ALL HANDS ON DECK AT THE DEKKERS FARM
By Bob Fitch
Everybody loves a comeback story, especially when there’s a happy ending.
Ryan Dekkers grew up on the family farm with the expectation that it would be his career. But the farm economy of the 1980s had different ideas. “Dad started here in the late ‘70s, with the help of my grandpa. But the 1980s were hard times. He got out of livestock about the time I was finishing high school and he got a job in town to subsidize the crop farming. He wasn’t the only one in that boat. So there wasn’t room for both of us to make a living here. Even with all his determination, sometimes the timing isn't right. To hold it together, he realized less would be better.”
Ryan continued, “At the time, I was a naïve kid and didn’t understand. Really, though, it was probably the best thing that happened to me. Working off the farm taught me so much about business and just the dynamics of industries.”
For 15 years, he retained the hope of returning to the farm. He developed a vision of diversifying by re-introducing livestock to the operation. “I came up with a plan and started working through it –and it’s been a good thing. We've been back here fulltime about eight years or so. The plan has worked and the farm has thrived. It takes a lot of determination, a lot of hours and a lot of hard work. I credit my family big time.” His wife, Kristen, added: “There's been many, many
The Dekkers family. Back: Kyle, Kristen, Ryan and Lane. Front: Kate and Joel.
times through the years where I’ve wondered how we were going to make things work. But God always just shows us the way.”
Kristen works fulltime on the farm, which is located west of Sioux Center and northeast of Hawarden. “We started in the fall of 2015 when we bought some stock cows. Then that winter we put up two hog finisher buildings. The next summer we built the feedlot. So we kind of just jumped right into it. It was challenging because the boys were very little and, right in the middle of it, Kate was born. But as the years have gone on, the boys are a huge help on the farm for us. And Ryan also does some custom baling, sells manure, applies manure and does some equipment repair.”
She grew up on the dairy farm of her parents, Paul and Sue Kooiker of Sioux Center. Kristen said, “I’ve always had a love for farming. I got to help Dad milk or help him go
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Lane, Kate, Joel and Kyle Dekkers with the family horses.
round up cattle out on the ranches in the summertime.”
FARMING IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
Ryan said, “I give Kristen a ton of credit for her talents, from feeding cattle to dealing with hogs to running equipment to making the meals to doing the books, to being a mom to spearheading the horses and everything. I think she has had a big influence on our kids, especially the older boys, to be incredibly advanced for their age on what they're able to do here. The boys’ work ethic is second to none. It’s all hands on deck a lot of days.”
Kristen said, “Lane and Kyle know there's a whole new level of hard work with livestock. I tell them that someday you will look back at this and be so appreciative of the work ethic and the strength in both body and mind. Being a part of the farm and being out in nature and with the animals of God’s world is something special. The boys don't have summer jobs or after school jobs. Their jobs are here on the farm.” Lane is 16 and Kyle is 13. The younger siblings are Joel, 12, and Kate, 6.
“As the kids have grown up, each has developed their own personalities and interests. That's definitely come out on the farm as they've gotten older,” she said. Ryan said, “Lane is the livestock guy. He is good at reading the livestock and has the ability to understand the hogs and cattle.”
Kyle has been doing most of the tillage work the last several
Kristen and Ryan Dekkers.
years. He said, “My favorite part is probably running the equipment, riding horse, helping around the shop a little bit, hauling manure on the payloader, hauling silage and pushing silage in the fall.” His town friends enjoy coming to the farm to mess around outside.
Joel likes driving the four-wheeler, participated in Bacon Buddies at the Sioux County Fair, minds the gates when his brothers are hauling manure, and helps clean the water fountains. Kate’s favorites are the chickens and horses. Plus she rides along in the tractor, whether it’s hauling manure or feeding the cattle or checking on the cows and calves.
Kristen said, “Just like our farm is diversified, we’ve got diversity in the skills and approach each of us has. I'm super laid back and try to keep the peace. Ryan is our pusher, to get things done. He’s also the numbers guy. He's so smart when
it comes to making business decisions. The boys have many different talents, and it just kind of all works together.”
Both emphasized the importance of having good friends and neighbors who are willing to work together and help each other. According to Ryan, “There is never a perfect plan. Everything changes and you have to be willing to adapt. It’s important to surround yourself with great people and then have just a whole lot of luck.”
PASSING DOWN A STRONG WORK ETHIC
Hard work is a family value handed down from previous generations. Ryan said, “My parents (Lloyd and Bonnie Dekkers) have been great to us. It’s been a pretty big asset with my mom around helping with the kids, and my dad, of course, just being a jack of all trades, being able to be anywhere at any time
as needed, and just being healthy for his age. It's fun to see him really enjoying his senior years, doing the things that he loves to do when it's not really work anymore. It’s fun to see and a huge bonus for us. He’s a good model and has helped me become successful in life.” Kristen agreed, “Lloyd helps us out with just about everything.” Lloyd and Bonnie live on the farm’s home site, while Ryan and Kristen live a few miles away.
Kristen said, “Both sets of our parents are just incredibly hard working, devoted people, and I think that has been a huge impact for both of us, and something that we want to pass down to our kids as well. You must be hard-working and disciplined to be a farmer. We tell our kids it’s a privilege to be able to work. So we want them to have that philosophy as they get older, whether they end up on the farm or not.”
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Photo by Bob Fitch
By Bob Fitch
Back row: Daughter-in-law Lynelle and son Chad; Troy holding Kirk; Donna; daughter Taryn and son-in-law Caleb Indermuhle holding Koehl. Front row: Thane and Larinda. Photo was taken in Colorado, one of their favorite vacation spots.
Donna Knoblock loves meeting and interacting with new people. Since the fall of 2021, she’s put her people-pleasing nature to work at her country boutique, Touch of Mae.
“My kids got married in 2017 and 2018 and I was really struggling with the emptiness, so I felt like I needed a little extra something to do. I've always loved to create and loved flowers. So I started creating flower arrangements for weddings, receptions and showers,” Donna said. Her husband, Troy, was supportive from the beginning and helped her convert a small structure on the farm into a retail shop. Troy told her: “You know, if it's only open a year and you decide it's not for you, that's fine.”
Making flower arrangements, both from real and artificial flowers, consumes a large part of her
her own cut flowers to augment the ones she purchases. Flowers from her own garden that she’s started using are lisianthus, zinnias, baby’s breath, lilies, cosmos, salvia, hosta and ferns.
Four years into the business, it has grown to include more than flower arrangements. When fall arrives, the focus shifts to the retail side of the business. “The store is open every Saturday from September until Christmas. Then we open again on Saturdays in April and May,” she said. The shop includes an interesting mix of candles, lotion, soap, books, clothing and food. “I try to have a special or some sort
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Donna Knoblock runs Touch of Mae boutique on the family farm located southwest of Rock Rapids.
new each time. I'll have someone come in and they'll sell coffee, or I've had people sell mixed bouquets of flowers. There's a local girl who has a business she calls Scattering Seeds where she grows nursery seeds. Last fall, she came in to sell pumpkins. So it's kind of fun. People make it a little outing … get some coffee or have just a little bit of a fun event on Saturday.
“God has given us so much. If we can share a little bit of that to make someone's day a little brighter, that's very enjoyable for me. People are not going to come and find necessities here. It's more just coming for fun and doing something to brighten your day.”
CANDLE-MAKER
Donna makes 100 percent soy candles in her kitchen. “The candles have been one of my most popular sellers. I name them myself, and that's been a hit. I have inspirational names, like ‘All About Grace’ or ‘Joy In The Morning.’ The names seem to help them sell really well. The name can grab some people sometimes, such as ‘Christmas at Grandma's.’ That one's got a peppermint scent, because we always had peppermint candy at my grandma’s. Other names are ‘Peace Like A River’ or
“Beside Still Waters.’”
Doing research and figuring out heat points is important in the candle-making process. “You need to know when to add a scent, and how far you cool it down before you pour it. If you don't pour it correctly, it can get really lumpy. There can be a lot of air pockets in it, so it's a little tricky. Having the right equipment is important, too. When you’re making candles, it’s important to have the time set aside. You can't stop in the middle of the process,” she said.
“It's fun to experiment with the different scents and figure out what people like and what they don't. There are some favorites – it’s funny how people, more or less, all like the same kind of thing. Joy in the Morning is probably my most popular. ‘But First Coffee’ is also really popular. Everyone loves a good coffee scent.”
She uses the same scents for the lotions and car diffusers and hand soaps she makes.
“The clothing I sell is very popular, too. I have a girl in Rock Rapids who used to have an online store, but she's had two babies, and so now she sells her clothing through my store,” she said. “I like to feature things from Iowa and the Midwest. I sell Iowa coffee. I sell things from
Touch of Mae boutique includes homemade candles, lotions, soaps and car diffusers made by Donna Knoblock.
The shop includes an interesting mix of books, clothing, food, candles, lotion and soap.
Ohio and Minnesota. My mom lives in Minnesota and she makes pot holders that I sell. I like to feature local talent and basically just regular people. That's fun for me.”
A COUNTRY GIRL
Donna and her husband, Troy, are part of the Knoblock family farm which is a diversified operation that includes cattle, hogs, corn and soybeans located between Lester and Alvord. In addition to Troy and Donna, the operation includes his parents, Roger and Janet; Troy’s brothers and their spouses, Trent and Heather, Thadd and Wendy, and Travis and Kathy; and his sister Tricia and her husband Jon Blomgren.
Flower arrangements for a wedding reception created by Donna Knoblock. The flowers are branded “Real Touch’ since they look and almost feel real.
She is originally from Morris, Minnesota, where her parents still live. “I've always lived out in the country. I grew up on a farm and married a farmer, so I guess it's my life. I love being in the country, I love summer and I love being outside, all of that.” Mae is the middle name for both Donna and her mom, and that’s where the company name Touch of Mae comes from.
She and Troy have two children. Their son, Chad, is part of the farming operation. He and his wife, Lynelle, have three children, Lorinda, 7, Thane, 5, Kirk, 2, and one on the way. Lynelle frequently helps run the Touch of Mae boutique when it is open on Saturdays in the fall and April-May.
Donna and Troy’s daughter, Taryn, lives in Ohio. Her husband, Caleb Indermuhle, runs an excavating business there. Their son, Koehl, 2, shares Donna’s maiden name. “That was a pretty proud moment,” she said.
BUDGET-CONCIOUS DECORATING
Donna also works at Knobloch’s Greenhouse. “Other than family, I might be their longest working employee. I work in the spring months and I’ve learned a lot about flowers there.”
She markets Touch of Mae on Facebook and Instagram, plus occasionally sends messages to her customers via text. Outside of the regular Saturday hours in fall and April-May, “If I'm home and people want to stop in, just call and let me know, and I'll open the door anytime.”
Donna downplays her own decorating skills. “I don't ever feel like I have tons of talent. I just enjoy it and people seem to like what I do with the flower arrangements. I definitely find a lot of joy in it. I also enjoy creating on a budget. I like figuring out how to make it look nice without the customer having to spend too much money.”
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OLDEST CIVIL WAR VET IN PLYMOUTH CO. DIED IN 1945
The last living Civil War soldier in Plymouth County was Andrew W. Crouch of Le Mars. He farmed for 30 years in southern Plymouth County. He died at the age of 95 on January 11, 1945. At his graveside services, he was honored by World War I veterans, the American Legion Wasmer Post, Company D of the Iowa State Guard, and active duty servicemen. The solemn ritual of the Grand Army of the Republic included a parting volley by a firing squad and final taps by buglers sounding in far away echoes, according to the Le Mars Sentinel.
Crouch served with the First Wisconsin Cavalry, Company G. Born February 16, 1849, in Jamestown, New York, he enlisted in the Union Army in February 1864, when he was only 15 years, 8 months old.
On his 91st birthday in 1940, an interview of him in the Sioux City Journal revealed: “Mr. Crouch admits that he lied about his age at the time, but he says he had no trouble keeping up with the older, more seasoned soldiers.”
every fought on U.S. soil. Company G was a unit within the larger 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. This regiment was primarily involved in operations in the Western Theater, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.
The 1st Wisconsin was organized between September 1861 and February 1862, at Ripon and Kenosha, Wisconsin. After enlisting
IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE
Crouch saw extensive action in the final 15 months of the bloodiest war
Union Cavalry scouting in front of the Confederate advance. From the Iron Brigadeer Civil War Info and Resources.
in the company in April 1864, Crouch likely saw his first action in North Carolina. In the march through Georgia, the 1st Wisconsin was involved in fighting at Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, and Jonesborough.
The 1st Wisconsin and the 4th Michigan cavalries were credited with the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis near Irwinville, Georgia, on May 10, 1865. While General Robert E. Lee had surrendered in Virginia in April, the government of the Confederate States continued to exist in exile. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Davis and a cadre of trusted advisors still retained hopes for the future of the Confederacy.
But their Union pursuers caught up with the rebel band near Irwinville, Georgia, on May 10, 1865. Through some confusion, Davis made a quick dash toward the creek. He had thrown his wife’s raglan, or overcoat,
on his shoulders. This led to the persistent rumor that he attempted to flee in women’s clothes. A popular song of the era was “Jeff in Petticoats,” and the major tabloids featured artists’ renderings of the fallen leader dressed in everything from a wig to a hoop skirt.
Crouch’s regiment was mustered out of service on July 19, 1865, at Edgefield, Tennessee, whereupon he returned to Wisconsin.
PLYMOUTH COUNTY LIFE
He married Magdalena Roesch in 1871 at Potosi, Wisconsin. In 1872, they trekked to Iowa and homesteaded in Perry Township in Plymouth County, about 10 miles
north of Sioux City. They retired from the farm in 1901 and moved to Le Mars. They had one son and five daughters, along with 19 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and a greatgreat-grandchild.
At the time of his death, five grandsons and three grandsons-inlaw were serving in military service during World War II. One of his grandsons, Sgt. William E. Bergman,
Andrew W. Crouch with his parents, siblings and in-laws, most likely in the early 1870s. Magdalena and Andrew Crouch are in the back row, on the far right.
was killed May 29, 1944, in Italy.
Of the 76,000 soldiers from Iowa who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, Crouch was among the last 17 survivors. His wife died about two months after he did. She was 93.
Interestingly, at least four of their six their children lived to advanced ages –daughters Claudia and Esther both lived to be 100, son Oscar lived to be 98, and daughter Frankie lived to be 95. Several of their children were living in Le Mars, Merrill and Sioux City at the time Andrew and Magdalena died.
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Pvt A.W. Crouch, future resident of Le Mars, was among the soldiers who hunted down and captured Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America. Davis was on the run from the Union Army in the weeks after Lee had surrendered to Grant. Davis had thrown his wife’s raglan, or overcoat, on his shoulders. This led to the persistent rumor and many comical adaptations that he attempted to flee in women’s clothes. From Wikimedia Commons.
Magdalena and Andrew Crouch (seated), pictured with their children during a family reunion in August 1937. From the Sioux City Journal.
