How Growing Up on the Farm Taught Me the Value of Hard Work Growing up, working on the farm was never the highlight of my life. Feeding calves and cleaning up feed every day sometimes interfered with after-school activities or delayed me from spending time with friends. At the time, I didn’t always appreciate the…
Rachael and her husband, Matt, farm corn and soybeans alongside their two sons in southern Minnesota. They didn’t always, though. Years ago, Matt and his brother began their journey in agriculture by purchasing a farrow-to-finish hog operation from a retiring farmer. Though both had grown up on the farm, the brothers launched this operation independently…
With a mindset of leaving their land better for the next generation, healthy soil is now the focus of Ellyn and Jacob Oelfke’s family farm. My husband and I are co-owners and co-operators of our farm, HyTest Ag LLC. We fully transitioned the farm from the previous generation in 2020 along with my husband’s sister and her…
Haley Ammann-Ekstrom may have grown up in the industry, but she had a unique way of coming back to it. As a high schooler, she wasn’t sure how to answer the question “What are you going to do for the rest of your life?” but moved forward with what she thought was the best fit:…
Gail is our Volunteer Spotlight for the month of February. Here she shares some insights into her sheep operation! Tell us about your current sheep operation: what kinds of sheep do you have, how many, and what do you do with them? We currently have about 65 ewes – 30ish Babydoll and 30ish Frame style…
Hello from Northern Minnesota where fall is in full swing, and winter is on the way! I am Rachel Gray, a cattle rancher from Blackduck, MN. We raise about 500 head of beef heifers yearly to sell to ranches throughout the United States. We help ranchers grow their herds by assisting them to select females,…
The days are winding down before the 2024 Minnesota State Fair – a place I hold near and dear to my heart as a long-standing tradition for me and my family. I haven’t missed a Minnesota State Fair since I was in the 6th grade. I grew up showing market lambs and beef cattle in…
‘Tis the season to get crafty + support agriculture! Since about 1850, Christmas trees have been sold in the United States. According to Minnesota Grown, Minnesota has about 56 growers throughout the state growing Christmas trees. A lot has changed since 1850, including ways to incorporate the beautiful greenery in your holiday decor. From garland…
Jocelyn Schlichting’s family operates a farm in Rice, Minnesota dating back to the early 1900’s. Throughout the years, Jocelyn has seen the farm grow and advance with new techniques and innovations. When my great-grandparents moved to Rice, Minnesota in the early 1900’s, the only land left to settle was the least desirable farm land in…
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