four bee boxes each. These towers can grow to six or seven hives in height, making a total of over 160 honey-producing hives. Occasionally, after being disturbed or maybe for some other cosmic reason, bees will decide to leave their home and swarm. We’ve noticed this a few times over the years. Once, they temporarily occupied the upper branches of a birch tree near our driveway before departing. This spring, we heard a loud buzzing and, when we went to investigate, we realized bees were swarming high above an oak tree and already moving away. Just to be sure, I ventured near enough to the bee yard and saw that one of the hive towers had very little activity. The bee man is pretty accepting of this wayward nature of his bees. There’s always a new queen waiting in the wings. She and her cohort will repopulate. I usually stay well away from the bee yard while the bees are in residence. Last fall, after the bee man had loaded the hives up on his flat-bed truck, I noticed some 8- to 10-foot-tall BT (buckthorn) surrounding the fence. The Working out –outdoors, that is by NancyLeasmanPackard
“You plant it and, once it’s established, you let it go. In this area, you would have to burn it periodically, otherwise it’s going to grow up in white pines. But, other than that, it will go on forever.”They are willing to share their experiences with other landowners, to help them get established.“We have hopes that somebody would be interested in starting a prairie,” Patty said. “We want to inspire people to do this.”
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM Monarchs feast on blazing star, stopping by the Vogels’ prairie as part of the butterflies’ migration, Aug. 24 south of Little Falls.
Vogels from page 13
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The Bee Yard The Bee Yard page 15
Peter is more pragmatic. “That’s not likely to happen,” he said. He completely agrees with the sentiment, though.“[As an attorney], I work with a lot of older people, farmers especially, who say, ‘I don’t want this land to be broken up, I don’t this want this land to be changed,’ and I feel the same way about this,” he said. To that end, the Vogels have placed the land into a permanent conservation agreement so it cannot be developed into housing.
And, they share a desire for more people to start their own prairies. “You’ve got these native species, like the monarchs, that are under pressure and, more than anything else, it’s because they don’t have anywhere to live,” Peter said. “They don’t have any habitat. You go out to somebody’s place in the country and they have five acres of manicured lawn and it’s beautiful, I suppose, but as far as butterflies and pollinators are concerned, it’s a desert [with] nothing for them to eat, nothing for them to hide on.” He sees potential in many places.
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CA-Sept3-1B-JW 14451 430TH ST. • BERTHA, MN 56437 218-924-4522 HARMS MFG., INC. www.harmsmfg.com • Big Square And Big Round Bales • Heavy Duty • Double acting hydraulic lift • 10’x24’ Bed • 8 Bolt Hubs • Heavy Duty • All Steel Construction • Guaranteed To Trail • 10’x30’ bed Big Bale Dump Racks BaleTandemRacks Heavy Duty! Heavy Duty! Best Prices Around. Best Quality Around. • Keeps moisture in the soil • Firmly packs soil to slow weed growth • Enables better germination OVER 2,000 LAND ROLLERS OPERATING IN THE MIDWEST! 12’-62’ Land Rollers › FASTER STARTS › HIGHER YIELDS › FEWER EXPENSES We have ROCK WAGONS! Customavailable!sizes The Bee Yard from page 14 bee men keep the brush around the fence cut to assure effectiveness of the electric fence. But, as any anyone who has tried to control buckthorn by simply cutting it knows, if you
with herbicide, it sprouts a dozen shoots for every
Case IH Maxxum 125 MFD, 4720 hours, Case IH 6.7 liter engine, 105HP, 16 speed range powershift with left hand reverser, rear wheel weights, 3 hydraulic remotes, 540-1000 PTO, Goodyear 14.9R28front and 18.4R38 rear tires, cab suspension, Case IH L755 loader with grapple, joystick, and 96” bucket. Very clean 2 owner tractor. cut treating the stump one that has been cut. the bees gone, the timing was perfect deal with the buckthorn. I loaded the chainsaw and herbicide sprayer in the back of the gator. I drove it to the bee yard and, since the bee men took the solar-powered battery with them, I had no concern of getting shocked as I opened the simple gate and drove to the middle of the yard. My intent was to cut the larger buckthorn shrubs, allowing them to fall close to the fence so I could push them over the fence and load any that had berries onto the gator to haul them to my disposal site. I started on one side of the circle and, as usually happens, I found more small BT plants than I’d anticipated. I pulled them and hauled them and miscellaneous sticks to the brush piles from last year’s woodlot work. Cutting and treating the stumps, I worked my way around the exterior of the circle. The west side of the bee yard had very little BT. Raspberry canes, a few gooseberries and some wild strawberries still had green leaves and drew the discerning BT-seeking eye. The south side, however, had a patch so thick that after two previous pulling sessions it was still more than I could hope to control by extraction. After cutting the tall ones that I couldn’t pull and loading the gator with the branches that had berries, I treated the stumps and then carefully sprayed all the BT children.Whatescaped me, though, was that where there are BT children, there is a BT mother. Until I looked up. And there, with her flounce of green leaves amongst the canopy of maples, oaks, ash and poplar, was the mother of all BT. With a shaggy brown trunk, she stood in the middle of the area I had just sprayed. I had no choice but to wade back in and take her Now,down.it’sinteresting to point out that if I had been working out in a gym for two hours, I would not have put in another hour lifting weights or stepping out on an elliptical machine. But there in the woods, with a job that needed to be done, I put in another hour of cutting, stacking, and hauling.AsIcutup the upper branches I didn’t find any BT berries. There are apparently male and female buckthorn. It’s usually assumed that if there are no berries, then it’s a male. However, the evidence on the ground said this was a female. I consulted the online version of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources https://fi
–yeartoyardmythroughwentinfeetmiddlephotocycle.chinetaminatedmediatelyingfruit-bearingonfemaleletin.you_should_know.pdfalplants/woodyplants/buckthorn_what_natural_resources/invasives/terrestri-les.dnr.state.mn.us/buckthornbul-Whileitdidnotmentionmalevs.northepossibilityofbearingfruitalternateyears,itadvisedremovingbuckthorntrees.Fruit-bear-ornot,inmybook,allBThastogo.Aftermythree-hourworkout,Iim-putmypotentiallyspray-con-outerwearinthewashingma-andranthemthroughahotwaterWhenIwentbackouttotakeaofthebeeyard,there,rightintheofmyphoto,wasaBTabout3tall.Imayhavesprayeditbut,justcaseIhadn’t,Iwaitedafewdaysandbackandtookitout.Arecentmad-dashinspection,swarmsofmosquitoes,revealedBTcontroleffortsaroundthebeeweremostlysuccessful.I’llhavewaitformynowfavoritetimesoftheinthewoods–anytimebutsummertoknowforsure.
With
and
PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN
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“ThatKerimatter.”agreed.has been the biggest difference since being organic, was watching how the row crop fields’ soil health improved after eliminating the use of the chemicals,” she said. Now that they are organic, their biggest pest in their fields are wild radish, which tends to be difficult to get rid of. To help with weeds they use a burner between the rows of their fields. Before they made the decision to go organic, the Salbers were being innovative in the way they were solving problems on the farm. They tried alternative methods for treating cows and calves and tried to limit the amount of chemicals they used to treat for pests.Fly control became slightly harder after going organic. It can be challenging to find an effective way to manage fly control without the use of aerosols. Their solution was the purchase of a Cow Vac. The Cow Vac blows air on the cows as they walk through and sucks the flies up into a trap. The flies stay in the trap and get disposed of when the bags are full.
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Page 18 • Country Acres | Saturday, September 3, 2022 1800 2nd St. S. • Sauk Centre, MN Ditching • ExcavatingTiling Ag Waste Systems Drainage LLC. “FARMSPECIALISTS”DRAINAGE Jason Marthaler 320-249-6062 Karl Larson 320-808-8012 Howard Marthaler 320-250-2984
A K-Line irrigation system is pictured, a tool that helped keep some of the Salbers’ pastures growing during the drought last summer.
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“I really notice the difference when cultivating the field; the first few years, there wasn’t much for life in the soil to hold it together,” Anna said. “Now, you can really see the texture changing and it has more organic
Karl,Howard Jason running almost full time in an attempt try to keep up with the dry conditions.It’s not just the happy pasture-grazed cows that the Salbers like about farming organically, they enjoy being stewards of the land.“Pretty much everything has something growing on it at all times,” Mike said. Anna agreed. “You can really tell the difference in soil health too,” she said. A few years ago, the Salbers purchased a farm with acreage not far from their homesite where Anna could live and they could run the land. The acreage was originally a conventional farm, so there was a transition process of three years to make it certified organic.
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Calves are housed in group housing after 2 weeks of age. Once weaned, they will be put on pasture. Salbers from page 17 Salbers page 20
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Page 20 • Country Acres | Saturday, September 3, 2022 300 Main St., Cold Spring, MN (320) 685-8651 Monday – Friday: 8:00AM to 6:30PM Sat.: 8:00AM to 3:00PM Sunday: Closed COLD SPRING CO-OP & COUNTRY STORE Sale!End of Summer 25% HomeDecorLawn&off PRICESGOOD Sept. 3rdSept. 30th! CASept3-1B-WS 18508 County Rd 130, Paynesville, MN 56362 • 320-243-7815 • www.borklumber.com CA-Sept3-1B-WS NEW CONSTRUCTION • REROOF • REMODELING • SIDING • WINDOWS • DOORS • SHEDS • LAKE HOMES • INSULATION Fall project list? WE’RE HERE TO HELP give us a call! LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Commercial | Agriculture | Residential “Every challenge can be combatted somehow, we just have to test what works,” Mike said. Looking back, Mike and Keri agree that their transition to organic was easier than they would have thought. Their decision was made January of 2000 and, by February, they were starting their threeyear transition to become certified organic. “I think this works for us because we believe what we are doing is a good thing,” Mike said. “If I were to advise anyone thinking about switching, I would tell them to make the decision and run with it.” PHOTO BY GRACE JEURISSEN
Mike Salber
pets one of the Brown Swiss cows in the herd. Many of the cows in the Salbers’ herd are friendly and enjoy some extra attention. Salbers from page 18
Page 22 • Country Acres | Saturday, September 3, 2022 Paynesville www.feedcomn.com320-243-3938 Town: Sauk Centre FFA Advisor Sauk Centre Secondary
What are some things in your classroom you couldn’t live without? Some things in my classroom I couldn’t live without are my desk calendar and sticky notes. I try to stay super organized but I also like to multi-task and forget things all the time. If I don’t have it written down somewhere, I will probably forget it, so I put everything on my calendar and write myself notes on the sticky notes all the time. What are you looking forward to during the upcoming school year? This upcoming school year, I am excited to try some new events to get more students interested in FFA and to bring more speakers into my classroom. I will also be getting a new classroom with our referendum that passed, so I am excited to see how the planning process for that will go. What value does FFA bring to students? For a lot of students that join FFA, they view it as their home or family. Members get very close after spending multiple years together in the chapter and always feel that they are included in the chapter and belong. FFA also opens up many opportunities for students that they might not otherwise have when it comes to scholarships and job opportunities, and even life experiences.
What has been your favorite memory as an FFA advisor? My favorite memory so far being an advisor is taking members to National FFA Convention my first year. I had never gone myself, so we all got to experience it for the first time together. Watching the members make new friends and talk to members from other states was awesome.
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Tell a little about yourself: I grew up on my parents’ dairy and crop farm and went to high school here in Sauk Centre. I joined FFA when I was in ninth grade, as that was as early as we could join back then. I graduated in 2015 and went on to receive my bachelors at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I am now in my fifth year of teaching. What made you decide to become an FFA advisor/ ag education teacher? When I was younger, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, I just didn’t know what I wanted to teach. When I was in 10th grade, Duane Lichy was our new ag teacher and FFA advisor. He made class a lot of fun and always had a lot of enthusiasm for agriculture in class and with FFA, and that was how I decided I wanted to become an ag teacher and always be a part of FFA.
“In the second or third chapter of our math book was an aerial photo of a stockyard, with a bunch of Hereford cattle,” said Bill. “I was so excited to get to that chapter. I couldn’t wait! Even my teachers knew by the time I was 10.” He knew he wanted to be a dairy farmer by the time he had turned 10. Bill wasted no time getting started and had his own dairy herd as a teenager. He actually had to hire someone to milk his cows in order to attend his own high schoolThengraduation.between 1997 and 2003 the dairy industry took a hit in milk prices. At that time Bill had 50 cows producing an average of 80 pounds a day. “We did not go broke, but we were going backwards so fast.” said Bill. “I was done dairy farming. That was my life’sBillplan.”estimated a personal loss during that time of about $90,000. On April 8, 2003 the Andersons’ cows were sold at auction.Despite suddenly having his future in dairy uprooted, and not yet knowing Andersons page 25 dairyafter dairy 8430 Highway 10 | Clear Lake, MN 55319
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FARWELL – By early grade school Bill Anderson’s future was known to him with certainty – a dairy man he would be. By his early twenties that life was derailed and soon arose a new adventure in a different kind of cattle. Bill and Kelly Anderson live in the southern suburbs of Farwell. It’s not so far from where they were raised, but is different from where they had once thought their lives would surely go. Even as a child Bill suffered no struggles to come to know his own destiny. When cows are the future, even a second-grade book on mathematics couldn’t help but point him in the Family reflects on years of farming, life BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN | STAFF BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN (above) Any calf needing extra attention and care stays in the barn close to home. (right) Bill and Kelly Anderson of Farwell run a beef cow-calf operation with 140 cows. Bill was originally a dairy farmer until he sold his herd in 2003. direction of cattle.
WRITERPHOTOS
Andersons raise beefAndersons beef
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months and a week to get out of there,” he said. The first year Bill had been buying cattle and filling his lots, not imagining that he would be simultaneously holding down a full-time job. He had a few hundred cattle, and a grueling work schedule at the railroad. “And we had two little kids, and I had a fulltime job.” Kelly said. “Our communication consisted of leaving post-it notes on the kitchen table: this cow just calved, check her when you wake up.” They recalled how the pot can boil over. At one time they had bred 121 females that were split between eight different pasture locations, all while they were both working full-time. They reminisced about the challenges that come with raising cattle in Minnesota; like the long, cold, wet and muddy spring of 2022. Some of their pastures are bordered by lakes, run through by rivers, sodden with wetlands.Cold calves end up in the pickup, in the garage, in the hotbox; this is a herd management tactic the Andersons use to protect the health of their young calves.“What do I do everyday?” Bill said. “I wander around until I find an absolute disaster, and then I deal with it. You don’t know what that disaster is going to be, or where it is, but you’re going to have an absolute disaster somewhere. My mom says that when you’re in the business of feeding alligators, feed the nearest one first.” Bill is a storyteller too, but not just of his own stories. For many years he worked for the railroad, he’s come to know the stories of many who traveled through the FarwellThroughconnection.15 years, seven months, and a week, Bill was working as a yard master for the railroad. He had only moved scarcely two miles from where he had grown up, yet his job allowed him to know people not just from the next county over, but from all over the United States. “You’d be talking to someone who lives in a town of three million,” Bill said. “I tell them I live in the southern suburbs of a town of 51 people. People do like to tell their story. All you have to do is ask.”He recounted the time of the employee shortage when a $25,000 sign-on bonus was given to recruits. He met a nice man from Nashville, with a low voice. By chance Bill came upon a music video, and there was his friend singing. It turned out he had been on the verge of country music stardom, only to have it pulled out from under him when the record company wentThebroke.mix of adventure, misadventure, tragedy and opportunity that brought people to work for the railroad was fascinating, and, ironically, Bill’s own story is perhaps not so unlike that of the erstwhile Nashville country singer he met.Bill figures he’s gotten to know upwards of 1, 200 people. With all of the stories he’s collected from them, selling the dairy in 2003 has made him just as much a story man as it has made him a beefThisman. spring holds a story the Andersons will vividlyBillremember.and Kelly returned from church one day to a newborn calf their son had found in the freezing lake, with just its head sticking out. Still in their church clothes, they spent hours warming and nursing the calf. It finally took a first drink and survived. Bobber became the calf’s name because of his unique start to life. “The memorable ones are the ones that get names,” Kelly said. “It’s usually because there was a problem.”Consider this, for a beef man whose goal is to raise “forgettable cows.” Bill has been many things. His most inspiring story might just be that he overcame the challenge of selling his dairy herd and became a full-time beef
Bill and Kelly Anderson appreciate the wetlands that dot the landscape of their farm in Farwell.
PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN
Bill Anderson feeds a new born calf in the house to warm it up on a cold day. The Andersons make sure to check cattle frequently during calving season.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN
Andersons from page 26
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Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 27 producer and railroad yard“It’smaster.good to have stuff to worry about, like cattle.” he said. “Every memorable deep conversation I’ve had with my kids, was while we were doing something that involved cattle. We sit and tell cow stories.” “When he was on the railroad, he had this (farm) to make him keep going.” Kelly said. “Here you’re raising your kids to see the work of the Almighty Creator in everything we’re doing out here, whether it be an answered prayer, or an unanswered prayer we later find out was actually an answered prayer. You see life from a more important perspective when caring for livestock.”Inthesouth suburbs of Farwell live Bill and Kelly Anderson and a herd of beef cattle.
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The Andersons’ beef herd has grown to 140 cows. They are rotationally grazed between a number of different pastures.
PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE BEHNEN
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