By LIZ VERLEY Staff Writer It has been said the honey bee produces nature’s most perfect food product. Jim Oberton would probably agree. Oberton, along with his father, Gary, and brother Will, own 2,500 honey bee hives that are placed around Central Minnesota during the summer and the almond orchards of California during the winter Read more »
By LIZ VERLEY, Staff Writer What is now known as the Hemker Park and Zoo began as the Hemker Game Farm in 1977. Joan Hemker, owner of the park and zoo said, “Mark and I were married in 1977. He had waterfowl at that time and his vision always was that Central Minnesota needed a Read more »
By LIZ VERLEY Staff Writer Russ Noble of Long Prairie attended his first Sauk Centre Farm Toy Show in 1988. For 23 years he continued the tradition, and on Saturday, Feb. 11, Russ will once again be a vendor at the show’s 24th event. The show opens to the public at 9 a.m. and runs Read more »
By SARAH LIDEEN, Staff Writer, sarah.lideen@ecm-inc.com Dick and Joann Beckley aren’t typical farmers. They don’t have acres of green pastures or barns filled with cattle and hay, but instead a plot of land with fences and pens that house their 21 alpacas. Originally from the Twin Cities, Dick and Joann decided to move north in 2000 to Read more »
By SARAH LIDEEN, Staff Writer , sarah.lideen@ecm-inc.com Alvin Schlangen of Freeport knows chickens and their direct relationship with human health. According to Schlangen, if the food we consume was more natural in its environment then people would be healthier. “Having access to nature, sunshine and grass has become so much a part of our management,” said Schlangen. Read more »
By SARAH LIDEEN, Staff Writer, sarah.lideen@ecm-inc.com Five years ago, Randy Scott of Alexandria had a unique opportunity. “I decided to start raising a few bees,” said Scott, owner of Scott Family Honey. Throughout the 80s, Scott had been purchasing local honey from a friend, where his interest began to spark to make his own honey. Enlisting the Read more »
By Sarah Lideen, Staff Writer, sarah.lideen@ecm-inc.com Jeff Klaphake has been dairy farming his entire life, and has now turned his passion into a family business. “It was very important for us when we had a family that our kids would grow up farming,” said Klaphake, whose father founded the farm in 1960. Although the Klaphakes describe their Read more »
By SARAH LIDEEN Staff Writer sarah.lideen@ecm-inc.com As a child, Christina Traeger of Avon, dreamt of running a dairy farm, but in 1996 when she purchased her first cow, she knew that beef farming was her true calling. “I knew I wanted white cows,” said Traeger, who found her passion in breeding British White cows. Traeger Read more »
By LIZ VERLEY, Staff Writer “Whole Farm Cooperative (WFC) represents member families in Central Minnesota (most within 30 miles of Long Prairie). We are committed to creating farms that nourish our families spiritually and economically, sustain the environment and with providing eaters not only with safe wholesome food but with a clear sense of who Read more »
By LIZ VERLEY, Staff Writer Dedicated as a Century Farm in 1981, Anderson Farms, located near Belgrade, now has fourth and fifth generations running the diversified business. Brothers Jim and John Anderson and Jim’s sons, Grant and Noah, take on the responsibilities of running the beef, hog and crop enterprise. Jim’s son, Isaac, will soon Read more »
