Southern Minnesota Century Strong | October 2021 | C18
Faced with grief, Halla returns to century-old family farm
By ANNIE GRANLUND annie.granlund@apgsomn.com
W
hen it comes to the Halla family, farming and living are synonymous.
So when Kevin Halla, the third generation owners of this 100-year-old farm in Somerset Township, came to a vulnerable point in his life, he knew he needed to go back to his roots. “My wife passed away about three years ago,” Halla said. “I just didn’t have the heart to go to work every single morning. I needed to get away.” Halla knew exactly where to find his heart again. In the 120 acres of farm nestled between Interstate 35 and Highway 218, just north of Steele Center, Halla continues to spend his days with the cows, corn and soy beans that have been a part of his family’s legacy since 1920. This year, the Halla family farm was recognized by the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the Minnesota State Fair through the Century Farm program, which honors Minnesota families that
The first farmhouse on the Halla family farm was built in 1924 by Rudolph Halla. The house still stands there today and has since had an addition built on. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Halla)
The Hall family is one of three Steele County century farms recognized in 2021, along with one sesquicentennial farm — a 150-year-old farm.
“Everybody supports everybody — that’s what makes a farm.” — Kevin Halla, third generation Steele County farmer have owned their farms for the last 100 years. Century Farms have to be at least 50 acres and continuously involved in farming.
In the beginning
In that first year, Halla’s grandfather, Rudolph Halla, purchased 80 acres from Albert and Pauline Schwake. Though Halla is unsure how much his grandpa
paid for the land, he does know one thing – farming was all that Halla boy knew.
“It was just a plot of land, there were no buildings on site or anything at the time,” Halla said. “But right away, they put up a hen house for chickens and then built a little living quarters right next to that.”
The first major crops at the Hall farm were corn, oats and hay, but Halla said his grandparents also sold eggs from their chickens and started milking cows. After three years of being on the new farm, the first-generation farmers built their brick house — a building that still stands today and is home for Halla’s aging parents.
“It’s one of them good ol’ houses,” Halla laughed, adding that the family put an addition on and built a second home over the years as the family — and the farm — grew.
K One of the more interesting “crops” thats a Halla said people often forget about was s
the amount of money the family was able
