The farm was purchased by our great grandpa Charlie back in 1918. He was a Finnish immigrant who had moved his wife and first child to America. Charlie was a farmer back in Finland, so it made sense to settle in central Minnesota where farmland was plentiful.
He and his wife had 9 children- the youngest being our Grandpa Paul. Along with 9 children, they raised chickens, pigs, beef cattle, and dairy cows. They grew corn, alfalfa, small grains, as well as peas and sweet corn for the local canning factory.
Grandpa Paul took over the farm in the mid 1950s. They raised dairy cows and saw the potential in crop farming. The crops that were planted were: alfalfa, corn, oats, and soybeans.
While on the farm, Paul and his wife Louise were blessed with 10 children. 7 boys and 3 girls. They worked hard on the farm, (and off! as Grandpa had a part-time job) the oldest boy, Mike (our dad) learned to drive the tractor before he was even sent to school. Things were much different back then. In the 60s, the first chemicals were applied to the farmland in promises of better yields and less labor. Could it be too good to be true?! Time would tell.
Grandpa Paul suffered a heart attack at the age of 45, leaving behind his wife, and 10 kids. Our dad was only 15 years old at the time, his youngest sibling was just a year old. The dairy cows were sold, and the farmland was rented out to other farmers while our grandma Louise raised the kids on the farm.
Even though they had their hardships, the farm was a true paradise. In addition to the 10 children, there was always a few more kids hanging around, whether it was a neighbor boy or a city kid that was being taught how to be a "farm kid" My dad recalls him and his brother Nate driving out to the fields in an old pick-up, stuffing the tailpipe with frogs, and stepping on the gas until all the frogs shot out of the tailpipe. Oh. My.
Our dad started farming in 1976. They farmed conventional soybeans, wheat and corn. My mom and dad finally bought the farm in 1981. They added dairy cows back to the farm during this time. They milked 25-30 cows for 12 years before deciding it wasn't going to be financially sustainable to keep going.
If life couldn't get much busier, (dad worked off the farm as well) our parents were trying to raise 8 children on top of that. But that was easy because we were all angels hehe. Why our mom went grey by 40 we will never know!
In 2003, the farm switched back to organic farming. The first year of organic farming was a tough one. The farm battled a massive aphid problem (a bug that will eat away at soybeans) and weeds.
We walked the bean fields pulling weeds by hand, but there wasn't much that could be done about the pest issue. After harvest, the soybeans yielded 7.49 bushels an acre. To put it in perspective, a good average for the time was 35 bushels an acre. Can you imagine?! It's amazing to me how they were able to see the bigger picture and keep plugging away.
Around the same time our parents made the switch to organic, they decided to bring pigs back onto the farm. They would get them in the spring and raise them until the fall.
It started out raising a few extras for neighbors and friends to now having customers from all over the state and even having our pork in a restaurant! How amazing is that!
For the last 10 years, the pork has been corn & soy free. We started using barley and peas as a source of feed & haven't looked back since. Shortly after this time, my husband Paul and I (Megan) started helping out with chores while we stayed at the farm while we were in the process of buying a house. Apparently we just never quit showing up to do chores every night even after we had moved! We love it.
8 years ago, my dad and brother Scott started adding alfalfa into their crop rotation. While they started selling their hay to other farmers, it sparked a new idea. Why don't they bring beef cattle back onto the farm? Scott's wife Becca never intended on being a farmer, but she sure is having fun raising a bunch of farm kids and her husband! Right, Becca? ;) That's us, in a nutshell!
