Every piece of carved wood is as unique as the tree from which it was cut. Every cane has a window for a coin, and, for veterans, every stick is free.
“I mainly just give (canes) away,” Salzer said. “Every time I see a veteran with a Vietnam vet hat on, I go up to him, talk to him, shake his hand and say, ‘From one veteran to another, I’ll walk with you to the end … until you can’t walk anymore.’”
Salzer’s interest in woodworking goes back to his grandfather, Joseph Salzer, for whom
Joe was named. He was a carpenter in Germany in the 1800s, and when he immigrated to the United States, he brought a cane he made. Salzer still has that cane today.
Raised in Cold Spring as part of a family of 12, Salzer graduated from St. Boniface High School in 1966 and was drafted into the Army right afterward. He did basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and was deployed to Vietnam.
Salzer worked with a transportation unit and support unit of the 25th and Ninth Infantries, where he covered the area from Saigon to the Cambodian border. He saw a lot of action, including the 1967-8 Tet Offensive during the peak of the war.
“I didn’t get wounded at all, but I got jungle rot and a bunch of other stuff — (post-traumatic stress disorder) and a lot of Agent Orange,” Salzer said. “A lot of my buddies passed away from it already.”
After a year overseas, Salzer returned to Minnesota and married Donna Meyer in 1969. They lived
next to Pleasant Lake until moving to their current home in 2010. They had bought the land in 1996, and Salzer built most of the house himself.
While living on Pleasant Lake, a neighbor got Salzer interested in carving, and he started making canes in the 1980s. Because of his service in Vietnam, he wanted to give something back to the military, so he made canes specifically for veterans.
After breakfast every morning, Salzer goes to his workshop to strip the bark off branches that have dried
Joe Salzer shows the coins and military decorations in one of his personal
his shop north
Offensive.
canes Oct. 21 in
of Avon. Salzer served in Vietnam in 1967-1968 and was involved in the Tet
PHOTOS BY BEN SONNEK
Joe Salzer shows off his finished canes hanging on his shop wall Oct. 21 north of Avon. Salzer has made canes since the 1980s and gives them to veterans.
Salzer page 2
Joe Salzer’s workshop north of Avon.
BY RAE LANZRATH STAFF WRITER
Hewitt overcomes obstacles to become rodeo champion
Hewitt grew up near St. Joseph, but not on a farm.
KERKHOVEN — Things don’t always go according to plan. But when problems arise, Ashley Hewitt finds solutions — especially when it comes to rodeos.
Hewitt has had her fair share of setbacks in life, and with each, she has found a way to come out on top. Dedication, skill, faith and a little luck have helped Hewitt find her passion while also becoming one of the top barrel racers in the state.
passion fInDiNg a
“I didn’t grow up with horses, but like most little girls, I just loved them,” Hewitt said.
While in high school, Hewitt went to a nearby stable to start taking riding lessons. As lesson prices increased, Hewitt could no longer afford them. Her solution was to begin working at the stable to pay off the classes.
Hewitt page 8
“I learned everything I could, from riding to training horses,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she studied food science. While at UW-River Falls, she met her now husband, who introduced her to rodeos. She started roping at college rodeos.
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH
Ashley Hewitt works with her horse, Sunfrost, Sept. 19 at her home near Kerkhoven. Sunfrost suffered an injury in August 2023.
Jumping in leaves
Raking leaves was never a chore I minded doing. It was easy to see progress as each section of grass was cleared. Then, when the whole yard was done, there was a great sense of accomplishment.
My parents have several very large and very old oak trees in their backyard, which always leave a thick blanket of brown, crunchy leaves this time of year. I have countless memories of raking those leaves and making roads with my brothers for my Barbie car and their tractors, making a pile that was taller than we were and hauling them over to our calf hutches to use as bedding for the calves.
raked up, but the main reason we raked them up was to play in them. Now, as an adult, the playful aspect is gone, therefore the job is not as fun as it once was. It must be a sign that one is officially grown-up when raking leaves is merely a chore and not play.
Faith, family, farming
By Tiffany Klaphake
On a recent trip to my parents’ house, my mom and I were outside with my kids and my nieces. While they were playing in the sand box and on the swing set, I started to rake some leaves for the kids to jump into. After creating a decent pile, we gently tossed a couple of the kids into the pile a couple of times. They giggled and smiled; however, they did not keep jumping into the pile. Instead, they looked around and they picked up some kids’ sized rakes and shovels and helped rake the leaves into the pile.
Before too long, the kids wanted a snack, and so we went in the house, passed out a snack and sippy cups. I told Mom that I would go back outside and rake up a bunch more of the leaves while she watched the kids in the house.
Once outside, I got to work raking the leaves with much more urgency this time, as it was getting close to the time for us to go back home. As I was raking leaves, I was thinking about how I enjoyed this task when I was younger because of the playful aspect. Sure, the leaves needed to get
As I was mulling this over, I looked up and saw my daughter, Allison, walking towards me. She asked if she could help me. Of course, I said yes and helped her find one of the children’s rakes, and together, we raked leaves. Her rake was only about six inches wide, and her contribution was not drastic. But her thoughtfulness and effort made an impact. Allison did not immediately jump into the large pile of leaves I made; instead, she asked to help. She could have stayed in the house and played with her cousins, or she could have jumped in the pile and created even more work for me, but she chose to rake leaves with her mom.
I never jumped in the large pile of leaves we created that day, but I will always remember raking leaves with my daughter.
Driving home that day, I realized that raking leaves, like a lot of things in life, is about having the right mindset. Every year, the leaves fall from the trees. Every day, we have chores that need to get done. Our careers, our family time, our chores — do we do these tasks with haste just to get them done? We can buy fancy equipment to make the job easier so we can get done sooner. But what do most of us do with more time? More work?
With a young family and a farm, of course I have lots of things I need to do; but the most important thing I need to do is take care of my kids.
Hewitt
from page 8
“I knew there was something bigger in my future.”
The following year, Hewitt hit the ground running. She travelled to several rodeos and competed against the top barrel racers in the state. Hewitt spent most of the 2023 season at the top of the rankings.
In August 2023, Sunfrost developed an injury, leaving him unable to compete. Hewitt missed several rodeos but still qualified for the finals.
The last rodeo of the season was held in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Hewitt’s sister-in-law had a barrel racing horse, Tini, that Hewitt borrowed to compete. As Tini was hauled from Wisconsin to North Dakota, the truck experienced mechanical problems and Tini arrived in Devils Lake in the nick of time.
“She got there 10 minutes before the performance started,” Hewitt said.
The first time Hewitt ever rode Tini was during that rodeo. The rodeo took place over the course of the weekend, giving them very little practice time.
“After everything was said and done, we finished two or three out of the money,” Hewitt said.
While placing out of the top rankings is never the goal, Hewitt was pleased with her performance.
The finals took place in Bemidji Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2023. Hewitt decided to give it another try.
She borrowed Tini once again and headed to Bemidji.
“She had gone back to Wisconsin, and I came home after Devils Lake, so we didn’t practice before we went to Bemidji,” Hewitt said.
The pair competed in three rounds of barrel racing, placing first, third and second, respectively. Hewitt took home grand champion for the season average despite missing several competitions. She also took home reserve champion for the finals.
Hewitt had reached her goal of winning the finals, but Sunfrost was still injured. Hewitt researched ways she could help him heal at home without the assistance of a veterinarian.
“I wanted to find ways to make him
feel better on my own,” Hewitt said.
One of the treatments Hewitt found to be helpful was giving natural herb supplements, and it is now a practice she proves for all her horses. Hewitt has found different supplements to be helpful in making her horses feel and compete better. While Sunfrost is still recovering, he has showed great signs of improvement.
Another method of treatment Hewitt found to be successful was equine bodywork, similar to massage therapy. Hewitt attended in-person courses and completed several hours of hands-on training in order to become a certified Equinology Equine Body Worker. She is able to work on horses to loosen muscles, relieve tension and reduce discomfort.
“I’m able to help my own horses and my friends’ horses, too,” Hewitt said.
Sunfrost was unable to compete in the 2024 rodeo season, but Hewitt is still doing her best to heal him.
“I don’t want to push it; his health is the most important thing,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt found a passion for horses at a young age and has lived her life in a saddle ever since. When times got tough, Hewitt got out of the saddle and took matters into her own hands.
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH
Hewitt massages one of her horses, Yoder, Sept. 19 at her home near Kerkhoven.
Equinology Equine Body Worker.
The starter is made of water-activated flour, and the bread ingredients are normally flour, water and salt.
Art science and
Frederick Ridge Homestead makes traditional sourdough
BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER
ALEXANDRIA — Bread is not the only offering from Frederick Ridge Homestead, but it certainly is what takes the most amount of work and care — and flour.
The results speak, or crunch, for themselves, as the Frederick family is known for their traditional-style sourdough bread at the Alexandria Farmers Market.
“Sourdough is kind of half art and
half science,” Laura Frederick said. “Initially, I wasn’t thinking of selling it. That came later when I mastered it.”
Frederick and her husband, Aaron, and their daughter, Maddy, live north of Alexandria, where they raise ducks, geese, a no-till garden and their big, fluffy dog, Charlie.
Frederick was educated as a medical lab technician and worked in the field for a couple of years before deciding it was not for her. She has also had jobs in biotech and as a secretary at Miltona Elementary School, but she left the public sector to begin homeschooling Maddy this year.
Frederick has been baking bread for several summers, but this year is her first time baking without a different full-time job alongside it.
“Now that school has started for Maddy, I’m finding myself juggling again,” said Frederick, who herself was homeschooled from fifth grade on. “Doing bread is a part-time job, and my other part-time job is teaching her.”
Frederick page 12
Two loaves, packaged and unpackaged, lie on the counter Oct. 3 at the Frederick family’s home north of Alexandria. The bread has been sold for years at the
PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
Alexandria Farmers Market.
PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
Laura Frederick holds a jar of sourdough starter Oct. 3 at the Frederick family’s home north of Alexandria.
from page 11
When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, it sparked Frederick’s interest in bread research. But she had always enjoyed baking and making things from scratch.
rehydrating flour with water,” Frederick said. “There is a yeast naturally present in wheat that becomes active once it has water, and it starts reproducing and growing. You keep feeding it more flour and keep the moisture consistent by adding more water. It takes a good five days to get a starter established; once you have it established, it’s pretty kill-proof.”
“I like to do things the way people did them hundreds of years ago,” she said. “I’ve always been into history, so doing any sort of historical craft is super interesting to me. Sourdough goes along with that. … It’s learning the process of how hard it was to survive.”
It takes a lot of time to make sourdough, but that was partly what drew Frederick to it. It took a couple of years for her to develop a loaf she really liked, making many flat “pancake loaves” as part of the learning process.
“I think it had to do with over-fermenting,” Frederick said. “I let it ferment too long, or I wasn’t using my starter when it was active, so I wasn’t getting enough rise. … You can eat it, but it’s really dense when it doesn’t rise.”
The ingredients for the bread are simple — typically salt, water and flour — while the starter is made of flour and water. Frederick goes through a 50-pound bag of flour per week.
Frederick keeps one of her starter batches in the fridge. In her experience, she can ignore it for several months before taking it out again, and it will still work. It will have a clear liquid on top, a byproduct of the starter’s metabolism; after pouring the liquid off and feeding flour to the starter, it will reactivate.
The baking process begins a few days in advance. When the starter is active, Frederick weighs the flour, salt, starter and water before mixing them together.
“If you’re measuring with cups, you’re going to be off,” she said. From there, the dough is left to fully absorb the water for about a half-hour before Frederick folds and stretches it, then covers it again for another half-hour. The process is repeated for a few hours until the dough is smooth and elastic, and then it is left to ferment overnight — about 12 hours, but the time can vary.
“You make the starter by
Frederick page 13
Maddy (left) and Laura Frederick divide dough into loaves Oct. 3 at their home north of Alexandria. Frederick Ridge Homestead specializes in traditionally-made sourdough bread.
Frederick from page 12
“You have to play it by how the dough looks,” Frederick said. “If you’re just going by the clock, it’s not necessarily going to turn out the same every time.”
Because the wheat ferments in the sourdough-making process, it helps break down the gluten more than other kinds of bread, so the final product is easier for gluten-sensitive people to eat.
When the dough looks fluffy, Frederick divides the dough into loaves for final forming. She stretches and folds the dough some more, which results in tighter, nicer-looking loaves, and she then puts the loaves into banneton baskets and leaves them in the fridge overnight for a slower fermentation.
“I could leave that (dough) on the counter and have a quicker rise, but your flavors aren’t going to be as complex,” Frederick said.
Before baking, Frederick cuts the top of the loaf to allow the loaf to expand better and give it its characteristic ear on the crust when it comes out of the oven.
Frederick Ridge Homestead makes many types of sourdough, although Frederick has noticed not many people are aware sourdough can have variety in the first place.
shapes the dough Oct. 3 at the Frederick family’s home north of Alexandria. She stretches and folds the dough until it forms a smooth loaf.
“People always think of it as this crusty, artisan loaf,” she said. “Really, you can do any style of bread with sourdough. You can make croissants, donuts and fluffy sandwich bread; it’s all in how you change the process. Sometimes, you change the ingredients by adding egg, butter or milk, one or all of them, depending on what you’re doing. … They would’ve used sourdough up until 150 years ago.”
Frederick typically makes an artisan-style loaf with the chewy crust and soft inside, although she also offers a soft sandwich loaf and an English muffin that sells out fast when it is available. She also tries seasonal monthly features, like a nettle loaf in the spring made with a pesto of stinging nettle, which was popular.
Frederick Ridge Homestead also offers garden produce, duck eggs, homemade soaps and tallow balm. Frederick often has repeat customers at the farmers market in Alexandria.
“If I miss a week, when I come back, I hear about it,” she said.
Frederick Ridge’s products are also available on their website.
While the baking process can be stressful, being able to sell the bread and meet the community is the most rewarding for Frederick.
“The best part is the interaction with customers, especially seeing the same faces come by every Saturday,” Laura said. “Selling the bread and having that interaction with the people is great.”
Laura Frederick places dough into banneton baskets Oct. 3 at the Frederick family’s home north of Alexandria. Before baking, the top of the dough is cut to allow the bread to expand.
PHOTOS BY BEN SONNEK
Laura Frederick
Netland
from page 16
“(People say) WMA lands are infamous for too much hunting pressure to provide a quality hunting experience,” Netland said. “This has not been my experience. Scout the areas, and you’ll find strong local game species populations and excellent hunting locations.”
Using the internet is one way to find a WMA. By visiting the state’s DNR website, hunters can use the WMA Finder, an interactive map of every WMA in the state. The map can be filtered by county and desired game species.
There is also a DNR Recreation Compass on the website that shows WMAs as well as waterfowl production areas and walk-in access areas, both of which can also be used for hunting.
Most WMAs are open to public hunting, but some are closed for hunting because of local ordinances — and a few are used as refuge or sanctuary areas for waterfowl.
“If ducks can feed and rest in a refuge or sanctuary area, it holds them in the area for an extended period,” Netland said. “Meanwhile,
• Manure Pits
• Grain Bins
• Feed Lots
• Shed Floors
• Poured Walls
• Silage Pads
• Cow Yards
• Exposed Ag
• Driveways
• Sidewalks
• Bobcat Work
• Free Estimates
they travel around to surrounding fields and wetlands where they may be hunted.”
WMAs are visited by those who hunt, but they are also enjoyed by people hiking, sight-seeing or birding.
“I’ve seen photographers at the more scenic ones,” Netland said. “People can hike out
there or just walk around and enjoy nature.”
Trappers are other potential visitors of WMAs.
“Trapping is part of our Minnesota heritage and an essential tool in managing furbearer populations,” Netland said. Trappers are allowed to trap animals on WMAs, but permits are
LASER GRADING LASER SCREEDING
required before beaver or otter trapping can take place.
While trapping is not as common as it once was, being aware that it is allowed on WMAs is something visitors should be aware of to ensure safety of themselves as well as their pets.
Because of the
nature of what WMAs are used for, safety is something Netland encourages all visitors to have on their minds.
People visiting WMAs for non-hunting purposes should be aware of hunting seasons, Netland said.
“Avoiding opening weekends is a way people can stay safe,”
Netland said.
The opening weekends of waterfowl, deer and pheasant seasons are often busy at WMAs. Because people hunting have firearms, it is important that people who may not be there hunting are aware of who they are sharing space with.
“If you go out during any hunting season, wearing blaze orange is recommended,” Netland said.
Another way visitors can avoid an accident is to go to a WMA during times of the day when hunting may not be taking place. For example, sunrise and sunset are common times hunting takes place.
For those who visit a WMA for hunting, wearing safety equipment and properly using firearms are the most common ways to avoid injury. Being respectful of other hunters and their space is another way to stay safe, Netland said.
If visitors wish to avoid hunters altogether, they can visit WMAs in the winter or summer. There are no hunting seasons with a lot of hunters from Jan. 1 to April 20, and again from June 1 to Aug. 30.
“Make it an adventure to get out and explore your public lands,” Netland said.
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH
Cory Netland shows prairie land Sept. 26 at a Wildlife Management Area near New London. WMAs can be used for hunting, trapping, birding, hiking or sight-seeing.
Why did you join the military?
Brett Bilky
Sunburg | Kandiyohi County
What branch of the military were you in? How long did you serve? U.S. Navy for 20 years.
Why did you join the military? To be able to learn a trade, and I could not afford to go to college.
What is the most rewarding part of being in the military or a veteran? The relationships that were formed at various duty stations and the friendships that exist to this day, even after being retired for 20 years.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the service? Too many to pick just one. Having the opportunity for my wife to meet me overseas and take some time off to travel the world would be near the top.
o s s Acres cres
What’s the biggest life lesson or take away from being in the military? That no matter how different people are, and regardless of where they come from socially or geographically, when you have to depend on one another to complete a mission or task — sometimes life-dependent — you can succeed if you trust each other.
What advice would you give to someone who was considering joining the military? Understand it is a commitment to yourself and others. You will form lifelong bonds with people that no matter how much time you spend apart, when you get back together, it is like you were with them last week.
How did the military prepare you for the rest of your life? It gave me and my children the ability and confidence to walk into any room and start a conversation with someone that you have never met.
Rebecca Joyce Miltona | Douglas County
What branch of the military were you in? How long did you serve? I was a nurse in the Navy for 14 years and the Army Reserves for eight.
Why did you join the military? Both of my grandpas were veterans, so it was a bit of a family legacy. They also were giving out college scholarships.
What is the most rewarding part of being in the military or a veteran? Having comradery with other veterans when you’re out in public — it doesn’t matter what branch you served in or what branch they served in.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the service? Each station was unique in its own way; every new place you went had new experiences and opportunities, and you made new friends.
What’s the biggest life lesson or take away from being in the military? Adapt and overcome; you figure out how to change the situation or yourself in the situation.
What advice would you give to someone who was considering joining the military? Whatever opportunity you want, it is there. You just have to give it your all.
How did the military prepare you for the rest of your life? It gave me the ability to adapt to anything.
the
Colby Petersen
Belgrade | Stearns County
What branch of the military were you in? How long did you serve? I was in the Marine Corp for four years.
Why did you join the military? I wanted to serve my country; I wanted to do my service.
What is the most rewarding part of being in the military or a veteran? Knowing I made a difference worldwide. The impact we made was bigger than Stearns County and it was bigger than Minnesota — people all over the world were being helped by the humanitarian things we did.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the service? So many friends became family because we are all together, you find people you get along with, and I still talk to some of them every day. They’re really like family.
What’s the biggest life lesson or take away from being in the military? Tomorrow is never promised. And if you think you’re having a bad day, there are people who have it so much worse. It really makes you thankful for the things we have here and the life we live, and my bad days aren’t actually that bad.
What advice would you give to someone who was considering joining the military? Don’t be scared, just do it. It’s worth it.
How did the military prepare you for the rest of your life? I’m prepared and ready for almost anything.
Country Cooking
Duck hotdish
• Whole duck breast (goose breast would also work)
• 1 package bacon
• 1 bag tater tots
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
Wrap entire duck breast in bacon and place in roaster. Pour can of cream of mushroom soup and tater tots on top — you do not have to use the entire bag, just use as many as you want — and cook at 350 degrees until meat is fully cooked, 165-degree internal temperature. If you want to cook more than one duck breast, repeat same process; it will take longer to cook.
Venison sloppy joes
• 1 pound ground venison
• 1 can chicken gumbo soup
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Brown ground venison in a pan, stirring often to break into small chunks. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once meat is nearly fully cooked, mix in chicken gumbo soup, ketchup, yellow mustard and brown sugar. Let simmer until juice from soup has cooked off a little — you do not want it all gone. Serve on hamburger buns.
Want your favorite recipes to be featured in Country Acres?
Contact Annika at annika@star-pub.com
Bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers
• 4 or 5 large jalapenos
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 packet ranch dressing seasoning
• 1 package bacon
• Duck or goose meat
Mix cream cheese and ranch seasoning together in a small bowl; set aside. Do not put in fridge. Cream cheese will mix better if it is room temperature. Cut jalapenos in half vertically, remove seeds and core. Chop meat into chunks small enough that one piece will lay inside the jalapeno. Place meat inside each half jalapeno. Evenly distribute cream cheese mixture across all the jalapenos, spreading it on top of the meat. Wrap each one in bacon using one or two pieces each. You may need to put a toothpick or small skewer into them to hold bacon in place. Cook on grill until meat is cooked and bacon is crispy.
Fried duck
• Duck or goose meat• Shore Lunch or any breading mix
Cut meat into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch strips and place in sealable bag. Pour breading mix into the bag, enough to coat the meat. Seal the bag and shake it until all the meat is coated. Take the meat out of the bag, leaving any extra crumbs in the bag to throw away. Deep fry meat pieces; it will only take a couple minutes to cook.
Goose chili
• 2 14-ounce cans
crushed tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons chili seasoning
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can kidney beans •
• 1 can navy beans
• 1 bag of shredded cheese, Colby-Jack is recommended but any cheese will work
• 2 pounds duck or goose meat
Chop meat into bite size chunks and fry in pan until meat is mostly cooked. Pour grease out of the pan and set meat aside — make sure as much grease is removed as possible as this removes the “gamey” taste. In a large pot, brown onions. When onions are nearly cooked, add garlic. Once onions are fully cooked, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili seasoning and all beans into the pot. You may have to add a little bit of water if the mixture is too thick. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring somewhat often. It should simmer for 25 minutes or until everything is fully hot. Add meat from earlier into pot and stir. Let simmer until meat is fully cooked and heated through. Serve with shredded cheese on top.
BY RAE LANZRATH STAFF WRITER
MILTONA — Most people separate their careers from their hobbies, but Grant Bettermann combines the two to create different business ventures.
Bettermann wears many hats. Hunter, taxidermist, father and business owner are just a few. He owns and operates a state-inspected butcher shop, a lawn care company and a taxidermy business.
As Bettermann grew up in Miltona, he hunted all species of wild game, from deer to turkeys, and fished on the many area lakes.
“I love bowhunting for deer; it’s always been my favorite,” Bettermann said.
Bettermann learned to hunt from his dad, Charlie. Today, Bettermann shares the information Charlie taught him to teach his own son, Marvin.
“I still hunt with my dad to this day, and my son gets to hunt with both of us,” Bettermann said.
Because he spent so much time in these activities, it was no surprise when Bettermann became a taxidermist.
“I just decided I wanted to be able to do my own animals instead of paying someone else to do it,” Bettermann said.
In 1999, Bettermann enrolled in a private taxidermy course in Wisconsin. The course that taught all the basics of taxidermy was conducted nine hours a day, six days a week. After six weeks, Bettermann became a licensed taxidermist.
“It’s a hobby that I enjoy, and I just happen to make money doing it,” Bettermann said.
Bettermann’s most interesting taxidermy project was a job for himself.
Bettermann page 22
from his father and passed the knowledge along to his son.
PHOTO SUBMITTED Charlie (from left), Marvin and Grant Bettermann finish hunting Oct. 7 in North Dakota. Bettermann learned to hunt
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH (Above) Grant Bettermann works on a deer mount Oct. 22 at Bettermann Taxidermy near Miltona. Bettermann has been doing taxidermy for more than 20 years.
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Bettermann from page 21
In 2019, he went to Africa for a safari hunt and was able to return home and taxidermy his own animals.
“It was cool to be able to do those species that you don’t ever see,” Bettermann said.
When Bettermann started doing taxidermy, he worked on different animals from ducks to deer. Currently, he is only preserving deer.
“It’s just so busy, I don’t have time to do ducks or anything,” Bettermann said.
While taxidermy is something Bettermann does as a hobby and parttime job, most of his time
is spent at his butcher shop, Klinder Processing.
Bettermann started working at Klinder Processing in 1998 as a part-time employee.
“I just came here for some extra money,” Bettermann said. “I mowed lawns and did docks, but I needed to make money when those things weren’t happening.”
Twenty-six years have passed, and Bettermann has worked his way from being a seasonal, part-time employee to sole owner of the business.
Klinder Processing was opened in the 1980s by Darrell Klinder. After
an ownership transition in 2002, two couples purchased the company. Darrell’s son, Scott Klinder, and his wife, Geri, along with Ed and Jodi Niblett took the reins from Darrell. In 2022, Bettermann took over.
Klinder Processing offers services from slaughtering animals to sausage making. The shop takes in beef, hogs, sheep, goats, and farm-raised elk and bison. Along with livestock, the company also processes wild game including venison, goose, duck and bear.
“We probably do 12,000 pounds of venison a year plus other wild
Bettermann page 23
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH
Al Drexler (front, from left), Kevin Klimek, Joe Hull and Grant Bettermann; (back, from left) Joe Sweazey, Tim Gilsrud and Tim Hull take a break from work Oct. 23 at Klinder Processing near Carlos. Klinder Processing has been owned by Bettermann since 2022
1980s.
Bettermann from page 22
game,” Bettermann said.
Because of limited capacity and manpower, Klinder Processing has put a ceiling on the amount of venison they can process per year.
“We’d like to expand and take in more full-body deer, but time and help is hard to find,” Bettermann said.
Venison products can be flavored and mixed with other meat, like beef or pork, and cooked into essentially any type of meat product.
“We can make almost any of our regular products with venison,” Bettermann said.
In recent years, many wild game processors have transitioned to taking only boneless
trim instead of taking full carcasses for processing.
Hunters will remove the hide and all bones from the meat, and the processor will make whatever products they want. Processors that take full-bodied carcasses will remove the hide and bones so the hunter does not have to.
“It’s expensive to hire people to clean deer, and it’s a lot of work,” Bettermann said. “Most lockers just can’t afford it anymore.”
By offering deer processing and taxidermy, Bettermann has become a full-service wild game processor. He can process a deer from the time it is harvested to the time it is hung on a wall as a mount.
“A lot of people don’t know how to properly cape out a deer for it to be mounted or how to cut it up for processing,” Bettermann said. “It’s easier for me to do all of it; then I know it was done correctly.”
Bettermann prides himself on providing his customers with the best product he can, whether that is a deer he has preserved or products made from the venison.
“I like being able to do it all,” Bettermann said.
Bettermann’s career allows him to combine his passion for hunting, natural ability and 25 years of experience, all while serving those around him.
Wall mounts hang on the wall Oct. 23 at the Bettermann home near Miltona. Bettermann preserved the animals from his African safari hunt from 2019.
