Rural Living 2009

Page 12 Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom March 29, 2009

• Livestock auctioneer championship Page 3 • Butter sculpture Page 4 •• Wagon & sleigh collection page 6 • 4-H Page 8 • Fieldstone Page 10 •

March 29, 2009

There’s a reason you live in a rural area.We just thought we’d remind you of it.

Supplement to the

Photos by Brian Hansel

(Upper right) A handsome corn crop resulted from a favorable growing season in 2008.

(Upper left) A John Deere 9650 combine plows through a field of corn.

(Upper right)Yellow kernels of corn cascade into a truck box.

(Above) John Deere and International tractors are used in a corn harvesting operation on an Otter Tail County farm.

(Left) A Catapillar tractor prepares to go to work on a combined corn field with a chisel plow.

Photos by Steve Schulz (Above) An irrigator sprays a field north of U.S. High-way 10 near Wadena. While the Wadena area started 2008 in drought conditions, spring snowstorms added needed moisture.

Field work

Page 2 Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom March 29, 2009 March 29, 2009 Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom Page 11

Now Selling Doosan(formally Daewoo)

Skid Steer, Parts& Service.

Call for details

218-631-1848218-640-1447

Over 25 years experience. Reasonable rates.

• Custom Fabricating • Wood Stove Repair

• Portable, On-site Welding • Farm Equipment Repair •

Aluminum Welding • Sandblasting

• Build Attachments for Loaders, Trailers, etc.

Cty. Rds, 75 N. & 144 Wadena, MN

Berg’SWelding & repairs

We carry a full lineof Major Appliances

from Amana, Hotpoint, L.G.,Maytag, SpeedQueen

Weber’s Wadena Hardware Company

109 South Jefferson, Wadena, MN 56482Phone 218-631-2454

www.weberswadena.com

More Than a Hardware Store!


OPENDAILYat 7 am

• Window & Screen Repair

• Custom Paint Mixing

• Small Appliance Repair

• Fishing & Hunting License

TNT REPAIR, INC.Jim & Eric Haberer

300 Industrial Drive • Henning, MN

See us for

“Heavy Truck Repair”on Grain Trucks

Over the Road Semi Trucks & Trailers

IN-STORE TIRE SALES

218-583-4545

Is your DOT Inspection sticker

current?

We have 2 certified mechanics to complete your inspection.

Call us today to schedule an appointment!

2007 Census of Agriculture shows Minnesota remains top contenderThe 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture

released in 2009 shows Minnesota remains a leader in U.S. agriculture with rising farm income and increased value of agricultural products. Fifty percent of the total value of U.S. agricultural products comes from nine states, including Minnesota.

The Census of Agriculture is conducted every fi ve years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statis-tics Service. Data for the 2007 calendar year was collected in 2008.

The market value of farm production was up 54 percent over the last fi ve years from $8.6 billion to $13.2 billion. Crop sales ac-counted for 53 percent of the total market value while livestock, livestock products and poultry accounted for 47 percent. How-ever, those increases are tempered by a dra-matic 90 percent rise in fuel and fertilizer expenses.

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson says the census shows Min-nesota continues to be a dominant force in agriculture.

“These numbers underscore the value of agriculture not only here in Minnesota but also in our ability to compete in the global agricultural marketplace,” Hugoson said.

Among the top nine states, Minnesota ranked seventh, ahead of North Carolina and Wisconsin. California is the top agricultural producer.

The census shows the number of Min-nesota farms is holding steady with 80,992 farms in the state. That compares to 80,839 in 2002 when the last census was taken.

The census also shows there’ s been more growth in the number of smaller farm (less than 180 acres) and larger farms (1000 acres or more), while the number of farms around 500 acres declined over the last fi ve years.

The average farm size fell from 340 acres to 332 acres.

The average age of Minnesota farmers was 55.3 years, compared to 52.9 years fi ve years ago.

Census results are available online and in various publications to be issued by NASS. For more information, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.

Photo by Steve SchulzAn afternoon of work produced large bales last fall near Bluffton.

First NatioNal BaNkoF MENaHGa & sEBEka

PO BOX 250, MENAHGA, MN 56464 PO BOX 311, SEBEKA, MN 56477

218-564-4171 218-837-5171www.fnbmenahga.com Telebanc Line:1-866-235-3123

tHE BaNkFirMly rootEdiN your CoMMuNity

For Comfort You Can’t

Live Without…

Rely on Ruud

TOTAL HOME COMFORT EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE

Service ProfessionalsWADENA, MN • 218-631-2638

• Heating • Air Conditioning • Sheet Metal • Plumbing

The American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17. The $789 bil-lion legislation includes tax cuts, additional spending programs, aid to states, students, schools, the unemployed and communi-ties. This legislation is intended to impact many areas of the economy including the agriculture industry.

The new stimulus legislation makes over 300 changes to the existing IRS code. Two of the most notable changes that will impact agriculture is an extension of spe-cial or bonus depreciation and an increase in the section 179 deduction.

The 50-percent special or bonus de-preciation provision expired at the end of 2008. The new legislation extends the time period for 50-percent bonus depreciation to include qualifying property acquired and placed in service in 2009. The new legislation also extends 50-percent bonus depreciation through tax year 2010 for property with a recovery period of 10 years or longer, transportation property, and cer-tain aircraft.

The section 179 deduction limit was scheduled to be $133,000 with a qualify-ing property limit of $530,000 for tax year 2009. The new stimulus package changes the maximum section 179 deduction to $250,000 with a qualifying property limit of $800,000 for tax year 2009.

One additional issue the stimulus legis-lation modifi ed was the carry back period for a net operating loss (NOL). Typically, the carry back period for a NOL is two years. The stimulus package allows a qualifying entity to carry the NOL back up to fi ve years. This carry back provision would only be eligible for a net operating loss incurred during tax year 2008.

Always consult with your tax advisor to examine your individual situation. This information is offered as educational infor-mation only and not intended to be legal or fi nancial advice. For questions specifi c to your farm business, consult with your tax preparer.

Publication ReferencesQuickfi nder Handbooks/Thomson

Reuters. Stimulus Plan Summary Table. http://www.quickfinder.com/intranet-fi les/164593/QF%20American%20Recovery%20and%20Reinvestment%20Act%20of%202009%20table-w%20logo.pdf

National Association of Tax Profes-sionals (NATP). NATP’s Summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://www.natptax.com/2009recoveryact.pdf

CCH Tax Briefi ng: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://tax.cchgroup.com/Legislation/House-Senate-Recovery-Act-2009.pdf

HOW THE STIMULUS PACKAGE WILL AFFECT AGRICULTURE

Did you know that colors are good for you? Fruits and vegetables contain compounds called phytochemicals that give them both their color and aroma.

Phytochemicals are also found in beans, grains and other plants. A couple of the more common ones are beta carotene and lycopene. There is some evidence that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains may reduce the risk of certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and is also good for the heart.

Phytochemicals are chemicals produced naturally by plants to protect themselves, but when consumed may also help humans protect themselves from disease. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain the largest amounts of phytochemicals. Refi ned foods such as sugar and alcohol do not contain phytochemicals. It is recommended that adults eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit and 6 ounces of grains (of which 3 ounces are whole grains) each day. In addition to phytochemicals, these foods are rich in minerals, fi ber and vitamins, and are low in saturated fat. It’s better to eat food high in these nutrients than to consume supplements because foods have fi ber and other trace minerals in them as well.

There are fi ve color groups of vegetables and fruits. They are red, yellow/orange, blue/purple, green and white/tan. Eat a variety of colors in your diet for the abundance of nutri-ents you need to be healthy.

How can you get your family to eat more fruits and vegetables? If your children are young, try to get them to taste a variety of fruits and vegetables so that they get used to a multitude of fl avors. As you are grocery shopping, make a mental note to check out some of the more unusual fruits and vegetables and then try serving them at home. Don’t give up just because your child says they do not like something after tasting it once. Sometimes it takes time to develop a liking for some of the more strongly fl avored fruits/vegetables.

Keep a colorful variety of fruit and vegetables washed, handy and ready to consume to encourage children to grab them for snacks. Include your children in preparing those multi-colored meals and the fun will follow!

DEEANN LEINESUniversity of Minnesota Extension

Eat your colors for better health


• SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE • SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE • SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE •


•SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE • SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE • SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE • SOLID, STABLE & STILL JOHN DEERE

• SO

LID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

Highway 10 West • Wadena

1-888-631-2311 or (218) 631-2311

EvergreenEquipment, Inc.

Annual Spring Parts SaleCOME IN AND CHECK OUT THE

NEW LAWN & GARDEN TRACTORS10% OFF Parts &15% OFF Filters

will apply to all service work scheduled during the sale!

20%OFF

POWER TOOLS

FULL SIZE JOHN DEERETOOL BOXESfor Trucks

PRESSUREWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERS

Now on Sale

Starting at $236 Double-lid crossover truck box AC6975TB-2. Fits full-size Chevy Ford and Dodge pickups with 6’ or 8’ beds.


FULL SIZE JOHN DEERE

$236

John DeereTOUGH

TILLAGE PARTSSweeps, Shovels, Disk

Blades, Plow Bottom Parts

20%SAVE upto

Filter Sale

15%SAVEChoose filters designed to protect your John Deere machines, not just fit them!

on all filters

STORE HOURS: Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00

Saturdays 8:00 - 12:00

Double-lid

TOYS 10%OFF

10%OFF

ALL PARTS IN STOCK &

STOCK-ORDEREDPARTS

Starts March 9Ends April 21

(including toys)


TRUCKLOADOIL SALEReduce downtime. Save time. Save money. Can you afford to use any other engine oil?

DRUMS OF OIL15W40P50 • HY GARD

We buy by the truckload. See us for special sale prices.

50% more hours when using PLUS 50 oil

LittLe Bit of Country

Harry & Susan Tichy813 Harmony Lane, Wadena

218-631-7105

24 hour supervised living.

Private rooms.

Meals and laundry included.

Individual attention.

Affordable rates.

Private Pay & Public Assistance accepted.

Access to Home Health Nursing Visits.


Private rooms.

living.



Affordable rates.


Private Pay &

Access to Home Health Nursing

Keep Your Pivots Running Smoothly

Reserve your spot today for off-season preventative maintenance service

An annual preventative maintenance program for your pivot means:

Less downtime during growing season

Improved reliability

Higher trade-in valueLonger lifeLower maintenance costs

© 2009 Lindsay. All rights reserved. Zimmatic is a registered trademark of the Lindsay Corporation. Certain restrictions and conditions apply. See your local Zimmatic dealer for complete details.

ASK YOUR DEALER ABOUT THESE MONEY- SAVING OFFERSYOU CAN CHOOSE FROM:

Visit your Lindsay dealer today to schedule preventative maintenance for your pivots.

Plus, your local Lindsay dealer can service any pivot, no matter what brand it is.

Northern Irrigation45214 Co. Rd 80 E., Perham, MN 56573

218-346-7246e-mail [email protected]

An opportunity is a knockin’Join in the rap, rap, rap …

Fieldstone is a plentiful natural resource that many a farmer has cursed each spring as they are forced to remove them from their fi elds before planting their crops.

Not only is it a big undertaking to remove them, but then there is the plight of where to pile them once they’ve painstakingly gath-ered them all up.

But what if this same cumbersome, sometimes annoying natural resource could be put to good use? What if it was the key to unlocking a tourism door to our area?

David Evert, the man behind the scenes on the Murals of Minnesota project in Wadena, has a vision of using rocks of all sizes to bring tourists to our otherwise quiet little towns.

“Opportunity lies before us, it requires but to see things differently,” Evert said.

Of course, where the rocks now lie abandoned in piles in tree groves and at the corners of farmland, no one has interest in seeing. But what if they were made into masterpieces by the minds and hands of art-ists? What if the U.S. Highway 71 corridor could be home to the biggest stretch of rock art in the nation, or even the world? Now that would be something. ... This would be Evert’s dream come true.

That is why he is working along with the Long Prairie Tourism Commission and the Long Prairie Chamber of Commerce to get the ball rolling on a rock art project. The tourism commission has agreed to put a jump start on the project, putting its feelers out to all of those who may want to be a part of this unique endeavor.

Wanted: rock lovers or rock haters There is much planning to be done in

order to make this project a success, but the biggest need is people power. The project

will need creative artists (all ages), welders, landscapers and excavation specialists. For those of you that don’t fi t in those categories, anyone who would like to aid in planning, fundraising, or coordinating are needed as well.

There will also be a need for land to build the rock art upon. If you are a landowner along U.S. Highway 71, you are perhaps the most crucial part of this project. If you are a farmer who would like some of your rock pile to disappear, you are a key to this as well.

The span of the artworkOriginally the plan was to install rock art

from Sauk Centre to Itasca State Park, but because of interest from other communities along 71, the project will stretch inward from the state’s borders.

Minnesota Rocks—Border to Border is the offi cial name of the project, which de-scribes it well.

Minnesota Rocks needs to have a start-ing point and that’s where it’s at right now. The tourism commission has set its sights on a small area to begin with, focusing on the corridor that lies between Sauk Centre and Wadena.

Anyone in these communities or beyond is encouraged to become a part of this en-deavor to bring a much needed taste of tour-ism to the route along U.S. Highway 71.

If you are willing to help in anyway, please contact one of the following people: Peg Churchwell at (320) 732-6450 or e-mail [email protected], Julie Baum at (320) 732-2514 or e-mail [email protected], Marlo Benning at (218) 756-2131 or e-mail [email protected]. Planning meetings will begin soon.

It is the hope of those already involved in the project to turn fi eldstone into some-thing magnifi cent, and while doing so, bring tourists to see that our part of Minnesota is a beautiful place to visit and maybe, just maybe, stay for awhile.

Photo provided

The lowly fi eldstone may be the answer to igniting tourism in our area.

MARLO [email protected]

World livestock auctioneer championship in Fergus FallsFergus Falls Livestock Auction Market,

Inc. will put the auction method of selling livestock in the spotlight, when it hosts the 46th annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) on June 13.

“The auctioneer continues to be a very vital part of competitive livestock market-ing,” said market owner Joe Varner. “We’ll have 33 of North America’s best, competing for the top title in their profession, the world livestock auctioneer champion.”

The annual contest is sponsored and con-ducted by Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), Kansas City, Mo. LMA is North America’s largest membership organiza-tion dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector.

Varner, who owns or is a partner in 15 livestock markets, said: “It’s always been my dream to host the WLAC. We hope to have the biggest turnout ever for the contest.”

The contest is an actual sale, with buyers on the seats. Varner said he expects 3,500-4,000 cattle, made up of some 1,000 fed cattle and butcher cows, and 2,500 feeders. “These will all be home-raised, and a lot of backgrounded, quality cattle.”

Thirty-two of the championship semi-fi nalists qualifi ed for the Minnesota contest through four WLAC quarterfi nal qualifying contests, conducted from September to De-cember 2008 by LMA. The top eight scor-ers in each quarterfi nal move on to Fergus

Falls.The 33rd contestant is the current Inter-

national Auctioneer Champion, Peter Raf-fan, of Armstrong, B.C. The WLAC tradi-tionally gives a “bye” into the semi-fi nals to the winner of this Canadian contest.

Bobby Smith, a market owner from Fair-view, Okla., is LMA’s president. He said, “All of us with LMA are excited to bring the Championship to Joe Varner’s market. Like hundreds of markets across the county, Fergus Falls not only puts competition into livestock marketing — the best way to get the best price — it’s also an important part of the local economy.”

The contest starts at 8 a.m. and is open to the public.

Six judges, all LMA members, score the semi-fi nalists on two elements: an interview competition, and the live auction rounds. The interviews will be conducted before a live and webcast audience, Friday morning, the 12th, during LMA’s annual meeting.

Reigning world champion Matt Lowery will ask each semi-fi nalist the same three

questions, on industry issues and topics. This interview will count for 25 percent of their score, and judging criteria include pre-sentation, clarity of expression/articulation livestock industry knowledge, spokesman for the industry, and would you hire this auctioneer?

Saturday morning the semi-fi nalists are judged as they sell several drafts of cattle. The judging criteria includes clarity of their chant, vocal quality, bid-catching ability, conduct of the sale and answering the ques-tion, “Would I hire this auctioneer?”

The top 10 scorers then return for a fi nal round of selling, where the same judging criteria are used. The three title winners — world, reserve and runner-up champion — are announced at an awards banquet the evening of the 13th.

The three winners take home thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including, for the world champion, a year’s free use of a new truck.

The contest is the closing event for LMA’s annual meeting, which begins June

11 at the Ramada-Plaza Hotel in Fargo, N.D. It is open to marketing business owners and producers. A number of key industry issues, featuring knowledgeable speakers, will be featured.

For program and registration informa-tion, call LMA at (800) 821-2048.

The semi-fi nalists and their hometowns are Mitch Barthel, Perham; Ted Baum, O’Neill, Neb.; Jeff Bynum, Southside, Ala.; Darren T. Carter, Ninety Six, S.C.; Nick Caspers, Hecla, S.D.; Jake Cheechov, Eu-gene, Ore.; Dan Clark, Winner, S.D.; Charly Cummings, Yates Center, Kan.; Shannon Davis, Yantis, Texas; Eli Detweiler, Jr., Ruffi n, N.C.; Justin Dodson, Welch, Okla.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Jim Hertzog, Greenwood, Mo.; Lynn Langvardt, Wake-fi eld, Kan.; Brian Little, Wann, Okla.; Kevin Magby, Atoka, Okla.;

Andrew McDowell, Vandalia, Ill.; Bran-don Neely, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; Mike Nuss, Minatare, Neb.; Ted Odle, Brush, Colo.; Peter Raffan; Tanner Ragan, Sulphur Springs, Texas; Don Rodgers, Bakersfi eld, Calif.; Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Duane Rus, Rock Valley, Iowa; Jason Santomaso, Sterling, Colo.; Kevin Schow, Paxton, Neb.; Kyle J. Shobe, Lewistown, Mont.; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Va.; Gabe Spikes, Bowie, Texas; Ty Thompson, Bill-ings, Mont.; Al Wessel, Long Prairie; and Billy Younkin, Cecil, Ala.

Long Prairie, Perham callers to compete

with best talent in the nation


Quality, Pre-Owned Farm Tractors & EquipmentEric’s Machinery SalesEric Roggenkamp • 61448 Co Hwy 76 • Bluffton, MN 56518

(218) 631-1930 • www.ericsmachinerysales.com

Loader Tractors • Haying, Tilling & Planting EquipmentEric Re-builds: Diesel injection pumps and injectors

“Remember Eric stands behind everything he sells...EXCEPT the manure spreaders”

Over 30 tractors on hand. All stored inside. Some with

loaders.

Over 100 pieces of farm equipment on

the lot.

I buy, sell, trade & repair all farm tractors & farm equipment.

For All Your Parts Needs - See Eric

• Fuel Oil • Motor Oil

• Gasoline • Greases

BULK FUEL DELIVERY(218)631-3192

CALL USFOR YOUR

Bulk Farm FuelDELIVERY

Aldrich TractorHighway 10 West • Aldrich, MN • 445-5430

www.a ldr icht ractor .com

McCormick CT & CTU SeriesBuilt with all the utility and comfort you need.

SPECIFICATIONSEngine: HP range 28-57Mitsubishi S4Q & S4QT 4-cylinder & 4-cylinder Turbo, 2.5 L (153ci)

SpeCialFinanCing0% interest

for 72 mo. with Zero Down payment

220 Bottemiller Drive, Wadena, MN 631-7261Toll Free 1-866-631-4277

Spring Field Work TimeSee Crop Production Services

for your Seed • CropProtection • Fertilizer

• Lime Needs

Hwy. 71 N, Wadena, MN 631-1774Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 5:30, Sat. 8:30-12:00

NORTHSIDE FLORAL, LLC

Garden CenterOpens this SpringStop in and see

what we have to offer

104 N.W. Elm, Wadena, MN 56482

218-631-2204EXCAVATING INC.

General Dozing

Black Dirt

Septic Tank Installation (licensed)

Underground Fuel Tank Removal (licensed)

New study emphasizes the need for farmers to sharpen fi nancial skillsA new study analyzing agricultural fi -

nancial conditions highlights the need for farmers to keep a tight eye on fi nances says Bob Craven, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Man-agement. The study showed that price vola-tility and the declining margins are impact-ing farm fi nances.

“The study results won’t be news to farmers who have seen their input costs go up while market prices decline, but it is a reminder that this is the time to sharpen your money management skills,” said Craven, an Extension farm management economist. Craven recommended using tools like Uni-versity of Minnesota developed FINPACK to analyze fi nances and improve their market-ing skills through programs like Extension’s Winning the Game program.

As part of the study, the Center for Farm Financial Management and Extension Risk Management Education Regional Centers surveyed 2,300 agricultural professional na-tionwide about their analysis of agricultural fi nancial conditions. Key fi ndings include:

• Most agricultural producers are in rela-tively sound fi nancial shape. More than 60 percent of survey respondents said that 10 percent or less of producers they deal with are experiencing fi nancial stress now. An-other 15 percent indicated that less than 2 percent of producers they deal with are cur-rently experiencing fi nancial stress.

• The survey respondents predicted an increase in fi nancial stress among producers during the next three years. Slightly more

than 28 percent of respondents expect at least 30 percent of their agricultural clients to experience fi nancial stress during the next three years.

• Declining land values and rising inter-est rates, two factors that played a key role in the 1980s farm crisis, ranked at the bottom of 13 factors contributing to farm fi nancial stress. Top rated factors were price/input cost margins, price volatility and negative cash fl ows.

• More than 80 percent of producers are equipped in terms of fi nancial skills to manage their businesses through a period of fi nancial stress according to survey respon-dents.

• Responses given by lenders when asked about future fi nancial conditions tended to be less pessimistic than those from indi-viduals who supply goods and services to agriculture. Twenty-six percent of lenders think the probability is very high that pro-ducers will experience fi nancial stress in the next three years compared to 39 percent of all respondents who rated the probability at very high.

Craven said that Minnesota conditions are probably slightly more optimistic than the national conditions refl ected in the sur-vey.

“Our dairy producers are facing a tough profi t situation now, but many Minnesota producers raising crops entered 2009 in a relatively strong fi nancial position,” he said.

The 2,300 agriculture professionals responding to the survey included lenders,

educators, crop insurance agents, consul-tants, farm input suppliers and brokers. A summary of the survey is available on the University of Minnesota Center for Farm fi nancial management website www.cffm.umn.edu.

In addition to the education programs from Craven and other Extension farm man-agement educators, University of Minnesota

Extension’s Farmer-Lender Mediation pro-gram helps farmers and lenders work out solutions for managing agriculture debt. More information about lender mediation services at extension.umn.edu or by calling (218) 935-5785.

My life as a butter sculpture model ... and other tales from dairy princess Becky Richter

Becky Richter knows dairy, and she has a 56-pound hunk of butter stashed in her dad’s new freezer to prove it.

Becky is the 20-year-old daughter of Bruce and Karyl Richter, who operate a 100-herd dairy farm between Wadena and Verndale. She’s always done chores and helped out with the operation, so her knowledge of the industry spurred her to run for dairy princess.

In 2004, Becky ran in the newly formed junior division of the pageant, along with eight competitors. Her knowledge of the industry proved important.

“It’s all farming-based,” Becky said of the competition. “Some people might think it’s a beauty pageant, but it’s no-where near that.”

Contestants are quizzed on topics from dealing with a PETA representative to milk protein concentrates.

When it came time to hand out crowns, Becky said she hoped she would be one of the fi ve who were given some sort of crown rather than the four who weren’t, but she said her hopes faded quickly when the runner-up was crowned and only one tiara remained. Then it was placed on her head.

“I was like, ‘Whaaaat? I won?’” she said.Before long, Becky was preparing for the “May Event,”

an invite of more than 100 dairy princesses from across Minnesota held at St. Ben’s college in St. Joseph, Minn.

After more competition, 12 fi nalists were to be an-nounced. Instead of just blurting out the names of the win-ners, the organizers began to describe each winner before naming her. They started out by saying fi nalist number eight

was a big fan of the Minnesota Twins.“I looked at [fellow Wadena County Dairy Princess]

Brittney Strayer and said, ‘I love the Twins!’” Becky said.As the judges read off more identifying information

about fi nalist eight, it became clear it was Becky, and she was headed up to the stage.

“I looked at my parents, and my mom’s face is just red. Mom’s crying already,” Becky said. “And I look over and my dad had tears in his eyes. And my dad never cries.”

Becky was off to the Great Minnesota Get Together. It’s

STEVE [email protected]

continued on page 5

Photos providedBecky Richter (center) was cheered on by her mom, Ka-ryl, and dad, Bruce.

The Princess Kay of the Milky Way candidate poses next to her butter sculpture.

Photo by Steve SchulzRoads were full of hay racks as the fall harvest started last fall.


BRYAN WEGSCHEIDPLUMBING & HEATING

•INSTALLATION & REPAIR

•BOBCAT & BACKHOE•SEWER SYSTEM

INSTALLATION•LINE THAWING

• Licensed• Bonded• Insured

CELL: 218-639-3618

218-631-4227

Harness the sun and wind with a Solar Panel system, a Wind Turbine or both and create your own clean energy. Let the professionals at West Central Telephone guide you through the Zenergy process.

Up to 30% Federal tax credit & many rebates & grants available!

Call Zenergy at 218-837-5155 or toll free 888-Zen-RG4U to learn more, or visit us online at www.zenergyguide.com.

Why Zenergy?• We’ve done the extensive research to recommend the right system for you. • We will give you a customized solution based on a quantitative assessment.• We’ll help you with the State & Federal rebates and grants that are available. • With the right system, you can generate energy equal to what your household consumes, and sell back any excess energy to the electric company.

Call us at 218-837-5155 or toll free [email protected] Frontage RoadSebeka, MN 56477

at the State Fair that the overall winner, the Princess Kay of the Milky Way, is crowned.

There were three days of judging, a summer full of train-ing, and a fi nal competition. Becky won a $500 scholarship, didn’t win the Princess Kay title, but did get one of the same once-in-a-lifetime perks—her head sculpture carved out of

a block of butter at the fair.While that may sound glamorous, consider this: Becky

had to sit still in a see-through, 40-degree cooler for seven hours as roughly 1 million fair-goers — many of them well-wishers from home — streamed through and tried to get her attention to say hi.

“You can’t move or anything,” Becky said. “It’s just weird to look out.”

But the dairy princess had no complaints, and handled the task with poise. She said the sculptor — who has been coming from California for nearly 50 years to do the carv-ings — put her at ease.

“She was just easy to talk to,” Becky said.When the majesty of the fair came to an end, the but-

ter sculpture belonged to her, and preparations were busily

made to transport the 56-pound sculpture back to Wadena County.

“It was raining that day, but I had to have the air condi-tioning on [in the car],” Becky said.

She and her mother shivered all the way home. Mean-while, Bruce headed to Weber’s Hardware in Wadena to purchase a new freezer just for the sculpture.

When she and Karyl arrived home, Becky’s brother was anxious to help and grabbed the seat-belted sculpture from the vehicle. But he handled it a little too roughly, and an indentation was put in an awkward spot — and the nose was smooshed.

“It kind of went ‘thunk’ in the box,” Becky said. “I was screaming at him.”

But she went to work on the sculpture.“I was like a pro at rhinoplasty,” Becky joked. “I went in

with a little stick of butter. I shaped it back to normal and used my scraps of butter to make it look good.”

And today it still sits — alone — in that freezer.“I think it’s locked,” she said.Becky said she plans to keep the sculpture in mom and

dad’s freezer as long as they’ll let her, but may pull it out someday at her wedding reception to put it on display. But the clock may be ticking.

“They say it shrinks over time,” she said.Becky ended up running in both the junior and senior

divisions of the county dairy princess contest, took part in about 30-40 events like parades, fairs and other appear-

ances, and now runs the dairy princess contest, which is set to crown new winners on March 21.

While college may take her away from the farm and to Alexandria in the coming years, she has one more idea for the use of her butter sculpture.

“Next year if I’m in Alex [my parents] can pull it out and look at it,” she said jokingly. “I don’t think it will be as good at milking cows as me, though.”

4-H goes beyond the farm

Wadena County 4-H isn’t just for farm kids anymore.

“A lot of people think 4-H is farms and that’s a huge myth,” said Kris Huebsch, the county’s 4-H program coordinator.

The ratio of country and town kids enrolled is close to 50/50, Huebsch said. The trend toward kids in town becoming involved started in the 1970s with an exchange program that allows kids to go to different counties, states and countries.

“4-H has always been a program that’s been evolving with what kids are interested in and what’s going on in the world,” Huebsch said.

Projects today include photography, rocketry, GPS map-ping and DNA analysis. Crafts and fi ne arts is the most popular project in Wadena County and kids can do digital artwork if that’s what they’re interested in.

There is also a science, engineering and technology pro-gram, Huebsch said.

“That’s defi nitely geared towards what’s going on in our world today,” she said. “But we’re also still very much sup-porting our outdoor things.”

4-H thinks it’s really important to get kids outside and using their imaginations, she said.

“We’re fi nding a kind of scary trend that kids across the nation aren’t getting outside like their parents were,” Huebsch said. “Computers are a huge part of our lives now ... but you also need to be able to go outside and explore and be able to do stuff on your own time.”

Conservation, wildlife and other environmental issues are very important to 4-H, she said.

Several of the county’s most popular projects involve animals such as dairy, dog, horse and poultry. These projects aren’t just for country kids either.

Town kids who don’t live on farms can lease a livestock animal, she said. That’s a growing trend.

“We are seeing more kids that haven’t necessarily lived on a farm before being exposed to that, which is wonderful,” Huebsch said.

4-H encourages the kids to visit the animal daily, espe-cially in the summer, and take care of them and work with them, she said. They can even take the animal to the fair.

A popular animal project that town and country kids can get involved in is the dog project.

“Our dog project in Wadena County is very strong,” Huebsch said. “It’s a wonderful project for the kids.”

Kids learn to train their pets to sit, stay and heel on a leash, Huebsch said. More advanced classes teach agility where the dogs go over jumps and maneuver obstacles.

Kids have to attend at least seven of the 14 training ses-sions in order to participate in the fair, she said.

The county fair is 4-H’s “big, grand event,” she said. Kids need to enroll in 4-H by May 1 in order to participate. Otherwise kids can enroll anytime of the year, she said. The 4-H season begins Oct. 1. Most clubs meet once a month.

There are 10 4-H clubs in Wadena County with around 170 members and more than 40 screened adult volunteers. Boys and girls are equally involved in the program, Huebsch said. 4-H is open to everyone from kindergarten through one year after high school. 4-H was founded in 1902 and began in Wadena County in 1918. Huebsch sees 4-H continuing to grow, she said.

“The more the word gets out about how diverse 4-H is and how we keep evolving with the times ... I think the more the program grows,” Huebsch said. “It’s stood the test of time, world wars and depressions. So I think we’re doing something right.”

Photo providedKaty Wegscheid gets the attention of her dog Rascal, who she learned to train through 4-H.

Photos providedPhotos of the Princess Kay fi nalists were shown as the but-ter sculptures were created so fairgoers could decide for themselves how lifelike the creations were.

What started as a rectangular, 90-pound block of butter became a sculpture of Becky Richter, dairy princess.

A butter carving specialist from California works on sculp-tures at the Minnesota State Fair.

continued from page 4

Rural kids, city kids have 50/50 mix in program

SARA [email protected]

Kris Huebsch, Wadena County 4-H program coordinator

Gordy’s Greenhouse46608 575th Avenue, New York Mills, MN

Gordy’s Greenhouse is still open!

Located 10 Miles West of Sebeka

218-837-5396

Gordy’s will open as soon as the ground is ready.

We will have bedding flowers, hanging baskets and vegetable plants of all kinds.

Bulk seed, potato seed and onion sets will also be available.

See uSfor your

planting needS



www.valmont.com/irrigation

Valley® offers

Irrigation Choicesto keep your operation running.As your local Valley dealer, we deliver proven advice on the best way to get your machine working to meet your growing demands. We can help you decide the best alternative:

Fix it with genuine Valley partsUpgrade it with Valley major componentsReplace it with a new 7000 or 8000 series machine

Ask us today about the proven ways to help you save time and money. Backed with the industry’s most intensive training program, we can save you headaches and downtime.

602 Ash Ave. NE., Wadena • 218-631-9271 Minnesota Valley Irrigation

mn-valley.valleydealer.com

TOTAL TIRE & GEAR, Inc.

13 South Lake Street, Long Prairie, MN 56347320-732-9003 or 866-770-9003

AL ROGGENKAMP & SONS

EXCAVATING AND TRENCHING

EXCAVATING & TRENCHING

218-631-3389 or 1-800-939-528539889 - 620th Ave., Wadena, MN

• Free Estimates

• State Certified

• Licensed & Bonded

• Designer I & Installer

Over 35 Years

Experience in Central Minnesota

• Basements

• Septic Systems

• Drain Fields

• Sewer Hookups

• Water Lines

• Demolition

of them are side dumping wagons for sugar beet hauling, some are dogcarts, so named because they provided a place for hunt-ing dogs as well as their owners; some are wagonettes, which were used in military parades; and others are promenade wag-ons, which were fancier and would take

people to church or for a Sunday afternoon drive. Some are sleighs with skis instead of wheels.

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that is pictured in a hunting picnic scene with the owner, the King of Sweden and Alfred Nobel, the man whom the Nobel

Prize is named after.Wagons were the most common form of

transportation in Sweden up until World War I. They had a brief revival in Sweden during World War II because it was so diffi cult to obtain gasoline.

Anderson enjoys using his wagons in the summer months and has them on the road about four days a week. His daughter, Kajsa, who also loves wagons, had her dad take her to the fi rst day of school in Sebeka last fall in a horse-drawn wagon.

Anderson has not been just collecting wagons, he has been collecting history, some of it family history. His grandfather, Olaf Anderson, who came from the same village in Sweden as the woman who left Clark the wagons, came over to the United States on a ship that left England in 1912 just before a ship called the “Titanic.”

“If he had missed that ship I wouldn’t be here,” Anderson laughed.

Anderson belongs to the St. Croix Driv-ing Society which has members in Min-nesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. He knows of several members in the Twin Cit-ies that have 30-40 vehicles, but as far as he knows he owns the only Swedish wagons in the club.

“The major difference between Sweden and here is that farms were older and they had the buildings to store them (the wagons) inside,” Anderson said. “A lot of carriages in the United States got sat out in the tree groves. A typical farmyard in Sweden has 5-6 storage buildings as well as livestock buildings.”

Anderson even bought some carriages

very reasonably while in Sweden from a man who had been a colonel in the Swedish calvary during World War II. The man had 60 calvarymen under his command.

“He said they practiced three days a week fi ghting Germans and three days a week fi ghting Americans and took Sunday off, because they were a neutral,” Anderson laughed. “He was quite a story-teller.”

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that shows three men having a picnic while on a hunting trip — the owner of the wagon at that time, the King of Swe-den and Alfred Nobel, the inventor who inspired the famous Nobel Prize.

“I think that is kind of neat,” Anderson smiled.

True horse power

Clark Anderson has a hobby that really gets him around.

The Sebeka dairy farmer has more than 40 horse-drawn wagons and sleighs from the United States and Sweden tucked inside buildings and sitting in the yard at his farm.

Anderson started collecting wagons back in 1966 when he was a sophomore in high school growing up near Williston, N.D. Anderson’s dad and uncle used draft horses so his interest came naturally. When the Andersons moved to the rolling farm country of Wadena County 12 years ago his wagon collection also made the trip.

Bringing wagons 400 miles from Williston to Sebeka is one thing, but what do you do when a relative living in Dolls-Rostock, Sweden de-cides to leave you her wagon collec-tion? If you are the kind of collector that Clark Anderson is, you go to Sweden.

Anderson has taken many trips to Sweden over the years and speaks the language. Polite people say he

speaks the language pretty well and Anderson himself feels he speaks it “well enough to get around.”

He went back to Sweden in Oc-tober to bring the wagon collection home. He stayed for fi ve weeks, taking apart the 29 wagons he in-herited with the help of his cousin, who farms in Sweden. The two men placed the wagons inside contain-ers and they made the trip from Sweden to New York in just a week and a half. Anderson ran into red tape when a customs offi cial held up the containers. Anderson got a Minneapolis brokerage fi rm to help him clear the containers through customs. It took the two containers two months to reach Wadena from that point.

“It cost four times as much to get them from New York to Min-neapolis as it did from Sweden to New York,” said Anderson. “And half as much as from Minneapolis to Wadena as it did from Sweden to New York and that doesn’t make sense.”

The wagons in Anderson’s col-lection have all been kept indoors so they are in good condition. Some

Sebeka farmer’s wagon, sleigh collection keeps him busy

BRIAN [email protected]

Photo by Brian HanselWadena County farmer Clark Anderson has a number of horse-drawn sleighs in his wagon collection, including this farm chores sleigh.

Photo by Brian HanselAnderson brought a small, blue sleigh from Sweden.

Photo by Brian HanselOne of the nicest wagons in Anderson’s collection is a promenade wagon, which was used for special occaisons.

Photo by Brian HanselOne of the wagons in Anderson’s Swed-ish collection once served in the Norrland Dragoon Regiment.

continued on page 7



www.valmont.com/irrigation

Valley® offers

Irrigation Choicesto keep your operation running.As your local Valley dealer, we deliver proven advice on the best way to get your machine working to meet your growing demands. We can help you decide the best alternative:

Fix it with genuine Valley partsUpgrade it with Valley major componentsReplace it with a new 7000 or 8000 series machine

Ask us today about the proven ways to help you save time and money. Backed with the industry’s most intensive training program, we can save you headaches and downtime.

602 Ash Ave. NE., Wadena • 218-631-9271 Minnesota Valley Irrigation

mn-valley.valleydealer.com

TOTAL TIRE & GEAR, Inc.

13 South Lake Street, Long Prairie, MN 56347320-732-9003 or 866-770-9003

AL ROGGENKAMP & SONS

EXCAVATING AND TRENCHING

EXCAVATING & TRENCHING

218-631-3389 or 1-800-939-528539889 - 620th Ave., Wadena, MN

• Free Estimates

• State Certified

• Licensed & Bonded

• Designer I & Installer

Over 35 Years

Experience in Central Minnesota

• Basements

• Septic Systems

• Drain Fields

• Sewer Hookups

• Water Lines

• Demolition

of them are side dumping wagons for sugar beet hauling, some are dogcarts, so named because they provided a place for hunt-ing dogs as well as their owners; some are wagonettes, which were used in military parades; and others are promenade wag-ons, which were fancier and would take

people to church or for a Sunday afternoon drive. Some are sleighs with skis instead of wheels.

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that is pictured in a hunting picnic scene with the owner, the King of Sweden and Alfred Nobel, the man whom the Nobel

Prize is named after.Wagons were the most common form of

transportation in Sweden up until World War I. They had a brief revival in Sweden during World War II because it was so diffi cult to obtain gasoline.

Anderson enjoys using his wagons in the summer months and has them on the road about four days a week. His daughter, Kajsa, who also loves wagons, had her dad take her to the fi rst day of school in Sebeka last fall in a horse-drawn wagon.

Anderson has not been just collecting wagons, he has been collecting history, some of it family history. His grandfather, Olaf Anderson, who came from the same village in Sweden as the woman who left Clark the wagons, came over to the United States on a ship that left England in 1912 just before a ship called the “Titanic.”

“If he had missed that ship I wouldn’t be here,” Anderson laughed.

Anderson belongs to the St. Croix Driv-ing Society which has members in Min-nesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. He knows of several members in the Twin Cit-ies that have 30-40 vehicles, but as far as he knows he owns the only Swedish wagons in the club.

“The major difference between Sweden and here is that farms were older and they had the buildings to store them (the wagons) inside,” Anderson said. “A lot of carriages in the United States got sat out in the tree groves. A typical farmyard in Sweden has 5-6 storage buildings as well as livestock buildings.”

Anderson even bought some carriages

very reasonably while in Sweden from a man who had been a colonel in the Swedish calvary during World War II. The man had 60 calvarymen under his command.

“He said they practiced three days a week fi ghting Germans and three days a week fi ghting Americans and took Sunday off, because they were a neutral,” Anderson laughed. “He was quite a story-teller.”

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that shows three men having a picnic while on a hunting trip — the owner of the wagon at that time, the King of Swe-den and Alfred Nobel, the inventor who inspired the famous Nobel Prize.

“I think that is kind of neat,” Anderson smiled.

True horse power

Clark Anderson has a hobby that really gets him around.

The Sebeka dairy farmer has more than 40 horse-drawn wagons and sleighs from the United States and Sweden tucked inside buildings and sitting in the yard at his farm.

Anderson started collecting wagons back in 1966 when he was a sophomore in high school growing up near Williston, N.D. Anderson’s dad and uncle used draft horses so his interest came naturally. When the Andersons moved to the rolling farm country of Wadena County 12 years ago his wagon collection also made the trip.

Bringing wagons 400 miles from Williston to Sebeka is one thing, but what do you do when a relative living in Dolls-Rostock, Sweden de-cides to leave you her wagon collec-tion? If you are the kind of collector that Clark Anderson is, you go to Sweden.

Anderson has taken many trips to Sweden over the years and speaks the language. Polite people say he

speaks the language pretty well and Anderson himself feels he speaks it “well enough to get around.”

He went back to Sweden in Oc-tober to bring the wagon collection home. He stayed for fi ve weeks, taking apart the 29 wagons he in-herited with the help of his cousin, who farms in Sweden. The two men placed the wagons inside contain-ers and they made the trip from Sweden to New York in just a week and a half. Anderson ran into red tape when a customs offi cial held up the containers. Anderson got a Minneapolis brokerage fi rm to help him clear the containers through customs. It took the two containers two months to reach Wadena from that point.

“It cost four times as much to get them from New York to Min-neapolis as it did from Sweden to New York,” said Anderson. “And half as much as from Minneapolis to Wadena as it did from Sweden to New York and that doesn’t make sense.”

The wagons in Anderson’s col-lection have all been kept indoors so they are in good condition. Some

Sebeka farmer’s wagon, sleigh collection keeps him busy

BRIAN [email protected]

Photo by Brian HanselWadena County farmer Clark Anderson has a number of horse-drawn sleighs in his wagon collection, including this farm chores sleigh.

Photo by Brian HanselAnderson brought a small, blue sleigh from Sweden.

Photo by Brian HanselOne of the nicest wagons in Anderson’s collection is a promenade wagon, which was used for special occaisons.

Photo by Brian HanselOne of the wagons in Anderson’s Swed-ish collection once served in the Norrland Dragoon Regiment.

continued on page 7


BRYAN WEGSCHEIDPLUMBING & HEATING

•INSTALLATION & REPAIR

•BOBCAT & BACKHOE•SEWER SYSTEM

INSTALLATION•LINE THAWING

• Licensed• Bonded• Insured

CELL: 218-639-3618

218-631-4227

Harness the sun and wind with a Solar Panel system, a Wind Turbine or both and create your own clean energy. Let the professionals at West Central Telephone guide you through the Zenergy process.

Up to 30% Federal tax credit & many rebates & grants available!

Call Zenergy at 218-837-5155 or toll free 888-Zen-RG4U to learn more, or visit us online at www.zenergyguide.com.

Why Zenergy?• We’ve done the extensive research to recommend the right system for you. • We will give you a customized solution based on a quantitative assessment.• We’ll help you with the State & Federal rebates and grants that are available. • With the right system, you can generate energy equal to what your household consumes, and sell back any excess energy to the electric company.

Call us at 218-837-5155 or toll free [email protected] Frontage RoadSebeka, MN 56477

at the State Fair that the overall winner, the Princess Kay of the Milky Way, is crowned.

There were three days of judging, a summer full of train-ing, and a fi nal competition. Becky won a $500 scholarship, didn’t win the Princess Kay title, but did get one of the same once-in-a-lifetime perks—her head sculpture carved out of

a block of butter at the fair.While that may sound glamorous, consider this: Becky

had to sit still in a see-through, 40-degree cooler for seven hours as roughly 1 million fair-goers — many of them well-wishers from home — streamed through and tried to get her attention to say hi.

“You can’t move or anything,” Becky said. “It’s just weird to look out.”

But the dairy princess had no complaints, and handled the task with poise. She said the sculptor — who has been coming from California for nearly 50 years to do the carv-ings — put her at ease.

“She was just easy to talk to,” Becky said.When the majesty of the fair came to an end, the but-

ter sculpture belonged to her, and preparations were busily

made to transport the 56-pound sculpture back to Wadena County.

“It was raining that day, but I had to have the air condi-tioning on [in the car],” Becky said.

She and her mother shivered all the way home. Mean-while, Bruce headed to Weber’s Hardware in Wadena to purchase a new freezer just for the sculpture.

When she and Karyl arrived home, Becky’s brother was anxious to help and grabbed the seat-belted sculpture from the vehicle. But he handled it a little too roughly, and an indentation was put in an awkward spot — and the nose was smooshed.

“It kind of went ‘thunk’ in the box,” Becky said. “I was screaming at him.”

But she went to work on the sculpture.“I was like a pro at rhinoplasty,” Becky joked. “I went in

with a little stick of butter. I shaped it back to normal and used my scraps of butter to make it look good.”

And today it still sits — alone — in that freezer.“I think it’s locked,” she said.Becky said she plans to keep the sculpture in mom and

dad’s freezer as long as they’ll let her, but may pull it out someday at her wedding reception to put it on display. But the clock may be ticking.

“They say it shrinks over time,” she said.Becky ended up running in both the junior and senior

divisions of the county dairy princess contest, took part in about 30-40 events like parades, fairs and other appear-

ances, and now runs the dairy princess contest, which is set to crown new winners on March 21.

While college may take her away from the farm and to Alexandria in the coming years, she has one more idea for the use of her butter sculpture.

“Next year if I’m in Alex [my parents] can pull it out and look at it,” she said jokingly. “I don’t think it will be as good at milking cows as me, though.”

4-H goes beyond the farm

Wadena County 4-H isn’t just for farm kids anymore.

“A lot of people think 4-H is farms and that’s a huge myth,” said Kris Huebsch, the county’s 4-H program coordinator.

The ratio of country and town kids enrolled is close to 50/50, Huebsch said. The trend toward kids in town becoming involved started in the 1970s with an exchange program that allows kids to go to different counties, states and countries.

“4-H has always been a program that’s been evolving with what kids are interested in and what’s going on in the world,” Huebsch said.

Projects today include photography, rocketry, GPS map-ping and DNA analysis. Crafts and fi ne arts is the most popular project in Wadena County and kids can do digital artwork if that’s what they’re interested in.

There is also a science, engineering and technology pro-gram, Huebsch said.

“That’s defi nitely geared towards what’s going on in our world today,” she said. “But we’re also still very much sup-porting our outdoor things.”

4-H thinks it’s really important to get kids outside and using their imaginations, she said.

“We’re fi nding a kind of scary trend that kids across the nation aren’t getting outside like their parents were,” Huebsch said. “Computers are a huge part of our lives now ... but you also need to be able to go outside and explore and be able to do stuff on your own time.”

Conservation, wildlife and other environmental issues are very important to 4-H, she said.

Several of the county’s most popular projects involve animals such as dairy, dog, horse and poultry. These projects aren’t just for country kids either.

Town kids who don’t live on farms can lease a livestock animal, she said. That’s a growing trend.

“We are seeing more kids that haven’t necessarily lived on a farm before being exposed to that, which is wonderful,” Huebsch said.

4-H encourages the kids to visit the animal daily, espe-cially in the summer, and take care of them and work with them, she said. They can even take the animal to the fair.

A popular animal project that town and country kids can get involved in is the dog project.

“Our dog project in Wadena County is very strong,” Huebsch said. “It’s a wonderful project for the kids.”

Kids learn to train their pets to sit, stay and heel on a leash, Huebsch said. More advanced classes teach agility where the dogs go over jumps and maneuver obstacles.

Kids have to attend at least seven of the 14 training ses-sions in order to participate in the fair, she said.

The county fair is 4-H’s “big, grand event,” she said. Kids need to enroll in 4-H by May 1 in order to participate. Otherwise kids can enroll anytime of the year, she said. The 4-H season begins Oct. 1. Most clubs meet once a month.

There are 10 4-H clubs in Wadena County with around 170 members and more than 40 screened adult volunteers. Boys and girls are equally involved in the program, Huebsch said. 4-H is open to everyone from kindergarten through one year after high school. 4-H was founded in 1902 and began in Wadena County in 1918. Huebsch sees 4-H continuing to grow, she said.

“The more the word gets out about how diverse 4-H is and how we keep evolving with the times ... I think the more the program grows,” Huebsch said. “It’s stood the test of time, world wars and depressions. So I think we’re doing something right.”

Photo providedKaty Wegscheid gets the attention of her dog Rascal, who she learned to train through 4-H.

Photos providedPhotos of the Princess Kay fi nalists were shown as the but-ter sculptures were created so fairgoers could decide for themselves how lifelike the creations were.

What started as a rectangular, 90-pound block of butter became a sculpture of Becky Richter, dairy princess.

A butter carving specialist from California works on sculp-tures at the Minnesota State Fair.


Rural kids, city kids have 50/50 mix in program

SARA [email protected]

Kris Huebsch, Wadena County 4-H program coordinator

Gordy’s Greenhouse46608 575th Avenue, New York Mills, MN

Gordy’s Greenhouse is still open!

Located 10 Miles West of Sebeka

218-837-5396

Gordy’s will open as soon as the ground is ready.

We will have bedding flowers, hanging baskets and vegetable plants of all kinds.

Bulk seed, potato seed and onion sets will also be available.

See uSfor your

planting needS


Quality, Pre-Owned Farm Tractors & EquipmentEric’s Machinery SalesEric Roggenkamp • 61448 Co Hwy 76 • Bluffton, MN 56518

(218) 631-1930 • www.ericsmachinerysales.com

Loader Tractors • Haying, Tilling & Planting EquipmentEric Re-builds: Diesel injection pumps and injectors

“Remember Eric stands behind everything he sells...EXCEPT the manure spreaders”

Over 30 tractors on hand. All stored inside. Some with

loaders.

Over 100 pieces of farm equipment on

the lot.

I buy, sell, trade & repair all farm tractors & farm equipment.

For All Your Parts Needs - See Eric

• Fuel Oil • Motor Oil

• Gasoline • Greases

BULK FUEL DELIVERY(218)631-3192

CALL USFOR YOUR

Bulk Farm FuelDELIVERY

Aldrich TractorHighway 10 West • Aldrich, MN • 445-5430

www.a ldr icht ractor .com

McCormick CT & CTU SeriesBuilt with all the utility and comfort you need.

SPECIFICATIONSEngine: HP range 28-57Mitsubishi S4Q & S4QT 4-cylinder & 4-cylinder Turbo, 2.5 L (153ci)

SpeCialFinanCing0% interest

for 72 mo. with Zero Down payment

220 Bottemiller Drive, Wadena, MN 631-7261Toll Free 1-866-631-4277

Spring Field Work TimeSee Crop Production Services

for your Seed • CropProtection • Fertilizer

• Lime Needs

Hwy. 71 N, Wadena, MN 631-1774Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 5:30, Sat. 8:30-12:00

NORTHSIDE FLORAL, LLC

Garden CenterOpens this SpringStop in and see

what we have to offer

104 N.W. Elm, Wadena, MN 56482

218-631-2204EXCAVATING INC.

General Dozing

Black Dirt

Septic Tank Installation (licensed)

Underground Fuel Tank Removal (licensed)

New study emphasizes the need for farmers to sharpen fi nancial skillsA new study analyzing agricultural fi -

nancial conditions highlights the need for farmers to keep a tight eye on fi nances says Bob Craven, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Man-agement. The study showed that price vola-tility and the declining margins are impact-ing farm fi nances.

“The study results won’t be news to farmers who have seen their input costs go up while market prices decline, but it is a reminder that this is the time to sharpen your money management skills,” said Craven, an Extension farm management economist. Craven recommended using tools like Uni-versity of Minnesota developed FINPACK to analyze fi nances and improve their market-ing skills through programs like Extension’s Winning the Game program.

As part of the study, the Center for Farm Financial Management and Extension Risk Management Education Regional Centers surveyed 2,300 agricultural professional na-tionwide about their analysis of agricultural fi nancial conditions. Key fi ndings include:

• Most agricultural producers are in rela-tively sound fi nancial shape. More than 60 percent of survey respondents said that 10 percent or less of producers they deal with are experiencing fi nancial stress now. An-other 15 percent indicated that less than 2 percent of producers they deal with are cur-rently experiencing fi nancial stress.

• The survey respondents predicted an increase in fi nancial stress among producers during the next three years. Slightly more

than 28 percent of respondents expect at least 30 percent of their agricultural clients to experience fi nancial stress during the next three years.

• Declining land values and rising inter-est rates, two factors that played a key role in the 1980s farm crisis, ranked at the bottom of 13 factors contributing to farm fi nancial stress. Top rated factors were price/input cost margins, price volatility and negative cash fl ows.

• More than 80 percent of producers are equipped in terms of fi nancial skills to manage their businesses through a period of fi nancial stress according to survey respon-dents.

• Responses given by lenders when asked about future fi nancial conditions tended to be less pessimistic than those from indi-viduals who supply goods and services to agriculture. Twenty-six percent of lenders think the probability is very high that pro-ducers will experience fi nancial stress in the next three years compared to 39 percent of all respondents who rated the probability at very high.

Craven said that Minnesota conditions are probably slightly more optimistic than the national conditions refl ected in the sur-vey.

“Our dairy producers are facing a tough profi t situation now, but many Minnesota producers raising crops entered 2009 in a relatively strong fi nancial position,” he said.

The 2,300 agriculture professionals responding to the survey included lenders,

educators, crop insurance agents, consul-tants, farm input suppliers and brokers. A summary of the survey is available on the University of Minnesota Center for Farm fi nancial management website www.cffm.umn.edu.

In addition to the education programs from Craven and other Extension farm man-agement educators, University of Minnesota

Extension’s Farmer-Lender Mediation pro-gram helps farmers and lenders work out solutions for managing agriculture debt. More information about lender mediation services at extension.umn.edu or by calling (218) 935-5785.

My life as a butter sculpture model ... and other tales from dairy princess Becky Richter

Becky Richter knows dairy, and she has a 56-pound hunk of butter stashed in her dad’s new freezer to prove it.

Becky is the 20-year-old daughter of Bruce and Karyl Richter, who operate a 100-herd dairy farm between Wadena and Verndale. She’s always done chores and helped out with the operation, so her knowledge of the industry spurred her to run for dairy princess.

In 2004, Becky ran in the newly formed junior division of the pageant, along with eight competitors. Her knowledge of the industry proved important.

“It’s all farming-based,” Becky said of the competition. “Some people might think it’s a beauty pageant, but it’s no-where near that.”

Contestants are quizzed on topics from dealing with a PETA representative to milk protein concentrates.

When it came time to hand out crowns, Becky said she hoped she would be one of the fi ve who were given some sort of crown rather than the four who weren’t, but she said her hopes faded quickly when the runner-up was crowned and only one tiara remained. Then it was placed on her head.

“I was like, ‘Whaaaat? I won?’” she said.Before long, Becky was preparing for the “May Event,”

an invite of more than 100 dairy princesses from across Minnesota held at St. Ben’s college in St. Joseph, Minn.

After more competition, 12 fi nalists were to be an-nounced. Instead of just blurting out the names of the win-ners, the organizers began to describe each winner before naming her. They started out by saying fi nalist number eight

was a big fan of the Minnesota Twins.“I looked at [fellow Wadena County Dairy Princess]

Brittney Strayer and said, ‘I love the Twins!’” Becky said.As the judges read off more identifying information

about fi nalist eight, it became clear it was Becky, and she was headed up to the stage.

“I looked at my parents, and my mom’s face is just red. Mom’s crying already,” Becky said. “And I look over and my dad had tears in his eyes. And my dad never cries.”

Becky was off to the Great Minnesota Get Together. It’s

STEVE [email protected]

continued on page 5

Photos providedBecky Richter (center) was cheered on by her mom, Ka-ryl, and dad, Bruce.

The Princess Kay of the Milky Way candidate poses next to her butter sculpture.

Photo by Steve SchulzRoads were full of hay racks as the fall harvest started last fall.





• SO

LID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

SOL

ID, S

TABL

E &

STILL

JOHN

DEE

RE •

Highway 10 West • Wadena

1-888-631-2311 or (218) 631-2311

EvergreenEquipment, Inc.

Annual Spring Parts SaleCOME IN AND CHECK OUT THE

NEW LAWN & GARDEN TRACTORS10% OFF Parts &15% OFF Filters


20%OFF

POWER TOOLS

FULL SIZE JOHN DEERETOOL BOXESfor Trucks

PRESSUREWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERSWASHERS

Now on Sale

Starting at $236 Double-lid crossover truck box AC6975TB-2. Fits full-size Chevy Ford and Dodge pickups with 6’ or 8’ beds.


FULL SIZE JOHN DEERE

$236

John DeereTOUGH

TILLAGE PARTSSweeps, Shovels, Disk

Blades, Plow Bottom Parts

20%SAVE upto

Filter Sale

15%SAVEChoose filters designed to protect your John Deere machines, not just fit them!

on all filters

STORE HOURS: Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00

Saturdays 8:00 - 12:00

Double-lid

TOYS 10%OFF

10%OFF

ALL PARTS IN STOCK &

STOCK-ORDEREDPARTS

Starts March 9Ends April 21

(including toys)


TRUCKLOADOIL SALEReduce downtime. Save time. Save money. Can you afford to use any other engine oil?

DRUMS OF OIL15W40P50 • HY GARD

We buy by the truckload. See us for special sale prices.

50% more hours when using PLUS 50 oil

LittLe Bit of Country

Harry & Susan Tichy813 Harmony Lane, Wadena

218-631-7105


Private rooms.



Affordable rates.


Access to Home Health Nursing Visits.


Private rooms.

living.



Affordable rates.


Private Pay &

Access to Home Health Nursing

Keep Your Pivots Running Smoothly

Reserve your spot today for off-season preventative maintenance service

An annual preventative maintenance program for your pivot means:

Less downtime during growing season

Improved reliability

Higher trade-in valueLonger lifeLower maintenance costs

© 2009 Lindsay. All rights reserved. Zimmatic is a registered trademark of the Lindsay Corporation. Certain restrictions and conditions apply. See your local Zimmatic dealer for complete details.

ASK YOUR DEALER ABOUT THESE MONEY- SAVING OFFERSYOU CAN CHOOSE FROM:

Visit your Lindsay dealer today to schedule preventative maintenance for your pivots.

Plus, your local Lindsay dealer can service any pivot, no matter what brand it is.

Northern Irrigation45214 Co. Rd 80 E., Perham, MN 56573

218-346-7246e-mail [email protected]

An opportunity is a knockin’Join in the rap, rap, rap …

Fieldstone is a plentiful natural resource that many a farmer has cursed each spring as they are forced to remove them from their fi elds before planting their crops.

Not only is it a big undertaking to remove them, but then there is the plight of where to pile them once they’ve painstakingly gath-ered them all up.

But what if this same cumbersome, sometimes annoying natural resource could be put to good use? What if it was the key to unlocking a tourism door to our area?

David Evert, the man behind the scenes on the Murals of Minnesota project in Wadena, has a vision of using rocks of all sizes to bring tourists to our otherwise quiet little towns.

“Opportunity lies before us, it requires but to see things differently,” Evert said.

Of course, where the rocks now lie abandoned in piles in tree groves and at the corners of farmland, no one has interest in seeing. But what if they were made into masterpieces by the minds and hands of art-ists? What if the U.S. Highway 71 corridor could be home to the biggest stretch of rock art in the nation, or even the world? Now that would be something. ... This would be Evert’s dream come true.

That is why he is working along with the Long Prairie Tourism Commission and the Long Prairie Chamber of Commerce to get the ball rolling on a rock art project. The tourism commission has agreed to put a jump start on the project, putting its feelers out to all of those who may want to be a part of this unique endeavor.

Wanted: rock lovers or rock haters There is much planning to be done in

order to make this project a success, but the biggest need is people power. The project

will need creative artists (all ages), welders, landscapers and excavation specialists. For those of you that don’t fi t in those categories, anyone who would like to aid in planning, fundraising, or coordinating are needed as well.

There will also be a need for land to build the rock art upon. If you are a landowner along U.S. Highway 71, you are perhaps the most crucial part of this project. If you are a farmer who would like some of your rock pile to disappear, you are a key to this as well.

The span of the artworkOriginally the plan was to install rock art

from Sauk Centre to Itasca State Park, but because of interest from other communities along 71, the project will stretch inward from the state’s borders.

Minnesota Rocks—Border to Border is the offi cial name of the project, which de-scribes it well.

Minnesota Rocks needs to have a start-ing point and that’s where it’s at right now. The tourism commission has set its sights on a small area to begin with, focusing on the corridor that lies between Sauk Centre and Wadena.

Anyone in these communities or beyond is encouraged to become a part of this en-deavor to bring a much needed taste of tour-ism to the route along U.S. Highway 71.

If you are willing to help in anyway, please contact one of the following people: Peg Churchwell at (320) 732-6450 or e-mail [email protected], Julie Baum at (320) 732-2514 or e-mail [email protected], Marlo Benning at (218) 756-2131 or e-mail [email protected]. Planning meetings will begin soon.

It is the hope of those already involved in the project to turn fi eldstone into some-thing magnifi cent, and while doing so, bring tourists to see that our part of Minnesota is a beautiful place to visit and maybe, just maybe, stay for awhile.

Photo provided

The lowly fi eldstone may be the answer to igniting tourism in our area.

MARLO [email protected]

World livestock auctioneer championship in Fergus FallsFergus Falls Livestock Auction Market,

Inc. will put the auction method of selling livestock in the spotlight, when it hosts the 46th annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) on June 13.

“The auctioneer continues to be a very vital part of competitive livestock market-ing,” said market owner Joe Varner. “We’ll have 33 of North America’s best, competing for the top title in their profession, the world livestock auctioneer champion.”

The annual contest is sponsored and con-ducted by Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), Kansas City, Mo. LMA is North America’s largest membership organiza-tion dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector.

Varner, who owns or is a partner in 15 livestock markets, said: “It’s always been my dream to host the WLAC. We hope to have the biggest turnout ever for the contest.”

The contest is an actual sale, with buyers on the seats. Varner said he expects 3,500-4,000 cattle, made up of some 1,000 fed cattle and butcher cows, and 2,500 feeders. “These will all be home-raised, and a lot of backgrounded, quality cattle.”

Thirty-two of the championship semi-fi nalists qualifi ed for the Minnesota contest through four WLAC quarterfi nal qualifying contests, conducted from September to De-cember 2008 by LMA. The top eight scor-ers in each quarterfi nal move on to Fergus

Falls.The 33rd contestant is the current Inter-

national Auctioneer Champion, Peter Raf-fan, of Armstrong, B.C. The WLAC tradi-tionally gives a “bye” into the semi-fi nals to the winner of this Canadian contest.

Bobby Smith, a market owner from Fair-view, Okla., is LMA’s president. He said, “All of us with LMA are excited to bring the Championship to Joe Varner’s market. Like hundreds of markets across the county, Fergus Falls not only puts competition into livestock marketing — the best way to get the best price — it’s also an important part of the local economy.”

The contest starts at 8 a.m. and is open to the public.

Six judges, all LMA members, score the semi-fi nalists on two elements: an interview competition, and the live auction rounds. The interviews will be conducted before a live and webcast audience, Friday morning, the 12th, during LMA’s annual meeting.

Reigning world champion Matt Lowery will ask each semi-fi nalist the same three

questions, on industry issues and topics. This interview will count for 25 percent of their score, and judging criteria include pre-sentation, clarity of expression/articulation livestock industry knowledge, spokesman for the industry, and would you hire this auctioneer?

Saturday morning the semi-fi nalists are judged as they sell several drafts of cattle. The judging criteria includes clarity of their chant, vocal quality, bid-catching ability, conduct of the sale and answering the ques-tion, “Would I hire this auctioneer?”

The top 10 scorers then return for a fi nal round of selling, where the same judging criteria are used. The three title winners — world, reserve and runner-up champion — are announced at an awards banquet the evening of the 13th.

The three winners take home thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including, for the world champion, a year’s free use of a new truck.

The contest is the closing event for LMA’s annual meeting, which begins June

11 at the Ramada-Plaza Hotel in Fargo, N.D. It is open to marketing business owners and producers. A number of key industry issues, featuring knowledgeable speakers, will be featured.

For program and registration informa-tion, call LMA at (800) 821-2048.

The semi-fi nalists and their hometowns are Mitch Barthel, Perham; Ted Baum, O’Neill, Neb.; Jeff Bynum, Southside, Ala.; Darren T. Carter, Ninety Six, S.C.; Nick Caspers, Hecla, S.D.; Jake Cheechov, Eu-gene, Ore.; Dan Clark, Winner, S.D.; Charly Cummings, Yates Center, Kan.; Shannon Davis, Yantis, Texas; Eli Detweiler, Jr., Ruffi n, N.C.; Justin Dodson, Welch, Okla.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Jim Hertzog, Greenwood, Mo.; Lynn Langvardt, Wake-fi eld, Kan.; Brian Little, Wann, Okla.; Kevin Magby, Atoka, Okla.;

Andrew McDowell, Vandalia, Ill.; Bran-don Neely, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; Mike Nuss, Minatare, Neb.; Ted Odle, Brush, Colo.; Peter Raffan; Tanner Ragan, Sulphur Springs, Texas; Don Rodgers, Bakersfi eld, Calif.; Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Duane Rus, Rock Valley, Iowa; Jason Santomaso, Sterling, Colo.; Kevin Schow, Paxton, Neb.; Kyle J. Shobe, Lewistown, Mont.; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Va.; Gabe Spikes, Bowie, Texas; Ty Thompson, Bill-ings, Mont.; Al Wessel, Long Prairie; and Billy Younkin, Cecil, Ala.

Long Prairie, Perham callers to compete

with best talent in the nation


Now Selling Doosan(formally Daewoo)

Skid Steer, Parts& Service.

Call for details

218-631-1848218-640-1447

Over 25 years experience. Reasonable rates.

• Custom Fabricating • Wood Stove Repair

• Portable, On-site Welding • Farm Equipment Repair •

Aluminum Welding • Sandblasting

• Build Attachments for Loaders, Trailers, etc.

Cty. Rds, 75 N. & 144 Wadena, MN

Berg’SWelding & repairs

We carry a full lineof Major Appliances

from Amana, Hotpoint, L.G.,Maytag, SpeedQueen

Weber’s Wadena Hardware Company

109 South Jefferson, Wadena, MN 56482Phone 218-631-2454

www.weberswadena.com



OPENDAILYat 7 am

• Window & Screen Repair

• Custom Paint Mixing

• Small Appliance Repair

• Fishing & Hunting License

TNT REPAIR, INC.Jim & Eric Haberer

300 Industrial Drive • Henning, MN

See us for

“Heavy Truck Repair”on Grain Trucks

Over the Road Semi Trucks & Trailers

IN-STORE TIRE SALES

218-583-4545

Is your DOT Inspection sticker

current?

We have 2 certified mechanics to complete your inspection.

Call us today to schedule an appointment!

2007 Census of Agriculture shows Minnesota remains top contenderThe 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture

released in 2009 shows Minnesota remains a leader in U.S. agriculture with rising farm income and increased value of agricultural products. Fifty percent of the total value of U.S. agricultural products comes from nine states, including Minnesota.

The Census of Agriculture is conducted every fi ve years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statis-tics Service. Data for the 2007 calendar year was collected in 2008.

The market value of farm production was up 54 percent over the last fi ve years from $8.6 billion to $13.2 billion. Crop sales ac-counted for 53 percent of the total market value while livestock, livestock products and poultry accounted for 47 percent. How-ever, those increases are tempered by a dra-matic 90 percent rise in fuel and fertilizer expenses.

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson says the census shows Min-nesota continues to be a dominant force in agriculture.

“These numbers underscore the value of agriculture not only here in Minnesota but also in our ability to compete in the global agricultural marketplace,” Hugoson said.

Among the top nine states, Minnesota ranked seventh, ahead of North Carolina and Wisconsin. California is the top agricultural producer.

The census shows the number of Min-nesota farms is holding steady with 80,992 farms in the state. That compares to 80,839 in 2002 when the last census was taken.

The census also shows there’ s been more growth in the number of smaller farm (less than 180 acres) and larger farms (1000 acres or more), while the number of farms around 500 acres declined over the last fi ve years.

The average farm size fell from 340 acres to 332 acres.

The average age of Minnesota farmers was 55.3 years, compared to 52.9 years fi ve years ago.

Census results are available online and in various publications to be issued by NASS. For more information, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.

Photo by Steve SchulzAn afternoon of work produced large bales last fall near Bluffton.

First NatioNal BaNkoF MENaHGa & sEBEka

PO BOX 250, MENAHGA, MN 56464 PO BOX 311, SEBEKA, MN 56477

218-564-4171 218-837-5171www.fnbmenahga.com Telebanc Line:1-866-235-3123

tHE BaNkFirMly rootEdiN your CoMMuNity

For Comfort You Can’t

Live Without…

Rely on Ruud

TOTAL HOME COMFORT EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE

Service ProfessionalsWADENA, MN • 218-631-2638

• Heating • Air Conditioning • Sheet Metal • Plumbing

The American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17. The $789 bil-lion legislation includes tax cuts, additional spending programs, aid to states, students, schools, the unemployed and communi-ties. This legislation is intended to impact many areas of the economy including the agriculture industry.

The new stimulus legislation makes over 300 changes to the existing IRS code. Two of the most notable changes that will impact agriculture is an extension of spe-cial or bonus depreciation and an increase in the section 179 deduction.

The 50-percent special or bonus de-preciation provision expired at the end of 2008. The new legislation extends the time period for 50-percent bonus depreciation to include qualifying property acquired and placed in service in 2009. The new legislation also extends 50-percent bonus depreciation through tax year 2010 for property with a recovery period of 10 years or longer, transportation property, and cer-tain aircraft.

The section 179 deduction limit was scheduled to be $133,000 with a qualify-ing property limit of $530,000 for tax year 2009. The new stimulus package changes the maximum section 179 deduction to $250,000 with a qualifying property limit of $800,000 for tax year 2009.

One additional issue the stimulus legis-lation modifi ed was the carry back period for a net operating loss (NOL). Typically, the carry back period for a NOL is two years. The stimulus package allows a qualifying entity to carry the NOL back up to fi ve years. This carry back provision would only be eligible for a net operating loss incurred during tax year 2008.

Always consult with your tax advisor to examine your individual situation. This information is offered as educational infor-mation only and not intended to be legal or fi nancial advice. For questions specifi c to your farm business, consult with your tax preparer.

Publication ReferencesQuickfi nder Handbooks/Thomson

Reuters. Stimulus Plan Summary Table. http://www.quickfinder.com/intranet-fi les/164593/QF%20American%20Recovery%20and%20Reinvestment%20Act%20of%202009%20table-w%20logo.pdf

National Association of Tax Profes-sionals (NATP). NATP’s Summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://www.natptax.com/2009recoveryact.pdf

CCH Tax Briefi ng: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://tax.cchgroup.com/Legislation/House-Senate-Recovery-Act-2009.pdf

HOW THE STIMULUS PACKAGE WILL AFFECT AGRICULTURE

Did you know that colors are good for you? Fruits and vegetables contain compounds called phytochemicals that give them both their color and aroma.

Phytochemicals are also found in beans, grains and other plants. A couple of the more common ones are beta carotene and lycopene. There is some evidence that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains may reduce the risk of certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and is also good for the heart.

Phytochemicals are chemicals produced naturally by plants to protect themselves, but when consumed may also help humans protect themselves from disease. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain the largest amounts of phytochemicals. Refi ned foods such as sugar and alcohol do not contain phytochemicals. It is recommended that adults eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit and 6 ounces of grains (of which 3 ounces are whole grains) each day. In addition to phytochemicals, these foods are rich in minerals, fi ber and vitamins, and are low in saturated fat. It’s better to eat food high in these nutrients than to consume supplements because foods have fi ber and other trace minerals in them as well.

There are fi ve color groups of vegetables and fruits. They are red, yellow/orange, blue/purple, green and white/tan. Eat a variety of colors in your diet for the abundance of nutri-ents you need to be healthy.

How can you get your family to eat more fruits and vegetables? If your children are young, try to get them to taste a variety of fruits and vegetables so that they get used to a multitude of fl avors. As you are grocery shopping, make a mental note to check out some of the more unusual fruits and vegetables and then try serving them at home. Don’t give up just because your child says they do not like something after tasting it once. Sometimes it takes time to develop a liking for some of the more strongly fl avored fruits/vegetables.

Keep a colorful variety of fruit and vegetables washed, handy and ready to consume to encourage children to grab them for snacks. Include your children in preparing those multi-colored meals and the fun will follow!

DEEANN LEINESUniversity of Minnesota Extension

Eat your colors for better health

Page 12 Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom March 29, 2009

• Livestock auctioneer championship Page 3 • Butter sculpture Page 4 •• Wagon & sleigh collection page 6 • 4-H Page 8 • Fieldstone Page 10 •

March 29, 2009

There’s a reason you live in a rural area.We just thought we’d remind you of it.

Supplement to the

Photos by Brian Hansel

(Upper right) A handsome corn crop resulted from a favorable growing season in 2008.

(Upper left) A John Deere 9650 combine plows through a field of corn.

(Upper right)Yellow kernels of corn cascade into a truck box.

(Above) John Deere and International tractors are used in a corn harvesting operation on an Otter Tail County farm.

(Left) A Catapillar tractor prepares to go to work on a combined corn field with a chisel plow.

Photos by Steve Schulz (Above) An irrigator sprays a field north of U.S. High-way 10 near Wadena. While the Wadena area started 2008 in drought conditions, spring snowstorms added needed moisture.

Field work

Documents

Rural Living 2009