21 minute read
The Bookworm Sez
You have a lot on your plate. You can absolutely think of “To Boldly What, with the kids and school, getting back to normal, pent-up socializing, paying bills and … yikes, those food prices! You’re wondering if maybe it’s time for that diet you’ve been saying you’ll go on, Grow” as a book filled with adventure. Undertaking new endeavors, after all, is not always for the faint of heart — even when those endeavors are as quiet as digging and fishing. or some old-timey recipes from Great- Consider it, too, as lighthearted reading: Grandma. Or maybe you should read “To author Haspel has a great sense of humor Boldly Grow” by Tamar Haspel and eat a little closer to home. THE BOOKWORM SEZ gardens. This satisfied her for a while mixed with her inner Indiana-Jones-in-thegarden; and in that, there’s a lot of goodShortly after Tamar Haspel married her husband, Kevin, he told her he wantBy Terri Schlichenmeyer until she learned about perennial vegetables, which weren’t necessarily satisfying. ed to plant a garden on the roof of their The couple considered going organic, but Manhattan apartment building. For weeks they the bugs won that battle until chickens arrived at schlepped dirt and colorful containers skyward; and the tiny farm. Eggs were perfect first-hand food. that summer, they had the best tomatoes Haspel Later, the chickens would be, too — but not until had ever tasted. after a heartbreaking trial-and-error with fencing.
Consequently, when they bought their house and Haspel learned to trust ice, love fishing, and two acres on Cape Cod some time later, they both embrace the joys of “fishing it forward.” The couple knew that gardening was a for-sure. In fact, Haspel taught themselves to catch lobster, grow mushrooms suggested, why not try to eat “first-hand food” (din- with old logs, make their own sea-salt, and to forage ner they didn’t buy from a store) every day for an in nearby areas with high-level awareness of what entire year? was not safely edible. They bought some turkeys
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Immediately, there was a learning curve: they had and began hunting venison. to know what kind of soil they had in order to know And then they built their own outdoor oven what they could grow. Neighbors helped with that because “There is... a deep-seated satisfaction in information and they taught Haspel about cold taking food we harvested, cooking it in an oven we frames, which are often necessary in New England built, and feeding it to people we love.”
“To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard” by Tamar Haspel c.2022, Putnam $26. 272 pages natured self-ribbing and an appealing open-mindedness for trying new things. But that’s not all. There’s seriousness in this book, and a number of pages full of helpful advice. For total novices who are unsure about raising their own vittles, or for readers who never thought they could grocery shop a few feet from their back deck, that’s very tantalizing information. Whether your tomatoes are starting to bloom, or there are seedlings waiting patiently inside, this is a fun way to pass the time before harvesting it all. Find “To Boldly Grow” and put something different on your plate. The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v
Bolks left established church, moved to Orange City
FARMHOUSE KITCHEN, from pg. 7
another congregation six miles north at a place called High Prairie. His annual salary from the two congregations was $650. Many of his parishioners there were dairy farmers or truck gardeners. Nearby Chicago provided an excellent market for their produce.
The Bolks family always seemed to be on the move. In 1865, they received a call to the Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. After six years of service there, he received a call to the new colony that had been formed so far away in Iowa. This would be their last move, until God called them to their eternal home.
Orange City was a new settlement born in 1870. A Reformed Church had been formally organized on May 6, 1871. On Aug. 21 of that year, the newly formed congregation extended a call to Bolks. The church history records indicate they didn’t really think he would accept the offer. After all, his church in Zeeland was one of the largest churches in Michigan. All Orange City had was a small schoolhouse building to worship in — and not even a parsonage.
But Bolks did accept, and in the spring of 1872 he and his family departed for northwest Iowa to the small town on the prairie. Pioneering was hard work. It was no easy task for Dominee Bolks and his wife Geertje — who were both nearly 58 years old — to begin all over again.
No one could have predicted the hardships these early pioneers would face. The Bolks family, along with everyone else, suffered when the locusts came in 1873. The insects devoured almost every green and growing plant — whether it be in the field, garden or pasture. Harvest was minimal that fall. In spring, when the seed was sown, hopes for a better year were soon shattered when the locusts returned.
Extreme deprivation despair set in as all their hard work and dreams were gone. Some did leave … others stayed. Dominee and Geertje did their best to minister to their flock. Many think this new settlement would have failed if it wasn’t for the efforts of “Father Bolks” and Henry Hospers, the colony’s leader.
Bolks worked tirelessly to encourage during those desperate days, with his steadfast faith he reminded his flock to look to God. Wherever he was needed, he either walked or rode his horse. During all his years of ministry, he never took a vacation. He knew every member of his churches and was well-known in nearby settlements such as Alton, Maurice, Middleburg, Newkirk and Sioux Center.
I wish I knew what words he used to encourage. So far I haven’t found anything written other than he preached with great zeal, pounding the pulpit often and hard. When this was brought to his attention, he replied that unless he did so he could not preach.
Early in 1878, Dominee Bolks became ill with a lung infection which developed into asthma. By August his health hadn’t returned, so at 64 years old, he resigned as pastor.
His faithful helper and counsellor, Geertje passed away on Sept. 10, 1888. She was 74 years old. Seine Bolks lived to be 80 — dying on June 20, 1894. They are both buried in the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City, Iowa.
The picture of Bolks I am most familiar with shows a slender man with a white beard and piercing eyes. I can imagine hearing his commanding, pleading voice saying, “He that believeth in the Son, hath everlasting life, and he that obeyeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36 (The majority of this information comes from the paper “Crossing The River With Seine Bolks written by Jan Jongsma )
Renae B. Vander Schaaf is an independent writer, author and speaker. Please contact her at 605-5300017 or agripen@live.com. v
Planting progressing in between rain showers
Bob Roelofs Garden City, Minn. May 19 Scott Winslow Fountain, Minn. May 20
How’s planting going for Bob Roelofs? “Better than other parts of the state,” Roelofs said. The Land spoke with him on May 19 as he was getting ready to head back in “We’re done planting.” The Land spoke with Scott Winslow on May 20 as he reported conditions were favorable to get all the crops in the ground. “Things changed pretty fast around here. I was FROM THE FIELDS Compiled by KRISTIN KVENO, The Land Staff Writer pleasantly surprised.”
2022
the field that afternoon after a pause in planting — thanks to the three-fourths of an inch of rain that fell on May 17.
“We’re about 60 to 70 percent done.” There’s been a lot of starts and stops in planting for Roelofs, which began the weekend of May 7-8. On May 11, the Roelofs farm received one and a half inches of rain and 70 to 80 mile per hour winds.
“It’s been kind of slow going.” Roelofs has had to switch between planting corn and soybeans based on when fields were dry enough to be planted. “Southern Minnesota and southeastern Minnesota are better than other parts of the state; but we’re still behind.” He knows he’s fortunate, as he’s spoken to farmers in northern Minnesota who haven’t been in the field yet.
In addition to planting in between rain events, Roelofs is busy on the hog-side as well. “We’re re-loading the two hog sites now. We’ve got some hog maintenance to do.”
Planting began later than usual, but the end is in sight. “If we can dodge the storm tonight, we could be done Monday-Tuesday,” Roelofs said. While he’s grateful to be at the tail end of planting, he’s not optimistic that there’s going to be high-yielding crops this fall. “It’s better to get the corn in the first week of May or before.” That didn’t happen for Roelofs this year. He’s planting 106-day corn today and is thinking ahead to the drying time this corn may need post-harvest. “I’d be really surprised if we’d have a record-breaking crop.”
“I think we’ll be good on moisture.” One month ago, Roelofs wouldn’t have said that, as he was concerned about drying out sub-soil. These spring rains have provided some comfort that the crops won’t be hurting for moisture in these upcoming spring and summer months. v
Once the fields dried up, Winslow was able to pump pits, haul manure, as well as apply anhydrous by May 7. He started planting on May 10, finished corn on the 12th, and soybeans on the 14th. Winslow headed to the Filmore fairgrounds on May 19 to teach 250 local fourth-graders about grain bin safety at the Tesmer Farm Safety Day. “It was a full day. It feels rewarding.”
After a day of teaching, Winslow headed back to the farm where he watched a deluge of rain hit the farm. In less than 20 minutes, it rained approximately two inches. “It came down so hard that you couldn’t see my house, 100 feet away.” The concern for Winslow is the washing away of seed and plants. Only time will tell if there needs to be replanting. “I think the corn will be fine, all the corn is up.” He’s not sure how the beans handled all the rain as the last time he checked those fields they weren’t up yet. In addition to the rain, hail ranging from pea-size to marble-size hit the farm as well. This morning, Winslow could still see hail piled up on his lawn from last night.
In the next few weeks, Winslow will be focused on scouting the crops. “Walking the fields, getting herbicides down.” In addition to crop checks, he will be starting the task of taking down the old machine shed which was damaged in a December 2021 wind event. In addition, there’s still tin 20 feet up stuck in branches in the tree row that Winslow needs to get down.
Winslow isn’t a stranger to storms; but he’s glad that a few missed his farm this spring — which resulted in him getting the crops in the ground quickly. “Right now, we’re sitting OK for moisture.”
“I’m hopeful for a good crop. Going into the summer we got the seed in the ground, and it’s germinated.” It’s forecasted to be cold May 21-22, with nighttime lows in the upper 30s; but Winslow points out, it won’t be as cold as Father’s Day on the farm about 30 years ago when frost hit.
With no frost in the forecast and the crops in the ground, Winslow’s concerns turn to cost — especially fuel prices. “Inputs are too dog-gone high.” v
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Matt Erickson Fertile, Minn. May 26 “I’m in the tractor planting corn.” The 2022 Land spoke to Matt Erickson on May 26 as he was happy to report he was about to wrap up corn planting. He started corn on May 23. The temperature is warming up. “It’s improving. It feels like spring now.” Today’s weather conditions are ideal for planting. “It’s going to be 75, sunny, no wind.” Once the corn is planted, Erickson will start to prepare FROM THE FIELDS Compiled by KRISTIN KVENO, The Land Staff Writer the equipment for soybeans. He plans to start planting beans early next week.
First, though, he has some celebrating to do this weekend. His daughter, Catie, will graduate on Sunday from Fertile-Beltrami High School. A graduation party will follow at the new barn at the Polk County fairgrounds. This is a fitting location as Catie will be pursuing a degree in animal science at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She’s passionate about animals and her graduation party will be a fitting tribute to that passion, complete with a stock trailer adjourned with photos.
Once back in the field next week, Erickson expects bean planting to take three or four days. “A lot of that we no-till.” He will also be following that up with herbicide burndown application.
On the cattle front, things are improving for calves. “It’s going a lot better now.” There are 40 cows left to calf in the next few weeks and currently only seven bottle calves. Last week Erickson was able to move 50 cow-calf pairs to government land which he leases for grazing. He also turned the fall cows out on a ryegrass field. He noted that the crop is doing so well, the cows are having a hard time knocking the grass down. He will plant beans on the rye stubble next week.
After beans are planted, Erickson will focus on getting alfalfa seeded; then forage sorghum in the ground by early June.
Looking ahead to the growing season, Erickson is optimistic that opportune moisture is in the future. “I hope we get timely rains to keep things going.” v “We had pretty scary weather yesterday afternoon.” The Land spoke with Leah Johnson on May 31 as she reported severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado went through the area. “We are really fortunate that structurally we’re fine.”
Planting was almost complete for Johnson when the
Leah Johnson Evansville, Minn. May 31
storms hit. Between two and four inches of rain fell resulting in washing in some fields. A visit with the crop insurance agent will help Johnson figure out if replanting some areas will be necessary.
Corn planting started on May 8, with breaks due to rain and severe weather on May 19. Soybeans went in the ground starting on May 25. Planting in between rain events proved challenging. “We didn’t get stuck once, though field conditions were well below-average.”
While the soybeans are not yet up in the fields, corn has emerged. “We have quite a bit of corn out of the ground.”
A number of Johnson’s seed customers are now dealing with bin loss and other structural damage. Many near the North Dakota border have crops still to be planted. She is helping secure early maturing soybeans for customers who are still needing to get beans in the ground. “It’s been pretty nuts.”
In the next few weeks, Johnson will be focusing on emerging crops. “Lots of scouting, walking fields, accessing damages.” She will also utilize a drone in her field checks. “We can get a quick assessment of stand counts.”
While she is disappointed her fields show some signs of washout and a little of the crop is still unplanted, just driving around, she has seen it could be worse. “I just feel fortunate to have as much crop in, in this area.” Looking at the crops, she is optimistic they could yield some promising results. “Early planted corn has a lot of potential” v
With a wet spring, alfalfa weevils are making appearances
FOLEY, Minn. — Amid all this rain, we received reports of possible alfalfa weevil larvae in southwest and central Minnesota. Scouting for these pests is going to be important to managing them — especially since options for insecticides is more limited
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this season.
Alfalfa weevils overwinter as adults and only go through one generation per year. Larvae are the most damaging stage that can skeletonize leaves where only leaf veins or holes remain. First stage larvae are yellow to olive with second through fourth stage larvae becoming green in color with a white stripe along their back. All stages have distinctive black heads. Clover leaf weevil larvae can sometimes be confused for alfalfa weevil, but instead have a tan head capsule. Once larvae develop into pupae, they are no longer causing feeding damage, and newly developed adults enter a summer dormancy.
Scouting should occur in mid-May through June by using a sweep net to determine if larvae are present. If present and easily found in sweeps, select and cut 30 plants across the field at ground level. Record each plant’s height and shake in a bucket to determine the average number of larvae per stem in the field and if weevil counts exceed economic thresholds.
Alfalfa weevil is typically the first pest insecticides may be used for in alfalfa during the year. Insecticides labeled for alfalfa weevil include pyrethroids and organophosphates. Parasitoid wasps and other natural enemies help suppress alfalfa pest populations, but they are also susceptible to these insecticides, so flare-ups of alfalfa weevil or other pests such as pea aphid can occur after treatment. In addition to further reducing natural enemy populations, multiple applications in a field can also increase the likelihood of alfalfa weevil becoming resistant to those insecticides, which further illustrates the need for careful use of currently available control options.
This article was submitted by Nathan Drewitz, University of Minnesota Extension. v
Livestock and crop farmers are always being asked for their opinion, for information about their management practices, or a myriad of details about how they farm today. Four specific “asks” have come across my desk and computer screen lately, and each has important merit in the continuous improvement and protection of our swine industry.
US-Swine Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)
US-SHIP includes biosecurity, traceability and disease surveillance through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services-sponsored initiative with support from state and industry partners.
US-SHIP is modeled after the very successful National Poultry Improvement Plan which has been in place since 1935. US-SHIP is intended to provide a national program for certifying health status and is initially focused on African swine fever and classical swine fever. Minnesota has committed to participating in US-SHIP and we encourage all of our swine producers to enroll their production and packing sites in this unique program.
Industry and state representation from Minnesota attended the inaugural US-SHIP House of Delegates in August 2021 and approved the initial requirements for certification in the program.
The benefits of US-SHIP enrollment include: strengthened ASF/CSF preparedness (prevention, response and recovery) for our state; establish a uniform biosecurity, traceability, sampling/testing approach across participating states in “peacetime” as well as “wartime;” and participation in a collaborative industry (producers/packers), state, and federal program in which producers can help establish appropriate standards for health certification.
Enrollment in US-SHIP is by site and is fairly straightforward: Complete the enrollment form (either single premise or multi-premise form); complete the biosecurity enrollment survey provided after you submit your enrollment form; and show ability to provide 30 days of swine movement records in an electronic format. In short, US-SHIP will establish a national playbook of technical standards and associated certification recognized across participating states that centers on disease prevention and demonstration of freedom of disease outside of control. At the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, Senior Veterinarian Brian Hoefs has taken the lead with US-SHIP. Further information about US-SHIP can be found at the Board of Animal Health website: https://www.bah.state.mn.us/.
SWINE & U By Diane DeWitte
UniversityofMinnesota EXTENSION SWINE&U
Minnesota’s Swine On-Farm Sustainability Report
In 2021 the National Pork Board piloted its U.S. Pork Industry Sustainability Report tool for producers to complete and use to establish their own farm sustainability report. This is the latest step in the swine industry’s long-standing effort to produce a leading, sustainable protein choice. The goals and metrics of the Sustainability Report were developed through a National Pork Board producer-led multiyear process which considered customer needs and expectations.
Completion of the sustainability report provides free, farm-level data to help pork producers establish an individual baseline for social, environmental and economic sustainability. Nationally, the industry is focused on doubling the number of farms participating in the reports in the next 12 months.
“We need benchmarks to better track and monitor progress, and also to make better data-driven decisions for the future of pork production,” said Dale Stevermer, Minnesota pig farmer and participant in the goals and metrics development. “The On-Farm Sustainability Reports provide metrics that can be aggregated to track progress at the industry level, while also giving farmers individualized data that helps them make better decisions for the future of pork production.”
Here in Minnesota, swine producer leadership has set a target to have at least 50 percent of the state’s pigs represented in the reports. Minnesota Pork Director of Marketing and Public Policy Engagement Lauren Servick is leading the effort for Minnesota’s pig farmers. The on-farm sustainability reports are available free to farms through a pork checkoff investment at the National Pork Board. Pig farmers and contract growers are all eligible to participate. Interested farmers should contact Lauren Servick at lauren@mnpork.com or by calling (507) 345-8814.
U of M Extension Swine Needs Assessment
University of Minnesota Extension’s Swine Team launched the 2022 Swine Needs Assessment in Mankato at the Minnesota Pork Congress in February. In order to better determine the educational needs of the Minnesota pork industry, the survey is available to all pork producers and ag professionals. Five participation incentives are available and participants have the option to sign up for the drawing of the incentives which include gift cards, management services free of charge and a product donated by Hubbard Feed. The survey timeline is drawing to a close and participants are encouraged to take five to ten minutes to complete the online needs assessment. The survey can be found at z.umn.eduNeedsAssessmentSurvey.
University of Minnesota Swine Biosecurity Survey
The Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the University of Minnesota is conducting a survey about biosecurity on swine farms across the state of Minnesota. By collecting data from producers about what biosecurity protocols they currently use, and those which they don’t, researchers hope to gain an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of biosecurity across the industry.
This study will help the swine industry identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in the face of a new or foreign animal disease outbreak. With a better understanding of practices currently in use, new resources, training materials, and research can be done with the ultimate goal of helping swine farms prevent the introduction of disease, spread of disease, and ultimately protecting the health and profitability of the Minnesota swine industry.
The project is funded through the USDA.
Pig farmers can access the biosecurity survey at https://umn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_2lB48FKmiwDAzUG
The researchers estimate that the survey will take 10-20 minutes, and all identifying information is kept confidential. Those who complete the survey and provide an email address will be entered into a drawing for one of eight $75 gift cards.
Participation helps producers direct their destiny
It’s often easy to let requests for participation fall to the bottom of the list, or the waste basket, but in each of these cases, answering the call can help direct the future. On-farm sustainability is a request and requirement for many of the pork industry’s customers, and a farmer who can point to improvements made over the course of years can tell a successful story which appeals to consumers. Swine health across the country is a number-one concern, and the US-SHIP program will tie producers and packers to continuous improvement in the fight against foreign animals diseases. And running underneath and throughout it all, biosecurity is key. Key to high health status, key to increased production efficiencies which decrease a farm’s environmental footprint, and key to survivability of the pig, the farm and the industry.
Diane DeWitte is an Extension Swine Educator with the University of Minnesota based in Mankato. She can be reached at stouf002@umn.edu. v
