The Farming Families of Sioux County-August 2019

of Sioux County AUGUST 2019

Meet the

RONSIEK Family

Levi, Nate, Lynzie, Rachel and Jeremiah

FAITH

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FAMILY

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FRIENDS

Photo by Rachel Ronsiek

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FARMING

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

OUR PHILOSOPHY There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn.

Every year, he won the award for the best grown corn.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it.

The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, crosspollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. ~ Author Unknown ~

Call it power of collectivity.

Call it a principle of success.

Call it a law of life.

The fact is, none of us truly wins, until we all win!

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

~ Proverbs 11:24-25 ~

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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of Sioux County PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media IOWA MANAGER Bob Fitch, AGE Media DIRECT ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, STORY SUBMISSIONS AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE TO:

712-551-4123 bob@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural Sioux and Lyon Counties. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without the written permission of the publisher. The Farming Families assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Content in articles, editorial and advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by The Farming Families and Age Media & Promotion.

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FITCH FOR FARMING FAMILIES

FIVE LESSONS FOR A FULL LIFE I recently finished reading the book “Churchill” by Paul Johnson. At the book’s conclusion, Mr. Johnson makes the case that former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill led a full life that few people are ever likely to equal. But even if we can’t equal it, Paul Johnson says we can learn from it five ways. I thought his lessons were worth sharing for our own lives.

LESSON #1. AIM HIGH. “As a child Churchill received no positive encouragement from his father and little from his mother. He was aware of failure at school. But he still aimed high … He reinforced success in what he could do: write a good English sentence … he set himself to master English history and to familiarize himself with great chunks of literature … he set his sights on the House of Commons and stayed there (with one lapse) for over half a century. He sought power and got it in growing amplitude. He never cadged or demeaned himself to get office, but obtained it on his own terms … In 1940 he aimed not only high but at the highest—to rescue a stricken country in danger of being demoralized, to put it firmly on its feet again, and to carry it to salvation and victory. He did not always meet his elevated targets, but by aiming high he always achieved something worthwhile.”

LESSON #2. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK. “The balance he maintained between flat-out work and creative and restorative leisure is worth study by anyone holding a top position … He worked hard at everything to the best of his ability: Parliament, administration, geopolitics and geostrategy, writing books, painting, creating an idyllic house and garden, seeing things and if possible doing things for himself. Mistakes he made, constantly, but there was never anything shoddy or idle about his work. He put tremendous energy into everything, and was able to do this because … he conserved and husbanded his energy, too. There was an extraordinary paradox about his white, apparently flabby body and the amount of muscle power he put into life, always.”

LESSON #3. DON’T ALLOW MISTAKES TO GET YOU DOWN. “Churchill never allowed mistakes, disaster—personal or national—accidents, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get him down. His powers of recuperation, both in physical illness and in psychological responses to abject failure, were astounding … He had courage, the most important of all virtues, and its companion, fortitude … In a sense his whole career was an exercise in how courage can be displayed, reinforced, guarded and doled out carefully, heightened and concentrated, conveyed to others. Those uncertain of their courage can look to Churchill for reassurance and inspiration.”

LESSON #4. FORGIVE AND MAKE UP. Churchill didn’t waste “emotional energy on the meannesses of life: recrimination, shifting the blame onto others, malice, revenge seeking, dirty tricks, spreading rumors, harboring grudges, waging vendettas. Having fought hard, he washed his hands and went on to the next contest … There is nothing more draining and exhausting than hatred. And malice is bad for the judgment. Churchill loved to forgive and make up.”

LESSON #5. LEAVE ROOM FOR JOY. “Finally, the absence of hatred left plenty of room for joy in Churchill’s life. His face could light up in the most extraordinarily attractive way as it became suffused with pleasure at an unexpected and welcome event.”

In the book, the author doesn’t shy away from noting Churchill’s imperfections. But I think you’ll agree this list is a pretty good set of life lessons from an extraordinary figure in history: Aim high, work hard, have courage in the face of mistakes, forgive and make up, and, finally, find joy.

Bob Fitch, Area Manager, AGE Media

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(712) 551-4123

|

bob@agemedia.pub

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

W.E. Rowe Harness & Saddlery on the northeast corner of Calliope Village in Hawarden

CALLIOPE VILLAGE SHOWCASES PIONEER LIFE

For about 40 years, the Big Sioux River Historical Society and area citizens have diligently preserved a number of original buildings from the 1800s and created accurate replicas to ensure the stories of prairie pioneers are remembered. Called Calliope Village, this early history of northwestern Iowa is preserved on the north side of Hawarden.

Calliope (locally pronounced kal’ e ope) was the first seat of government for Sioux County. The founding fathers (Frederick Hubbell, W.H. Frame, Joseph Bell, and E.L. Stone) established the county on January 20, 1860, on the banks of the Big Sioux River near what is now Hawarden. They did so for the expressed purpose of receiving a regulation salary for organizing a county in Iowa.

In 1869, Calliope consisted of a courthouse, three log homes and about 10 residents. The infant town was driven back to the safety of Sioux City by Native American uprisings before a few rugged individuals returned.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

A street-side view of a portion of Calliope Village along Highway 12 near the north edge of Hawarden.

Cornell “Coney” Schelling, one of the many volunteers who helps to maintain the buildings and grounds at Calliope Village.

Almost any school child in Hawarden can tell the story of how – on January 22, 1872 – armed Dutch settlers from Orange City traveled by horse-driven sleighs to conduct a raid on Calliope. They captured the county books, the safe containing the county money, and the county seal and took them back to Orange City. Later, following petitions and an election, Orange City was officially designated as the county seat. (The “stolen” safe has since been returned to Calliope and can be found in the log cabin.)

Despite the loss of county government, Calliope continued to progress by adding businesses and a hotel and becoming a stop on the stage coach line from Sioux City to Sioux Falls. However, as the railroad came into the area, land grants were made to the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in the area south of Calliope. The hub of homes, stores and activities became the community of Hawarden which was incorporated in 1887. Calliope was annexed into Hawarden in 1893.

Among the treasures at Calliope Village is the original jail from Chatsworth, a tiny town in the extreme southwest corner of Sioux County. The building gives a glimpse of the grim nature of pioneer incarceration. It was used well into the 20th century. Built of stacked lumber and lined with metal, it afforded housing for the town scamp or any apprehended desperado.

The original jail from Chatsworth stands ready to incarcerate troublesome young men and their wayward dogs.

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The barn includes a stage coach and original water wagon used to keep the dust down in town.

The W. E. Rowe Building had been the home of both a harness shop and a coffee shop on Hawarden’s Main Street. The building now contains the interior of an old Hawarden post office. The mail sorting bins have the names of area families along the original mail routes around Hawarden.

The village’s physician and dentistry building includes a collection of vintage medical and dental equipment including the antiques from the eyeglass trade.

The Scott School was originally erected near the Adam Scott homestead across the Big Sioux River in Dakota Territory. In 1872, farm families just west of Calliope went to Sioux City to buy $140 in lumber to build the school. The school enrolled 14 pupils with an average attendance of 8. The school year was only 60 days long. Furnishings have been gathered from area schools to portray school life at the turn of the 20th century. The Shoemaker School, an original Sioux County school house, is located along with several other buildings across the railroad tracks just to the west of the Calliope Village proper.

Pioneer Jesse Akin settled one mile west of Calliope in June 1878. Initially, he lived in a haystack for a few months until he could build a small homestead cabin to house his family. The building represents life for homesteaders on the prairie. Bricks and plaster are used to insulate the frame construction. The two rooms had a dirt floor and were supplemented by a loft.

The one-room schoolhouse transports guests back to bygone Iowa days. Inset: The desks include samples of classic books such as The Little Red Hen.

A tribute to the early churches in the area is included in a building modeled on one used by the early Baptists and Presbyterians in the Hawarden area. Most of the furnishings came from the former Chatsworth Lutheran Church.

The stagecoach depot was most likely built in 1882 by Phillip Mosher as a restaurant and gathering place for a booming Calliope. The building stands on its original site and has been restored as a depot.

The village also includes authentic tributes to early merchants, medical professionals, banks, lawyers, millineries (hat-making), and seamstresses.

There is no charge to visit Calliope Village and most of the property is handicapped accessible. The buildings are open from 1-4 p.m. on the first Sunday of June, July and August as well as by appointment for tours.

For appointments, email bsrvhs79@gmail.com or call the Hawarden Chamber of Commerce at 712-551-4433.

The veterans museum building at Calliope include historic uniforms, flags and other items commemorating those who served their country 8

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

The buildings are also open throughout Big Sioux River Days held on Labor Day weekend every September. Live music and other activities are featured at Calliope Village during Big Sioux River Days.

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August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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RURAL ENTREPRENEURS

HOMESCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCED

BY SMALL BUSINESS OPERATION

By Bob Fitch

Haley, Shirley and Grant DeSmet of Prairie Pantry, located between Lester and Alvord.

Once upon a time in the United States, general stores were commonly found in the small towns and at rural junctions in the countryside. Country general stores and village shops were a necessity for farm families because a trip to a larger shopping destination was frequently a long and inconvenient journey, especially before paved roads and even more so before reliable automobiles became the norm.*

*Source: Wikipedia “General Store.”

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Generally, the old-time general store carried a broad selection of merchandise in a small space. In some respects, Dollar General has brought back the old general store concept to a number of small towns.

At the same time, innovative rural entrepreneurs are finding new ways to carve out their own niche to capture some of the flavor of old-style country stores.

The children of Bob and Shirley

DeSmet of rural Alvord created their own country store niche as an expansion of learning for their home school. Inspired by Amish bulk food stores they’d seen when visiting Shirley’s sister in Ohio, “We thought ‘that’s a nice family thing, maybe our children could run something like that,’” said Shirley.

“We met an Amish man in Kalona, Iowa, who helped us find some ties. He connected us with some wholesalers and told us how he ran his store,” she said. Now, nearly 12 years later, the product mix at the store called Prairie Pantry has been refined to serve the needs of their neighbors and regular customers from a 30-mile radius.

Members of the Apostolic Christian Faith Church in Rock Rapids, Bob works as an accountant at Krier & Blain in Sioux Falls while Shirley homeschooled eight of their 10 chil-

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

dren. When they started the store, their son, Grant, was 16 and his next oldest siblings, Shannon and Lorna, were 14 and 12. “They were at the age where something like this was a good responsibility to take on plus it added a new aspect to their learning. It was good for them socially and it’s been good for all of us to work together,” Shirley said.

Grant now works full time at Dutchland Frozen Foods in Lester, but continues to manage Prairie Pantry and does the ordering and accounting.

The two youngest daughters, Eden, 14, and Amber, 10, are now the primary salespeople checking out customers.

Clark, 16, does a fair amount of the packaging; and Haley, 18, does sales and packaging and has the flexibility to fill in many roles.

Amber and Eden DeSmet are the lead sales clerks at Prairie Pantry.

Haley also shares recipes and baking tips with customers, especially those who buy bulk packaged oats, wheatberry and flour, one of their most popular product lines. Some customers like to get big bulk bags which typically can’t be found in other stores.

Grant said business initially started as a very slow trickle but spread by word of mouth. Many people come for the unique product mix, but Prairie Pantry also stocks some staples such as milk and farm-fresh eggs for their neighbors. Their cooler also includes unique items such as Aronia berry juice and cherry juice concentrate.

In total, Prairie Pantry has 37 different product categories and as many as 1,000 specific products, all in a 10 x 30-foot area. Categories include everything from a large selection of canning supplies, baking ingredients, dried fruit and beverages to Iowa-made Rada cutlery, body care products, cards, children’s books and unique toys, and even small kitchen appliances (including an electric mill to grind the wheatberry).

Candy is one of customers’ favorite categories which includes anise candy, horehound candy, Good & Plenty, peppermint lozenges, raspberry gummies, Wilhemina mints and much more.

The store is also known for its wide selection of spices at prices lower than can be found in a regular grocery store. “We order spices in bulk and then weigh them down into containers. In town, you get these little containers, but we’ve got a real good deal here,” Shirley said.

Prairie Pantry is typically open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday by chance or appointment. Usually customers can find them there on Saturdays, but if you’re coming from a distance, call ahead at 712-478-4388. Prairie Pantry is located northeast of Inwood and southwest of Rock Rapids, between Alvord and Lester on County Road A26. The address is 2341 180th St., Alvord.

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August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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SIOUX COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY

GROWING FAITH AND GROWING KIDS

By Bob Fitch Photos by Rachel Ronsiek

Lynzie, Jeremiah, Nate, Rachel and Levi Ronsiek of rural Hawarden.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

The story of Nate and Rachel Ronsiek has all the makings of a great country song: love, family, faith and farming. Each ingredient is incorporated throughout their lives.

The Ronsieks raise cattle and a number of different crops on their farm southeast of Hawarden. Although they grew up in the same zip code, they didn’t know each other growing up because Nate went to West Sioux Schools and Kansas State University while Rachel went to Ireton Christian, Unity Christian, and Dordt College. But their parents knew each other through community farming circles.

Nate’s grandma was the first one to meet Rachel and the first to see the potential for them as a couple. But Nate told her, “Grandma, there’s 12,000 girls at K-State. I’ll find one there.”

Nate was attending college at Kansas State University in April 2003 when his father, Vince, 48, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. By August, his dad had passed away. “Mom and the neighbors all said, ‘stay in school, finish your degree and we’ll take care of things.’”

He said his dad and his mom, Lisa, had always worked together with the cows, calves and crops. When Vince died, what Lisa didn’t know already, she was determined to learn.

“She learned how to run combine and drive truck, and we were blessed with great help from the neighbors,” Nate said.

Once Nate graduated in 2005, he returned to the farm and worked with his mom for several years.

Rachel grew up with her parents, Charlie and Nola Van Driessen, on a Sioux County farm located six miles away from the Ronsiek place. Her mom and Nate’s mom got to talking when they ran into each other camping. The moms tried to arrange an “accidental” meeting of Nate and Rachel at a picnic, but Nate didn’t make it. Finally, Rachel’s mom passed a cell phone number to Nate’s mom who passed it on to Nate.

After the first date, “I knew on the way home already that this was it,” he said.

They were married in 2007 which is the same year Nate’s mom stepped out of the operation. Farming without his parents, especially without his dad, was not what he had envisioned. “I may have only had 21 years with my dad, but I spent more time with him than most people do in a lifetime. I was always in the tractor with him, learning from him.

“I’d give my right arm to still have him here. But that was part of God’s plan. Someday, I’ll have more complete answers. But already I can see some of what God had planned. I probably wouldn’t have come back and met Rachel. I would have gone somewhere else after college and done something different.

So that was part of His plan.

And now we’ve been married for 12 years and have three beautiful children.”

Nate is the fifth generation of his family to farm the land his great-great grandfather homesteaded in 1894. Farm founder August Ronsiek was an immigrant from Germany.

In addition to the cow-calf operation, Nate has been a seed salesman since 2006 for Golden Harvest through his company Ronsiek Seed Solutions. “I enjoy working with other farmers. It’s one of my passions to help people, to be able to find solutions to what they’re trying to grow and be the best that they can be at it.”

In a difficult year like this one, Nate said a seed dealer has to do his best to be a mediator and help reduce stress; plus advise farmers on what they can plant as it got later and later. “I tried to keep them focused and fixed on, ‘ok, we can still do this, we’re still going to have something.’ I reminded them that if they drove 100 miles west the farmers were not going to have anything.

Maybe we didn’t get to plant everything, but we’ve got a pretty good looking crop compared to a lot of places.”

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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Left: Jeremiah, 10, and Levi, 7, with one of their calves.; Right: Lynzie, 5, with one of her kitties.

While trying to service the seed customers, Nate and Rachel also had a couple hundred stock cows that were calving from March through May. “This year, with all the wet conditions, it was a challenge.

We lost plenty of calves due to mud, more mud and rain.

Then you get scours, you get pneumonia,” Nate said.

“Oftentimes in spring, you realize we’re God’s steward in taking care of things, but this year so often I felt I failed. You get a live calf that’s born and, in a matter of days, it’s struggling to survive. I’ve become very good at putting an IV in the neck of a calf. We had to do a lot of it to try to save them.

They get dehydrated and they just go downhill so fast. They have no reserve tank on them.

It was stressful spring from that standpoint,” he said.

It was a second straight year for a stressful calving season. They had significantly increased the size of their herd in 2018 and then faced late snowstorms.

“Being able to take care of our animals the way we should the last two years has been a challenge.”

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Nate likes to combine his passion for his cows with his passion as a seed salesman.

“Our cow operation is a little different because we only have 30 acres of pasture for 200 cows. So most of their feed comes through a feed wagon.

We’re growing some different cover crops. It seems kind of crazy, but if a guy sits down and does the dollars and cents of things, it works really well.”

By the end of this year, he will have planted and harvested 10 different crops on their farm: cereal rye, red clover, alfalfa, oats, corn, soybeans, forage sorghum, sudan grass, teff grass, and millet. “I like forages.

Forages for livestock are really interesting to me. Corn and soybeans are king in this area and we get a lot of value out of those crops. But there are other things a guy can do to reap the value of the land and time. And then not just get the value out of the land, but make the land better, diversify it so it’s not so used to the same cropping system over and over.

“Working with the cover crops for so many years, I just love being able to help people navigate that as we go forward.

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

The day is probably coming when using cover crops won’t be optional because of nitrates moving off target and the water quality issues. There might be more regulation as time goes on. I’d rather learn (the new cropping options) now rather than 10 years from now when we might be forced into it. I like to be an early adopter,” he said.

“We make discoveries which has been good. So as guys come and ask me ‘should I plant this, should I do that?’, I can tell them, ‘no, don’t do that because I already tried that and it didn’t work.’”

About half their acres are planted to alfalfa hay which they sell to local dairies.

They like to make sure their children understand the interconnectedness of local farmers. “When we sit down at the table at night and we get the gallon of milk out of the fridge, we remind them it was our hay that fed those cows whose milk we’re drinking now. We support those families and they support us,” Nate said.

Rachel said, “The kids help out on the farm a ton. Jeremiah can drive the tractor and payloader.

Levi is our get-it-done guy. He’s excited to help however he can.

You give him a job, he does it so well and so focused. Lynzie helps in the house plus she helps me tame the wild animals – she’s our cat lady.”

Nate said, “Jeremiah is the creative and inventive one. He suggests things to me that are great that I’ve never thought of.

He’s always building.

“We are very blessed to be on the farm and raise the kids on the farm. It teaches

responsibility and a lot of life lessons,” he said. “We don’t do work for God because He is in need of it. I see it as an act of gratitude. It changes our hearts. That’s what I would call a successful life – passing on to our next generation the lesson that it’s all a gift from God,” he said.

in our lives. We hope to show them the same grace and love that our Heavenly Father has shown us, and that they will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

And out of gratitude and thankfulness for what God has given us, we work for Him, we serve Him, and we love others.”

Sharing their faith with the children is central to their life, Rachel said. “God has given us the gift and responsibility to care for and raise our children, and they are such a blessing

Nate said, “We grow crops and raise cattle. But the main thing on our farm is growing faith and growing kids.”

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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Rick and Fran Wierda, owners of R&F Van Voorst Equipment and Iowa Plastics.

R&F VAN VOORST AND IOWA PLASTICS OFFERS CUSTOM ‘HOMES FOR HOGS’ AND MUCH MORE 16

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

Rick and Fran Wierda bring their hands-on knowledge of farming and hog production and a career of solving problems into play to help local livestock producers succeed. As owners of R&F Van Voorst Equipment and Iowa Plastic Company in Sioux Center, they are committed to “building homes for hogs” that promote raising healthy and fastgrowing pigs. The company recently expanded their line to include stainless steel horse stalls.

For decades, R & F Van Voorst Equipment has provided a full range of products and service solutions from turn-key hog buildings to the smallest confinement replacement parts including: flooring, feed systems, ventilation systems, controls, alarm systems, watering systems, heaters and brooders, lighting, medicators, feed

Left: R&F Van Voorst Equipment specialize in “homes for hogs” … custom designed and professionally installed facilities to serve the needs of the individual producers.; Right: Horse stall dividers and related materials for equine barns are a newer product line for Van Voorst Equipment.

carts, curtains, air inlets, and more. Van Voorst is also a long-time distributor of Faroex flooring.

“We provide custom designed and professionally installed facilities to uniquely serve the needs of the individual producers,” said Rick. “Our knowledgeable service team, which has more than 30 years of combined experience, can help you with almost any issue you face in a hog barn.”

Since purchasing Van Voorst Equipment and Iowa Plastic Company in 2016, Rick and Fran have built on the tradition of excellence and customer service established by company founder Tunis Van Voorst.

That tradition was carried on by his son Terry Van Voorst, who purchased the business after Tunis’s retirement and continued building the company until his passing.

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In addition to serving producers through Van Voorst Equipment and Iowa Plastics, the Wierdas continue to raise hogs, horses and farm their land. Fran said, “We understand what the farmer is going through – we’re right there with them experiencing the same things. And we know what works well for us, for raising healthy and fast-growing pigs.”

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In the Iowa Plastics fabrication shop, the team can make everything from pig sleds, dog doors with inserts and kennels, barn cupolas, and even a mounted waterproof ATV box.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

PHOTO BY ABBY BISCHOFF

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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LYON COUNTY FEATURED FAMILY

EXTREME DIVERSIFICATION: HOGS, CORN, SOYBEANS, OATS, WHEAT, COTTON, TIRES, BEER AND PASTRIES Stories and photos

by Bob Fitch

Chad and Jody Van Regenmorter farm east of Inwood.

20

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

This spring Rebecca graduated from South Dakota State University and Emily graduated from West Lyon High School.

Plan for the future, be ready to adapt as the world changes, and diversify are foundational principles followed by the Van Regenmorter family of Inwood.

“Times have changed and you have to be able to change if you’re going to keep the farm in the family for the next generation and the next,” said Pete Van Regenmorter, patriarch of this Lyon County farming operation. “If you just stay the same, you won’t be in business anymore.”

His son Chad agreed. “You have to be able to adapt or change when the market or environment around you changes. You have to be ahead of that.”

Growing corn, soybeans and a few oats, Van Regenmorters also have a 160-sow farrowto-finish hog operation. The family has diversified their

income stream by owning and operating Oak Street Station, a tire, service and convenience store in Inwood run by Pete’s son Brent (see sidebar story on page 23). Furthermore, for the past 10-plus years, Pete also has kept tabs on 600 acres they own in Texas where they grow corn, wheat and cotton.

Van Regenmorters have been staples of the Inwood community for almost 70 years. Chad said, “In the early 1950s, my grandfather moved from Sioux Center to the place across the road where dad lives now.” Brent, his wife Lisa, and children Ethan, Kendra and Cody live on the place just a little east of Chad and his wife Jody and their daughters Rebecca and Emily.

In the 1960s, Pete’s dad raised chickens. Pete added hogs and turkeys in the 1970s. He said 1996 was the last year

with turkeys because contract production had cut the margins so much.

Chad continued the farming tradition because “I didn’t know any better. I was pretty well born to farm. I never considered any other option.”

Chad said the pace at which they are able to get field work done today is so much faster today than when he was younger because of the size of equipment, computerization and technology. They are also able to get so much more done with less labor. “Crop practices have changed. We eliminated cultivating – that’s changed since I was kid. I was 14 when I started cultivating. I can remember bawling in the tractor cab because I took some corn out.”

Jody said, “I did that too when I was cultivating. I did so good

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

21

Chad Van Regenmorter with his nephew Cody.

the whole entire day and the one little piece I schmucked out was right by the road here where you couldn’t help but see it.”

She spent par t of her childhood on an acreage and her grandfather farmed. “I knew what I was getting into.

In fact, I spent many, many a date night riding along in the tractor cultivating or whatever.”

She and Chad started dating in 1990 while in high school and married in 1995.

Pete’s viewpoints on the need to adapt and change were influenced by nine months he spent farming in Paraguay in 1994. Already at that time, farmers in South America were keeping their crops clean with chemicals instead of cultivating plus they were using cell phones as their regular means of communication.

That trip was a wake-up call to him that U.S. farmers, not 22

Pete Van Regenmorter grew the family’s farm and business enterprises from the operation started by his dad in the 1950s.

South American farmers, may have been behind the times in some ways. “It made me think and look at things differently.

Sometimes we’re held back by what we thought was normal.”

Chad and Jody have also been influenced by travels across the country and the world. In 2012, Jody went on a trade trip to China with a team of 20 producers organized by the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

On the trip, they promoted Iowa-grown commodities, especially corn and pork.

Both of them served three years on the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Advisory Committee. Jody chaired the committee for a year. Chad, Jody, Rebecca and Emily were recognized with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award in April 2010 and the Iowa State Fair The Way We Live Award in August 2014.

Daughte r

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

Re b e cc a

will

continue the family’s tradition of national and international engagement when she travels to Australia in September with her crop judging team from South Dakota State University. The team will participate in that country’s crop judging competition and visit agricultural sites.

Rebecca graduated in May from SDSU with a degree in agronomy. Following graduation, she started on a new academic adventure.

“Right now, I’m taking classes with the American Brewers Guild. I’d like to have a career in the brewing industry some day.”

Her sister Emily just graduated from West Lyon High School and has enrolled in an online course in pastry arts. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, a protein found naturally in wheat, barley and rye. “I

discovered that in the whole gluten-free world, you can’t find anything that tastes good. So I started baking for myself. The past two years I started baking more and I just really enjoyed it.

VAN REGENMORTER’S OAK STREET STATION FILLS VOID IN INWOOD AREA

“I like the focus and creativity you can put into baking something.

Last week I baked some eclairs and people who tried them didn’t even know they were gluten-free.

It’s neat to turn all the ingredients into something cool,” Emily said.

Jody joked that she and Chad will be sitting good: “In a couple years, one kid can make us beer and one can make us dessert.”

Jody said they were blessed to be able to raise their daughters on the farm. “They both enjoyed growing up on the farm most days – well, maybe not the power washing days.”

Even though Chad and Jody’s girls have grown up, they enjoy helping on the farm as do Brent and Lisa’s children. They help Chad with the hogs and Ethan drives the grain cart in the fall. Both couples’ children have shown livestock and been involved in 4-H. Rebecca and Emily were both involved in FFA throughout high school.

Cody, Lisa, Brent, Kendra and Ethan at Oak Street Station in Inwood.

The Van Regenmorter family diversified their business holdings and invested in the Inwood community when they opened Oak Street Station in 2002 and grew that investment with a major expansion in 2015.

Chad said, “Even though they both have ideas for careers outside of traditional farming, they still like the farm. There is always opportunity here. We’re not pushing them away and will always welcome them back.”

In 2001, Van Regenmorters purchased the property of a previous service station in town which had closed. Farmers had to go out of town to have tires fixed and other service work done.

“That niche was missing in town,” said Pete Van Regenmorter.

“Because Brent had studied auto mechanics, it seemed a good way to diversify our business and it was needed in town, making it a natural fit.”

Pete said, “Nothing is more satisfying than to see your kids continue and improve on what you’ve started. Too often, people say there’s no opportunity for their kids. But the trouble is the parent isn’t giving that kid an opportunity either.”

Pete said the family has shared ownership in both the farm and Oak Street Station, but each person has their own specific responsibilities. Son Chad focuses on the farm and son Brent oversees the station, and they help each other as needed.

Brent

attended

the

auto

mechanics program at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon. While attending college, he started working in a truck shop of a soybean processing plan in Sheldon. It was a good learning experience, but the large company atmosphere was not the right fit for Brent. He came back to the farm where he worked fulltime for a year.

Brent said that when Dave’s Sinclair in Inwood closed, “Dave had been pretty much the only tire shop in town. There was a void to fill and we thought we’d give it a try. It was just lube and tires at first. We evolved from there.”

The smaller, old style service station was centrally located in Inwood. Lack of working space became an issue. “We were trying to run our business with two service bays and two fuel pumps.

The size of today’s tractors and semi-trucks and trailers did not fit inside the building. We were doing a majority of work outside.

Rain, snow or shine, we were

August 2019 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

23

The Van Regenmorter family has grown Oak Street Station from being a “mom and pop” service station to a major truck stop, convenience store, auto/ truck/tractor tire and service center.

fixing tires outside. We had completely overgrown our location,” Brent said.

They had planned to expand at the old site, but saw an opportunity to grow on the south edge of town at the intersection of Highways 18 and Iowa IA182. As part of the move, they expanded from what might be called a small mom-and-pop operation to be a major retailer and vehicle service center and truck stop.

The service side of the business offers oil changes, alignments, brakes, air conditioner service, general auto maintenance and engine repair. Brent said tires are still their “big thing. ” They have a large inventory of tires in the mezzanine, along with large, new and used ag tires stored at their farm. They offer tires for tractors, combines, semi-trucks, cars, and lawn mowers. Their on-the-farm tire service aids farmers in a radius of 30-45 miles and beyond. About 70 percent of the business is directly or indirectly ag-related.

Brent’s wife Lisa said the new location on the highway warranted the opening of a convenience store. She said Oak Street Station is famous for its hand-breaded fresh broasted chicken. The c-store

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also has a grocery section featuring locally-produced pork and dairy products.

In addition, there’s a meeting room, coin-operated laundry, and a truckers lounge including shower rooms. “It’s been great to provide so many benefits and conveniences for the farmers and our small community,” said Lisa.

“We’d like to see more people expand based on what they saw with us.”

She said Oak Street Station is also a big supporter of renewable fuels. Blender pumps provide higher blends of ethanol which is sourced from Siouxland Energy Cooperative in Sioux Center.

They also source biodiesel from Minnesota Soybean Processors in Brewster, Minn.

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25

FOCUS ON FAITH

FROM ‘REPORTER’ TO ‘GOOD NEWS’ REPORTER

By Bob Fitch

Author Jennifer Dukes Lee says people frequently ask God for a map in life to show the routes with the least possible resistance and with the fewest detours. “But God doesn’t give us a map, he gives us a compass. And he says ‘follow me.’”

Jennifer said the concept that humans don’t get to be in control and don’t get to know what happens next is the key message in her third book “It’s All Under Control,” a title which parallels her husband’s motto of “God’s Got It.” The book is dedicated to her husband, Scott Lee, a crop farmer and pork producer on a farm located north of Inwood.

Jennifer’s books, blogs and speaking engagements are specially tailored to women. “There are so many ways to map out your life and make sure you’ve 26

got it all together. We try to manipulate and control circumstances, even as Christians. This book is an empowering guide to help women open up their fists that we have closed so tightly around our preferences and our plans – and to open up our hands because God can’t put anything into closed fists.

We need to live open-handed so we have a clearer sense of what direction God wants us to go in our lives, making decisions that align with his will.”

Born and raised in Marathon, Iowa, Jennifer’s dad was the

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

manager of the co-op grain elevator and both parents were very involved in church life.

Connections to farming and faith have been constants in her life – along with a fascination for words. When she was 16, her first job was at the Laurens Sun newspaper. “I covered everything from Easter egg hunts to baseball stories. I proofread the legals. I knew almost immediately that I wanted to pursue a career in words. I went to Iowa State University and graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications in 1995.”

During college, she interned at the Sacramento Bee, the Des Moines Register and the Harlan Tribune. Following graduation, she went to work at the Omaha World-Herald, followed by a career at the Des Moines Register.

“What I was most proud of in that career was a 4-part series I did called ‘The Tattered Countryside.’ It looked at how changes in agriculture and farming were affecting small communities – things like churches where women couldn’t do the funeral dinners anymore because they were having to work a second job and help on the farm. All those kinds of things affected everything from Main Street to the schools to the churches.

“That series was an integration of all those things I love – farm-

ing, faith and the words,” Jennifer said. “Words just became a way of interpreting the world.

I took a lot of joy in putting together a story that I knew would be the first bit of history – the first time people would find out something had happened. News felt very important to me and very important to get it right.”

Jennifer and Scott moved to Inwood and took up the farming life in 2002. “After the September 11, 2001, attack on the trade center, there was something about that which rattled us awake to the importance of faith. I think you hit a point in your life where you start asking yourself: What is the meaning of life, what is my purpose, what am I really here for? You see the fragility of life and how something can come out of the blue and change everything.”

The fragility of life was again brought tragically home when Scott’s dad passed away from leukemia in 2009. “Suddenly Scott was the lead farmer on this fourth generation farm. And we could see then God’s hand in having brought us here.”

After moving to rural Inwood in 2002, she continued to work remotely on a part-time basis for the Des Moines Register.

Later, she left the Register and began working as an adjunct professor of journalism at Dordt University in Sioux Center. At about the same time, she began writing an online web log (“blog”).

“For the first time in my life, I started asking myself the same hard questions I’d been asking others all those years. It was an exploration of how I felt about all sorts of things including my

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the publication of her first book, “Love Idol,” in 2014. Her second book, “The Happiness Dare,” was published in 2016. Finally, “It’s All Under Control” and an accompanying Bible study were published in fall 2018.

The books share stories from her personal life and from the family’s life on the farm. “Farming is a great metaphor for a faith journey. Jesus all the time was using those agriculture-type stories to convey a message.”

Lydia, Scott; Jennifer and Anna Lee.

Jennifer has surprised herself with this new career path. “I never would have envisioned it as someone who early on didn’t even know if Jesus was real. To think Jesus came out of a tomb, at so many points in my life I said, ‘come on, that’s a fairy tale.’ But to have been so profoundly and personally transformed by Christ in my life that I actually get to be an advocate and a communicator on His behalf is a tremendous privilege and really a miracle.

“I was a news reporter, but now I’m a ‘Good News’ reporter. It’s really fun partnering with God,” she said.

In addition to writing, Jennifer speaks to Christian church groups regularly.

faith,” Jennifer said. Her musings started as an outlet for her own need to write. But people began to make comments to her blog. “It was clear to me that I was touching a nerve with others, especially women – and especially if I shared vulnerably about any particular struggle I might have in my own life.”

In the comments section of the blog, women would write “I feel that way too” and “It’s like you’re reading my diary,” and “I’ve felt that way and didn’t know how to express it.” Jennifer said, “When writers hear those kinds of things, they know they’re onto something.

The cover of “It’s All Under Control,” the most recent book and Bible study from Jennifer Dukes Lee.

28

“Some common themes were expressed: This feeling of not being ‘enough’ or feeling that they needed people’s approval or feeling that life was out of control or what does it really mean to trust God in times like these.”

As a rule, journalists don’t put their opinion into a story. So, for Jennifer, writing in such a personal way was a revelation. “To actually be that vulnerable and let the guard down and write like that was entirely new for me.” This new path led to

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

“It’s All Under Control” digs deep into busy-ness.

When people’s lives are overscheduled, they become “too busy to pray, too busy to read my Bible today … that’s a dangerous, dangerous slope to slide down. This book helps women figure out what’s in their realm of control and what do they just need to let go of; and, in doing so, find peace in life.” Jennifer prays, “Dear God, let me never get so busy that I can’t hear your voice.”

She said “It’s All Under Control” is grounded in scripture. “But it’s also fun and funny. I’m always the butt of my own jokes. There’s just certain ridiculous things I’ve done while trying to control outcomes.” Videos to accompany the book’s Bible study were all filmed in and around Inwood.

The videos are available for free on her website (www.jenniferdukeslee.com).

In her first book, “Love Idol,” she uses her own journey to demonstrate the necessity of letting go of the human need for approval and instead seeing oneself through God’s eyes. “How do we focus on God’s approval instead of wanting the approval of our parents or our peers – whether that’s related to how we look or how we are in the workplace or intellectually.”

In “The Happiness Dare,” Jennifer said people must find more happiness in the life they’ve been

Age Media Qtr Page Color 7-12-19.pdf 1 7/12/2019 11:22:43 AM

given rather than happiness which is “out there” when the kids are grown or when they’ve made enough money or when they have a nicer house or fit into the right size jeans.

She makes a scriptural case for Godly happiness versus other dangerous forms of happiness. “I think part of the reason we get mixed up about happiness is that we see Jesus as this suffering figure, which he is clearly.” But, when Jesus says, “let the children come to me,” Jennifer argues that “No child in his right mind would run into the arms of a grumpy Jesus. Clearly Jesus had a happiness that shone about him. His first miracle was not at a gravesite, it was at a party. He turned water to wine.

There’s a certain festive nature to so much of what Jesus did. He made breakfast for his disciples on a beach.

“If anybody should be happy in this world, it should be the Christian person because we have a deep happiness that’s outside of all circumstances. It doesn’t mean we’re happy all the time. The shortest verse in the New Testament is ‘Jesus wept.’ So he cries, he’s angry, he turns over tables, but he’s also a happy person as outlined in scriptures,” she said.

“I found that in my exploration, yes, God desires for us to be happy. Not at the expense of our holiness certainly, but I’ve found happiness and holiness can hold hands.”

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Don and Helen Statema take part in the Foster Grandparent program at Hospers Elementary.

‘YOU’LL BE REPAID 100 TIMES OVER’

FOSTER GRANDPARENTS AND SENIOR COMPANIONS STAY ENGAGED AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY

By Bob Fitch “Seniors need to throw caution to the wind and dive into this.

You’ll be repaid 100 times over,” said Art Jacobson of Rock Rapids, a volunteer in The Foster Grandparent Program of Greater Siouxland.

“I tell students: ‘We’re going to drop this world on you and I want to help you be prepared with the skills you’ll need and little bit of common sense,’” Jacobson said. “If I even begin

30

to do that for the kids, I’ve achieved something.”

The Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs of Greater Siouxland provide volunteer opportunities for individuals 55 and over to serve their own communities each week. With offices in Rock Valley and Sioux City, the programs together serve a nine-county area including Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux,

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

O’Brien, Plymouth, Woodbury and Monona counties in Iowa; and Dakota County in Nebraska.

The Rotary Club of Rock Valley Foundation a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, sponsors both the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs of Greater Siouxland. The Rotary Club has been the sole sponsor since the beginning of the program.

Since 1974, volunteers in the Foster Grandparents program throughout northwest Iowa have been role models and mentors in classrooms, Head Start centers, and nonprofit daycares. “Foster grandparents remain active and engaged, knowing they are needed in their community,” said Program Director Jessie Huitink.

“A foster grandparent is a mentor and role model for children who may or may not have one at home.

They are a great addition to the classroom, helping teachers and aides fill the gap to give students more one-on-one time. They have a lot of wisdom to be shared.”

She said foster grandparents give students the extra attention, encouragement, and support they deserve.

Governor Kristi Noem has farmed and ranched in South Dakota for many years.

She’s pictured here touring flood-damaged areas.

Huitink convinced her own grandparents, Don and Helen Statema of Newkirk, to participate at Hospers Elementary. “Both of us are kid-minded. We both come from big families,” said Helen. “We get three or four kids and work together. We play educational games. We teach them some games we grew up with and it’s fun to have them teach us some of their new games.”

Don plays 4-square and basketball with the second-graders at recess. “Of course, the kids give us big hugs and have to take turns sitting with us at lunch,” said Helen.

Jacobson volunteers in the Central Lyon district with middle school and high school students, many of whom have English as their second language. “I like to work with them one-on-one and get to know them. For those where English is a second language, they sometimes just need a little extra explanation.

“For a lot of the students, whether or not English is their first

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language, you need to ask ‘do you understand what you just read?’ I do the same thing myself. That’s a skill which applies to anything,” Jacobson said.

“It’s a big boost to your life. You really look forward to getting together with them,” Jacobson said. “Guess what? You’re going to learn together. You going to see a major return on your investment. Let me tell you, these kids are going to keep you sharp.”

With the start of the school year just around the corner, Huitink said now is great time to sign up to be a foster grandparent. “We always get requests for more from the schools. The kids just love it and the teachers love it.”

Gary Riphagen volunteers in Sioux Center through the Foster Grandparent program

The other program under the auspices of the Rock Valley Rotary is the Senior Companion program.

Since 2005, senior companions have provided much needed support, assistance, and friendships to adults in northwest Iowa who need help to remain living independently.

“The most important word I can say about the Senior Companion program is ‘purpose.’ Just because you are aging doesn’t mean you don’t have value,” Huitink said.

Senior companions build relationships and assist those they serve by being a consistently dependable friend.

Renae Recker, right, serves as a senior companion in Alton.

Families appreciate the extra set of eyes and hands for their loved ones. Seniors serve as companions to those who are frail or have chronic health needs by providing a supportive friendship as well as potential respite care for caregivers. Huitink said, “There’s something I call ‘Dutch pride’ where people don’t want to admit they need someone to visit with or need a little help around the house. Maybe they just need a ride to the grocery store or the doctor’s office. When you become isolated, it can cause both a mental and then a physical decline.”

Gayden “Gator” Wohlman of Hawarden volunteers for the Senior Companion program. “I was retired and wanted something to do besides sit in front of the television. I like visiting with people, taking them to the grocery store or playing games like pinochle or cribbage. I also like to give the old ladies a hard time.”

He enjoys sharing stories with those he visits. The friends he helps out range in age from 92-98 years old.

Louise Fennell, right, volunteers in Hartley as part of the Senior Companion program.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | August 2019

To participate as a foster grandparent or senior companion, you must be 55 years of age or older and be able to volunteer at least five hours per week. For those who meet financial guidelines, there is the possibility of a small tax-free stipend. Participating volunteers receive reimbursement for meals and transportation costs. For more information, call 712-476-2628 or see www.rvseniorvolunteerprograms.org.

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FROM THE KITCHEN RED VELVET CUPCAKES From the kitchen of Emily Van Regenmorter, Inwood

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup gluten-free flour blend • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (.5 oz) • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 1 egg • 1/2 buttermilk • 1 teaspoon white vinegar • 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract • 1 oz. red food coloring of choice • 1/4 cup hot water

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS: • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature • 1/4 cup butter • 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract • 2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS: 1.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Line a 12 serving cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt; set aside.

3.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil.

Mix in the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined. Stir in the white vinegar and hot water.

4.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Scoop the batter evenly into each cupcake well, about 1/4 cup per well. Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting.

6.

7.

34

For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, beating well until you reach desired consistency.

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