’s
FALL 2020
Today’s Farm
READY, SET, BITE
Area orchards ready to dish out the apples, pies and seasonal fun By Jane Turpin Moore The Globe
R
EGIONAL — Aiming to improve your nutrition game this fall? Eating an apple a day would be an easy goal to set and meet, since four locally owned area orchards are ready with a plethora of ripe, juicy produce. “The crop looks good so far,” said Jenni Kirchner of Slayton’s Stonegate Orchard. “Really, things are fabulous this year.” Owners of three other orchards echoed Kirchner’s sentiment; all that’s left for apple-lovers to do is visit an orchard of their choice and stock up on the tart or sweet fruits they prefer. Of course, there are oodles of additional tempting options at these markets. But loading up on caramel dips, gourmet pies, honey, jams, pumpkins and gourds is entirely up to you.
READY, SET, CRUNCH!
Tim Middagh/The Globe
Trees at the Stonegate Orchard are heavily laden with ripe apples.
Nystrom Orchard, 30679 Quine Ave., Worthington. (507) 291-2530, nystromorchard.com. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. New in 2020 at this fourthgeneration family-owned orchard a few miles south of Worthington is a market shed that improves and diversifies the Nystrom Orchard apple-buying experience for all comers. “It (the building) went up late last fall and we finished it over the winter and spring,” said Kia Nystrom, whose
husband Aaron grew up on the land where his family has fostered apple trees for over three generations. The couple’s three young children — Kip, Cort and Thea — are the fifth generation of Nystroms to aid in the apple-growing and harvesting process at the Quine Avenue property where 14 apple varieties are currently available. More types are in the production phase for coming years. Within the Nystrom Orchard’s new shed are comfortable restroom facilities, coolers to keep the apples fresh and space for Kia’s by-appointment-only Gourmet Apple Tasting events. “We publish the available dates on our website,” noted Kia. “We pair cheeses (like Brie with baguette and apple), sparkling ciders, smoked pork loin with a Cortland chutney sauce and end with my Dutch apple pie a la mode.” A minimum group of five is required for a Gourmet Apple Tasting, though when pandemic concerns are set aside, the handcrafted table made of apple wood accommodates up to 14. “We try to keep it fresh and interesting and showcase apples in ways that maybe aren’t as traditional,” said Kia. “You don’t have to leave Worthington to find a special experience,” she emphasized. Nystrom Orchard also has a cider press on site — watch for their Cider Weekend in November — and, out of necessity for apple pollination, has produced its own Orchard Honey for the past three years. “It’s the purest, rawest honey you can get in the area,” promised Kia. “We’ve sold out our honey harvest each year.”
Nystrom Orchard’s 2020 apple crop is “excellent,” she said, with a good amount of Honeycrisp and Zestar on sale. “And we have a lot of the heirloom varieties people love, like Haralson, Fireside — that’s a fantastic eating apple — Connell Reds, Regents and Cortland, which are great for baking.” Kia’s mouth-watering Dutch apple pies attract buyers, as do hand-dipped caramel apples. “The kids are our main helpers on a weekly basis,” said Kia. “I love having them learn about business practices and interact with customers.” Nystrom Orchard’s products are also available at the Saturday morning farmers market in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and at Solsma’s Punkin Patch in Sanborn, Iowa.
Tim Middagh/The Globe
Kia Nystrom shows the orchard’s new store on the farm on Quine Avenue in rural Worthington.
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2 • The Globe • Wednesday, y, September Sep pte temb mber er 23, 23, 2020 0
Farm life filled with learning for local family Two years after buying acreage, Johnsons busy with pigs and poultry By Julie Buntjer jbuntjer@dglobe.com WORTHINGTON — When Jason and Marie Johnson purchased an acreage just a short drive north of Worthington in July 2018, it was to have a place for their children to run and play — and for Jason to dabble in poultry and farm animal production. “We got chickens and turkeys right away,” said Jason, who along with his wife had grown up in the city limits of Worthington. Raising poultry — or any other farm animal — was definitely a new experience. Their poultry flock began when they received a female turkey and 12 poults from a friend, and expanded with the purchase of some laying hens from an acquaintance. Jason said he learned real quick that he needed to have a place for them to go when they weren’t roaming around the yard or in the trees. “I just built a little coop,” he said of the building that now houses a small pen for baby chicks to stay warmed by a heat lamp, with a larger area with nesting boxes for the laying hens. The building gets a lot of traffic with the five Johnson children often going in to pick eggs or excitedly watch the baby chicks. Their laying hens come in a wide
assortment of colors, as do the eggs they lay. Meanwhile, the turkeys aren’t the traditional, boring white color, but instead are Bourbon Reds and Royal Palm. Jason said he likes to get a lot of different colored birds for the farm. The Johnsons began hatching eggs with the use of an incubator, and Jason kept adding to the menagerie of birds. Today, they have about 20 laying hens, 13 chicks, 16 ducks and eight turkeys. Oh, and there’s the recent addition of two pigs. “I think it would be cool to get a milking cow,” Jason thought aloud, while Marie wasn’t quite as sure about that idea. “We put up a bunch of steel T-posts last year, but we didn’t put any fencing up yet.” While Jason had a lot of ideas to expand the family’s farm animal population, he and Marie — each with a full-time job — were short on time. Not to mention, their five children made for a busy house. That all changed in March, though, when COVID-19 resulted in temporary business and school closures. Suddenly, Jason and Marie and the kids were all home. That’s when Jason had the idea to raise meat chickens (broilers) in
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Jason and Marie Johnson with their kids: Levi, 2 (from left), Audrey, 8, Miles, 4, Clara, 6 and Breeta, 10, feeding the hogs. a rotational grazing system using a chicken tractor. “We had a little more downtime just to create the space,” Jason said. The chicken tractor, which he built with the help of Dave Soderholm and Cory Bomgaars, consists of a
large box that keeps the chickens corralled while they graze. It’s on wheels, so it can be moved to a new patch of grass as needed.
FARM LIFE: Page 3
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The Globe
• Wednesday, September 23, 2020 • 3
Tim Middagh/The Globe
The Johnson kids (from left) Miles, Breeta and Levi feed the ducks and chickens.
FARM LIFE From Page 2
The Johnsons partnered with four other families to purchase 80 broilers, which were fed and grazed over a seven- to eight-week span. “We got together and processed them and it worked really great,” Jason said. “One of our friends had a plucker and brought over a pot. We had the setup, and everyone just pitched in.” “The kids helped with the
processing,” added Marie. “They were excited, and they seemed happy to know that we were able to raise our own chickens.” Not long after the broilers were processed and in the freezer, the Johnsons added the pair of pigs to the farm. Jason hopes they’ll be ready for processing by midOctober. “I like the pigs and the chickens most,” said 10-year-old Breeta of farm life. One of her jobs is to make sure everything has plenty of water. Audrey, 8, was the one who really
wanted the pigs. “One of our friends had pigs and it looked like fun,” she shared. “Maybe next year we can get two pigs and show them at the fair.” The kids’ curiosity and excitement over the animals is perhaps what Jason hoped for when they chose to move to the country. “Well before we were out on an acreage I had friends with a bunch of animals,” he said. “I just thought it was so cool to be able to do that. “I never had this growing up, but I love getting the eggs and having
some animals around,” he added. “The animals are definitely Jason’s project,” Marie shared. “I certainly enjoy having our own eggs and animals around — and (that) our kids know the process of raising a pig and knowing where food comes from.” “And having some chores for them to do,” Jason added. The Johnsons have had a lot of help from farming friends and neighbors with what Jason calls some of his “crazy ideas,” but they are finding that farm life is the life for them.
4 • The Globe • Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Monitor corn-based feedstuffs ORANGE CITY, Iowa — In northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, weather ranged from abnormally dry to severe drought. This opens up BETH concerns about DORAN potential nitrates, molds and mycotoxins ISU in corn-based Extension feedstuffs and grazing issues due to lodged or down corn. Don’t be in a hurry to open up your corn silage pile. Much of the corn developed an ear, but not all. If there were underdeveloped ears, the possibility of higher nitrate levels in the silage exists, which can be toxic to cattle. The good news is that four to five weeks of proper fermentation can reduce nitrate levels up to 40%. Test droughtaffected silage for nitrate level prior to feeding and dilute with “clean” feeds, if necessary. Grazing corn stalks does not present as much risk for nitrates because cattle selectively graze ears, leaves and shucks, which have low nitrate levels. Plan to move cattle to a new field when they have cleaned up these plant parts and do NOT force them to eat the stalks, which contain the highest levels of nitrates. Another caution about grazing corn stalks — before turning cattle into the cornstalk field, check for piles of corn on the ground and the amount of ears dropped. With drought, the stalks were not as strong and even minor winds caused some lodging. To measure the amount of corn remaining after combining, measure off 1/1,000th of an acre (17.5’ for
30” rows) and count the number of ears in the area. An 8-inch ear is considered a half-pound of grain: whereas, a normal 10- to 12-inch ear is about a ¾-pound of grain. If considerable corn remains on the ground, either cross-fence or limit the amount of time the field is grazed daily to help prevent acidosis, founder or animal death. Before grazing the cornstalks, wean the calves and work the cows up on grain prior to turnout. Once adapted to corn grain, a dry pregnant cow should be limited to less than 10 pounds of grazed corn daily. Another tip is to feed hay daily prior to turning them out to prevent overconsumption of corn in the field or provide round bales of hay in the cornstalk field. Drought-stressed, new crop corn may have issues, such as test weight, mold and the potential development of mycotoxins. Light test-weight corn will not store more than a couple of months, so plan on feeding it first. For feedlot cattle, corn with a test weight in the high 40s will likely be within 95% of the feeding value of normal corn; whereas, corn in the high 30s to low 40s will be within 90% of the normal feeding value. Be sure to monitor dropped ears and harvested corn grain for mold and mycotoxins. Aspergillus fungi can cause Aspergillus ear rot, which is characterized by powdery olivegreen mold present at the ear tip or scattered over kernels elsewhere on the ear. Aspergillus ear rot can produce the mycotoxin, Aflatoxin, that negatively affects the health of livestock and poultry. Fumonisin mycotoxins may be present in corn this year and are associated with warm to hot
temperatures and drought, especially during grain maturation. These mycotoxins are produced by Fusarium ear rot, which typically appears as a white to pink cottony mold scattered over the ear, but occasionally the kernels may have a white starburst pattern on the surface or a brown discoloration. Fumonisin also may affect animal health. If molds or mycotoxins are suspected, send a corn sample to a commercial lab to determine the level. Mycotoxin contamination is an insurable loss, but for both aflatoxin and fumonisin adjustment, the corn must still be in the field. And, for your protection, please wear a mask when handling corn containing molds and mycotoxins. For more information regarding weather-damaged corn, visit the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach drought recovery site at extension.iastate.edu/ disasterrecovery/drought and the Integrated Crop Management page at crops.extension.iastate.edu/ storm-damage-resources.
Photo courtesy Meaghan Anderson, ISU Extension Field Agronomist
An ear with kernels displaying the ZKLWH ³VWDUEXUVW´ HႇHFW DQG RWKHU )XVDULXP HDU URW V\PSWRPV 7KH JUHHQ PROG DSSHDULQJ EHWZHHQ NHUQHOV PD\ EH $VSHUJLOOXV HDU URW
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• Wednesday, September 23, 2020 • 5
The Globe With 2,000 trees at their orchard that dates to 1975, Jenni and Jason Kirchner are rolling in apples — SweeTango, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Haralson, even a limited supply of the new First Kiss. “We have a wonderful crop of Honeycrisp this year,” assured Jenni. “There were no straight-line winds this season.” In addition to having three to five of apples Tim Middagh/The Globe options Kim Holm and her daughter, Charley, of Slayton, available every week shop for decorative gourds in a bin at the Stonegate all fall, the Kirchners offer numerous Orchard recently. complementary items. “We’re going with a market concept this year and have From Page 1 invited several local craftspeople Stonegate Orchard,1571 116th and artisans to bring out their products,” said Jason. Pottery, St., Slayton (two miles north of paintings, home décor, jewelry Slayton on U.S. 59). (507) 836and professionally framed photos 6655, stonegateorchard.com. Open are in the mix — not to mention from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday Fairmont’s Simply Made jams through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. and jellies, honey from a local Sunday. beekeeper and from Boernsen Bees
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of Ocheyedan, Iowa, gourds and pumpkins grown by Pat Haberman of Brewster — and don’t forget the caramel apples and frozen pies made at the nearby Slayton Bakery. “We’re an apple orchard, so we have apple pies exclusively,” laughed Jason. “They’ve been a big hit, and this year we’re also selling a pre-mixed apple crisp topping mix so you can buy your favorite apples here, go home, slice ’em up and bake your own crisp.” With two young sons, the Kirchners are keen on entertaining little ones. “We want people to have something fun to do outside,” said Jason. “I’m a big fan of pick-yourown, and we have wagon rides on Saturday afternoons — depending on the weather, of course.” “And we have six goats on site who love getting goat treats,” added Jenni, “plus a miniature gray donkey named Penelope; she’s new and still very shy but she likes to watch people coming and going.” A playground and two slack lines — one for adults, the other a mock “Ninja Warrior” type line for kids — are also present. On Sept. 26, Stonegate Orchard
will host Sweet Kettle Madness of Revere, with mini-donuts, kettle corn and fudge to balance all the apples. “I think it will be a good apple season,” asserted Jason. Besides on-site, Stonegate Orchard’s apples are available at Hy-Vee in Worthington and Marshall, at Hank’s Foods in Pipestone and at Almich’s Market in Slayton. Dayton Avenue Orchard, 29285 Dayton Ave., Adrian. (507) 3292336, daytonavenueorchard. weebly.com. Open from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Co-owners Randy and Kay Wolf derive tremendous joy from operating their apple orchard. “This is our 11th season of selling,” said Randy. “I’ve worked with apples my whole life, and I enjoy growing fruit. “It’s fun to see the expressions and smiles on people’s faces when they try an apple they’ve never had before,” he continued. “Most people like apples, and usually everyone is happy when they come out to the apple orchard.”
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6 • The Globe • Wednesday, September 23, 2020
COVID demand putting strain on area meat lockers Some opting not to process deer this year By Leah Ward lward@dglobe.com REGIONAL — With area residents rushing to butcher livestock to fill their freezers during the COVID-19 pandemic, some local meat lockers are so busy they’ve decided not to process game during this year’s deer season. “Everybody has been really patient,” said Brian Chapa, who owns Ellsworth Locker with his wife, Kathy. The locker usually slows down livestock production between September and January to accommodate game processing. This year, however, the locker was already booked through the deer season all the way back in April. “We just don’t have the time to dedicate this year,” Chapa said. Not only is Ellsworth Locker fully booked through this year’s deer season, but all the way through November 2021. Egan’s Market in Adrian is having a similar experience. Part-owner Michele Bulau explained that it’s typical for Egan’s to be booked solid each fall. This year is different, however, because many people who aren’t in the habit of butchering animals before the winter season have decided to do so, for fear of a potential meat shortage in the era of coronavirus. “I wanted to make sure everybody
got their beef in,” Bulau said. That desire prompted the decision she and her business partner, Bruce Vortherms, made not to participate in the 2020 deer season. Egan’s is also booked clear into next year, with some availability depending on the animal. Beef needs to be hung for 10 to 14 days, so that’s a lot more difficult to schedule, but Egan’s could still fit in some hogs, since they require much less time. Bulau wondered if coronavirus will spark a long-term cultural return to the practice of butchering livestock. “Maybe it will be the new normal for everyone to have a freezer full of meat instead of going to the grocery store,” she said. S&S Locker Services in Hills reported a similar local response from farmers and town-dwellers. A major change over the last six months, said part-owner Jim Susie, is that “I have a lot more gray hair. “It’s been unreal,” he said. In a normal year, S&S is closed on Sundays, and Susie would just stop by briefly to check the progress of the meat already in process. The locker has been so busy this year, though, that staff now works seven days a week to accommodate the needs of their customers. Susie said the locker is prioritizing farmers and other residents from
Tim Middagh/The Globe
Michele Bulau co-owns Egan’s Meat Locker in Adrian with business partner Bruce Vortherms (not pictured). Hills and the surrounding area. “We’re trying to get our local farmers in,” he said, adding that some customers have been traveling from as far as Franklin, South Dakota, about three hours and forty-five minutes from Hills. Susie noted that his analog calendar only goes through June, but he has even more appointments scheduled well into next year. Unlike some of the neighboring meat lockers, S&S has decided to
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still process game this coming deer season. Susie and his business partner, Brad Schoneman, heard that many lockers weren’t accepting deer, and “we decided to take advantage of that,” he explained. Susie and Schoneman opted to offer only trim and quarters for deer carcasses, to be efficient with their time and efforts. They’re hoping low supply and high demand will drive some business their way.
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The Globe
From Page 5
The Wolfs have been busy cultivating about four acres of apples, and they’ve already sold out their seasonal supply of SweeTango. “Those went really fast,” said Randy. “But our Honeycrisp are in, and also Kinderkrisp, which is a Honeycrisp cross — someone in northern Minnesota crossed it with another apple and it’s a somewhat smaller size that’s great for younger kids, really mild and sweet without a lot of acidity.” Gala and Chestnut Crab are also in the Wolfs’ apple repertoire, as are McIntosh, Cortland and, later, Regent, Haralson and Sugar Bee/B51. Fireside will be ready toward the end of the season. The Wolfs’ 2020 produce crop includes “a really nice squash and pumpkin patch,” said Randy. “They must like it dry. This is the best garden stuff we’ve had in a few years.” Dayton Avenue Orchard also dipped into the First Kiss apple craze, which has been a winner. “We harvested them for the first
time this year and they sold really well,” said Randy. “Everyone just loved them and we hope to have a lot more next year.” Randy described the First Kiss variety as a Honeycrisp crossed with an Arkansas apple. “First Kiss has all the crispness and is really juicy, but with a slight more tang to it than the Honeycrisp and a little less size,” he said. “Whenever someone tasted a First Kiss, they loved it.” While the Wolfs, who celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in 2020, are decades past their first kiss, their apple-tinged bond is stronger than ever. “We’re working together every day,” said Randy, “and we’re having a great time.” Dayton Avenue Orchard products can be purchased at farmers markets in Worthington on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, at the Adrian Hardware parking lot from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, and at Luverne’s Red Bird Field parking lot from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Ocheda Orchard, 29716 Read Ave., Worthington. (507) 376-3255, ochedaorchard.com. Open from 10
Helping you maximize growth potential p otenti on your farm
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a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Concerned about COVID-19? Ocheda Orchard outlines its staysafe-and-healthy practices in a clear, practical manner. “We’re providing hand sanitizer, outdoor hand-washing stations and porta-potties,” listed owner Chuck Nystrom. “And pick-yourown this year will be sold by the bag rather than by weight so we can avoid touching the bags again. “We encourage pickers to fill their bags to the max.” Their 5,000 apple trees bursting with a bountiful fall harvest of 15 apple varieties are mostly Minnesota-developed apples, like Haralson, Sweet 16, Zestar and Honeycrisp. “We have all the apples people are used to seeing, and a couple relatively newer varieties, too,” said Nystrom. For instance, the E-2 is a “Granny type — tart, a really good baking apple,” he described. “People who have bought the E-2 for baking have been back for more.” The E-2 is an Ocheda Orcharddeveloped product, as is their Rosy. “The Rosy has a nice crisp texture
• Wednesday, September 23, 2020 • 7 like the Honeycrisp with a little more kick to it,” said Nystrom. “And there’s the E-134, which we’ll have in early October,” he continued. “That is quite a tall apple with lots of flavor and a nice crisp texture for eating.” The B-51 is expected around Oct. 6, and another Ocheda Orchard varietal, the Autumn Crunch, will be on sale in mid-October. Alongside Ocheda Orchard’s ample apple stock, customers can grab Boernsen Bees honey, Abdallah Candies’ caramel dip and pies from Carlson’s Orchard Bakery. “We also have jams and jellies, and there’s a line that is not sugar-free but is sweetened with concentrated fruit juice,” said Nystrom. “People who watch their sugar intake really like that one, and last week a lady returned for more of it because she said it was the first lower sugar jam she’d had that didn’t leave a bad aftertaste; it’s very popular.” Squash, gourds and pumpkins will be ready to go by late September. “We have plenty of products of all types on hand,” assured Nystrom.
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8 • The Globe • Wednesday, September 23, 2020
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