The Farming Families of Lyon County (IA)—February 2022

February 2022 | www.AgeMedia.pub

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

Meet the

SCHRICK FAMILY Gracia and Dennis Schrick.

Story on page 6.

of Lyon County

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February 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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The right care.

The right place.

The right time.

of Sioux County PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media EDITOR & 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, Plymouth 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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LYON COUNTY FAMILY

GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO THE SCHRICK’S

By Bob Fitch

When Dennis Schrick of George, Iowa, left home for military service in 1964, he figured he’d had his fill of the farm. Likewise, when Gracia Bonnema left her parents’ farm at Steen, Minn., to attend Northwestern College, she thought she’d put farm life behind her, too.

“I always said I wouldn’t marry a farmer, but God has a sense of humor,” Gracia said. According to Dennis, “When I went into the service, I was kind of sick of the farm.

But it didn’t take long to figure out I wanted to be back here.” His great grandfather homesteaded the farm in 1883.

Dennis and Gracia Schrick enjoying the park near the Tennessee state capitol in Nashville.

Photos courtesy Gracia Schrick.

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Married now for 54 years, a lifetime of farming has been pretty good to Dennis and Gracia Schrick. They raised three children who today enjoy success in their careers and family lives; the couple has been able to travel halfway around the world; and they feel privileged to share their faith with people who haven’t been as fortunate.

Dennis met Gracia on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 1966. Gracia remembered, “A college friend of mine was

from George. She was having a card party and Dennis was my card partner that night.”

Dennis continued, “I was still in the service, but was home on furlough at the time. After that, I went back east. After I was discharged in August, I ran into her again and we started dating.” “… and that was the beginning of the end,” Gracia laughed.

There were married in February of 1968 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. For the first five years, they lived 4½ miles south of George “… in a really old farm house. It had running water in the kitchen, but it didn’t have a bathroom,” Gracia said. “I’d never lived without a bathroom in my house. It was not a fun time. But as soon as the frost was out of the ground, our land lady did put in a bathroom. She was a super land lady.” They continued farming that land until 2013.

Schrick’s have a unique driveway decorated with flowers and collectibles including this cupola which came from the barn of Dennis’ great grandfather.

The couple moved to the home place in 1974, the year after his father died of lung cancer. Like most young farm families, the early years and then the 1980s were an uphill challenge.

Gracia taught fifth grade in Sioux Falls for a year and then sixth grade in George for seven years.

“Teaching really helped us in those first years.

Our first year together was a crop failure.” Dennis said, “We got 31-bushel corn in ’68.”

They had a farrow-to-finish hog operation for many years and had stock cows until 2013. “We worked hard. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it all,” he said. Gracia said, “We never went crazy with buying things. We were conservative when it came to that.”

Dennis credits the hogs for a lot of their financial success. “One of the things that made us money over the years was hogs.

They were really good. I didn’t have a lot invested in facilities because they were outside.” He sold the sows in 2000, but con-

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The Dennis and Gracia Schrick family: Son Jeff and his wife Jodi with their sons Jace, Jaren and Jesse and his wife, Breanna; Grace and Dennis; daughter Nicole is next to Dennis; daughter-in-law Rissa and son Nathan who is holding Jedidiah, and their daughters Ella and Raelah in front.

tinued to finish feeder pigs and then rented out the facilities for a time.

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He also invested in an irrigation system in the mid-1970s which proved to be just in time for the drought of 1976. “Anytime you’ve got land along the river, you’ve got good ground and you’ve got sandy ground. I’ve run the irrigation system every year except for 1993, 2018 and 2019.” After decades of smart farming, conservative buying habits and faith in God, they were fortunate to build their dream house in 2004.

Their oldest son, Jeff, lives in Rock Rapids and is in sales and marketing for Vande Berg Scales in Sioux Center. His wife, Jodi, is the librarian at Central Lyon schools. They have three children, Jaren, Jesse and Jace.

Their farm borders the Little Rock River for one mile. Gracia said, “Our kids used to float down the river on intertubes – so all their cousins wanted to come here. It’s a pretty good place to raise kids.” After leaving her teaching career, she spent more time with the kids, plus cared for the yard and garden and flowers. Her dream is to be featured as

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Dennis and Gracia’s daughter, Nicole, is the deputy superintendent of Cedar Rapids Public Schools.

She’s engaged to Steve Connor, who works at the Des Moines airport.

Their youngest son, Nathan, is a marriage and family therapist in Buffalo, Minn. His wife, Rissa, teaches first and second grade.

They have two daughters, Ella and Raelah, and a son, Jedidiah. Dennis joked about Nathan. “He always said, ‘I’m not going to be like my dad; I’m going to work with my head, not my hands.’” Gracia added, “When he was just a little kid, he’d point to his

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | February 2022

hands and say ‘I’m not working with this,’ and then point to his head and say ‘I’m working with this.’”

Dennis said, “I’m thankful they all have good jobs and are healthy.”

Gracia added, “Growing up on a farm taught our kids a work ethic.

They know how to work. I’m proudest that our kids have a good, strong faith. All of our kids are involved in church. In fact, our youngest son, Nathan and his wife and their church, Buffalo Covenant, are involved in starting a Christian school in Minnesota.”

Dennis said, “We’ve always been involved in church. That’s been a big part of our life.” “We put God first.

Faith, family, farming – we kind of lived that, I hope,” Gracia said. The couple is part of a Gideon group which regularly does a jail ministry in Rock Rapids. “Gracia and I were just there on Tuesday. Of all the guys we’ve visited in prison, those

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doggone drugs and alcohol are often at the center of the problem.”

The couple and their grandson, Jesse, went on a mission trip to Haiti in 2013. “The poverty is staggering. The leadership there is so corrupt,” Dennis said. Gracia added, “Boy, that was an eye opener. The electricity turns off all the time. The roads were terrible. The infrastructure is awful.”

In 2019, their travels were more uplifting. About a dozen members from their congregation, First Baptist Church of rural George, traveled to the Holy Land. Gracia said, “It was the trip of a lifetime. I’m really glad we did that.”

Their pastor at the time, Mike Hagan, was the former president of Sioux Falls Seminary and an Old Testament professor.

He often knew more than their tour guides as they visited Biblical sites such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Caesarea, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and Hezekiah's Tunnel. While many sites have been altered far beyond recognition, some remained just as they were 2,000 years ago. “I loved the Sea of Galilee.

Just think – Jesus really walked on this water. The Jordan River – they can’t mess that up,” Gracia said.

They toured the Masada Fortress where the Jews made a stand against the Assyrians. “I loved Masada. You’re up here in the palace and looking down on the Dead Sea.” They swam in the Dead Sea, traveled to Jericho, and ate a meal with a family in Bethlehem.

God paints a beautiful picture on the Schrick farm near George.

An impressive clematis vine on the Schrick farm.

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“God has been good to us. He’s blessed us,” Gracia said, “We’re very fortunate at our age to be able to do what we can do. Some people our age are in the nursing home.”

About a dozen members of First Baptist Church of rural George traveled to Israel in 2019. Pictured in Hezekiah's Tunnel at the City of David are Pastor Mike Hagan, Doug and Donna DeBoer, Barbie Hagan, and Gracia and Dennis Schrick.

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PLYMOUTH COUNTY FAMILY

AFTER FIVE YEARS OF CHANGE, THEY’RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD CAUTIOUSLY

By Bob Fitch

Diversification and a little bit of luck help the Tentinger family succeed on their farm southwest of Remsen.

Travis, Kelly and Torey Tentinger; Travis and Samantha Huizenga; Tia and Hunter Tentinger.

Photo courtesy of the Tentinger family.

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“We’ve got cattle, we custom-feed hogs and we sell some grain. It’s a little bit of everything. So when something goes wrong, you’ve still got a check coming from somewhere else,” said Travis Tentinger who farms with his wife, Kelly and son, Hunter. “We background some calves and finish some cattle. We converted a lot of the dairy buildings over for cattle. I still custom-feed some hogs, too. It’s a nice steady income, you know what’s coming.” Tentingers grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa in collaboration with his uncle, Bill Tentinger.

Travis is the sixth generation of the family on the farm which was founded in 1882 by his Luxembourg-immigrant ancestors. “Right out of high school, I started farming while attending Western Iowa Tech’s agri-business program.

I’ve worked for neighbors, taken care of hog barns, did a little bit of trucking and I worked at the elevator briefly.”

For over 100 years, cows were milked on the Tentinger farm. Roman and Lucille Tentinger brought the Ayrshire breed into the operation in 1949; and the next generation – Travis’ parents, Jim and Sharon – built the largest registered Ayrshire herd in the state of Iowa. “Dad was pretty proud that he milked all Ayrshires, which is a pretty rare thing. They’re red and white and similar to a Holstein, but are a little smaller stature of an animal. They’re more of a show cow. Their milk is higher in butter fat and protein than a Holstein.”

Jim built a new freestall dairy barn less than 10 years ago, with the thought of getting the operation strong enough to add some employees he could supervise as he moved into retirement. “He built the freestall barn in 2013, which ended up being the same year he found out he had cancer. He never really got to enjoy it. Then milk prices went down and, because he was sick, he needed to hire more help. He got caught at just the wrong time.”

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Jim was part of the decision-making to sell the Ayrshires. The last cow was milked on Dec. 22, 2016. Jim died three days later on Christmas day.

“Dad milked cows right up until the cancer wouldn’t physically let him,” Travis said. “I never enjoyed milking cows, but I enjoy everything else. I like feeding cattle, farming, planting and combining.”

The operation has changed a lot in the last half-decade, with significant time and resources invested in converting facilities to focus on feeding cattle. “The year Dad passed, things weren’t great financially. There were a lot of unknowns and it was really hard to figure it out. We pretty much bought Mom out – I bought the buildings and most of the ground. Switch-

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ing over the facilities from dairy to cattle included a lot of big changes,” he said. Kelly added: “And we didn’t know how it was going to turn out. It was really stressful. We knew it would be scary for the first five years. We just reached that five-year mark and we made it. So we’re kind of relieved.”

Travis said, “Dad was pretty aggressive, and he did a good job of it. My grandpa was a little more conservative. Maybe that’s why my dad and my uncle were more aggressive when they took over. Maybe it’s my turn to be a little bit more conservative.

“We’ve just been trying to maintain and survive. We got some of the initial stuff paid off in five years, but we’ve still got a ways to go. Before we look at more growth, we’re trying to build up our working capital. We’re moving forward cautiously.”

Kelly and Travis have four children: Samantha, Hunter, Torey and Tia. Samantha is a nursing student at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. She married Travis Huizenga, a native of Orange City, last summer in a wedding outdoors on the farm.

Huizenga works in solar panel sales in Oklahoma.

Kelly and Travis Tentinger.

Service is Our Business

Torey is an 11th grader at MMCRU. She’s active in volleyball, softball, track, and is the basketball manager. She serves as an officer for both Skills USA and FFA. Tia is in 7th grade in the MMCRU district. She’s on the traveling volleyball and basketball teams as well as middle school volleyball, basketball, track and softball. Both girls are involved in 4-H. “They keep us very busy. We do a lot of running,” Kelly said.

Hunter is a 2018 graduate of MMCRU. He works on the farm, has some cattle of his own, and does some trucking on the side, mostly side dump work, but he also hauls livestock occasionally. “I worked a few odd jobs before I started trucking. I worked some hog barns for a while, was a part-time mechanic and did some welding for people while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Farming is what I want to do, but trucking’s my way into it.”

Hunter continued, “I like feeding cattle, but I probably like farming ground more. I’d like to see the cattle side grow – and the land side grow even more.”

Kelly’s family moved around when she was growing up, but they spent most of their time in Remsen. Travis and Kelly lived in Remsen until the spring of 2017 when they moved to the farm (and they built a new house in 2018).

Moving to the farm was a real change for Kelly, but she’s adapted. “You learn to love it and take ownership of it.

It’s a lot more work, that’s for sure.”

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She stays busy on the farm doing the paperwork, plus helps when needed to sort cattle, work calves, load and sort pigs, and chop stalks in the fall. But she leaves the daily livestock chores to her husband and son.

They rent crop ground from Kelly’s grandmother in Union Township, about four miles south. They had 400 acres of corn

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in that area wiped out by the hailstorm last June. “Our biggest concern was whether we’d have enough corn to feed for the coming year,” Kelly said.

Travis added, “It was a strange year,

but it turned out pretty well for us. We replanted acres in corn and soybeans. The re-planted corn did better than expected. We’ll have enough corn to feed for the year, but we won’t have much to sell. The soybeans did really well.”

The Tentinger family has always actively served the community and agriculture. Jim was active in the U.S. Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, including service as president of the board. Travis’ uncle Bill has been very active in the local and state pork producer associations. Travis has been on the MMCRU School Board for the past four years. He previously served seven years on the board before taking some time off.

Two new hobbies are also keeping the family busy.

The Tentinger farm in 1973 and 2021.

The first new hobby involves raising miniature cows, which Travis started as a “Covid project” in the spring of 2020. “A lot of miniature Hereford and Highland cattle are raised for show or are sold as pets. But they’re still a meat animal, it’s just a smaller package. It’s just the right amount of meat for some people. Not everybody has room in their freezer for a whole steer.” Hunter added: “It’s like we’re raising half a beef.”

Torey has interest in being a veterinarian, so she’s been part of the miniatures project. Also during the Covid isolation of 2020, Torey and Tia got bottle calves, just for the learning experience of it.

The second new hobby is designed to get them off the farm. “This last year we bought a boat. Kelly’s been wanting that for years and years. It was definitely one of the best decisions we’ve ever made,” Travis said.

Kelly said, “It’s good because you have to leave the farm to go do it. It’s hard to get him to stop working otherwise.” Travis said, “When we lived in town, it was a little different. I left the farm at night and went home. But when you live out here, you can always see something that you could be doing.”

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FROSTY FENCELINE. PHOTO BY BRETT DAVELAAR, BD PHOTOGRAPHY.

February 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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SIOUX COUNTY FAMILY

Michael and Kylie Nettinga.

TEACHING AGRICULTURE AND APPRECIATION FOR GOD’S CREATION

by Bob Fitch

When she’s teaching students at Western Christian High School, Kylie Nettinga often references Colossians 3:23 which says “Work willingly at whatever you do, as for God and not for man,” or as it says in another version: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

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Kylie said, “A big part of ag education and FFA is learning by doing. The point I try drive home is ‘We wouldn’t be studying any of this if wasn’t for our Creator who created us.’ We wouldn’t get to learn about why it’s important to take care of our soil or why we need to care for animals so we can be fed.

Or even why it’s important to know how to do a home improvement project so your future family can be well cared for.”

Kylie joined the teaching staff at Western Christian High School in the fall of 2015 when she was

entrusted to build a new agricultural education program from the ground up. “Being able to start an ag program plus have the opportunity to share Christ with each and every student is something that is rare to find.” She teaches courses covering topics such as plant and animal science, ag business, natural resources and environment, and basic construction skills.

“When I interviewed for this job, I knew there was a Biblical foundation here. For me, it was so evident that this community values Christ. This space I get to work in every day really values growing your faith. We talk about the religious aspects, but more importantly we value the importance of knowing Jesus as our savior and want to live for Christ,” she said.

A native of southeastern Iowa, Kylie strengthened her ties to northwest Iowa in December 2019 when she married Michael Nettinga of Hull.

Both enjoy helping on the dairy farm of his parents, Merrill and Marlys Nettinga. Kylie and Michael also like reading, exercising, and spending time outdoors with their pug, Maggie. They also make trips to help on the sheep farm of her parents, Lyle and Lori Miller of Wellman, Iowa.

education program from scratch. parents helped spark her interest in “When I first started, I can honestly agriculture and allowed her to pursay I was just having fun. I wasn’t sue it passionately throughout high married and I don’t have any blood school and college. Her interest in relatives here. So I was working becoming an ag educator and FFA Age Media Qtr Page Color 1-8-20.pdf 1 1/8/2020 11:21:34 AM 12- or 13-hour days and I loved it. I advisor was inspired by Marcia Killearned as I went and visited with the women who had been my advisors in high school. I talked to friends in the area who were starting ag programs, too.

We were kind of in it together.”

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Michael is a 2015 graduate of Boyden-Hull High School and a 2017 graduate of Northeast Community College in dairy science technologies. He is currently a farm management support specialist for Gorters-Clay Dairy Equipment of Pipestone, Minn.

In fact, for her master’s degree, she created a “how-to manual” on how to start an ag education program.

“I hope it’s helpful to some people. The first years are hard, but my encouragement to young teachers is ‘Yes, you can do it. Keep going.’ Look for the positives. Every day, write down something you’re grateful for or that makes you laugh.”

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Growing up on a small diversified farm in southeastern Iowa, her

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21

Katie Van Zee of Indigo Row Floral Design demonstrates floral arranging to one of the Western Christian classes.

gard and Karen Vande Walle, her FFA advisors at Iowa Mennonite High School.

“While I had grown up knowing that Christ and agriculture were part of my daily life, these two advisors pushed me to not only love agriculture, but to also love Christ with all of my being. They each showed me how to pursue Christ while still having a passion for educating other people about the importance of agriculture in our day-to-day lives,” she said.

After high school, she pursued a degree in agricultural education at Iowa State University (even though she’s been a Hawkeye fan her whole life). She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2015 and her master’s degree in 2019, both from ISU. Despite the fact that many of her students tower over her, there’s no doubt who is in charge of her classroom. She said she’s gained a lot of confidence since starting in 2015, especially in the last four years. “The kids know when I’m not messing around. They know I really value the discipline of hard work. I will call them out if they are being lazy or disrespectful.”

Students pot up plants outside the Western Christian greenhouse which was funded by Farm Credit Services of America.

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During those times when a student might be getting out of line, she’s quick to reference her faith lessons. “I’ll ask them: ‘How does God call us to change or restore this behavior which is clearly not helping you nor anyone around you?’ The more I teach at this school, the more I value the ability to say things like that.”

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As the ag program and FFA chapter matured over time, Kylie has enjoyed how students – and the FFA officers in particular – will frequently ask her “How can I help you?” She said, “That’s been such a joy to experience. It’s been a joy to be able to fine-tune who I am as a teacher and coach.”

She’s appreciated the opportunity to get to know the parents, businesses and other community investors who have generously supported the school’s ag program.

Last year, Kylie was named a finalist for the Golden Owl Award from the Iowa FFA Foundation. The Golden Owl Award, presented by Nationwide Insurance and state FFA foundations, recognizes outstanding agricultural educators in seven states. Kylie was nominated by school administrator Brian Verwolf and parents of Western Christian students. Comments in the nomination included: •

“Not every student can be involved as an athlete, but Mrs. Nettinga has always given him the opportunity to create memories and stay active within the school,” a parent wrote.

“Joining FFA made school tolerable for him.”

Ag students experimented with creating a new flavor of ice cream during a dairy science lab.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | February 2022

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712-470-5375 February 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

25

•

A letter of support from student said: “She always welcomes us with a friendly smile and a corny ag joke. She does an amazing job of encouraging us to be the best we can be and to shine Jesus’ light. She’s always telling us to work hard and constantly keeps us on our toes when doing experiments.”

“It blew me away last year to be nominated for the Golden Owl Award. It was really special to me and such a huge honor. I felt so humbled by it. It really encouraged me to keep being a better teacher,” Kylie said.

“My goal is to not only teach students about the importance of ag in their life, but to give them tools to learn how to ‘AGvocate’ for the future of agriculture and grow in appreciation for the creation God has given to us,” she said.

“I feel extremely blessed to be able to teach at a place where I can share my two greatest passions with students each and every day,” she said.

Students work on their sheetrocking skills.

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February 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

27

RISK MANAGEMENT

DOES MY FARM NEED CROP INSURANCE?

By Jeffrey Granstra, Sheldon Peoples Insurance Agent

Ever since the 1880s, when a group of tobacco farmers insured their crops against hail damage, crop insurance has been a critical component of every farmer’s longrange plan for success.

The rural economy continues to be mostly dependent on farmers’ ability to rebound after disaster strikes. Less than a decade ago, following the historic 2012 drought, federal crop insurance saved 20,900 jobs – with an annual labor income of $721 million – in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming alone.

And while Iowa State University Extension farm management specialist Steve Johnson told Wallaces Farmer that 89% of all Iowa farmers carry some form of crop insurance, there remain some local farmers who choose to risk their livelihood and their future in exchange for saving a few extra dollars for subsidized peace of mind.

Today, the success of farmers and their crops remains more crucial than ever. After all, the American Rescue

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | February 2022

Plan Act of 2021 includes an estimated $22.7 billion in nutrition and agricultural provisions alone.

See, when planting for tomorrow, a lot more than seed goes into the ground. Our crops begin an agricultural and nutritional chain reaction that affects every American — even during a pandemic. That’s what makes crop insurance (which you may hear referred to as ag insurance or farm insurance) so important in helping you hedge against unexpected economic and environmental damage.

DO FARMERS NEED CROP INSURANCE? In a word, yes. Here’s why: • Crop insurance can help you mitigate risk despite weather conditions.

• It helps ensure steady cash flow and income stability.

• It helps to introduce the use of new technology to improve crop production.

WHAT KIND OF CROP INSURANCE SHOULD I CHOOSE? There are two types of crop insurances offered to farmers: Crop-Hail and Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI). MCPI covers the wide range of perils that can affect your investment in your crop, while crop-hail insurance is available to protect your investment in case of an untimely hailstorm.

While MPCI policies must be purchased before planting and cover loss of crop yields from all types of natural causes (including excessive moisture or drought, freeze, disease, and loss in revenue due to low yields or changes in market pricing), you can purchase a Crop-Hail policy at any time during the growing season.

ISN’T CROP INSURANCE EXPENSIVE? Crop insurance is actually a great deal — especially when you consider the catastrophic losses you’re guarded against! Here’s why:

• Private companies must sell insurance to every eligible farmer who requests it. They retain a large portion of the risk on more than 80% of the policies written.

• The federal government subsidizes the farmer paid premiums to reduce the cost to farmers.

•

Also, it provides reimbursement to private insurance companies to offset operating and administrative costs that farmers would otherwise pay as part of their premium.

HOW DO I GET STARTED? At Peoples Insurance, we understand how much your farm means to you. Our agents have decades of local agricultural expertise and a long history in the insurance industry. Every day, we help Iowa farmers meet their insurance needs, and we’re prepared to design the right policy for you as well.

• The Risk Management Agency (RMA) sets the rates that can be charged for crop insurance.

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February 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

29

KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

HAWARDEN NATIVE HELPED SOLVE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES IN ‘50S-‘60S In the last year, nearly every sector of the economy has been impacted by the global supply chain crisis. The problems are easy to see in agriculture where implements and parts are in short supply and auto dealers are severely backordered on pickup trucks.

Ruth and Cecil Henkels in Sioux Center in 1993.

Today’s supply chain disruption started when the response to Covid caused a million small interruptions by governments and corporations. Exploding consumer demand added to the bottleneck, especially at sea ports. There has also been raw-material shortages, factory closures, a lack of truck drivers, port congestion, and inadequate infrastructure. The closure of the Suez Canal in March 2021 also created a negative domino effect on world supply chain logistics.

The United States and the world also dealt with major supply chain problems 70 years ago. After World War II, U.S. ports were highly inefficient. With imports and exports via U.S. ports rising to unprecedented levels, vast improvements were needed to America’s shipping logistics in the post-war economic boom. In addition, the country’s railroads were faced with growing competition from commercial trucks.

Did you know an enterprising young man who grew up in Hawarden was at the center of helping to solve this supply chain dilemma in the 1950s and 1960s?

Cecil W. Henkels was born in Hawarden in 1913 and graduated from Hawarden High School in 1931. He was one of the first two Eagle Scouts honored in Hawarden. His parents were William and Carrie Henkels. William Henkels was a partner in Wilkison-Henkels hardware store in Hawarden for about 30 years before moving to Omaha. In 1940, Cecil married Ruth Cole, the daughter of Hudson area farmers, Robert and Julia Cole.

Cecil Henkels began his transportation career in Sioux City. In 1937, he was transferred by Dougherty Motor Freight Lines to Omaha. During World War II, he was the general traffic manager of the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Corporation in Omaha. After the war, he returned to the trucking business, buying two truck lines which he later sold to the third largest company in the U.S. and he became district sales manager, terminal manager and general manager in Denver, Omaha and Sioux City.

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Cecil Henkels begins his climb in the world of transportation logistics.

Hawarden Independent, March 10, 1955.

In the mid-1950s, Henkels was recruited by the New York Central Railroad to organize a trucking operation for them covering 20 states. There were many innovators in this era who played roles in the revolution of containerization and advanced logistics, notably Malcom McLean. But German engineer and transportation logistics entrepreneur Ulrich Cramer, who worked in the midst of this era, said the “rail and road” intermodal equipment we know today as containers were developed by “Leo Mellam and Cecil Henkels (the founders of Flexi-Van) and Sol Katz (owner of Strick Trailers).”

A Flexi-Van trailer is loaded from road-mode to the railroad.

The economic success of the railroads depended on freight shipped in full cars.

The idea of putting truck trailers on flatcars was a method of moving lessthan-carload shipments economically.

This "intermodal" concept held the hope of competing with trucks which were taking more and more of the business from the railroads.

Designed to speed loading and unloading, the Strick / Flexi-Van design used a special turntable and a 36- or 40foot trailer with a removable wheel assembly called a bogie.

In operation, the trailer on its bogie was first aligned with the turntable and backed into place. The bogie was then unlocked and the trailer slid aboard the Flexi-Van car. Once in position, a pin locked the trailer to the turntable, which was turned to the loaded position using the on-board hydraulics.

The New York Central introduced its Flexi-Van cars and trailers in 1957-58 and they were purchased by a number of railroad companies over the years, including Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, and others. Technological improvements and advancements by competitors pushed the Flexi-Van model out of favor beginning in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, said David J. DeBoer in the book Piggyback and Containers.

Henkels eventually became vice president of operations of Penn Central, the corporation which resulted from the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad. But the merger of the two long-time competitors was not a success.

Attempts to integrate operations, personnel and equipment were unsuccessful due to clashing corporate cultures, incompatible computer systems and union contracts. Experts identified the New York Central Railroad has having been more streamlined and the NYC team (Henkel’s home base) as more progressive versus the Pennsylvania Railroad which was more conservative and traditional. When Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, it was the largest bankruptcy in the country up to that time.

Flexi-Van trailers on rail.

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Henkels resigned from Penn Central in 1972 for health reasons. He was long active in National Exchange Club chapters in White Plains, N.Y., and St. Augustine, Fla. He and his wife, Ruth, frequently returned to Hawarden and Hudson over the years to visit family and friends.

The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas in 2000. Henkels passed away in St. Augustine in 2003.

Sources: • Business Insider. https://bit.ly/FarmingBI • Compliance Week. https://bit.ly/FarmingCI • Supply Chain Dive. https://bit.ly/FarmingCI • Hawarden Independent back issues.

• Legacy.com. https://legcy.co/3ESA29e • The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, by Marc Levinson.

• https://bit.ly/Farmingcontainer • The Pennsy Modeler. https://bit.ly/Farmingpenn • N Scale Kits. https://bit.ly/FarmingN • Freight Cars of the 40s and 50s. https://bit.ly/FarmingFreight • Piggyback and Containers, by David J. DeBoer. https://bit.ly/FarmingFlex • American Railroads, by John F. Stover. https://bit.ly/FarmingRR

Cecil Henkels rose to be an officer with the New York Central Railroad. Hawarden Independent, July 10, 1958.

NOW REACHING 3,000 FARMS IN NORTHWEST IOWA February 2022 | www.AgeMedia.pub

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

February 2022 | www.AgeMedia.pub

of Lyon County

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

of Sioux County

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

Meet

KYLIE NETTINGA

Meet the

SCHRICK FAMILY Ag instructor Kylie Nettinga, center of photo in green, pictured with a group of her students at Western Christian High School.

Story on page 20.

Gracia and Dennis Schrick.

Story on page 6.

February 2022 | www.AgeMedia.pub

LYON COUNTY

of Plymouth County

Meet the

TENTINGER Family Hunter, Torey, Kelly, Tia and Travis Tentinger inside their 133-year-old barn.

Story on page 12.

SIOUX COUNTY

PLYMOUTH COUNTY

CONNECTING FARMERS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY Target active local farmers with your marketing.

For information on advertising: Bob Fitch | bob@agemedia.pub | 712-551-4123 32

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | February 2022

SIOUX CENTER HEALTH

is here to serve our family farmers At Sioux Center Health, we are here to serve you and your family throughout the continuum of care — from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. As a health ministry guided by Christian values, we are committed to consistently delivering an excellent experience to every person at every encounter to fulfill our mission of bringing hope, health, and healing to life.

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ADVANCE LENDING FARMERS COOP SOCIETY

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33

FROM THE KITCHEN

20-21 WINNER

HEARING THE SOUNDS OF LIFE

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE PUFFS

Melissa Baker, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA

From tasteofhome.com

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Prep: 25 minutes. Bake: 20 minutes + cooling. Yields: 8 servings.

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DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 425°. Toss together chocolate chips, baking chips and pecans. On a lightly floured surface, roll each pastry sheet into a 12-in. square; cut each sheet into quarters, making four 6-in. squares.

2. Place squares on ungreased baking sheets; top each with about 1/3 cup chocolate mixture. Lightly brush edges of pastry with water; bring together all corners, pinching seams to seal.

3. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly. Puree frozen raspberries with 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a food processor. Strain to remove seeds.

712.470.1969 34

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | February 2022

4. To serve, dust pastries with confectioners' sugar. Serve with raspberry sauce and, if desired, fresh berries and additional chips.

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