CountryAcres March2016

PRSRT STD
ECR
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #46
522 Sinclair
Lewis Ave.
Sauk Centre,
MN 56378
A Supplement to the Star Shopper
Friday, March 18, 2016 Edition 03
A fascination
for special fungi
ountry
C cres
A
Focusing on Todays Rural Environment
A trip back in time
Theis recreates
Doyle operates Forest Mushrooms, Inc. town of
Eden Valley
By JENNIFER COYNE
Staff Writer
PHOTO BY MISSY MUSSMAN
Kevin Doyle picks a shiitake mushroom in his growing room

on March 10 near St. Joseph. Doyle grows only two varieties of
mushrooms, including the shiitake, at Forest Mushrooms, Inc.
RICHMOND There are

a few things that Ed Theis
loves most his wife, Sharon,
trains and the town of Eden
Valley.
For 30-plus years, the
Eden Valley native has diligently recreated the rural town
with more than 200 buildings, tractors and locomotives
built from small pieces of
wood.
Ive always had an interest in old houses, tractors and
cars. When I see an old building, I think, this is so cool,
said Ed, who now resides in
Richmond.
Delicately placed in a
basement room, warranting
twice the space available, Eds
town replica is pieced together
with handcrafted businesses,
including a corner bar and depot, as well as a train modeled
after The General from the
Civil War era.
An array of tractors, wagons and automobiles was
created, and figurines of people and animals are nestled
amongst the buildings, bringing the scene to life.
PHOTOS BY JENNIFER COYNE
Ed Theis, of Richmond, spends his time recreating the town of

Eden Valley with hand-crafted buildings, tractors, cars and trains.
He chose Eden Valley

because thats where he grew
up, Sharon said. When the
book came out telling about
the towns rich history over
100 years, that really inspired
Ed.
Ed agreed.
My dad worked on the
Sioux Line Railroad that traveled through Eden Valley, he
said. My greatest memories

were riding along in the puttputt cars, checking the railroads on Saturdays.
The Valley of Eden, by
Michael Nistler, reviews how
the town changed from 1886
until 1986. By thoroughly
By MISSY MUSSMAN
Staff Writer
ST. JOSEPH In Minnesota, there are approximately 4,700
hog farms, nearly 3,495 dairy farms, around 88.9 million acres of
corn and 85.1 million acres of soybeans. But, there are less than a
handful of mushroom farms in the state.
I dont know of a single mushroom grower, even a tiny one,
that has been around for more than three years, besides us, said
Kevin Doyle, owner of Forest Mushrooms, Inc. Were the oldest
and largest, but we are still very small compared to large mushroom farms in some other states.
Doyle has been in the mushroom business for 30 years, growing and distributing mushrooms to the wholesale market, at his
indoor growing operation nestled in the woods near St. Joseph.
I love it. Doyle said.
Currently, Doyle grows oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms at his farm.
We dont use soil to grow them, Doyle said. Our mushrooms require decomposing cellulose and lignin wood fibers.
The oyster and shiitake mushrooms are grown in differing
substrate materials.
For the oyster mushrooms, Doyle uses straw and cottonseed
hull waste.
MUSHROOMS
continued on page 6
The replica of Eden Valley is detailed with horse and people figurines.
THEIS
continued on page 4
country...
Page 2 Country Acres - Friday, March 18, 2016
Country
This
month
in
the

cres
A
Published by
Star Publications
Copyright 2014
522 Sinclair Lewis Ave.
Sauk Centre, MN 56378
Phone: 320-352-6577
Fax: 320-352-5647
NEWS STAFF
Diane Leukam
Editor
Mark Klaphake
Assistant Editor
Jenn Janak
Writer/Page Layout
Andrea Borgerding
Proofreader/Page Layout
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Writer
Carol Moorman
Writer
Liz Vos
Writer
Story ideas send to:

diane@saukherald.com
or mark.k@dairystar.com
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Deadlines:
Country Acres will be
published the third Friday of
every month and inserted to
rural customers with the
STAR Shopper. Deadline for
news and advertising is the
Thursday before publication.
Extra Copies available at
the Albany Enterprise,
Melrose Beacon and Sauk
Centre Herald offices.
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Humans of farm country
Have you ever heard of Humans of New York? In his business, photojournalist
Brandon Stanton has taken thousands of photos of people on the streets of New York
City and posted them on his blog, which he started in 2010. Accompanying the photos
are quotes and short stories about his subjects. Its a big deal, if you ask his 17 million
followers.
On Feb. 24-25, I had the pleasure of spending two days at the
2016 Central Minnesota Farm Show in St. Cloud. If Id had a camera I
could have started my own blog, Humans of St. Cloud. Actually, most
were not from St. Cloud but surrounding farming communities as far
as Fergus Falls and Wisconsin. So maybe Humans of Farm Country.
Observing people has always been fascinating for me, and at the
farm show, there were plenty of characters to witness. Im always
amazed that wherever you go, no two are alike. Here are just a few, by Diane
and you might recognize someone in your own life to match these
Leukam
descriptions:
Man with a very long beard: When asked if he ever styles it he said, actually, yes.
Hes entered beard and mustache contests over the years with some success. (This year
there were some seriously long beards, more than Ive ever seen in one place. A new
fashion statement, perhaps?)
Man with a stylish black jacket, similar to a North Face, with a tractor logo on it: He
said, I paid $125,000 for this jacket. Then they gave me a tractor.
Elderly woman when asked if she and her husband dairy farmed: We could have,
but it was too much work. Thats not for me.
A group of three older farmers sitting on a bench in the hallway: One said to another: Thirty years ago if someone had asked what my RFV was, I wouldnt have known
what he was talking about. (RFV stands for Relative Feed Value, and is a measure of
the overall nutritional value of feeds, especially forages. This term is commonly used in
the dairy business).
Lone vendor sitting at the back of his booth staring at his cell phone: Didnt look
up as I went by. I wondered if no one was talking to him because he was on his phone
or was he on his phone because no one was talking to him. Its the farm show version of
the chicken or the egg question.
A father and teenage son, when asked if they were dairy farmers: The father said, If
one cow counts as a dairy farm. And the son said, I want to have my own dairy herd
someday.
Child with her hand in the candy bowl: Didnt say a word, just peeked over the bowl
with her big dark eyes, smiled shyly and took her piece of candy, looking back at mom
to make sure it was okay.
Anywhere you go, its the people that make the place or the event. Anytime you
have a paper like Country Acres, its the people that make the paper, and thats a great
thing, because everyone has a story. Like the little girl taking her piece of candy, they are
often a little shy about telling it, and thats okay.
Meeting people is always exciting, and its our pleasure to introduce you to them
every month, along with your friends, family and neighbors. And the more stories we
tell, the more obvious it is, weve only just begun to meet the Humans of Country Acres.
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THEIS continued from front
reading the book and carefully inspecting the photos, Ed began to build his
replication.
However, Eds passion for woodworking began long before he constructed the town model.
After marrying Sharon at the age
of 22, the young couple moved to Delano to begin a life together. It was in
that town where Ed found an interest in
building an array of items.
The ambitious man first took apart
wooden clothespins and rebuilt trinkets
to sell at the local restaurants.
By the early 80s, Ed was constructing model trucks and tractors.
I started with windmills and Super Valu semis and tractors, Ed said.
The detail he puts

into each one is
remarkable.
- Sharon Theis
While some of the pieces in the
town replica are made from clothespins, most of the display was constructed using 2x4s.
To construct a town building, for
example, Ed takes a wood plank and
cuts it into smaller pieces. From there,
he creates even tinier bits less than
1/4-inch thick that will be used to
form the building.
The individual pieces are precisely
measured and then glued together.
Ed repeats this process until the
project is complete.
Cut and glue, cut and glue all to-
The Main Street store is one of the many intricate pieces that make up the Eden Valley replica. Theis created an exact image of
the original building by referring to the photo in The Valley of Eden.
gether, and repeat, said Sharon with a

laugh.
The process keeps Ed busy for
days on end.
I cant quite tell how long Ive
worked on one piece. As one is setting
and the glue dries, I start working on
another, Ed said. Its amazing how
quickly it goes by and comes together.

Sharon gleams with pride as she
recalls the many hours her husband has
spent creating the masterpiece.

The detail he puts into each one
is remarkable, Sharon said. The corner bar even has a ceiling fan, counter
and bar stools.
Using a Dremel rotary tool and

wood saw, Ed defined the houses and
buildings to look as if they have brick
siding. Additionally, the shingles are
individually placed atop the roofs.
Since the mid 80s, Ed has worked
diligently to finish the project; however, in the last couple years he has
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The building that represents the train depot includes hand-crafted tables and chairs inside the main structure.
slowed down, only building a few pieces here and

there.
Its not completed, Ed said. But I ran out of
space.
Until more room is available in his Richmond
home or a new location for the display becomes
available, Ed continues to treasure his creation and
often reminisces about his hometown.
I never imagined I could have made all of this,
Ed said.
Sharon said, Its his niche.
One of Eds most accomplished pieces of the
replica is the steam tractor, which is one of the more
intricate designs with which he has worked.

The Valley of Eden portrays 100 years of Eden Valley

and was Theis inspiration for his replication.
Every piece of this tractor works, even the piston and gears, Ed said.
As he looks at the town, Ed quickly notices
buildings that are now weathered or burnt down
many years ago. Those few buildings are particularly
important pieces to the entire replication.
However, it is the train that continues to capture
Eds attention time and time again.
Railroads are a rich part of history, Ed said.
Especially to me, with my dad working on them.

While Ed has put a halt to the replica of Eden
Valley, he continues to create windmills and lawn ornaments for his home.
He re-purposes everything, Sharon said. Not
too many people can do that.
His reasoning is simple: The town replica and
other items made help Ed relive the rich history that
molded him.
Creating all of these takes me back in time, Ed
said.
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This cluster of oyster mushrooms is almost ready to pick. The oyster mushroom is
one of two mushroom varieties Doyle grows near St. Joseph.
The straw and hulls are pasteurized

before being inoculated with the pure
mushroom culture.
Once the culture is added, the material is placed in black bags punched with
holes for the mushrooms to grow from
and brought into the controlled environment growing room.
Its only good for one crop, Doyle
said.
On the other hand, the shiitake
mushrooms are grown on blocks made
from hardwood chips along with grain
and wheat bran.
The grain and bran are nutrients
that boost production, Doyle said.
Similar to the oyster mushroom
substrate, the wood chips, grain and
bran are sterilized before the addition of
the shiitake culture, and are then moved
into the growing room.
We can get three crops off those,
Doyle said.
The growing rooms are kept at 62
degrees Fahrenheit and 93 percent humidity year-round.
We have to maintain it within one
or two degrees and one to two percent
humidity of those parameters for them
to grow properly, Doyle said.
Temperature is not the only thing
Doyle has to worry about in the growing
room. Proper and constant ventilation is
another.
Since mushrooms emit carbon dioxide, they need to be exposed to fresh
air, Doyle said. If we dont have constant ventilation, the mushrooms will
get deformed and die.
Depending on the time of year, providing one air exchange every five to 10
minutes while maintaining the humidity and temperature levels is not always
easy.
Its a challenge, Doyle said.
Mushrooms are not an easy crop to
grow.
In order to best maintain growing
room conditions year-round, a computer
regulates Doyles system.
I can log into it on my phone and
ramp the airflow, temperature and humidity up or down no matter where I
am, he said.
When the growing conditions are
ideal, the oysters are ready to pick within three weeks and the shiitake mushrooms are ready in 10 weeks.
The oysters grow much faster,
Doyle said.
Besides growing mushrooms,
Doyles company also distributes mushrooms from other farms.

If we have a fluctuation in production, we can buy oyster and shiitake mushrooms to make sure we can fill
orders and maintain cash flow, Doyle
said.
Doyle says it is a challenge to purchase just the right quantity of the many
varieties of perishable specialty mushrooms that are brought in for distribution.
I predict what the orders are going to be, taking into consideration the
day of the week, the season and special
trends, Doyle said. We order nearly
every day, but it takes a few days for the
product to arrive, so we want to make
sure its available and here on time.
On the distribution side of the business, Doyle sells enoki, wood ear, maitake, beech, king trumpet, portabella
and crimini, which is like a baby portabella. They also sell dried and frozen
mushrooms.
We even buy and sell wild harvested mushrooms and pick some of our
own, too, Doyle said.
However, the certified organic
mushrooms they buy and sell, including
the white button mushroom, have been
in great demand the last several years.
Thats a big one for us, Doyle
said. Ive seen a 500-percent growth in
the certified organic segment.
Each week, Forest Mushrooms handles 3,000 pounds of shiitake and oyster
mushrooms they produce on-farm, and
10,000 pounds of mushrooms they buy
for resale.
Its not very seasonal. Its steady
year-round, Doyle said. Were picking mushrooms every day.
According to Doyle, the holidays
are busier.
From two weeks before Thanksgiving through New Years Day we are
very busy, he said. Well even see an
increase in demand around Valentines
Day and Easter. But well see a slight
slowdown during the summer with the
availability of local fresh produce.
Forest Mushrooms loads their
trucks and makes deliveries to the Twin
Cities area four days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Sundays are the biggest

single day for us, Doyle said.
The wholesale locations we
sell to usually get orders in on
Sunday from their customers
after a busy weekend and they
have to have the mushrooms in
inventory to restock their accounts by Monday morning.
Forest Mushrooms, Inc.,
sells to food service distributors
such as US Foods and wholesale grocers in the Twin Cities,
including Russ Davis Wholesale and Lunds Food Holdings.
We also have a southeast
Asia market in St. Paul, Doyle
said.
The idea to grow mushrooms started while Doyle did
research on alternative energy
sources at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.
I found a booklet called

Food, Fuel and Fiber from Organic Waste with a short chapter on growing mushrooms,
Doyle said. I didnt realize
all the different types of mushrooms that are cultivated. It fascinated me.
By 1984, Doyle moved
back to the St. Joseph area
and met up with an old college
friend, and they began talking
about what they wanted to do
with their lives.
I told him I had this idea of
growing specialty mushrooms,
something other than the white
button mushroom, he said.
Since his friend had previously worked in produce, he
reached out to wholesalers to
see if they had a need for other varieties of mushrooms; he
found out no one else in the
This growing room for the oyster mushrooms was an old farrowing room for the St. Johns University
hog farm. Doyle purchased the farm in 1986 to start Forest Mushrooms, Inc.
Midwest was growing specialty

mushrooms.
It was our opportunity;
it was a niche market for us,
Doyle said. We identified the
market demand first. That was
our lynch pin.
In 1985, Doyle and three
others formed Forest Mushrooms, Inc., and a year later
the old hog farm for St. Johns
University was for sale near St.
Joseph.
We signed the deed and
rehabbed the buildings, Doyle
said.
Doyle turned the old farrowing barn and butcher shop
into growing rooms and began
growing mushrooms in July of
1986.
Employees Adrianna Gomez (left) and Lourdes Quintero package

shiitake mushrooms on March 10. The company packages around
3,000 pounds of oyster and shiitake mushrooms each week.
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The first mushroom variety

they grew was the oyster mushroom.
Our first crop was over
800 pounds per week, Doyle
said. That was more than the
Twin Cities could handle so we
started shipping to Chicago and
Washington, D.C.
By 1987, after some challenges with uneven production,
Doyle became the sole owner
and began buying and selling
mushrooms, too. He was able
to stabilize production and continued with the distribution side
as well.
It made sense for us,
Doyle said.
Since then, his company has grown steadily. Forest
Mushrooms now has 11 employees, with two people picking, four people packaging, two
drivers and three office staff.
They also hire part-time employees during the busy times.
Im very grateful for our
excellent employees, Doyle
said. I couldnt do it without
them.
Looking back, Doyle is
proud of where his business is
and is enjoying what he is doing.
Its a unique thing to do
and Im proud to be a successful grower of this challenging
crop, Doyle said. Its a definite asset that I have a passion
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His experience building trailers helps since he often repairs trailer
frames and hitches.
The most interesting project hes
had to repair was the ripper bar of a ma- Using a device he made, Brandon
Petermeier is able to put in the desired
nure applicator.
number of twists to wrought iron rods
The ripper bar holds shanks and a for the rails he creates.
Let Mark, Carol or Heidi
help you with your insurance needs!

Mark T. Maloney, Agency Managerr
Sauk Centre
Long Prairie
320.527.0050
320.732.6612
PHOTOS BY HERMAN LENSING
Brandon Petermeier is pictured with a portion of a railing he created using wrought

iron. The spiral decorations and twists on the rods were done at his shop. The section
was also assembled there.
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drag hose that hooks up to it, he said.
The wings broke off.
The call for that repair came in
the evening. He knew right away there
would be travel involved.
I drove to Kerkhoven that night
and repaired it. They needed to get going. I often get home after 10 p.m., but
that night I got home after 6 a.m., he
said.
One day we
twisted 126 rods in
about three hours.
- Brandon Peter BP Welding and Fab has earned a
good reputation for welding. Equally
good is its fabrication element. Petermeier has worked on different projects
with metals that require more than just
welding skills. About two years ago he
worked on one of his favorite projects.
He built a 16-section wrought iron railing for a porch and patio.
Wrought iron is a tough, malleable,
corrosion-resistant and easily-welded
metal. It is much easier to work and
build with than cast iron. To make the
railing Petermeier had to twist threefoot rods and shape spiral designs, all
done at his shop.

One day we twisted 126 rods in
about three hours, he said. I made a
jig to make them (the twisted rods). Its
pretty simple.
The jig, which has two rings about
three feet part, is secured to a table.
One end of the rod to be twisted is secured in the back ring. At the other end
a length of iron is attached. That handle is rotated for the desired number of
twists in the rod.
We had two people, one on each
side that day, said Petermeier. The
rods were five-eighths by three feet.
You cant go much bigger without
heating them.
He also created spiral decorations
from flat iron and welded them into the
railing.
We welded the sections together
at the shop, then brought them to the
site and finished welding, he said.
That was the biggest railing Ive
worked on.
Whether working on a railing, fixing farm equipment on-site or working
on a project in his shop, Petermeier
pays attention to the details and quality
of the craft.
There arent a lot of welders in
the area, he said. I stay pretty busy
with the repair side.
We can fix anything that breaks
apart, he said.
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22284 246th Avenue Richmond
320-597-2800 Cell 320-260-6914
gilkplumbing@yahoo.com
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113 West James Street,

Paynesville, MN
320-243-7403
Gary Rothstein
320-290-7818
Brittany Frank
320-293-7412
Jolene Zachman
320-262-4550
Ruth Rothstein
320-267-1977
Neil Austin and Ron Kalthoff are the owners of A&K Custom Cabinetry, located near Albany. They have been in
a partnership since 2002.
By LIZ VOS
Staff Writer
ALBANY A&K Custom Cabinetry is keeping
quality at the forefront as they work with homeowners, homebuilders, contractors and architects to create highly-functional and custom cabinetry.
The business has grown steadily since 1982
when Ron Kalthoff began building custom cabinetry on his personal property. Ron had been creating
quality work for several years when he hired then14-year-old Neil Austin.
Neil worked side-by-side with Ron, continuing
his involvement throughout his high school and college years.
The two started a business partnership in 2002.
I started out as a custom shop and when we
started the partnership, we held to that, Ron said.
As we have grown bigger weve tweaked it a little,
but that vision stayed.
We really pride ourselves on doing custom
work, Neil added. We didnt want to do a hundred
houses that all look the same. We do more projects
now than we did in the past, but we still keep them
all custom.
A crew of seven employees works in the newly-constructed shop along County Road 40 in Albany. An additional two employees do the installation
and Rons wife, Karina, is also in the office. Ron and
Neil work with customers from start to finish from
the first consultation to the final installation.
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Spring kicks off the busiest season for the team,

with new construction seeing an uptick and remodeling projects kicking off. The number of projects
in the works at any given time varies, ranging anywhere from five to ten.
We primarily do residential projects, but we
have also done some commercial work, Neil explained. Anything from painted to cherry cabinets
there are a lot of variations out there.
They focus on cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, entertainment centers, bookcases
and bars and also offer architectural millwork and
commercial cabinets. Quality wood has remained a
priority over the years as the basis for the final product.
Neil recalls his early days in the industry when
oak was just about the only wood used for cabinetry.
As time passed, the trends changed.
Hickory got popular for a while; maple was
trending for quite some time too, Neil explained.
Now it is really back to a lot of the dark woods and
a lot of painted products.
Although they are a local business, A&K Custom Cabinetry does a large amount of their work in
the Twin Cities where they have become a go-to contact for seven different builders.
With their experience in the industry, Ron and
Neil agree that creating something unique and of the
highest quality for each of their customers brings a
thrill and passion to what they do.
Ron did this on his own for so long and he re-
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ASSOCIATION
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(320) 859-5994 Fax (320)

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P.O. Box 386 Osakis, Minnesota, 56360
Lumber Company, Inc.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF A&K CUSTOM CABINETRY
A blend of painted and stained cabinetry has been a growing industry trend.
ally always put a focus on keeping the

customer happy and making a great
product, Neil said. When we formed
the partnership, that was something we
really wanted to stay focused on.
Ron adds that the business has
grown and developed gradually and
that is how they wanted it to be.
We may have grown a little slower, but were always cautious we
want to do it right, he said.
The final result of a quality product
and a smile on the customers face is a
huge reward for all of the hard work
We value family. A
big part of what A&K
was started on and
what it continues to
run on is family.
- Neil Austin
and dedication for the team.
Its rewarding to see the result at
the end of the day, Neil said. I think
that it is the mentality of people who
work in the construction field and people who work in the cabinetry business, especially doing finishing work,
to want to see what they accomplished
and to know that someone is going to
really enjoy and use what was created.
Neil added that its very rewarding
to see the excitement of someone who
is about to move into their new house

or get their house back in order after
a remodel and they are completely ecstatic about their cabinets.
Seeing the appreciation of the
customer is really the greatest accomplishment, said Neil. When Ron and
I can look at the final product and see
that we did everything we could to
make our customer happy, its a great
feeling.
Their customers happiness is
proven not only through their initial
reaction to the final product, but also
through the referrals the customers
give.
The majority of our business is
referral, Neil explained. We keep our
customers happy and they keep coming back.
Looking back over the last 34
years since he cut the first cabinet, Ron
is proud that there has never been a disappointed a customer.
We have never left a jobsite where
the customer wasnt pleased with our
work, he said. That is something to
be proud of.
Something else Ron and Neil take
pride in is the business focus and value
on family.
We both have families, our employees have families and when it
comes down to what we create, it is
for families in their homes, Neil said.
We value family. A big part of what
A&K was started on and what it continues to run on is family. Thats the
way we want it to stay and thats the
way we like it.
St. Martin, MN
320-548-3300
Cell 320-249-1498
We can help make

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PHOTO BY LIZ VOS
Employees sand and prep a custom door in the newly-built A&K Custom Cabinetry
shop.
105 County Road 10, Albany, MN

320-845-4690 www.ampsrs.com
Dairy Princess
Sig pages
Dairy Princess
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Congratulations to the 2016

Stearns County Dairy Princesses!
Building or
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Bring in your blueprints or
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Furnaces, Water Softeners,
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320.548.3255
Mondloch, Inc.
Brianna Hemmesch... Continued from page 13
For All Your Plumbing, Heating

& Air Conditioning Needs
125 Main Street
St. Martin, MN 56376
Fax: 320.548.3705
1-Stop Farm Store
Corn and Alfalfa

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Wide Selection of
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320-573-2607
HOME OF
DAIRY PRODUCTS
What are ways you like to promote dairy? Im always open to answer
questions my peers have about dairy farming as well as explain how we do
things on the farm. I also like to encourage drinking milk instead of pop or
juices.
What is your favorite way to incorporate dairy products into your
day? I love to have milk on my cereal in the morning. I also have a glass
of milk with every meal. Cheese is great alone, but it is also great to add
to things like baked potatoes, sandwiches and tacos. Ice cream and yogurt
make great snacks.
What is a concern consumers have about the dairy industry and
how would you address their concern? Due to recent videos many people
are concerned about animal care. I would let them know that animal care is
one of the top priorities of a dairy farmer. A healthy and well-taken-care-of
cow will produce the best quality milk. This is important to farmers because
milk is a major source of income.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. My farm is located
between Paynesville and Lake Henry. We milk 53 Holstein cows. I help
with feeding and milking the cows, feeding the calves, picking rocks and
baling hay.
Kayla Herkenhoff ... Continued from page 13
What are ways you like to promote dairy? There are numerous ways
I like to promote dairy. One of the most efficient ways is through social
media. Posting pictures of animals or doing chores is a great way to share
what is going on at our farm every day.
day? Being that my favorite dairy food is chocolate milk, it is very easy to
incorporate my three servings of dairy every day. I drink a glass of chocolate milk every morning before going out for chores. It allows me to start
my day off strong every single morning.
how would you address their concern? A major concern in the dairy industry today is low milk prices. This is a very recent issue that has caused
great concern across the nation.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. On our fourth generation farm we milk 130 registered Holstein cows. We work together as
a team to make sure our cows are taken care of every day so that they are
comfortable and happy. My jobs on our farm vary every day from milking
cows, to feeding calves grain and hay, or feeding our cows silage.
616 Parkway Drive Belgrade, MN
Get Ready For

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We Do Planter
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Check bushings and parallel linkage. Worn bushings increase row bounce and
thus seed bounce. Stand behind the row unit and wiggle it up and down and back
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Check drive system. Check every chain. Kinked chains shake the meter. Start with
fresh, lubricated chains and check them daily.
Inspect double disk openers. Test for good contact between the double disk. Slide
a business card from the top down along the front of the disk until it stops. Mark the
spot with chalk. Then, slide the card from the back to front until it stops. Mark that
spot. If the distance between the two markets is less than 2, reship or replace the
disks. Generally, the disk must be more that 14.5 in diameter.
Look at seed tube. Inspect seed tubes for wear at the bottom. If the tubes have a
small dog ear lap on the left side, replace them. oull see better spacing.
Call Today
to schedule
your appointment.
JASON SCHAEFER
320.491.5632
Roseann Mehr ... Continued from page 13
What are ways you like to promote dairy? I like promoting dairy
through social media such as Facebook by posting pictures of myself and
my family doing what we do on the farm, from baling and chopping hay
to milking and feeding the animals. I see social media as a quick way to
interact with many consumers. I am also looking forward to promoting the
industry through school visits, parades, farm tours and other opportunities
to inform others about the dairy industry.
day? My favorite way to incorporate dairy into my day is at breakfast time.
Whether it is yogurt, a few glasses of milk, cream cheese on my bagel or
butter on my toast, the possibilities are endless at breakfast time.
how would you address their concern? A major concern for dairy consumers may be the nutritional and health benefits of dairy foods. To help
them understand the nutritional benefits of dairy foods, we must educate
them, explaining the importance of dairy for all age groups and making
sure they understand the dairy foods they are purchasing and serving to
their families are produced from happy, healthy cows. We take care of our
animals like they are family because we as farmers will only get out of our
cows what we put into them.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. I grew up on a 200acre farm south of Farming. We currently milk about 60 Holsteins in our
stanchion barn. I mostly help with the feeding aspect of the farm. I dont
have to milk very often anymore. The past few summers I helped some with
field work, hauling chopper boxes and round bales home. My favorite job
on the farm is helping with the birthing process.
Emily Pratt ... Continued from page 13
What are ways you like to promote dairy? I enjoy using social media
to post photos of life on the farm and participating in 4-H by showing dairy
cattle.
day? My absolute favorite way to incorporate dairy products into my day is
by having a large glass of two percent milk with each meal.
how would you address their concern? The safety of dairy foods is a major concern among consumers. It is important they note that each bulk tank
and milk truck is tested to ensure that each product is of the highest quality.
Farmers take great pride in assuring that they create a quality product by
maintaining cleanliness on the farm.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. My family and I are
currently milking 60 cows in a double-3 parlor, and they are housed in a
freestall. We farm 200 acres, planting corn, oats and alfalfa. My responsibilities on the farm include milking the cows, bedding and feeding the
cows, calves and heifers. During the summertime, my favorite jobs are raking and baling hay.
15% OFF
Storewide
(excluding consignment)
1/2 OFF
320-845-7199
Clothing
Located at 209 County Road 156 in Albany Industrial & Business Park. Located 1/2 mile south of Albany on County Road 41, then 3/4 mile east on County
Road 156. The building faces Interstate I-94 Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 9:00 am - 7:00 pm; Fri 8:30 am - 7:30 pm; Sat 8:30 am - 6:30 pm; Sun 11:00 am - 5:30 pm
Anna Westerman ... Continued from page 13
What are ways you like to promote dairy? Some of the ways I like to
promote dairy are by talking to people at different events around the county
about farming, taking lots of pictures of our farm and sharing them, along
with actually bringing animals to events, like the county fair, so people can
interact with them.
day? My favorite way to incorporate dairy foods into my day is to start off
every day with a family breakfast which includes whole milk and cheesetopped eggs. We also use dairy in most of our recipes like my favorite,
cheesy potatoes, and have ice cream as our dessert.
how would you address their concern? A major concern people have
about the dairy industry would be the care and treatment of our animals.
As a farmer, I would address their concern by telling them our commitment
as a dairy farmer is to provide high-quality milk which begins with taking
good care of our cows. It includes a nutritious diet, good medical care and
healthy living conditions that begins as a calf, which will lead to a healthy
dairy cow. I would also invite them to events like Breakfast on the Farm,
where they can see how we take care of our animals or to our own family
dairy farm.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. On our family dairy
farm, we milk 38 cows in a tie-stall barn and raise all the young stock and
feeder steers. Most of the herd is Holsteins, but my sister and I have our
own herds which are all the component breeds. My role on our dairy farm
varies greatly from my main jobs of evening milking, taking care of all the
calves and record keeping, to helping with maintenance, field work and
everything else farmers do.
Established in 1975
Drainage LLC.
Ditching Tiling Excavating Ag Waste Systems

Dave Bailey, Manager 320-352-6961
Howard Marthaler 320-250-2984
Jason Marthaler 320-249-6062

Karl Larson 320-808-8012
We are in the land improvement business. We do farm drainage,

ag waste systems, site work for farm buildings and silage pads, plus
miscellaneous work. We also do county, township, and
watershed work, as well as soil conservation work.
- Dave Bailey, Manager of MBC Drainage, Sauk Centre
rd, Jason and Dave have a comb

a
w
o
rl, H
ence of OVER 110 YEAR ined
S!
Ka work experi
Anna Zeis ... Continued from page 13
What are ways you like to promote dairy? I like to take pictures of
my farm and show all of my friends and family through Facebook what it is
like on the farm. Also, I like to participate in local dairy events through 4-H
and FFA. These events consist of dairy judging, dairy knowledge bowl and
dairy showing. This way I meet many different and new people so I get to
talk about how great the dairy community is and how dairy foods are very
important.
day? I always have a glass of chocolate milk in the morning for breakfast.
Then when I get home from school I just have to crack open the fridge and
get my favorite Bacon and Cheddar Cheese out and cut myself a few slices.
And after a long day I like to have a bowl of ice cream after dinner.
how would you address their concern? A major concern that many people
have about the dairy community is that they believe that milk products are
too fattening to eat or drink. I would tell them that milk actually is very
healthy for you because it contains nine essential nutrients and that these
nutrients help sustain muscle mass and encourage bone growth.
Describe your farm and your role on the farm. At my family farm we
milk 68 cows: Holsteins and some Brown Swiss cross Holsteins. We have
all John Deere tractors. My role on the farm is to milk cows, feed cows, help
with the calves and anything else that I have time for and that needs to be
done.
FARM DRAINAGE
SPECIALISTS
Jason Marthaler is
a Trained Technical
Service Provider
43965 450th Street Sauk Centre
Cherished memories from years past
Hollenkamps bountiful river

By DIANE LEUKAM
Staff Writer
MELROSE When I was your age, I walked to school uphill. Both ways. In the snow.
LuVerne Hollenkamp can say that in all honesty. For him,
the bottom of that hill was the Sauk River. In the late 30s, when
Hollenkamp was a small boy growing up west of Melrose, about
a quarter of a mile north of the Sauk River, there was no road or
bridge to bring him to the school on the south side.
Hollenkamp was born in 1933, the oldest child of Ed and
Elizabeth (Voss) Hollenkamp. He was born on a farm adjacent
to Spaulding, which was basically a train depot between Ward
Springs and Sauk Centre. Farmers would bring their wheat there
As a 15- or 16-year-old, LuVerne Hollenkamp is pictured

with a boat his dad had found abandoned in the reeds
along Cedar Lake. Part of the challenge for the kids was
to make it back to the shore before it filled with water.
Downtown Stop Lights (US 71), Sauk Centre,

head east on 17, at T take right (cty. 185),
follow until you hit a curve veering right, 1st left after curve.
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Family Owned, Serving the Sauk Centre Community for over 50 years.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Hollenkamp siblings enjoy a cruise on the Sauk River in their

youth. The homemade oars are whittled out of wood from their farm.
and get their machinery off the railroad. It was a very isolated place with a lot of woods
and hills, and no roads in or out.
The following year Ed and Elizabeth moved to their farm three miles west of Melrose where they raised their family of five, including LuVerne, Cathy, Ed Jr., Lawrence
and David.
LuVernes earliest memory of the river was in 1939 when his dad would put him in
a metal stock tank and push him across the river for school. At the end of the school day,
they would reverse the process. That didnt last forever, though, as one day school let
out early. He stood by the side of the river shouting for someone to come and get him. At
www.danwelle.com

last, he simply took off his shoes and socks, hiked
up his pants and walked across, and that was the
end of his stock tank rides. The river wasnt deep
there and they had found a spot where it was sandy, making it more solid to walk on.
The next year, he began walking to school, as
the bridge over the Sauk River was built to connect Hwy 4.
In those days, very few people, even those living on lakes, owned boats. However, when Hollenkamp was about 12 years old, his dad found an
old abandoned boat in the reeds on the shoreline of
Cedar Lake. He took it home and repaired it so the
family could use it on the river.
We had to tar the cracks shut so it didnt sink
before we got into it, said Hollenkamp, laughing.
There were no oars, so they whittled some out of
pieces of wood. The
kids had a great time
with their new recreational vehicle even
though it still leaked.
Hollenkamp fondly remembers those
days,
commenting
on a photo of himself
getting into the boat,
already partially filled
with water.
If you went down
the river you had to
make sure you got
back again before it
- LuVerne
was full. Those were
Hollenkamp exciting times. You
had to make your own
fun, he said. The Hollenkamp kids did a lot of swimming in the river,
nearly every day. And at the end of a hot day of
farm work in the summer, it was a welcome refresher.
The river was also a source of income. Hollenkamp remembers trapping muskrats, which were
very plentiful at the time. He sold them to the John
Gerdes mink farm east of Melrose for $1.50 each.
Occasionally he caught a mink, which was much
We cleaned
it and fixed it
up for supper.
Some people
dont like the
idea, but theres
nothing better
than turtle.

PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ed Hollenkamp is pictured with a large pickerel,

now called a northern, that he speared in the Sauk River
in 1953. Behind him is the familys 1952 Ford pickup
purchased from Peanuts Pallanschs dealership in
Grey Eagle.
more valuable.
A good mink was worth $50. One winter I
caught five or six, he said.
Wildlife in general was abundant along the
river. In addition to muskrats, turtles were plentiful, and there were clouds of ducks.
There were so many ducks down there, it defied the imagination. They arent around there either anymore, said Hollenkamp.
Of course, living on a river with lots of wildlife, their activities included fishing, which helped
feed the family. Hollenkamp has a photo of his
dad, Ed, with a large pickerel (now called a northern) that he speared in the river in 1953.
The river went down four inches when he

caught that one! Hollenkamp said. He had a Dillo spear, which was made by Dillo Hinnenkamp,
who had a blacksmith shop in Melrose. That was
the Cadillac of spears. In the photo behind his dad
is the 1952 Ford pickup he had purchased the year
before at Peanuts Pallanschs dealership in Grey
Eagle.
Anyway, LuVerne didnt have a spear of his
own, so he went to the welding shed and made his
own.
I never lost a fish with that spear, he said.
One winter, sitting in his fish house in over five
feet of water waiting for pickerel to come by, he
looked down the spear hole and saw a large, dark
animal swimming slowly by. It was a snapping turtle with its head and neck stuck way out. Hollenkamp speared it through the neck, and pulled the
40-pound turtle up out of the water.
We cleaned it and fixed it up for supper. Some
people dont like the idea, but theres nothing better than turtle, he said.
Hollenkamp moved away from the home farm
as an adult and settled north of Melrose, where he
and his wife, Lucille, farmed and raised their three
children, Gene, now of Sauk Rapids, Joyce Hens
of Melrose and Janet Haafweaver (deceased).
He may have moved away, but the memories
of the Sauk River of his youth remain. Memories
of a bountiful place and a simple time from long
ago, that still bring smiles to his face.
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Theisen enjoys
theatrical journey
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St. Wendel, MN
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Bob Theisen portrays a character in the Resurrected Artists production of Drinking Habits II.
10 minutes NW of St. Cloud

(Veterans Drive) in St. Wendel
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Farmer turned actor directs Passion production

By CAROL MOORMAN
Staff Writer
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ST. FRANCIS Picture this, a German farmer

talking with an Irish accent to his cows, while milking.
That German farmer was Bob Theisen, a now-retired dairy farmer from St. Francis, who has acting in
his blood. He lives on the Theisen family farm with
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wife Judy (Ritter), where they raised their three sons,

Ryan, Chris and Adam.
A few years ago he planned to try out for an Irish
detective part in the Resurrected Artists production
Bull in a China Shop, and the director mailed those
who were trying out for the lead a script so they could
practice.
I was in the barn practicing my Irish accent so
I had it down pat for the tryouts. There were four of
us who tried out for the lead and I got it. When the
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March Service Special
PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN
Bob Theisen reads from a paper telling characters the order that they walk into the
church at the start of the Journey With Jesus to Calvary play.
director asked me how I got my Irish

accent, I told him he should have been
Din my barn listening to me talking to
the cows, said Theisen.
All that pre-tryout practice paid
off, not only because he got the part,
but because its been his favorite character in his 30-plus theatrical years.
Like family and farming, acting in
plays is a big part of Theisens 61-yearold life.
This time of the year hes a busy
man, acting in and directing Journey
With Jesus to Calvary with fellow St.
Francis of Assisi parishioners, with
four March productions in five days,
and acting with the Resurrected Artists
in the dinner theatre Drinking Habits
II at The Landing in rural St. Anna,
which closed on Sunday, March 13.
Drinking Habits II is about nuns
who secretly make wine, said Theisen.
A few years ago the Resurrected
Artists performed Drinking Habits I.
When the director, who lives in
Iowa, found out a theatre group in Minnesota had done that, he emailed us
and asked if we wanted to do Drinking Habits II. We decided to do it, and
then found out its the first time its
ever been done, so we had the privilege of performing it for the first time,
Theisen explains.
ORDER NOW!
I have a
good feeling
about this!!
This is the eighth year St. Francis

Parishioners have performed Journey
With Jesus to Calvary. Theisen has
portrayed Jesus all eight years and this
year he will also be directing the homegrown production, presented March 16
at 7 p.m., March 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.
and March 20 at 1 p.m. in St. Francis of
Assisi Church, located north of Albany
and northeast of Freeport.
Growing up on the farm
Theisen and his seven siblings,
children of Frances and Marcellus,
were raised on a dairy farm east and
south of St. Francis.
This is the home place, Theisen
said the evening of March 9.
Theisen became active in theatre
while attending Upsala High School.
He attended Southwest State University in Marshall for two years, with a minor in theatre, before returning home
with a plan of saving up some money
and returning to college.
But love got in the way.
I met my wife, Judy (daughter of
Rita and Gilbert Ritter of Freeport),
and never made it back to college,
said Theisen.
They married in 1977 and The-
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THEISEN
continued on page 20
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THEISEN continued from front
isen did construction work. In 1982,
they moved to the Theisen farm. Bob
enjoyed farming the land that he grew
up on. He retired from the dairy cow
portion last year.
Back into theatre
Theisen got back into theatre in
1984, becoming a member of the Upstage Players from the Upsala area.
Its so much fun giving young and
older people the opportunity to get involved in theatre, he said.
When their productions stopped,
he joined the Resurrected Artists from
the St. Anna/Holdingford area in 1995.
His passion for theatre is so great
that he helped the Upstage Players start
up again and was chairman for a few
years.
But that got to be too much and
I stepped down and just am involved
with the Resurrected Artists, said
Theisen.
He is happy to see the Upstage
Players are flourishing today as they
perform musicals and comedies.
Theisen enjoys the dinner theatre
aspect of Resurrected Artists productions. This years comedy included
eight of the groups 25 actors, with
many helping behind the scene.
So, what does he enjoy about acting?
Its thrilling to see people watching
the production enjoying themselves,
said Theisen. Theres an adrenaline
rush when youre up there on stage,
and its a theatrical high, so to speak,
after youre done and get to talk to people and they say they enjoyed the show.
Thats what its all about.
Just knowing you put on a good
show, he adds. Theres also a feel-
good feeling, knowing money they

raise goes towards scholarships for
students interested in theatre, and one
nights income is donated to charity,
like the Ronald McDonald House and
CentraCare Healths heart center and
cancer center.
Theisens journey playing Jesus
Theisen admits playing the part
of Jesus on His journey to Calvary is
different than any other part he has
played.
Its so emotional. When we do
dinner theatre, its about getting people to laugh. With Journey With Jesus, its about getting people to look
inside themselves and putting them in
the places of the people on the journey
with Jesus, said Theisen. Its emotional not only for people sitting in the
pews of St. Francis of Assisi Church,
but also for the characters on stage.
He talks about one practice where he
meets Jesus mother, Mary, played by
Barb Moorman, for the first time on
stage and they hug.
I put myself in Jesus spot and
said, Im so sorry for making you so
sad, as I gave her a hug. I got really
emotional and felt tears coming down
my face. Barb said she got emotional
too, he said.
Even young children involved in
the production are affected. Theisen
talks about one little boy, who was a
lamb one year, and when asked to be a
lamb the next year told his mom no.
He said he couldnt stand to see
Jesus hurt again, said Theisen, adding, Its an eye-opener to see the
young children think its so real.
There is a realness to the whole
journey production, from watching
Jesus walking down the church aisle

with his hands placed on a two-person
donkey, to the sound heard as his hands
and feet are nailed to the cross.
Theisen said its emotionally
draining on you because you are trying to think of all the things that might
have been running through Jesus mind.
Its a different type of role than at The
Landing. I dont get the adrenaline rush
like I do at The Landing. Here, Im just
trying to get people to feel what Jesus
felt.
He admits its so draining that once
the shows are over, characters, himself
included, may need to just take a day
to breathe a sigh of relief.
One of the biggest thrills he got
was when an elderly lady came up to
him following a Journey With Jesus
production and told him it was fantastic to have the Passion play come alive,
making it more meaningful.
This year, Theisen is also directing
Journey With Jesus to Calvary, taking over for Jane (Sundermann) Keppers who wrote the original play and
directed the previous seven productions. He said Jane commented to him,
during a recent rehearsal, that when
she saw him giving directions as he
was hanging on the cross, she realized
how much work was involved in the
directing portion of the play.
She told me, Seeing you up
there coordinating everything must be
mind-boggling, he said.
He admits, Its hard being on
stage and worrying about everything
going on backstage, but its also fun.
With his years of acting and directing
(he will direct his second Resurrected Artists production next year), hes
learned tricks of the trade.
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Im constantly writing down

notes at home, when I have time to
think about it, he said.
As one who also acts, Theisen
knows the anxiety that can come with
learning and reciting lines exactly.
During a rehearsal, I told an actor
if you dont get a line right, just keep
going. No one but Audrey (Pflueger,
who is the line watcher/assistant director) will know, said Theisen.
Another actor said, Bob, that takes
a burden off of us, said Theisen.
This years production is similar
to other years, with a few new people
portraying characters who accompany
Jesus on his journey.
It goes on with everyone working
together, he said. What makes Theisen feel good is when he bumps into
people who say they have made attending the Journey production an Easter
tradition.
For me, thats a positive end result, if this is how they celebrate Easter
and the start of Holy Week, he said.
The production is becoming so
familiar that people recognize him
as Jesus when hes out in public. After a recent show at The Landing, he
was visiting with people sitting at the
tables, thanking them for attending
Drinking Habits II.
I went up to a table of people I
didnt know. One lady took my hand
and said, Thank you so much. In a
couple of weeks, Ill be seeing you in
St. Francis. Youre Jesus, right? Ive
been coming to see it for a couple of
years, said Theisen.
That made Theisen smile, knowing this German farmer turned actor is
playing his parts perfectly, whether an
Irish detective or Jesus.
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There are many good reasons to keep your pets toenails trimmed. Many people do it because they find the sound of toenails tapping across the wood floor
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hair can get caught in them and heat will build up if you leave the grinder in
contact with the nail for more than a second or two at a time. Many dogs dont
like the noise. If you are going to trim nails at home, purchase styptic powder or
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use something like cornstarch in a pinch if you do not have styptic products.
If you have a new puppy or kitten, start early teaching them to tolerate having
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Next touch the nail, without cutting it, while offering lots of praise and treats get
the idea! Now you are ready to cut one nail.
Inside each toenail are blood vessels and a nerve. Cut one too short and you
have pain and bleeding. On almost all cat nails and on light-colored dog nails,
you can see this quick containing the vessels and nerve as a pink triangle near
the base. Do not cut any closer than 2 mm from the quick. On these light nails
where you can see the quick, you can trim with one cut. On black nails, you have
to start at the tip of the nail and trim small amounts at a time. Keep looking at the
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good lighting, and if you need cheaters to see well up close, be sure to get them.
To maintain the length of your pets nails, trim about every two weeks. If you are
working to get them shorter, trim weekly as this will encourage the quick to
recede somewhat, allowing you to trim the nails shorter over time. If you could
only get one nail a day trimmed, always in the same order, each nail would get
trimmed roughly every 16 -18 days, which would be a good interval.
Here are some pointers on restraining your pet for nail trims. For some pets,
less is more. This means that if you severely restrain some animals, they fight
more. If you have a fighter, you can try relaxing a little. Another good approach
to difficult trimmees is to lay them on their side on a table or on the floor. Have a
person positioned behind their back reach over and hold the wrist and ankle of the
legs in contact with the floor or table and set their forearm and upper body over
the pets shoulder and neck. This prevents them from getting up and allows another person easy access to all four feet for trimming. Dogs are often much more
relaxed this way than trying to balance on three legs as you lift each foot to do
your trimming. If all else fails, head to the groomer or the vet to keep your pets
feet healthy
Order Chicks
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Many breeds
available.
Broilers,
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320-352-6501
DEPOT FEEDS, LLC

Purina Dealer
109 Main Street South Sauk Centre, MN
SCHLENNER
WENNER & CO.

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
& BUSINESS CONSULTANTS
(From left) Aaron Smith, Trese Willenbring,

Jamie Marien & Bob Hengel.
Quality Construction...
Built to Handle
Our Midwest
Weather!
Custom Built to Any Size
Fast & Economical!
24x24x10 ........$7,500
30x40x10 ......$11,000
36x48x10 ......$14,000
40x64x12 ......$18,000
Subject to local building

codes, snow-load
requirements, delivery &
crew travel in some areas.
Prices subject to change
without notice.
Ask Abou
Concretet
Prices!
Fully Insured #BC574944
320.492.6364
j. austinconstruction@yahoo.com
Schlenner Wenner & Co. is a regional independent CA irm dedicated to serving

clients with professionalism and integrity. he irms professional staffs attention
to detail and personal touch promote excellent working relationships with their
clients.
Schlenner Wenner & Co., a member of the McGladrey Alliance, has a signiicant
presence in Central Minnesota by maintaining ofices in St. Cloud, Albany, Little
alls, Monticello and Maple Lake. he irm focuses on serving accounting, tax,
payroll, QuickBooks and business consulting needs of their business, individual,
not-for-proit and governmental clients. he irm has been providing high quality,
value-added professional services since 1964 to St. Cloud and the surrounding
areas.
Schlenner Wenner & Co. currently has 11 partners and 50 employees, including
Certiied ublic Accountants. his allows them to offer a broad range of services
to their clients. Industries served include agriculture, construction, transportation,
telecommunications, retailers, wholesalers, printing, government agencies,
dealerships, not-for-proit organiations and manufacturing.
Albany
320.845.2940
Little Falls
320.632.6311
St. Cloud
320.251.0286
An Independently Owned Member, McGladrey Alliance
Maple Lake
320.963.5414
Monticello
763.295.5070
www.swcocpas.com
CC Country Cookin'
OM OUR
A DERS
Impossible Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup biscuit baking mix
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 13-ounce can evaporated
milk
2 eggs
1 16-ounce can pumpkin pie mix
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spices
Heat oven to moderate 350 degrees. Lightly grease pie tin. Place
all ingredients in blender. Cover and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Pour into pie tin. Bake until golden brown and knife inserted in
center comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.
Pretzel Salad
1 cup pretzels, crushed
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter melted
1 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese,
softened
1 scant cup sugar
1 4-ounce carton Cool Whip

1 6-ounce pkg. strawberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 pint frozen strawberries
1/2 cup cold water
Mix crushed pretzels with sugar and butter. Pat into 9x13-inch
pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; cool. Mix softened cream
cheese, sugar and Cool Whip; spread over cooled pretzel crust. Mix
Jello, boiling water and frozen strawberries with cold water. Cool
until slightly thickened and pour on top of cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate overnight or at least several hours.
C OU NTR
FR
RE
R ECIPES
CA
AC
RES
Recipes Submitted by
Mary Lou Bussmann

Grey Eagle
Taco Dip
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
2 Tbsp. taco sauce
Mix these together and spread on large plate.
1 can ripe olives
Shredded lettuce
Grated cheese
Tomatoes
Cut up and put on top of above mixture. Add onion and green
peppers if desired.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
1 pkg. frozen broccoli or 2 cups fresh

1 large onion, chopped and sauted in 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Cheese Whiz
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1 cup minute rice
Mix all ingredients together, put in greased casserole dish and
bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
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Finance new or used farm equipment

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This rebate offer is only valid on the consumer retail purchase of NEW Browning
A5, Maxus and BPS shotguns, AB3 ries, and Buck Mark and 1911-22 pistols purchased
between February 1, 2016 and March 31, 2016. All rebate applications must be postmarked no later
than midnight April 15, 2016. Promotional items will be shipped in accordance with Federal and local laws
and regulations.* (We cannot ship to P.O. Boxes.) Browning employees, sales representatives, authorized
dealers and their sales staff and members of their immediate families are not eligible for this promotion. This
promotion is limited to one rebate offer per person. All purchasers must be citizens or legal residents of the
United States and otherwise qualied to receive a rearm. *Must be 21 years of age to qualify for pistol rebate.
See your Browning retailer for more details or download your rebate application at browning.com
The General Store

For the Whole Outdoors
204 Central Ave., Osakis
320-859-5159
www.osakisgeneralstore.com
Gilman Co-op Creamery
Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups flour
4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
FEED & FARM SUPPLY STORE
Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time. Beat thoroughly and
add milk, sifted flour, soda and salt. Then add mashed bananas and mix
well. Pour into loaf pan and let stand 15 minutes. Bake 1 hour at 350
degrees.
Mary Lous Tips for Chicken and Turkey

When making chicken or turkey, buy the whole ones and cook up
for first meal. With leftovers you can make soup or chicken alfredo. For
chicken alfredo, just heat cooked egg noodles and chicken, broccoli and
alfredo sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
For chow mein with leftover chicken or turkey, use 1 can of bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, baby corn and cooked celery.
Thicken with cornstarch and serve over chow mein noodles or cooked
rice.
You can also make chicken salad for sandwiches or spread for
crackers. Mix cooked chicken, celery and onion, all cut fine. Add salt
and pepper to taste, and mix with Kraft Miracle Whip.
Litter Tiller
Pulverizes hard cake to your depth
and aerates, allowing unwanted
moisture and ammonia to escape.
HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 7:30 am to 7:00 pm

Sat. 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Sun. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Call for details!

Gilman, MN 320-387-2770 gilmancreamery.com
NEW LOCATION!
1/4 mi.
i south
th off Alb
Albany Fl
Fleett
Supply on County Road 10
Check Out Our New Location on April
22nd
& Enjoy Specials
& Door Prizes!
EARTH DAY
Calling all country cooks!

If you would like to share your favorite recipes on our
Country Cookin page, contact Diane at 320-352-6577,
or diane@saukherald.com
Wed love to hear from you!
320-356-7377
recycle@albanytel.com
DALE OVERMAN
320-845-2747 or 320-248-5253
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-5, Sat. 8-Noon

34737 County Road 10 Albany, MN 56307
We buy:
Aluminum Stainless Steel Brass Copper

Electronics Automotive Batteries and More
Country
Acres
Story
Ideas?
Call
320-352-6577
RELIABLE, SAFE, RESPONSIVE
420 Cty. Road 50, Avon, MN 56310

www.amerigas.com
A Supplement to the
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101 2nd Street N.W. P.O. Box 7 Avon, MN 56310

Toll Free (888) 525-7342 Cell: (320) 266-4932
Specializing In:
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Chicken Barns
www.lumber-one.com
30x40x10 $9,500
(1) Overhead
(1) Service Door
24 Overhang
50x90x16 $35,000
(1) 24 Split Slider
(1) Service Door
60x120x18 $58,000
(1) Overhand
(1) Service Door
24 Overhang
Prices include materials only
(labor not included).
Just 20 min from Little Falls

or St. Cloud on Cty Rd 17
www.jimssnowmobileandmarine.com
320-746-2165
Ready. Set. Save on

Kubotas Standard L Series
compact tractors.
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Experience the difference today!
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Mounting brackets every 4
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patio stabilizer kit included.
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on the purchase of a new
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*$0 down, 0% A.P.R. nancing for up to 60 months on new Kubota (excluding L39/L45) Series Equipment is available to qualiedpurchasers from participating dealers in-stock inventory through 3/31/2016.
Example: A 60-month monthly installment repayment term at 0% A.P.R. requires 60 payments of $16.67 per $1,000 nanced. 0%A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation
preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be in accordance with state laws. Inclusion of ineligible equipment may result in a higher blended A.P.R. 0% A.P.R. and low-rate
nancing may not be available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is available through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A., 3401 Del Amo Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject to credit approval.
Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 3/31/2016. See us for details on these and other low-rate options or go to www.kubota.com for more information. **Customer instant rebates of $1,000 are available on
purchases of new Kubota L3301/L3901/L4701 series equipment from participating dealers stock. Dealer subtracts rebate from dealers pre-rebate selling price on qualifying purchases. Rebate not available
after completed sale. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 3/31/2016. Optional equipment may be shown.

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PRSRT STD

A Supplement to the Star Shopper

Friday, March 18, 2016 Edition 03

Focusing on Todays Rural Environment

A trip back in time

PHOTO BY MISSY MUSSMAN

Kevin Doyle picks a shiitake mushroom in his growing room

RICHMOND There are

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER COYNE

Ed Theis, of Richmond, spends his time recreating the town of

He chose Eden Valley

said. My greatest memories

Page 2 Country Acres - Friday, March 18, 2016

Story ideas send to:

Theisen enjoys theatrical

1510 N Nokomis Street NE,

Q&As: Stearns County Dairy Princesses

Committed to being the eyes and ears of our communities.

3405 Dakota Street

(320) 762-5167 (320) 219-7846

Humans of farm country

Friday, March 18, 2016 - Country Acres Page 3

Full Braced Corners

Page 4 Country Acres - Friday, March 18, 2016

The detail he puts

gether, and repeat, said Sharon with a

quickly it goes by and comes together.

Using a Dremel rotary tool and

SMARTER FEATURES FOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE. THATS THE

E 199 040 B4 While supplies last.

4-Pk., 10.5W LED

CUB CADET ADVANTAGE

AA batteries. E 180 900 B6

While supplies last.

23661 Hwy. 4 , Lake Henry, MN

Smarter features for a better experience.

Friday, March 18, 2016 - Country Acres Page 5

Shop from the

slowed down, only building a few pieces here and

The Valley of Eden portrays 100 years of Eden Valley

Especially to me, with my dad working on them.

Master Electrician, Owner

Farm Equipment SHW Bale Spears Bale Feeders

Huge Savings on G3 Boats & Pontoons

YOU HAVE GRAIN

Irrigation | Grain Drying | Grain Storage

Barn Lighting, Sheds, Fans,

Creating all these takes me

12433 West Cemetery Rd. SE

For more information please visit

Mon.-Fri. 8-6 Sat. 8-4

Page 6 Country Acres - Friday, March 18, 2016

For all of your insurance needs!

MUSHROOMS continued from front

Protect what is important to you.

512 Main Street S, Ste 2 Sauk Centre, MN 56378

Let us help you

Residential Agricultural Light Commercial Drafting

Need help raising high quality alfalfa?

Headline fungicide not only provides alfalfa growers with

PAYNESVILLE FARMERS UNION

Phone: 320-243-3494 WATS: 800-232-4265

The straw and hulls are pasteurized