Faced with grief, Halla returns to century-old family farm

By ANNIE GRANLUND annie.granlund@apgsomn.com

When 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.

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)

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 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

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.

to make logging. The original acres were largely wooded, he said, so the logging is what helped make the farm what it is today. He also said because of the logging that needed to be done to clear the acres for more crops, the family purchased a number of horses.

The second generation

When Halla was born in 1960, he said his parents made the move from Bixby out to the farm. His dad, Walter Halla, had already been farming along with other odd jobs, but while Halla was still a young boy his parents became the official owners of the farm. That was 1969.

Though Walter and Ethel Halla are still the formal owners of the farm, Halla is the main one running the farm. A 10-year transition plan was put in place five years ago to make him the owner.

Having grown up on the farm, Halla said he never fully stopped farming. He remembers his first job on the farm being the caretaker of the various cats and dogs they had, and eventually adding on mowing and taking care of the other animals like the cows and the hogs. There came a point in time, however, that Halla needed to find a full-time job elsewhere.

“There just wasn’t enough land to produce enough for everybody to make a living,” Halla said. “So I went and worked at Hormel in Austin for 35 years.”

After his wife died, Halla returned to the farm full time.

“Farming just helped heal the heart,” Halla said. “It keeps you busy when things are tough.”

The Halla family has had four generations of farmers and is currently working on the fifth. Pictured, from left, are Walter Halla, Kevin Halla, Ethel Halla, Lukas Halla, Evan Halla, Andrew Halla, Jace Halla and Jackie Larson. (Julian Hast/southernminn.com)

sources of revenue.

Changes on the farm

Because the success of farming can ebb and flow based on the markets, Halla said he has seen his family farm change a lot throughout the decades. At one time, the farm was one of many dairy farms in Steele County, but the family stopped milking in 1985 and transitioned to raising beef cattle, still one of its main “We will sell [beef] to local people if they need or want a cow, usually they will just take them themselves and bring it to a butcher or arrange something similar,” Halla said. “A majority of the cattle and hogs go to Zumbrota for the livestock auction.”

While the auction in Zumbrota is a major source of income, with Halla stating they get a monthly check cut to the farm from the station, there is still a large draw of people who want to buy a cow or hog

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directly from him.

“It’s amazing how many people want to buy right off the farm,” said Halla, adding that he is unsure of what exactly the appeal is. “I guess they just like to know where their food is coming from and they know we don’t confi ne our animals to buildings. People can come and look at them and see exactly what animal they are buying and how they are living.”

While the farm isn’t a certifi ed organic farm, mainly due to the expense to do so, the Halls take a lot of pride in feeding their animals well and making sure they are never over crowded.

Aside from livestock, Halla said the farm still produces corn and soybeans, rotating which acres get which crop every couple of years. Most of what they produce is sold to Crystal Valley Coop located in Hope.

Looking to the future

Though the century farm is only 120 acres, the family farms a total of 250 acres of crops.

“I own 100 acres and my dad owns 120,” Halla said. “We also rent some other land.” Once the transition plan to make Halla the sole owner is complete, the acreage will be combined. And though that transition is set to be completed within the next fi ve years, Halla said he doesn’t plan on being the man in charge that much longer.

“Whether or not the farm stays in the family for another 100 years, I think that will probably be up to my son,” said Halla. “I’m not going to stick a lot of money back into it, so I think Andrew will probably be taking over in the next 10 years or even less.”

The fi rst cattle barn at the Halla family farm was built in 1928 to house the family’s dairy cattle. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Halla)

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AgWise Certified 301 Division St Northfield, MN Office | 507.645.4212 Mobile | 507.412.0658 Having the family together on the farm is what really keeps him going, said Halla. With both his parents in their 90s and still living on the farm, Halla said there are often multiple generations together at one time because his grandsons love being out at the farm, too.

“Everybody keeps doing stuff together,” said Halla. “Even if they aren’t farmers, over the years there are different things to do — you might have a garden or take care of animals.”

“Everybody supports everybody,” he continued. “That’s what makes a farm.”