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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | Vol. 6 Issue 25
‘75 years is a big deal’
‘A hobby for the soul’
Lang’s Dairy Equipment celebratory open house June 20
Hidden Springs Peony Farm’s new owner shares family’s flight from suburbia to farm life
| a salute to driftless agriculture
By Zach Jensen On Thursday, June 20, Lang’s Dairy Equipment of Decorah will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a special open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided, door prizes will be given away, and the Moo Mobile will also be on site. The public is invited to attend. “These days, 75 years is a big deal,” said Lang’s co-owner and General Manager Rob Engelhardt, “especially for anyone in the dairy business.” Engelhardt has been with the company for 34 years. When he started with Lang’s in 1990, the company was still putting pipelines in dairies. “We had a handful of dairies back then that were still milking with buckets,” he recalled. “After buckets and pipelines, we went to milking parlors in the mid 1990s. And now, we’re into rotary parlors and robotic milking.” Looking back Lang’s Dairy Equipment, Inc. originally began as Lang’s Refrigeration in 1949 and was founded by Forrest and Iva Nell Lang. Three years later, the business began selling and repairing dairy farm can coolers made by Dairy Equipment Co. of Madison, Wis. In 1959, the Lang’s sold the refrigeration business and renamed the company “Lang’s Dairy Equipment”. In 1961, the company began selling Bou-Matic Milking Equipment, a division of the Dairy Equipment Co., and in 1962, Lang’s moved from the house and garage where it started to a new building at 222 College Drive in Decorah, the current Pizza Ranch location. Bruce Hanson and Kelly Lang bought the business from Forrest and Iva Nell Lang in 1976, and in 1982, the company moved to Montgomery Plaza, the building currently housing Depot Outlet and Gundersen Rehab Services. Hanson became the sole owner of the company in 2012, after Kelly Lang’s passing, and in 2013, the company moved yet again to its current location at 2337 Millennium Road in Decorah. After Bruce Hanson retired in 2016, ownership of the company was handed down to his son, Aaron, and in 2019, Lang’s Dairy Equipment bought out Martinson’s Dairy Equipment in Winona, Minn. In 2022, the company’s Winona branch was relocated to a remodeled building in Lewiston, Minn. Also in 2022, longtime employee Rob Engelhardt became co-owner of the company. A family business “I grew up on a dairy farm,” Engelhardt said. “So, dairy has always been a huge part of my life. It might sound like a cliché, but we’re feeding the world, and to be part of that is pretty rewarding.” Engelhardt added that being in the dairy equipment business, Lang’s customers often become almost like family. “In this business, you really get to know the farmers, and they get to be your good friends,” he said. “Our customers are milking 24 hours per day and seven days per week, and we’re available 24 hours per day, seven days a week, to help them.”
Lang’s
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The Kubes family pictured in their peony field (l-r): Bianca, Bryan, Mira (being held), Gwen and Laura. In January 2023, the family bought the Hidden Springs Peony Farm in rural Spring Grove, Minn. (submitted) By Zach Jensen Laura and Bryan Kubes (pronounced “Koobesh”) weren’t raised on farms. In fact, aside from Bryan’s grandparents’ farm, his career with a seed company and Laura’s gardening, the couple’s real-world exposure to farm life was minimal before 2022. However, over the years while living in Plymouth, Minn., just outside Minneapolis, the urge to flee their hectic suburban lifestyle wore on them to the point they felt they absolutely must get back to basics, buy a farm and even raise at least some of their own food. “For a long time, we needed a little more country and a little less city in our lives,” said Laura, who owns the Hidden Springs Peony Farm with husband Bryan, located at 18581 Hous-
Pizza Finale! By Jessica Woodward
In all of the pizzas that I’ve consumed, the ones that stood out the most always had one ingredient: Good quality olive oil or some sort of finishing oil swirled over top. If I could only grow and consume one herb for the rest of my life, it would be basil. And, I know that some of you reading this would absolutely agree with me! It is sweet and so aromatic and pairs oh so well with some local
(Jessica Woodward photo) 130TH ANNUAL
P U RC H AS E
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By Denise Lana Disappointment was palpable in an Allamakee Courtroom Monday, June 10, as accused murderer Brandon Kasemeier, who was scheduled to plead guilty to the January 2024 murder of his estranged wife, Jami, changed his mind and withdrew his “guilty” plea. The two-pronged hearing began with the court addressing a motion made by the defense regarding a request for transportation to a dental facility outside the purview of the
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USRA National Points Awarded USRA B-Modifieds | USRA Stock Cars | USRA Hobby Stocks USRA Tuners | NEIRS Winged Sprint Cars
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PART Y IN THE P IT
FRI | JUNE 28 @ 8 PM
Hobby Stocks & Stock Cars
Peonies
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SAT | JUNE 29 @ 8 PM
prison medical system. According to County Attorney Anthony Gericke, an appointment had been made by Kasemeier to continue dental treatment that had been started in late 2023. Public defender Aaron Hawbaker stated that Kasemeier’s teeth and dental situation is dire and requires the attention of an oral surgeon. “As a ward of the state, the state has the responsibility to take care of him, given the
Kasemeier plea
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SUN | JUNE 30 @ 7 PM
continued on page 8
EVANS UNITED SHOWS ON THE MIDWAY
Friday 6-10 PM Sunday 1-5 PM In case of inclement weather Friday, will be held Saturday evening
THU | JUNE 27 @ 6:45 PM
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Foodie
she continued. “But, over the course of a few hours, we came back to the listing and saw how amazing it was. So, we decided to come look at it.” The first day Bryan and Laura visited the peony farm wasn’t ideal. It was a rainy August day, and all the peonies had been mowed down. But the property’s natural beauty quickly and easily seduced the couple. “We took a hike to the top of the property with the former owners, Harvey and Brigitte Buchite, and the views were amazing. When you’re lost in the woods and exploring, you’re in a whole other world, and then to boot, you have a whole field of peonies to
Kasemeier withdraws ‘guilty’ plea
FAIR FUN CARD $40 each in advance | $50 each during the fair (9 years+) WED | JUNE 26 @ 7 PM
June 26-30
heirloom tomatoes and some fresh mozz (insert Italian accent here). So why not combine these two – oil and basil – and make the most delicious finishing oil to take your homemade pizza to the next level!? A few things about the finishing oil. It makes about a cup, and you won’t go through that for a pizza or two. Need a couple of tips and tricks for that!?
ton County Rd. 4, near Spring Grove, Minn. “There’s definitely a trend of people in cities thinking about how great it would be to just buy a farm and raise chickens, and I’m proud of us for taking that leap, because it’s not easy.” In 2022, the Kubeses sold their Plymouth home and temporarily moved in with Laura’s mother while they hunted for their dream home, but they suspected they’d end up buying a peony farm. “We had a checklist of things we wanted in a home,” Laura said. “We wanted to farm something of a specialty crop. So, we wanted a property with at least 30 acres, some woods, some tillable land and a clean water source in the driftless region. “This place came up for sale and at first, we didn’t consider it an option,”
SAWYER BROWN with special guest
with special guest
Barrel Racing Bull Riding Mutton Bustin’
FIREWORKS SUNDAY
AFTER THE RODEO