Country Acres South - January 7, 2023

THOUGHTFUL stitching

Krage creates workwear with durability, heart

BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

RIDGEWAY - Lindsay Krage has combined her love of quilting and her affinity for the aesthetic of workwear into a clothing and accessory line that honors both.

Salome Acres, named in honor of Krage’s grandmother Salome, has a presence on the web and via Instagram. Each piece Krage crafts is inspired by a styling she hasn’t been able to find in a store.

“When you’re sewing your own clothes, you can add an element of your own individuality to it,” she said.

Krage likes wearing things that are unique, something she won’t see on someone else, and that’s what she wants to provide for her customers as well. Her pieces are not only original designs, but they’re also made to be hearty – she chooses her fabrics carefully, usually

cutting from waxed canvas, denim or linen.

The texture and functionality of the waxed canvas intrigues her and is something she can wear while she does chores. Krage lives on a hobby farm where she single-handedly raises seven lambs a year for meat and, at her peak, 80 meat birds. Today, she has about 10 layers instead of meat birds, and she’s holding back three of her lambs so she can learn more

about crafting fiber and yarn.

As she delves into fiber arts, Krage’s focus remains strong on the versatility of waxed canvas.

“It’s similar to leather in that you see every mistake, every fold, every stitch,” she said. “I like the challenge of needing to be precise.”

Over time, the fabric molds to the wearer.

When she isn’t in her workshop designing clothing, she enjoys tending to her variety of farm animals.

“It ties back to that workwear style; the more you wear something, the more it breaks in,” she said. “There’s a beauty in that item you’ve had forever.”

The fabrics are durable, in line with her love of workwear and uniforms.

“There’s something really timeless about a coverall or an apron,” Krage said. “A lot of people hold memories with those items. They remember their mom or grandma in an apron, or their grandfather coming home in his coveralls.”

The designs are Krage’s own creation. When she creates a concept for a piece, she’ll seek out a pattern the first time and then be-

gin designing from there. In addition to making garments that she thinks consumers will enjoy, Krage said she does a remarkable amount of commission and custom work. Customers, she said, will come to her with an idea in mind, and she revels in creating the perfect plan for a garment that fits their wants and needs. She’ll often work off a pattern chosen by the customer, and from there, her creativity takes over.

“I really like working with people on their visions,” Krage said. “I really like making an idea come into a physical thing.”

She once created a custom bag for a customer to fit on his wife’s wheelchair. Projects like that are important to her, she said.

Krage does her work using two heavy-duty sewing machines. One is a modern machine and the other is a heavy, vintage machine she found on eBay. Each garment has its own timeline for construction.

Lindsay Krage pets an ewe at her farm near Ridgeway.

Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Linday Krage crafts in her workspace at her home in Ridgeway. She named her small business Salome Acres after her grandmother.

Krage

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“My grandma was an amazing storyteller and always telling stories of her childhood,” Krage said. “Being around storytellers is really important when you have memories you need to hold onto.”

Their work side-by-side inspired Krage to continue sewing through the years.

“Being included in that really set a path for where I am now,” she said.

Krage began taking her own sewing more seriously in 2018, and then in 2019 she launched her business.

The pieces she creates, while both useful and strong, feature an element of quilting. Her brain harkens back to the time of church quilting groups and the idea that working with fabric, needle and thread is an art that can be done by everyone.

“When I see a quilt square, I just get a feeling of memory,” Krage said.

She incorporates that look and feel into her workwear pieces. “It’s a unique twist on things that are very familiar,” she said.

With each piece, the completion brings a sense of closure. She packages it in paper, wraps it with string and includes a handwritten note with each and every garment.

“I see it as my art; it took me awhile to see it that way. I’m not artistic in a drawing sense but realized it when the end product meant so much to me,” Krage said. “When somebody buys something from me, they’re taking a chance on me, and that’s really meaningful, so I like to include a little note.”

Krage’s work can be found online and at some in-person vendor fairs and art fairs. She said the price point of her items isn’t always accessible to everyone and marketing and selling is her least favorite part of her business.

“To sell them makes me feel sort of insecure,” she said. “I’m putting myself out there in a vulnerable way, which can be hard.”

Additionally, she said she knows people can pick up an inexpensive shirt in a store on a whim. Her pieces, which are crafted by hand, are more expensive.

“People have an unrealistic view of what it costs to make something because you can get something so inexpensively in a store,” Krage said. “They don’t really think about the labor and the expense of materials and the fact it’s handmade.”

For her, the quality materials that will last through the years, rather than wear out after subsequent washings, are worth the added expense, and each piece, she said, is a little bit of her.

(Right) A gray vest is one of many pieces crafted by Lindsay Krage. She uses heavy duty materials to create long-lasting work wear.

Lindsay Krage holds a chicken at her farm near Ridgeway. She wears the clothing she makes for working on the farm.

Lindsay Krage tends to her flock of sheep at her farm near Ridgeway. She raises sheep and chickens while also designing her own clothing line.

Being around storytellers is really important when you have memories you need to hold onto.

- Lindsay Krage

PHOTOS SUBMITTED (Above) Lindsay Krage makes a variety of clothing with her small business Salome Acres.

Sun dogs, a winter joy

Beauty from frost

The cold, blowing, snowy weather just before Christmas, 2022, in central Minnesota had some up sides.

The area had a chance to see early morning sun dogs. These atmospheric apparitions usually occur in winter. They are memorable because they are not daily occurrences – and they have the tradition of being predictors of something.

When the temperature, water particles and wind are just right, those living in the country can catch good views of sun dogs.

Sun dogs are one of the gifts from nature which are better appreciated the less one knows about the reason for them. They only occur when small bits of moisture (in this area, generally ice crystals) are blown though sunlight, causing rainbow-like arcs on either side of the sun or sometimes encircling the sun.

While sun dogs, like rainbows, are refractions of light, there is meteorologically a bit of difference. Rainbows indicate rain has passed or will soon end. Sun dogs are traditionally seen as signs of wet weather coming.

The sun dogs can be quite dazzling and throughout history have baffled, impressed and/or bothered people. A bit of research shows they don’t necessarily have to be associated with Arctic-like temperatures. They can be seen anywhere in the world, in any month, if the conditions are right. In this locale though, that usually means in the winter.

Different cultures have different names for the objects. In ancient Greece they are named parhelions, meaning “with the sun.” That is understandable – although a bright moon can also create the phenomenon. They were, even then, said to be predictors of wet weather.

Other references to them are “mock suns” or “false suns.” That is sort of understandable.

In Northern Europe and most of North America they are called sun dogs. Just how the name dog came to be associated with them is debated. One theory is that it is an adaptation of the rarely used variant verb “dog”, meaning to

pester and bother. In short, the objects were seen as tracking and trying to trap the sun.

Another explanation is the name was adapted by English speakers in the Middle Ages from the Scandinavian word “dag.”

The word is associated with dew or mist, possibly because misty conditions with the right sun can create similar objects in the sky. Some Northern European people told of wolves, sometimes called dogs, hounding or tracking the sun to devour it.

Throughout history, sun dogs have also been seen as portents of one kind or another. Their use as a predictor of something made it into Williams Shakespeare’s “Henry VI-Part 3,” when Edward of York says,

“Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun;

Not separated with the racking clouds,

But sever’d in a pale clear-shining sky.

See, see! they join, embrace, and seem to kiss, As if they vow’d some league inviolable:

Now are they but one lamp, one light, one sun.

In this the heaven figures some event.”

It is doubtful that is exactly what he said, but it is known that before the 1461 Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, Edward did convince his followers that the three suns, two of which are said to be sun dogs, were a sign they would win.

Not everyone has interpreted seeing sun dogs in such a positive manner. In the 1870s on the plains in North America, John Bourke (1846-1896) , during a campaign against the Cheyenne nation, reported seeing sun dogs and recorded that local lore said they were a harbinger of a blizzard.Just how accurate sun dogs are in predictions of wet weather is not stated anywhere, but whether they are or are not accurate, sun dogs are seen as something unique, and beautiful, in the sky. They are another example of why we like living on acres in the country.

PHOTOS BY HERMAN LENSING

Ice crystals blowing through sunlight created a sun dog display Dec. 26, looking southeast from near Greenwald, Minnesota. The parhelion display lasted until about 10 a.m.

A Peek at the Past by Herman Lensing

for the future of agriculture

Patsche new program director for Minnesota Farm Camp

BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER

WELCOME, Minn. – For many years, Minnesota Ag in the Classroom has been connecting students and farmers through handson experiences. The organization’s newest recruit is ready to use her passion for advocating for agriculture to grow and connect the Farm Camp program across the state.

Wanda Patsche is the new Program Director for Minnesota Farm Camp, which allows her to connect kids with agriculture and ag careers.

Patsche oversees Farm Camp, a three-day learning experience for kids grades 5 to 12, offered statewide. The camp experience is a way for teachers to include agriculture in their own classrooms. Farm Camp provides a classroom lesson after which kids visit a working farm and then review their fieldtrip with a lesson about agricultural careers. The

process incorporates math, science and English as part of the adventure.

“I love hearing testimonials from students and teachers about how much they loved the farm,” Patsche said. “I even heard a student say they got dirt on their hands, and I love seeing them immersed in the hands-on learning experiences.”

Patsche said that many students know that food comes from a farm, but they are often amazed to learn about all the jobs in agriculture that aren’t necessarily performed in a barn or behind the wheel of a tractor.

“One of every 10 jobs in Minnesota is a job in agriculture,” Patsche said. “It’s around us everywhere, and there are so many opportunities within the agriculture industry.”

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Wanda Patsche is the new Program Director for the Farm Camp program. Wanda and her husband, Chuck, also grow corn, soybeans and raise hogs near Welcome, Minnesota.

Chuck Patsche shows Wanda Patsche how to view different aspects of the yield monitor. Wanda enjoys helping during planting and harvest.

“Nothing beats a hands-on experience,” she said.

Being an advocate for agriculture is nothing new to Patsche. She became passionate about the industry while working and living alongside her husband, Chuck Patsche, a pork and crop farmer from Welcome, Minnesota. She didn’t come from a farm, but she said her husband’s passion for agriculture began to rub off on her.

“I started getting involved in agricultural boards and organizations and began to learn and be passionate about all forms of agriculture,” Patsche said.

She attended a conference in Kansas in 2012 that convinced her to start blogging about her family’s life on the farm. Though her platform for reaching people is now based on Facebook, it started with her humble website.

Patsche writes about her experiences on the farm and shares photos of things happening around their operation. She said she isn’t afraid to discuss current events and pressing issues in her blogs either.

“I’ve told other bloggers, ‘I’m not afraid to touch on the hot topic issues,’” she said. “People need to know how current events affect us as farmers.”

She doesn’t just shed light about current events. She also addresses both the good and the challenges that their farm faces throughout a year.

When Patsche isn’t busy coordinating Farm Camp or updating her blog, she is the right-hand woman for Chuck during field work. She not only does the bookwork for their family farm, but she also runs equipment. In the spring she cultivates and helps plant, and in the fall she is the com-

bine operator and tills the land once harvest is completed.

“When I first married Chuck, I didn’t understand why we cultivated the fields,” Patsche said. “Now I learn and share the why behind what we do on a daily basis.”

The Patsches have three grown daughters, one of which is involved in the agriculture industry, and eight grandchildren who love to visit the farm.

Even with Patsche and her family’s enthusiasm for agriculture , upon speaking with MN Ag in the Classroom Executive Director about the position as program director for Farm Camp, Patsche learned more about what the position would entail.

After thought and consideration, she began to realize that the role felt right.

“I really feel like this is my calling within agriculture,” she said. “I feel like I can do good in this role. It’s a new challenge, and I’m up for it.”

PHOTOS SUBMITTED Jordan Johnson, and Kristeena Thisius discuss fall Harvest at the Patsche farm. Johnson is a full-time employee of the Patsches.

A variety of crops were used to teach students during a Farm Camp tour day May 15. Students asked questions about crop growth and what the crops are used for.

A goat farm was one of the Ag Hosts for Farm Camp last year. Students were able to observe how the goats were used for invasive species management.

garner success Genetics

Sexton receives Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation

award

BY TAYLOR JERDE | STAFF WRITER

MILLVILLE – Over the last decade, Staci Sexton has spent her days growing and diversifying the genetics of her herd. She has sold nine bulls into the A.I. industry and shipped embryos across the U.S. and internationally; she has sold high genomic heifers and concentrates on polled genetics.

“I have always enjoyed genetics,” Sexton said. “I was in dairy judging, and I liked seeing how the animals look and also looking at their health and production traits while adding all that together. I enjoy seeing how one breeding from the next can change things and improve things.”

Sexton’s growth, combined with success, has resulted in her being named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner at the organization’s annual meeting Nov. 17-19 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The award winner is chosen based on their involvement in, and the financial progress of, their farm and their contributions to the MFBF and their community.

Sexton spends her days working full time on the family dairy farm, Irish Ridge, where she also houses her herd, Schoene Kuh Dairy. She, her parents and brother, Lance, work together on the farm.

The family has a unique way of running the dairy farm. Animals are housed together and work is done in

tandem, but family members have separate focuses on the farm. They have two bulk tanks, separate finances and different breeding programs.

Sexton decided this would work best for her and her family in order to focus on what she enjoys most –genetics.

“I like seeing my genetics grow,” Sexton said. “We keep everything separate but still work together to help each other out.”

Along with growing her herd, Sexton is active in the Wabasha County 4-H program where she assists with the dairy show and previously coached the knowledge bowl team and the dairy judging team. Sexton is the secretary of the Wabasha County Dairy Herd Improvement Association Board. She also served on the Wabasha County Fair Board from 2011-15 and helps with the fair as needed.

Sexton is also an active member of the Wabasha County Farm Bureau, where she served as a board member for two years. Through Farm Bureau, she attends many conferences and meetings.

“It’s a great thing for young farmers,” Sexton said. “It’s a great way to meet new people.”

After Sexton graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010, she had a job with Land O’Lakes as a nutritionist. Sexton knew she wanted to return home to farm but wanted to go a different way with genetics.

At the age of 25, Sexton began her own herd of dairy cattle on her parents’ farm.

She started with 35 cows and bought the feed each day from her parents. She now has 60 cows – a mixture of Jersey, Holstein and Red and White Holstein – and rents 120 acres from her parents. They grow corn and alfalfa and use barley and pea as cover crops.

Staci Sexton puts a milker on a cow at her parents’ farm near Millville. She and her family work and house animals together, but Sexton has her own herd, Schoene Kuh Dairy.

Staci Sexton bottle feeds a calf with her goddaughter, Elizabeth, at Schoene Kuh Dairy near Millville. Sexton focuses on the genetics of her herd.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED Staci Sexton poses after she receives her award Nov. 19 at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota. Sexton was named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner.

Sexton page

Now maybe it’s just me, but at every turn of a new year my friends ask what my New Year’s resolution is.

I genuinely have to think of a decent answer as to what I might be able to accomplish or have a desire to think about accomplishing.

I’ve made resolutions of being more organized, drinking more water, budgeting better and getting into a workout routine, but more often than not I have slumped back into my old habits.

Truthfully, now that I’m farming and writing, my schedule doesn’t allow a lot of time for personal aspirations. I would like to work out maybe three times a week, but the amount of physical labor I do on the farm probably makes up for a good percentage, if not all, of my daily calorie-burning requirements.

Then there are many people my age claiming they don’t have enough free time to accomplish their goals despite me seeing their vacation photos in Aruba, Florida, and California.

My first initial thought when scrolling through their pictures of tropical paradise is “Aren’t they in college? How can they even afford a vacation?”

I find these vacations ironic because a lot of people claim they want to decrease their spending habits in the New Year.

For me, free time is something that happens after I am done with chores. For example, my friend group wanted to go pub crawling on New Year’s Eve and visit pubs that had bands. Fortunately for me, most of the bands start after 8:30 p.m. which gave me time to shower before heading out, thankfully.

We rendezvoused at someone’s house and carpooled to the next town over. Was I exhausted from working all day, yes, but I was in need of some time out on the town to unwind and have a good time.

Now that the new year has officially started, I thought about what I would like to accomplish this year. There is always something to work on or improve on the farm, and many projects could take days to finish. I decided instead to focus on the small things in small increments.

If it takes less than five minutes, I’ll do it now. I saw a video put together by a mother of six boys. In the video she is cleaning the toilets and the counter. She says, “Life gets cluttered when you have many things to do and people to tend to. If it takes me less than five minutes, I will do it now.”

Doing things that take less than five minutes a few times a day will begin to clear your head. Sometimes I’m in such a hurry to get to the big projects that the small things can be overlooked, but they are equally as important.

The same goes for taking five minutes to relax and look across the herd. Every time I am in the feed lot, I walk through and not only look for problems, but take in the special moments with the youngstock.

Five minutes, once a day, spread across one year, leaves us with just over 30 hours of time spent doing tiny tasks. I hope that you too can find time this year to accomplish your goals, big or small.

Sexton said she enjoys raising calves and seeing them reach their full potential. Previously, she raised calves for another farmer with high genetic animals. She calved in his cows, and if she liked them once they calved, she had the opportunity to purchase them.

“That helped me grow my herd,” Sexton said.

Sexton said she is proud of the nine bulls she has raised and sold for use in the A.I. industry. Such success has allowed Sexton to purchase new equipment to enhance the farm.

In the last 10 years, Sexton and her family have invested into the farm. They built their newest calf shed in 2013, and in 2016, they built a heifer shed and also purchased heat detection collars.

Sexton also purchased a skid loader and bale chopper and most recently added weight readers in the parlor. Such advancements have allowed Sexton to become more efficient and focus her time on genetics.

Sexton said she enjoys being active in the agriculture industry through organizations such as Farm Bureau, which have allowed her to travel across the U.S. She said agriculture has taught her hard work and dedication.

“Agriculture has been a big part of my life,” Sexton said. “Agriculture is the backbone of the community.”

Nordic dairy faces difficulties

High costs, regulation, public perception shape region’s farms

BY DANIELLE NAUMAN | STAFF WRITER

VARHAUG, Rogaland, Norway – Regardless of where on the globe their dairy farm might be located, cow care and comfort drive dairy farmers.

That is the case for Elin Hobberstad of Hobberstad Gard.

“What I really love about the farm is working with the animals,” Hobberstad said. “Animal welfare is a very high priority for us.”

That core principle also serves as a source of frustration for Hobberstad.

When it comes to dealing with the general public whom are often times generations removed from the family farm, tension arises.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is ignorance,” Hobberstad said. “People have absolutely no idea what is going on in a barn and tend to humanize the animals. I try to tell people that my cows are better cared for than most of our sick and elderly. If needed, a vet will come here within the hour.”

Hobberstad, along with her husband Norodd Lode, is the sixth gen-

eration to operate the farm that has been in her family since 1892.

She purchased the farm from her parents in 1997. There is a philosophy in Norway known as “odelsloven,” which gives the firstborn child the legal right to purchase the farm. Hobberstad said it worked out well for her own family, as none of her younger sisters had an interest in pursuing a career in dairy farming.

A chicken barn was constructed in 2007, and the farm diversified by adding poultry production. Norodd also operates a transport company along with handling the farm’s fieldwork. Their oldest son, Rasmus Lode, works for the transport company and his girlfriend, Amalie Ravndal, helps Hobberstad on the family farm. Their youngest son, Martin Lode, works as an automatician.

“My great-great-grandfather purchased this farm when his farm at the time was expropriated to build a prison that is known as Aana Kretsfengsel,” Hobberstad said.

PHOTOS COUTESY OF AMALIE RAVNDAL

Heifers graze on pasture at Hobberstad Gard in Varhaug, Norway. Varhaug is located near the coastline of the North Sea.

A Norwegian Red cow stands in a field with the buildings of Hobberstad Gard behind her. Regulations in Norway state that cattle over 6 months of age should be grazed a minimum of eight weeks in the summer.

Nordic dairy

The farm is near the village of Varhaug, which is located about a mile from the North Sea. The area has a relatively mild climate compared to the rest of the country, with an average annual temperature around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The area receives about 50 inches of precipitation each year. It is flat compared to other parts of Norway, which makes it well suited for agricultural pursuits.

“In this part of Norway, the climate is quite mild,” Hobberstad said. “We get below zero sometimes in the winter and sometimes even snow.”

Hobberstad Gard consists of 65 acres, and Hobberstad rents an additional 25 acres. They grow only timothy and rye grass. First crop is stored in silos, while second and third crops are baled using a McHale Fusion baler. Hobberstad utilizes 14 acres for pasture.

Hobberstad milks between 45 and 50 cows using a DeLaval robotic milking system which was installed in 2014 when a new barn was built. Earlier this year, an automatic calf feeder was installed, giving Hobberstad the option of using either fresh or powdered milk. Calves are also fed grain from an automated feeder integrated into the system.

“We decided to build a new barn and have never regretted this one second,” Hobberstad said. “When we were planning our new barn, there was never any question as if to install a robot milker; the only question was which one.”

When Hobberstad took over the farm in 1997, she was utilizing the old barn built by her parents in 1969, and the

herd’s annual production was just over 249,920 pounds of milk per year. With the improvements Hobberstad has made to the farm, she has been able to increase her production to just under 908,800 pounds annually, with an average energy-corrected milk production of 22,720 pounds per cow.

Milk production in Norway is regulated through a quota system that helps ensure the country’s production of both cow milk and goat milk adapt to meet the needs of the market. Increasing her farm’s production requires Hobberstad to obtain quota increases; she now owns 568,000 pounds of quota

and rents the additional needed quota from another farmer.

Building the new barn turned out to be about more than making a better living environment for the cows.

“When we built the new barn, the entire family took an increased interest in what was happening in the barn,” Hobberstad said. “Before that, my husband took no interest in what was inside the barn. He took care of most of the field chores and ran his company. Now, he sits in his office and logs into the computer to check that everything is OK. He knows how much each cow eats, her expected yield and her cell count.”

The herd consists primarily of Norwegian Reds. A few animals are crossed with Holstein.

“Norwegian Reds are good on fertility and calving ease,” Hobberstad said.

The Norwegian Red breed is best known for emphasizing a balance between functional type traits, health traits and production.

The low end of the herd and the heifers are bred to Angus. Hobberstad raises her own replacement heifers.

Cows are bred to calve throughout the year. Cows wear activity monitors to aid in heat detection, and cameras are mounted in the barn to help detect heifers in heat.

PHOTO COUTESY OF AMALIE RAVNDAL

Elin Hobberstad milks around 50 cows with a DeLaval robotic milking system on her 65-acre farm in Norway. The herd is primarily Norwegian Red.

The youngest heifers are grazed close to home and fed grain twice daily while on grass. Older heifers are grazed on pastures located further from the farm and remain on pasture from May through September.

“Regulations in Norway say that all livestock over the age of 6 months should be able to graze for a minimum of eight weeks in the summer,” Hobberstad said.

The milking herd grazes from the beginning of May until early October as well as being supplemented with feed in the barn. Grain is fed in the robot with an automated system. Silage is fed every three hours.

“We have an automated feeding system,” Hobberstad said. “It will fetch feed from ei-

ther a stationary (mixer) or from the silos. Every other day, I put bales in the (mixer); only bales –no other grains or minerals.”

Many of the concerns that plague U.S.

dairy farmers are also concerns for their Norwegian counterparts. Inputs, commodity prices and regulations all create issues for Hobberstad.

“2022 has been a

rough year for farmers,” Hobberstad said. “As unrest and war has hit the world, the prices for fertilizer and imported

grain have raised substantially. The price of electricity and gas have increased. While farmers have been able to

get some compensation from the state, we have been forced to change some of our systems.”

PHOTO COUTESY OF AMALIE RAVNDAL Torben Lode plays in the hay at Hobberstad Gard in Varhaug, Norway. The Hobberstads are facing increased input prices much like the United States.