Saturday, February 3, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #278 Madelia, MN 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre MN 56378
SOUTH Saturday, February 3, 2024
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 2, Edition 17
Scaling new heights
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Brad Kremers, of Big River Climbing Guides, climbs at the Winona Ice Park in Winona. The park is one of three ice parks in Minnesota and one of five in the U.S.
Winona Ice Park offers uncommon climbing opportunities BY AMY KYLLO STAFF WRITER
climbed is part of Winona Ice Park. It is the second-largest ice park WINONA — It is a in the U.S., featuring clear day, and a climber 1,000 linear feet of ice is ascending a 100-foot which offers multiple ice wall built into an levels of difficulty. The old quarry. Reaching park is one of three ice the top, they can see for parks in Minnesota and miles up and down the one of five in the U.S. Mississippi River from Eric Barnard, who their vantage point on owns Big River ClimbSugar Loaf Bluff, as ing Guides, helped they stand hundreds of establish the ice park. feet above Winona. Barnard is part of the The ice that this Recreation Alliance outdoor enthusiast just of Winona, which is
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
contracted to build and maintain the park each year. “The gift of climbing is that when you go ice climbing, ... that’s the only thing you’re thinking about,” Barnard said. “You’re not thinking about deadlines, or my mortgage is due. None of that is in your mind.” Barnard and Jamie Schell are two of the six people who maintain the ice.
This month in the
COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on February 17, 2024
Schell, Ice stretches down the who is Winona. It is the seconwall at the Winona Ice Park in helping for a featuring 1,000 linear fee d-largest ice park in the U.S., t of ice. second year, is new to the role. This hike from Sugar Loaf year, in mid-January, Trailhead. Barnard said Barnard said. “There’s the group spent two weeks steadily running they use around 2,000 so many things that can go wrong. So, it’s just a feet of pipe to get the water down the wall really finite skill set of to build the ice. Schell water to the park. “You have to have people who know how said in normal cold to farm ice.” people who are just weather conditions, it crazy enough to want would take about 10 days to build the wall. to run thousands of gallons of water in The Winona Ice Ice park page 2 the middle of winter,” Park is a 20-minute
4
Unexpected aspects of adulting Amy Kyllo column
5
Rural decor Caledonia
9
Learning excellence Hayfield
Page 2 • Country Acres South | Saturday, February 3, 2024 PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Water sprays over the edge of the wall at Winona Ice Park in Winona. About 2,000 feet of pipe is used to get water to the park.
Ice park from front Even during the offseason, there is work to be done like rappelling down the sides of the quarry to clean out brush. In the winter, the group will also rappel down the ice to remove oversized icicles that form off of trees or other ice features that do not have a solid base. Schell said they intentionally create certain features. For example, they make ice pillars by running water down an old climbing rope which will seed the formation. Schell said during very cold weather, it can
SOUTH Published by Star Publications Copyright 2024 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: 320-352-6577 | Fax: 320-352-5647 NEWS STAFF Sarah Colburn, Editor, sarah.c@star-pub.com Amy Kyllo, Assistant Editor, amy.k@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake, Writer, mark.k@dairystar.com Tiffany Klaphake, Writer, tiffany.k@dairystar.com Ben Sonnek, Writer, ben.s@saukherald.com Hans Lammeman, Writer, hans.l@star-pub.com Story ideas send to: sarah.c@star-pub.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 Robin Brunette, 320-293-5911, robin@star-pub.com Tim Vos, 320-492-6987, tim.v@star-pub.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825, mike.s@dairystar.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988, jaime@star-pub.com Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248, bob.l@star-pub.com Neil Maidl, 320-292-4454, neil.m@star-pub.com PRODUCTION STAFF Amanda Thooft | Nancy Powell | Maddy Peterson Cheyenne Middendorf | Karen Knoblach Annika Gunderson | Nadiia Zalitach ISSN Print: 2834-6491 | Online: 2834-6505
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Cascades of ice line the wall at the Winona Ice Park in Winona. The wall is 100feet tall at the highest point.
be difficult to get the water all the way to the bottom of the ice, and in warmer weather, all the water goes to the bottom. “It’s fun to solve problems all the time,” Schell said. “Every day you’re solving some sort of problem whether it’s water flow or position.” Barnard has rock climbed for many years and has 25 years of experience as a climbing instructor. He began ice climbing in 1998. The Winona Ice Park has fixed anchors for use at the top of the ice. This means climbers at the facility use top rope climbing. Ice climbers are belaying off a rope fixed above to the anchors and supported by their partner below. “We don’t rely on the ice as a safety mechanism,” Barnard said. “The ice is more of just the medium to climb on.” Ice climbing is performed by the climber sinking an ice ax into ice above them. They attach crampons to their feet to serve as ice
Ice park page 3
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Ice park from page 2
knives. Barnard said warmer ice is easier to climb because the ice ax sinks into the ice better. “(Ice climbing is) much closer to yoga than it is skydiving,” Barnard said. “A lot of people think all climbers are thrill seekers.” Barnard said he likes ice climbing better than rock climbing because the ice is a changing medium. Barnard, who ice climbs about 70 days a year, said the majority of the users of the park are traveling over 140 miles to climb. The park does not have exact user data, but he estimates there are 2,000 to 4,000 visits to the ice park annually. Barnard said people often think the idea of ice climbing is absurd, but once people experience it, they understand the draw. The Winona Ice Climbing Festival Feb. 22-26 offers climbing clinics where attendees can learn ice climbing from guides at reduced prices. Alicia Lano, the recreation coordinator for the city of Winona, said they have heard from owners of restaurants, hotels and Airbnbs about the extra visitors from the ice park. “The more we can draw people into Winona, the better for everybody,” Lano said. “We’re providing a ... very unique recreational opportunity.” Barnard said one of the challenges of getting into ice climbing is the specialized equipment. However, Winona State University’s Outdoor Education and Recreation Center offers rentals. Also, climbers who schedule a guided day with Barnard or one of the seven guides at Big River Climbing Guides will receive gear as part of the package. Schell, who is a Winona resident, started ice climbing three seasons ago as a lower-impact, winter sport alternative to the hockey he had played most of his life. “This is a decompressing sport,” Schell said. Last year, he estimates he went ice climbing
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PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Ice climbers watch an instructor from Big River Climbing Guides at the Winona Ice Park in Winona. The park does not have exact user data, but Eric Barnard, who owns Big River Climbing Guides, said he estimates there are 2,000-4,000 visits to the ice park annually.
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A sign for the Winona Ice Park stands next to a trail in Winona. The Winona Ice Park is accessed via a 20-minute hike from the Sugar Loaf Trailhead.
30 days. “It’s a hard resource or a hard formation to find in nature,” Schell said. “I feel pretty fortunate to have that in our backyard.”
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As a new adult, one of the things no one not doing those things at the same time as prepared me for is the fact that those little everyone else, it was reasonable to conceive adult to-do lists never end. that you were behind. Before becoming fully independent, About the exact moment one graduates these tasks existed, but they seemed fewer from high school, however, I have learned and farther between — probably because my that this all gets tossed out and might as well mom was doing some of them for me. be fed to the family pig. For example: applying for Free ApI have multiple people within my greater plication for Federal Student Aid. Once a social circle and age who are married, have year, I would spend two or three hours of an Sunshine & Flowers one or more children, and have purchased by Amy Kyllo afternoon shouting to Mom in another room, a house. Then, I have friends in college and or holding her hostage on the couch next to others, like me, who are young professionals. me, to ask whether she knows if I am married with deThe only thing we all have in common is that all of pendents or not. Full divulgence, the questions I asked our stories and timelines are different. weren’t quite that dumb, but close. I have to remind myself that just because I’m not a Or, it would be tax season, and she and I would homeowner or married or at some other life stage does be carefully subtracting box 3A on Form 187IDnot mean I am behind. These people have not accomNTWNTTODOTHS from box 11C on Form 135IDDplished some of the things that I have and vice versa. NTMKEANYTHNG. One of the joys and curses of young adulthood is Once it was determined that I owed the government the transient nature of this stage. Since high school, I a whopping $200 and I mailed my check off, most of have had a life reinvention at minimum every two years, my adult tasks were done. as I have transferred across three colleges and now Now however, it seems that these tasks never end. taken this job. There always seem to be a phone call to make, a text I Sometimes I wish my life did not reincarnate at a never responded to, something uninteresting that needs rate of what feels like every six months. Yet, I also love to be purchased, a letter that needs to be sent or somethe freedom to dream that is part of this stage. thing that needs to be researched in order to do one of Another aspect of being an independent adult I did these aforementioned tasks. not expect is how odd it feels that full-time jobs generI envision that when I take care of some random ally do not have specific end dates. In college, I knew task, — that has been hanging over my head for ages — that I would be at a certain institution for x number of suddenly I will have no little jobs to do, just like it used semesters, and internships lasted x number of months. to be. Even part-time jobs had an expiry as I looked to move It seems, though, that the moment I check off the into full-time work. annoying list, something new pops up. For example, as With a full-time job, I also found the better docuI write this, there are two Christmas cards in my basket mented joy of independence. For me, paying for my car that need the address of the recipient added, (which I insurance was the last step to autonomy, so the first time have) before being put in the mailbox outside my door. getting to pay that bill was exciting. It was even invigThat’s it. They’ve been there for around two weeks. orating the first time I paid Minnesota taxes, because Another thing no one warns you about in adulthood it meant I finally had made enough money to hit the is that everyone’s life timelines are divergent. Before taxable bracket. I graduated from high school, all the people around My dad says my excitement in this stuff will soon me were on the same schedule. We all went through pass, and I know he’s right. However, for the meantime, the grades at about the same time, everyone got their I’ll find joy in the little things, like car insurance and license at about the same time and so on. If you were taxes.
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PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Anne Selness stands by the quilt on her barn Jan. 8 near Caledonia. Selness helped to launch the quilt trail in Houston County.
A group used the 4-H food stand space before the fair to paint barn quilts which were auctioned off during the fair. “We had boards all over,” Selness said. “People were painting like mad. Lamb said there are many projIt was so much fun.” ects the tourism committee can focus Barn quilt designs require multion, but two of the reasons the quilt ple coats of paint as well as primer. trail was prioritized was because of Selness said the designs often the history and because of Caledohave special meaning. nia’s designation as The Heart of “It wasn’t just the design,” SelQuilt Country by Minnesota Sen. ness said. “It was like, ‘Oh, that name Sharon Ropes in 2008. just resonates with my family.’” “(We hope) it stays as part of the Dianne Schuldt, who lives in uniqueness of Houston County, one rural Caledonia, was an early adopter of the assets of the area,” Lamb said. of the barn quilts. “It does raise awareness of the agri“It was exciting that these are cultural heritage, along with just the going up on the barns,” Schuldt said. aesthetics. (It is) one more unique, “It did help keep the old barns up.” interesting thing that you can day trip Schuldt’s barn quilt design is out (for).” “Constellation.” She chose the design The idea for the barn quilt project because her son had a star named came after Selness’ mom, Dorothy after her a few years previous. Hendel, read about barn quilts in Selness created a barn quilt speOhio. After the family made a quilt cifically for Caledonia with a heart for Hendel’s barn, Selness brought in its center in a nod to The Heart the concept before the Caledonia of Quilt Country designation. The Chamber of Commerce. Selness said colors used are black and gold for the the idea was met positively. Caledonia Warriors public school, With $1,000 for supplies, they green for St. John’s Lutheran School started by installing quilts on six and blue for St. Mary’s Catholic barns in time for the Fourth of July School. in 2008. The next project was to get quilts on another 10 barns by the Quilts page 7 Houston County Fair in August.
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The barn quilt “Constellation” hangs on Blaine and Dianne Schuldt’s barn Jan. 8 near Caledonia. Dianne chose the design because her son named a star after her a few years before they put up the barn quilt.
Saturday, February 3, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 7 PHOTO SUBMITTED
Quilts from page 6 Schuldt and Selness have both been guides for bus tours that have come in the past to see the quilts. They said that visitors to the area were not only interested in the quilts but in the agricultural landscape as well, asking questions about features such as strip cropping. Linda Kruse is another member of the barn quilt trail. The Kruse family’s barn quilt is hung on the classic red barn on their
dairy farm. The design is done in several colors, including white and maroon, which are the farm’s show colors. Kruse painted hers when she had time around chores. When it was complete, they used a boom truck to affix it high above the ground in the peak of the barn. Wear on barn quilts can depend on the direction a quilt is facing and how much direct sun the paint gets, Kruse said. This year, the tourism committee gave
quilt owners contact information for a company that can maintain or repair barn quilts as they age. Janene Hosch, a member of the tourism committee, said there was a large community response to the barn quilt project, even from those who live in city limits. She herself has a 2- by 2-foot quilt on her garage with a tulip design because she enjoys gardening. Hosch said the project has included a larger area than just rural Caledonia. “We were able to include Houston County,” Hosch said. “It wasn’t just Spring Grove, it
Blaine Schuldt works to hang a barn quilt on his barn near Caledonia. Barn quilts require multiple coats of paint as well as primer.
wasn’t just Caledonia, it wasn’t just Houston. We were trying to bring our whole county together.” Lamb said the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce is open to more participants on the trail. “We’re not finished,” Lamb said. “This is always a work in progress.”
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
The barn quilt “Starry Path” hangs on a barn owned by John and Dianne Welscher Jan. 8 at their farm near Caledonia. Caledonia was designated as The Heart of Quilt Country by Minnesota Sen. Sharon Ropes in 2008.
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Saturday, February 3, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 9 PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
A red painted barn stands out against the winter hues of the Therring family’s yard Dec. 22, 2023, near Hayfield. The Therrings house their goats in a former dairy barn.
Learning
excellence
During their first years with goats, the Therrings said HAYFIELD— their inexpenThe Therrings sive animals consider did not do well themselves in the show crazy enough ring. Instead, to put that fact Jennifer said right in their farm they focused prefix — CrazyT. on their chilJeff and Jennidren learning fer Therring, along showmanship. with their daughter “You may Jaelynn, own CrazyT not have the best Boer Goats, a registered animals, but you’re herd of about 22 Boer A billy goat going to know how goats. Their farm is situated on looks through the to show them,” about 10 acres of a former dairy gate Dec. 22, 2023, at farm near Hayfield. the Therring family’s farm Jennifer said. Jeff agreed. “Goats are my therapy,” near Hayfield. The Therrings were introduced to goats “The Jennifer said. “I’ve always had at a 4-H farm tour where presentation of livestock outside.” their children were excited the animal and The Therrings developed by the goats. knowing how to their herd, starting with barely any show it is almost knowledge of goats, and low-qualjust as important as ity 4-H project animals. Over time, actually having the they bought, learned and improved their way to their current, high-quality top-quality animal,” Jeff said. Their focus on showmanship herd. extended past their early years with “We’re really starting to have goats. The Therrings said one of their a good balance between having the good stock, keeping them healthy and proudest moments was in 2017 when still trying to have fun,” Jennifer said. both Joshua and Jaelynn won grand champion in showmanship at the MinThe Therrings got their first marnesota State Fair. ket wethers in 2009 for a 4-H project. “The showmanship thing meant Their children, Joshua and Jaelynn, everything,” Jeff said. “We didn’t showed dairy steers — which Jennineed to win anything else that weekfer was familiar with — when they started in 4-H but had had been scared end.” The Therrings house their goats of the animals. in the old dairy barn in loose housing When the Therrings were introwith outdoor access. duced to goats on a 4-H farm tour, One of the inner barn rooms is Jennifer said the children were immeequipped for kidding with individual diately excited. pens. This room is insulated, kept at Jennifer’s dad, Grandpa Loken, bought the first two wethers, as part of 50 degrees and equipped with cameras so the Therrings can monitor the does a joke with Jeff. “(I had said) if there’s going to be remotely. goats, you have to pay for them, and Therrings page 10 he did,” Jeff said.
Jeff Therring pets a billy goat Dec. 22, 2023, at his family’s farm near Hayfield. Therring is the president of the Minnesota Boer Goat Association.
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Jennifer Therring looks at a billy goat Dec. 22, 2023, at her family’s farm near Hayfield. The Therrings have invested money to bring in increasingly premium buck and doe genetics to their farm.
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Therrings develop quality Boer goat herd
Page 10 • Country Acres South | Saturday, February 3, 2024
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“The best thing that ever happened to us was Wi-Fi cameras,” Jeff said. “I can be sitting at work at my desk or she can be at work at her desk, or anywhere.” Both the Therrings work off the farm. On the farm, Jennifer is in charge of the feeding, physical care, health work and records, and Jeff does maintenance, hoof trimming and puts up hay. Jaelynn has expressed interest in taking over the goat operation. Jaelynn, who lives in Madison, Wisconsin, is working to become an American Boer Goat Association judge and has also done an internship at a large goat farm in Texas. Jaelynn is the decision maker of the CrazyT operation, making decisions on which goats to buy, show and sell. Jeff said Jaelynn thoroughly enjoys the goats. “She would basically go out in the barn with a laptop and do homework (growing up),” Jeff said. “She lived in the barn. ... That was her world.” In 2011, after two years of buying wethers for 4-H, Jeff said they decided to start their
PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Jennifer and Jeff Therring sit on their porch railing Dec. 22, 2023, at their farm near Hayfield. The Therrings have a registered herd of Boer goats.
own goat herd and make a business out of the goats to help recoup their costs. Dixie was the first doe purchased. For the 2013 show season, the Therrings decided to buy better quality goats. They bought a buck in late 2012, and then Jennifer said they realized they needed to raise the quality of their does. “You start doing that and then you go on the slippery slide,” Jennifer said. Jeff agreed.
“Open checkbook and add zeros to the end of your check,” he said. With better quality goats, the Therrings began going to American Boer Goat Association national shows. By 2014, they were on the open class county fair circuit and won a trip to the state fair. Jeff said this was not an easy task because Dodge County was competitive in Boer goats at the time. “We actually had to be showing our national best just to get past coun-
ty fair,” Jeff said. In 2016, they bought into the next level of quality in Boer goats. Now, the Therrings have reached a point where they are starting to sell goat genetics themselves. They sell a few goats on a spring sale each year. In the fall, they help put on the Pride of Minnesota Boer Goat Sale alongside six farms.
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Jennifer Therring pours grain Dec. 22, 2023, at her family’s A goat looks through a doorway Dec. 22, 2023, at the farm near Hayfield. Therring is in charge of the feeding, Therring family’s farm near Hayfield. The Therrings got physical care, health work and records. their first market wethers in 2009 for a 4-H project.
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Saturday, February 3, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 11
PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Goats stand in the straw Dec. 22, 2023, at the Therring family’s farm near Hayfield. The Therrings sell a few goats on a spring sale each year, and in the fall, they help put on the Pride of Minnesota Boer Goat Sale alongside six farms.
Therrings
A goat pauses Dec. 22, 2023, at the Therring family’s farm near Hayfield. One of the Therrings’ proudest memories is their two children winning grand champion showmanship at the Minnesota State Fair in 2017.
from page 10
Jeff is also the president of the Minnesota Boer Goat Association. Jeff said they are not done with buying goats. “You have to keep improving your genetics by bringing in other genetics,” Jeff said. “If you don’t, you will definitely lose the look that everybody’s going (toward). ... You have to keep investing to keep moving forward.” The Therrings said they want to be done raising goats by the time they retire but will maintain their genetics for Jaelynn. They attend AGBA national shows, though
“You have to keep improving your genetics by bringing in other genetics. If you don’t, you will definitely lose the look that everybody’s going (toward). ... You have to keep investing to keep moving forward.” - Jeff Therring county fairs and 4-H is in the past. This past year, they attended two or three national shows, down from their usual four to six. The Therrings would like to lease goats to 4-H members as they have done in the past as well
as find a family to mentor with their Boer goat knowledge. “A lot of things that we have learned, unfortunately, was … (because) I didn’t know what I was doing at the beginning,” Jennifer said.
A pregnant goat stands in the aisle of the barn Dec. 22, 2023, at the Therring family’s farm near Hayfield. One of the inner barn rooms is equipped for kidding with individual pens and is insulated, kept at 50 degrees and equipped with cameras.
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Page 12 • Country Acres South | Saturday, February 3, 2024
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