Country Acres South - January 21, 2023

va lue value

Boomflower Farm nurtures sustainability

BY JAN LEFEBVRE STAFF WRITER

KENYON – There are two rules Katy Lund applies when she makes personal care products at Boomflower Farm.“One, I need to make it myself,” Lund said. “Two, it needs to have at least one farm- grown ingredient.”

All other ingredients she tries to source as locally as

possible, preferably within 50 miles driving distance from her farm, unless it damages the effectiveness of the product by doing so. The products also have 10 or fewer ingredients to keep them as natural and minimalist as possible.

The lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners and salves Lund makes often contain milk from the two cows she has on her land that she milks by hand. The products also have oils that are infused with medicinal herbs she grows in her garden. Lund uses tallow from her farm’s animals and pig lard from a nearby farm for some of her creations. Lund farms 20 acres near Kenyon in Goodhue County

“The products are made in my kitchen, much to the chagrin of my husband,” Lund said.

Bottling and packaging of products is done on the farm as well and all are labeled with the farm’s name. Lund said choosing a name for the product line was simple.

“My husband is really into video games, and he just said, ‘Boomflower is perfect for your gamertag,’” Lund said. “It’s not a good story, but it’s a good name.”

Percy the draft horse stands with owner Katy Lund at Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. Percy does numerous jobs on the farm including hauling logs.

Her husband, Alex Zemanek, works at Urgent Care in Burnsville, but he helps with the farm as well.

Lund is a licensed mental health therapist through telehealth. She said she loves both roles she has taken on – therapist and farmer – and she thinks they have similarities.

“They both give me a very big sense of purpose,” Lund said. “At its core, social work is about advocating for the betterment of all people. I find that a lot of what we are doing with farming, and my beliefs around farming and locally made, can connect back to that advocacy side of things.

For her it’s about doing the most good for the communities they are in.

The farm was the site of a goat dairy up until five years before Lund and Zemanek purchased it in November of 2020. The hayfield was still being used and maintained but the rest of the property wasn’t when the couple moved there. The land and buildings needed repairing. They have a full barn, a separate chicken coop, and a machine shed where they store the majority of their hay.

“It’s been a big endeavor, but all the infrastructure was here when we moved in,” Lund said. “Our focus has been more on how do we repair the land to being more in harmony with the animals as well as just being healthier itself.”

Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. There they raise a variety of animals and make products using sustainable agriculture with a focus on keeping things local.

Since Lund chooses animal breeds that are hardy in winter weather, her non-fowl animals mostly stay on the farm’s pasture. The animals include two milk cows, four steers and two horses –one a trained work horse that pulls logs and moves heavy loads.

“The other is a pleasure horse that is too old and too wonky to be of much use other than just for fun,” Lund said.

The farm is also home to a full herd of sheep, around 20 Icelandic and three Shetland that Lund and Zemanek own, and another 20 sheep owned by a tenant of theirs.

“Icelandic sheep are technically a heritage breed,” Lund said. “They are more parasite resistant and have a hardier immune system than some of the more commercial breeds. They are much better at surviving. You can talk to a lot of sheep farmers who say that sheep are very good at finding ways to die because they are silly and get themselves stuck in silly situations.”

The breed fits into Lund’s goal of making the whole farm as sustainable as possible.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VINTAGE AT HEART PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL Katy Lund and Alex Zemanek own

Published

SOUTH

NEWS STAFF

Mark Klaphake, Editor, mark.k@dairystar.com

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

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

Tiffany Klaphake, Writer, tiffany.k@dairystar.com

Ben Sonnek, Writer, ben.s@saukherald.com

Sarah Colburn, Staff Writer

Story ideas send to: grace.j@star-pub.com, mark.k@dairystar.com

SALES STAFF

Laura Seljan, 507-350-2217, laura.s@dairystar.com

Julia Mullenbach, 507-438-7739, julia.m@star-pub.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

Boomflower from front

“I believe in focusing on breeds that are sustainable, that are able to support themselves and don’t need a lot of intervention,” Lund said. “They are going to be better for the land in my opinion because they aren’t getting more medical interventions and are putting more natural manure into the ground.”

Icelandic sheep are also what Lund calls a triple-purpose bread –giving good meat, milk and wool.

The sheep get sheered twice a year. A friend has a mill in nearby Northfield and turns wool from the farm into what is called “roving,” which is one step before yarn.

Some of the wool is turned into yarn as well. A mill in St. Peter turns the rest of the wool into filling for bedding, formed into what Lund refers to as “big batts.” These are placed inside cotton sheets much like with duvets. The finished product is a bedding that Boomflower farm sells at its on-farm store or by taking orders. All Boomflower products are sold this way as well as at area farmer’s markets.

Lund said she likes to keep her various animals on the farm mixed together, and it works well.

“We have one livestock guardian dog,” Lund said. “He lives with our cattle and sheep full

time.”

They also have barn cats. Add all the farm’s different birds to mix, and it’s quite an eclectic group. The birds in the coop intermingle as well. The farm has ducks, a few turkeys, and chickens for both meat and eggs.

“We have one lone goose who’s a little guard goose for our flock,” Lund said. “We have some cross-species poultry friendships that are pretty comical and cool to see. Our goose is in love with one of our ducks and follows her around wherever she goes.”

Boomflower Farm is practically a study in animal relationships.

“For me, that’s part of the fun,” Lund said. “Our sheep and horses and cows are all integrated together, and it’s really interesting to see those dynamics play out. We have a couple of sheep that are partial to one cow and are always nearby her whenever she’s out grazing. So far, it’s worked for us, and I hope to continue to do that as long as it keeps working.”

Growing up in suburbia in the state of Kansas, Lund thought about being a veterinarian like her mother.

“Animals were a very present part of my life,” Lund said. “I always adored having animals around.”

ST R

Publications bli ti

“Committed to being the eyes and ears of our communities.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL Houdini, an Icelandic ewe, stands in the pasture at Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. The ewe was given her name after she played dead when a neighbor dog escaped into the pasture.

An aunt dying suddenly exposed Lund to mental health therapy as a teenager, and she said she thought she might be good in that profession. In her mind she began to combine the two, therapist and vet, thinking she might make a career in using animals for mental health therapy.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Pat Turner | Amanda Thooft | Nancy Powell

Maddy Peterson | Cheyenne Carlson Karen Knoblach | Annika Gunderson

Boomflower

Boomflower from page 2

Lund went to the University of Minnesota and earned a degree in family social science. She also volunteered at an equine facility where they used horses to help people with mental and physical health issues. That’s where she said she decided farming felt more personal and wasn’t really a thing she wanted to integrate into her profession after all.

Instead, Lund began to develop an interest in farming as an advocacy. Boomflower Farm was born of that interest.

As the farm evolves, Lund continues to set goals.

“I would love to be able to milk the sheep, but there have been other projects that have taken hold above that,” Lund said.

She said she would also like to offer more classes on the farm, something they have only been able to do a few times so far. Classes taught in the past showed how to process a bird from live to freezer, how to break down a bird into cuts and how to process lambs. However, as their flock and herds grew, more regulations came into play, and it became more difficult to process beef or lamb on-farm.

“We have used Dennison Meats that will process the lamb and steer meat,” Lund said. “But, we do almost everything (else) on the farm.”

Lund said the seasons provide different levels of farming workload.

“Grazing makes summer the easy season on the farm,” Lund said. “It has actually been a good balance of animals to land so that it doesn’t get overgrazed, a level good for animal and land. In the winter, it’s a lot of moving hay, feeding animals at least twice a day.”

Eventually, Lund said, because the farm is what makes her feel the most energized, she sees a time where the farm will be her fulltime job, but she doesn’t yet know what that will look like.

“For me, whenever I talk about our farm, what it always comes back to is that I want people to care as much about the locally grown movement as I do,” Lund said.

“By focusing on what is happening in our communities and locally, how much of a ripple effect can that have on people who never come across my farm? There can still be an impact on people that I will never meet, and that is what is really important to me, to be able to connect in that sense in that we can do so much for each other without necessarily doing anything direct at all.”

The

PHOTO COURTESY OF VINTAGE AT HEART PHOTOGRAPHY Laramie, an Icelandic ram, looks at his owner, Katy Lund, at Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. Lund, who owns the farm with her husband, Alex Zemanek, said she likes the Icelandic breed because of its ability to be self-sufficient.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL (Below) Shampoo bars, lotions and other personal-care products at Boomflower Farm are infused with medicinal herbs and other ingredients grown on-site. Farm owners, Katy Lund and Alex Zemanek, try to locally source all other ingredients.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL

(Above) Salves and deodorants are just some of the personal-care products produced by Katy Lund at Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. Lund also makes soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners and face washes using ingredients from the farm.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL Commander Shepherd, the livestock guardian dog at Boomflower Farm, receives a hug from owner and farmer, Katy Lund.

dog lives among the herd of sheep and cattle at the farm.

Winter is the time of year when challenges on the farm change. Instead of worrying about rain and hay making, one begins to worry about freezing feedlots, frozen waterers and keeping animals warm.

Unfortunately, we have been dealing with a large quantity of snow. The heifers packed down some of it, creating a walkable crust that is 10-12 inches higher than the ground itself.

This led to a week-long fiasco.

Broken fence lines were the result of heifers thinking the snow was whiter on the other side of the fence. This meant my beef cows and calves were mixed in with our breedable dairy heifers. Luckily, we didn’t have a bull in either pen.

It started on a Saturday night. My brother came in from feeding the beef pen and told me there were dairy heifers mixed into the bunch. He thought the fence was shorted somewhere. Not having the time to fix it in that moment, and since it was dark outside, I told him we could look at it in the morning.

Morning chores came and went, and I suggested we get the fence job done before we went in for breakfast. My fiancé and I went to check out the damage. The only wire still intact was the bottom one, which was now only 2 inches from the ground because of the snow buildup.

I groaned, knowing full well that we would need more than just a pliers to fix it. So, I went to get the bobcat and push feed in front of the heifers and my boyfriend got the fencing supplies. (better to say I went to push feed… tell who did what)

We got to work, and as I was pinning up the second wire, a heifer decided she no longer wanted to be on the right side of the fence. She wanted to be on the wrong side. SNAP!

Again, the second line was broken. I was madder than a dragon trying to blow out a birthday candle.

Throwing a fit like a 4-year-old, I actually plopped down in the snow. I watched as the heifers looked at us trying to do this simple task, basically flipping us the bird as they busted

through the wires once again. Not even the fresh feed being pushed up made them stay put.

I finally gave up and opened the swinging gate so they would stop trying to break the fence. This worked, but some heifers are smarter than others.

We finally got all three of the other wires mended, and I watched a younger heifer sniff the fence and lift her front legs like a horse trying to do equestrian jumps. She pushed against the wire and stretched it enough to be a problem.

I threw a snowball at her to get her backed away from the fence, and we pushed all of the heifers into the barn. My boyfriend stood guard as we went to plug the fencer in.

Upon getting to the barn, where the fencer is located, my brother noticed the wires were pulled from the plug, so we had to put a new end on the cord. After that problem was taken care of, we plugged it in.

Then the heifers came running out of the building, looking to make damage of the newly fixed fence.

One bent the top wire but got shocked enough to step back.

I had an inkling that I would be back again to fix the fence in a few days.

Sure enough, Monday morning I saw two dairy heifers in with my beef cows, and, next thing I knew, the wires were broken again – even though they had electricity running through them.

This time, my dad was helping me fix the fence. He asked why I opened the gate between the lots and if I had that little faith in the heifers.

I told him about the fiasco I had the day before and how I had no faith in them because they once again tried busting through the fence as we were working on it.

We check the snap of the fence every time we fix it, and, personally, I wouldn’t want to touch it. I genuinely think that snow causes insulation and that the extra thick winter hair makes the heifers immune to the shock. Either that, or they just live to spend our time.

Touch of Grace by Grace Jeurissen

Graduating into the classroom

New FFA advisor revives dormant program

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

EYOTA – AnnaMarie Sachs is wiping the dust off of the Langford, South Dakota’s dormant middle and high school agriculture program and providing students the opportunity to learn and experience the variety within agriculture.

Reviving an ag program isn’t a common endeavor for a teacher fresh out of college. However, Langford School’s administration thought Sachs possessed the drive and dedication to pursue the position at Langford due to her extensive experience on the farm, participation in FFA and 4-H and use of hands-on classroom activities during her student teaching.

“All students deserve their chance to succeed no matter their background,” Sachs

said.

For Sachs, teaching isn’t about working through an agenda and pushing to get through her lesson plans. She likes to have fun with her students and create moments to connect and laugh with them.

“It’s not uncommon for us to just have life conversations,” Sachs said. “I want my students to feel comfortable coming to me with their struggles. I want this classroom to be a safe space.”

Sachs applied for the position at Langford after receiving a lot of convincing from her friends and college advisors. It’s not that she didn’t desire the position, but more that she had another year of school to complete before she would receive her full degree.

She took the chance and applied. A few days

later, the school called. The only challenge was her college classes that she was still in need of finishing.

School officials loved her willingness to tackle the project of growing a dormant agriculture program, so they were willing to work with her to make the transition into the classroom happen, whether she was in college or not.

Something Sachs liked

d. as at of als ess of grihey with tion hap as in like

AnnaMarie Sachs poses next to her butterhead at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 2019. Sachs has immersed herself in a variety of agricultural advocacy groups throughout her life.

Kari and AnnaMarie Sachs hug after AnnaMarie was selected as a top 10 finalist for Princess Kay of the Milkyway May 2019 in St. Cloud. The Sachs family milk 120 cows and farm 320 acres near Eyota.

AnnaMarieSachsposesnexttoherbutterheadattheMinnesota

PHOTOS SUBMITTED AnnaMarie Sachs holds two of her Brown Swiss cows at a show. Sachs is the new ag eduaction teacher at Langford School in Langford South Dakota.

about Langford Schools is that she would be able to start fresh and tailor the curriculum to what the students and school saw most beneficial.

With the help if her college advisors, she was able to complete her remaining courses within one semester, while teaching her students online during the Fall 2022 semester. Though a challenge, she was able to pull through with a lot of hard work and determination.

Sachs recorded lessons and uploaded assignments to a virtual classroom for her students during the first semester. She would occasionally be able to spend a day in the classroom, but due to her intense college schedule, she was limited to mostly online teaching. She spent many late nights correcting assignments and navigating her students’ needs.

She said one of the hardest parts of teaching her agricultural classes on-

line was that the students didn’t get the hands-on experience they desired, and she wasn’t able to make a personal connection with them.

“Last semester was extremely difficult. I had to watch as my friends went out and had fun while I had to opt out so I could complete my homework and lesson plans,” Sachs said. “I’m glad I made the decision to focus more on my students and own agenda because now I get to do something I love every day.”

Sachs also is working diligently to update the shop at Langford to get proper ventilation so that her students can have the opportunity to do a weld-

ing course. Although she is a rookie FFA Advisor, Sachs has received a great amount of student interest in FFA. She said already there could be five teams going to state for competition, but due to this being her first year, she is only comfortable taking two teams.

“After I realized I wanted to be a teacher, I took every opportunity I could to be in the classroom,” Sachs said. “I actually was able to be a teachers aid my senior year in high school.”

Sachs sought out various avenues to get classroom experience. As an Olmsted County Dairy Princess, her favorite events were teaching students about dairy farming during school visits. She also had the opportunity to work with students who have disabilities to better

understand the needs of each student.

This new-found sense of belonging at Langford has made her challenges during her last semester at South Dakota State University well worth the dedication.

“The moment I walked into Langford, it felt like a familiar place, and I felt like I was meant to be there,” Sachs said. “I am excited for the opportunity to be a guide for students’ futures.”

Agriculture has been part of Sachs’ life since day one. She grew up on a dairy farm in Eyota, Minnesota, where her parents and brother still milk 120 cows and run 320 acres of land.

Sachs is still involved on her family farm when she goes home to visit. She enjoys helping in the parlor and with calves.

Anna Marie Sachs

PHOTOS SUBMITTED AnnaMarie Sachs leads a Brown Swiss cow through the ring at a show. Throughout her youth Sachs was heavily involved in showing her family’s dairy cattle at local shows.

AnnaMarie Sachs teaches a young boy about agriculture during an event put on by her high school FFA chapter. Sachs enjoyed FFA and can’t wait to see her students take interest in the youth organization.

AnnaMarie Sachs judges a class of Brown Swiss heifers during a show in the summer of 2022. Sachs grew up on a dairy farm that had primarily Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle.

While in high school, Sachs was heavily involved in her local 4-H and FFA programs, was a county Dairy Princess and was a member of both the Minnesota Junior Brown Swiss Association and the Minnesota Junior Holstein Association. Once in college, she was part of the South Dakota State University Ag Education Club, Dairy Club, FFA Alumni and Little International.

“Growing up on the farm gave me the ability to get to know and respect the place where food comes from,” Sachs said. “I have a passion for sharing my experiences with other people, and now I can teach that in my own classroom.”

At a young age, Sachs showed interest in educating. She remembers being told stories about her trying to teach the cows the ABCs.

Throughout high school she said she anticipated her career path would be something like animal nutrition or animal husbandry, but there was an inkling that kept pushing her towards ag education.

While Sachs was active in her high school FFA chapter, her advisor sent her to an education workshop. Upon coming back, Sachs began to rethink her priorities for the future.

“That workshop introduced me to the endless possibilities that ag education has and just how much of a difference I can make in someone’s life,” she said.

Sachs is ready to make her mark on Langford and start a new legacy with the help of her community and fellow faculty.

The Langford community has been more than helpful for the new ag program. They were the ones who presented the idea to the school board and worked to raise money to help launch the program into action. So far, the community has raised approximately $20,000 dollars, and Sachs has received two grants for the program.

“The community has been so supportive since day one,” Sachs said. “I felt immediately welcomed by faculty and students. It’s also clear to me that the administration at Langford wants to see its educators succeed.”

As her first year as a teacher continues, Sachs is looking to establish a solid set of courses and curriculum for the Langford ag department that fits the interests of her students and herself. She would like to someday get a dairy judging group together being that was an area of 4-H and FFA that she enjoyed and excelled in.

Her passion that started on her family’s farm in Eyota, Minnesota continues through her dedication to inspiring the next generation of agriculturalists in the classroom at Langford.

“I want my students to know that nothing is impossible,” Sachs said. “I want them to feel like they deserve to be here, be learning, and have these opportunities.”

AnnaMarie Sachs stands with her clinical educator Gary Elsinger. Elsinger was in charge of mentoring Sachs during her time as a student teacher.

AnnaMarie Sachs holds one of the awards she recieved in 2018 as an FFA member in high school. She plans to take two groups of her students to the South Dakota State FFA Convention to compete this year.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED AnnaMarie Sachs stands with Senator Carla Nelson during the 2018 FFA Agricultural Policy Experience through Minnesota FFA.

Troy Seelhammer

What’s happening up north?

A new segment in Country Acres South

We would like to share an occasional story between our two Country Acres papers. This way our friends down south can see what our friends up north are doing.

past, present Brick foundation of

Sixth generation puts own stamp on homestead

BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER

LONG PRAIRIE – The Brickhouse Farm homestead may be over 100 years old, handed down through a family for generations, but there is always something new at the 240 acres east of Long Prairie, whether it is Wagyu beef, lamb, garlic, maple syrup or –perhaps someday – honey. It is not always an easy lifestyle, but being able to be mostly self-sufficient while also selling quality organic meat and produce, all in a family environment, has made a good living for the Barlage family.

“I’ve worked multitudes of different jobs,” said Ben Barlage, current owner of Brickhouse Farm. “I’ve hated some, I’ve loved some, but this isn’t a job for me; it’s a lifestyle.”

The original farm began when Joachim and Heinrike Heinck immigrated from Germany with their family, settling the farmland in 1890. The original house was built in 1892, and it has the same orange bricks as a couple of its neighbors because they were all sourced from a site right across the street from where Brickhouse Farm remains today.

People coming down the farm’s driveway are actually approaching what used to be the back of the house.

“The road to town used to come through the backyard, through our woods and into town,” Barlage said. “The house was built to face that way.”

Joachim and Heinrike Heinck handed down the farm to their son, Johann Heinck, and his wife, Bertha. Their tier of the family tree only had daughters.

“They put in an ad in the

newspaper, looking for male farmhands,” Barlage said. “That’s when (Wilhelm) Kroll answered and came to work on the farm.”

Wilhelm Kroll married one of Johann and Bertha Heinck’s daughters, Hulda, and the farm operated under the Kroll name for several generations – from them down to John Kroll and then to Hans Kroll.

Margaret, Hans Kroll’s daughter, was born in the brick house. She married Barlage, and they took over the Kroll Farm at the start of 2019. They are the sixth generation of family to operate the farm, and their children – Ezra, 7, Thea, 4, and Jude, 1 –could be the seventh someday.

Of course, once Barlage began running the farm, the “Kroll Farms” name did not seem applicable anymore.

“I didn’t want to change the name to Barlage Farms,” Barlage

said. “I wanted to continue on the legacy of the farm long after I passed away. When we were thinking about names, my wife and I came to Brickhouse Farm because of the staple, the brick house. It’s the thing that’s been here the longest, and it’s the first thing you see when you pull up the driveway.”

None of the other farm buildings are as old as the brick house. The original haybarn burned down many years ago because of an arsonist farmhand who was also responsible for destroying other area barns.

The house has been expanded over the years. Hans Kroll did a lot of remodeling to the inside when he took over. The former house’s layout had living quarters for two families, and the renovations opened it up into a larger space for a single family.

The farm has been certified organic since 2003 – although the family had always been farming like that anyway.

“My father-in-law would say that he farmed organically by neglect for many, many years,” Barlage said. “He never used sprays or anything like that. Then, his oldest daughter, Jessica, was the one who said, ‘You should look into organic.’”

The Kroll Farm had been milking dairy cows at least as far back as Wilhelm and Hulda Kroll. However, when the Barlages were given management of the farm, they ended up dissolving the organic dairy because the market was declining. The farm

would have also had to deal with trucking costs, and their quality level would have had their product on a conventional truck instead of a specialized truck suited for organic milk.

“We couldn’t figure out what was going on,” Barlage said. “We put in a new bulk tank and did this and that, and it ended up being a little too stressful with too many unknowns. They always wanted us to grow our herd, and we wanted to continue to remain self-sustaining, so at that point in time, I decided to end the dairy and switch over more to cash crops, beef, lamb and more of that industry.”

Aside from a pair of dairy cows kept for personal use, Brickhouse Farm’s dairy concluded in April 2019. The next month, they began breeding Wagyu beef through artificial insemination. Barlage found out about the variety while researching different kinds of beef cattle and began crossbreeding Japanese Black Wagyu with his existing breeds.

“I thought that could be cool to try, so I started small,” Barlage said. “I bred five; four ended up having four Wagyucross calves. I’ve slowly grown my herd, so now I have 10 to 15 Wagyu cross. We’ve sold two Wagyus now.”

Wagyu cattle take three years to finish, one year more than regular beef cattle.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The original brick house on what is today Brickhouse Farm was built in 1892. The farm’s first owners, Joachim and Heinrike Heinck, were German immigrants.

PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

The Brickhouse Farm herd, including American Wagyu beef cattle, head to the other end of their pasture Jan. 6 near Long Prairie. Wagyu beef take three years to finish, one year longer than traditional beef cattle breeds.

PHOTO BY BEN SO NNE K

The Brickhouse Farm sign greets visitors coming to the multi-generation family farm Jan. 6 east of Long Prairie.

They start out brown as calves and eventually turn black. They are considered American Wagyu because they are crossbreeds, not the purebred Wagyu cattle from Japan, known for its excellent marbling of fat and meat. Even though it is not purebred, American Wagyu also gets the signature marbling and a buttery flavor.

The quality does mean an increased cost, especially considering the prices of insemination and raising the cattle for an extra year, but in Barlage’s estimation, it’s worth it. He has gotten good feedback from the customers he has had so far.

“We’ve had some ourselves, and we love it,” Barlage said. “You pan-fry it typically; I grill mine.”

Brickhouse Farm also keeps hair sheep, another kind of meat they sell.

“The sheep are kind of a savings plan for when my daughter gets older,” Barlage said. “I’ve always said the sheep will turn into a horse for her when

she gets old enough to take care of it.”

The Kroll family has also been tapping maple syrup from their trees for over 50 years. While it has

not been folded into the Brickhouse Farm operations, the Barlages continue to help harvest and sell it.

Brickhouse Farm’s produce includes certified organic hardneck garlic, which they have been growing for a couple of years so far. This year, they planted over 5,000 bulbs. They sell to area restaurants and other people who contact them.

The farm has also made garlic powder by peeling, slicing, dehydrat-

ing and grinding bulbs they have not planted. They have also sold the garlic scapes, the stem and flower bud of the hardneck garlic plant; those have to be picked so that they do not divert energy and nutrients from the garlic bulb, and these scapes can be eaten. The La Ferme restaurant in Alexandria buys many of these scapes, along with syrup, regular and Wagyu beef and the garlic itself.

“Next year, we are going to try dehydrating some

of (the scapes) and turning them into a powder,” Barlage said. “Another garlic grower I know does that.”

PHOTOS BY BEN SONNEK

(Above) With his 1-year-old son, Jude, Ben Barlage goes out to check on the cattle Jan. 6 at Brickhouse Farm near Long Prairie. Ben and his wife, Margaret, are the sixth generation to operate the farm.

Ben Barlage and his son, Jude, stop in front of the original brick house Jan. 6 at Brickhouse Farm near Long Prairie. The bricks were sourced from land just across the road from the farm.

The Barlages’ dogs greet visitors Jan. 6 at Brickhouse Farm.

Brickhouse

The farm’s fuel sources include a wood furnace and 72 solar panels on the shop’s south-facing roof. At this time of year, the panels are buried under snow, but they still power the farm in the summer and provide credit.

Brickhouse Farm also gets credit from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for their snake hibernaculum, a pair of pits in different areas of the property where snakes can hibernate during the winter. Through the NRCS’ Conservation Stewardship Program, the farm gets payment for performing various conservation programs such as this. One of the main reasons Barlage went with the hibernaculum option was because his son Ezra is interested in snakes.

“I wanted a place where we can overwinter some snakes, and (Ezra) can find them in the springtime, and then they help with the rodent population – which is also a nice thing to have on a farm that has lots of mice,” Barlage said.

Barlage completed the two 3-by-8 holes in August, filling them with different sizes of rocks wrapped in geotextile fabric, placing dirt and one large rock on top of

sixth

each pit.

“When I signed up for it, I thought, ‘Oh, you just dig a hole, put some stuff in it and call it a day,’” Barlage said. “No, it required engineering plans and stuff like that.”

Another CSP item Brickhouse Farm has is a four-acre monarch habitat. The butterflies help pollenate flowers – including the ones on the farm’s apple, pear and cherry trees as well as the vegetables – which in turn are good for bees. Barlage has a beehive on the property, and while he has not had much luck in getting a hive to overwinter, he is continuing his efforts.

“The honey we have

gotten so far has been really good,” Barlage said. “This year, I didn’t have a strong enough queen, so I didn’t have a strong enough colony. I did last year, but there was that really cold spell at the end of February where we didn’t even get above zero, and that one killed them. We’re getting there; we’re learning a lot, and we’ll just keep trying.”

Barlage enjoys trying new things for Brickhouse Farm. This year, it is organic no-till for his soybeans, planted into rye.

“There’s always stuff to be learned and changed,” Barlage said. “I love change, and farming is nothing but change.”

Brickhouse Farm also raises corn, wheat, hay and a barley-forage-pea mix for the cows.

For Barlage, his favorite part of running Brickhouse Farm is how it is outside – both outdoors and out of the everyday rat race – and it lets him provide for and work with family.

“The idea that I can go outside, and my son or daughter can ride in the tractor with me or they can help me milk the cows, and I come in for lunch and they and my wife are here, that for me is hands-down the best reason to farm,” Barlage said. “I get to work with my family, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Barlage appreciates it when people come to a small farm for their food needs instead of just a grocery store – and the farm does not even have to be his. From what he has seen, the recent volatility of grocery prices has helped consumers become more aware of their local farms’ options.

“We need to support small farms for people because we can’t just have big farms all the time,” Barlage said. “Even if you don’t support me, support a small farm somewhere because we all need it.”

PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

(Above) Bottles of maple syrup, made by the Kroll family, are lined up Jan. 6 at Brickhouse Farm. The syrup operation is independent of the farm.

PHOTO SUBMITTED (Above) The Barlage family – Ezra (from left), Ben, Thea, Jude and Margaret – pile into the tractor in Oct. 2022 at Brickhouse Farm near Long Prairie. Ben and Margaret Barlage are the

generation of family to own the farm.