The Farming Families of Turner and Hutchinson Counties (SD)— October 2021

October 2021 | www.AgeMedia.pub

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

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JERKE FAMILY Jan and Gary Jerke of Tripp.

Story on page 20 38

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

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ADVERTISING SALES Garrett Gross, AGE Media (515) 231-9367 garrett@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural southeastern South Dakota. 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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5

LINCOLN COUNTY FAMILY

FAIRVIEW’S COLORFUL STORYTELLER

By Bob Fitch

Most of us know a few colorful characters. Well, there’s colorful, and then there’s Dennis Boote. If you get a chance to visit with him, set aside some time for a long, colorful conversation about his life’s adventures and enjoy a few of his offcolor anecdotes.

Dennis Boote and his grandson, Rhett Fossum. Photo by Taylor Fossum.

“I could tell you stories forever about anything you want to talk about. What do you want to talk about?” he asked at the start of the interview. When he began talking about his various jobs and careers, he stopped this writer in the middle of a sentence: “If you start writing down all the jobs I’ve had, your hand is going to get tired,” said Dennis, who grew up on a dairy farm on the west edge of Hull, Iowa.

A partial list of his occupations is long and varied: Dairy farmer, auto detailer, farrier, roofing contractor, rodeo roper, grain bin mover, movie-set buffalo wrangler, packing plant worker, trucker, and rancher.

For good measure, add husband, father, grandfather, and brain cancer survivor to his list of life’s accomplishments.

Dennis, or “Boot” as he’s frequently 6

known, married his wife, Jean, in 1989. At the time, she was living in Sioux Falls and he was living in Hull.

“We were looking for an acreage or something halfway between.

We ended up finding this place by hook or by crook.” Boote Hill Ranch is located south of Fairview, in the picturesque Big Sioux River Valley, where the sun rises early on the horizon over Sioux County, Iowa.

The sun also sets early on their home, which is tucked up against a steep hill in Lincoln County, S.D. When they first moved here, Dennis was shoeing horses. “I shod horses for four years for a living. I was buying and selling colts, too.

I was into the roping world pretty heavy. Roping and rodeo, that’s how I got started with cattle. I had connections,” he said.

“My first cows were all Longhorns.

I bought a herd from a guy down

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

in Homer, Neb. That was in the early ‘90s. Then, I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I went to a Corriente show in Rapid City.” He started transitioning the bloodlines of his herd to Corriente.

While the breed is often mistaken for Longhorn, Corriente have shorter horns.

“Corriente are sports cattle. They’re for team roping and bulldogging,” Dennis said. Corriente cattle are a breed of Criollo cattle descended from Spanish animals brought to the Americas as early as 1493. “One of the reasons I have Corriente is because they’re real easy. You know how to calve these out? You go out after and count the calves.

I’ve never helped one of these calf in my life – and I’ve had them since 1991. They’re real self-sufficient.

If they’ve got feed and room to walk or roam, they’re happy. That’s

Corriente cattle at Boote Hill Ranch. Photo by Katie Boote.

“Up north here, our Corriente cattle have to be tough.

They’ve got to have some bone and meat for them to make the winter. I sell mine at about 10 months. But you get down south, they might be 18 months old before they rope them because they’re down in that desert and they just don’t grow.” Demand is good – all of his calves for next spring are sold already. The animals aren’t sold on weight, but rather on quality horns for roping. “If you start out with 20 fresh calves in the spring, you’ll probably end up with 15 of them that are nice roping cattle.”

Every fall, Dennis heads for the annual gathering of the North American Corriente Association in Gillette, Wyo. “Going to a Corriente show, it’s like going to a family reunion, except you like everyone. They’re just a whole lot of fun.”

Dennis’ brother, Alan, was also active in rodeo and he roped Dennis into another adventure. Kevin Costner filmed a portion of his 1994 film “Wyatt Earp” at the Spanish Five Ranch located in the southern Black Hills. “They needed a couple guys to work all these buffalo because Wyatt Earp was a buffalo hunter for awhile. My brother called me and I said ‘Sure, why not?’ It turned out to be pretty fun.”

What did Dennis know about herding 1,500 head of buffalo?

“Not a damn thing until I got there,” he said.

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Dennis’ wife, Jean, and their daughters, Taylor and Katie.

Buffalo run faster than horses so a faceoff with the shaggy beasts requires nerves of steel by the wrangler and his steed. “This is absolutely 100 percent true: If you’re on a horse and a buffalo charges you, you only have one option. Charge them right back.

They will turn tail,” he said. Over the course of filming, he got charged by buffalo about 15 times.

supposed to be ready at 10:00 in the morning, but then it’s 3:00 before you saddle your horse.”

Dennis said every meal was catered. “You went to eat in a great big tent – they might have some seaweed or kale for you. The guy who was Kevin Costner’s stand-in was real down-to-earth. He’d say: ‘Where the hell are the barbecues and potato chips?’”

“You know how hard it is to round all those buffalo up and get them going down this valley, and then to stampede them for the camera?

First you want to keep them quiet and then you wanted them to run. By the time we got to the last couple of days, the buffalo were sick of us pushing them down the pasture.”

About a decade after the movie madness, he was roping steers at the Corriente show in October 2003 and got off-roaded onto his head when the steer tripped.

When the hospital was doing a CT scan to see if he had head trauma, they found a brain tumor.

He had more tests done in Sioux Falls and at Mayo Clinic. The Mayo neurosurgeon wasn’t optimistic because the tumor was the size of a fist and it was deep in his brain.

Working on a film on location was a strange experience. “A movie is one of those deals where you’re 8

Dennis Boote on the cover of the magazine of the North American Corriente Association. His wife, Jean, took the photo while Dennis watered his horse, Sage, in the nearby Big Sioux River. This was the winner in the association’s photo contest one year.

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Surgery would have left his brain severely damaged. And there was no beating around the bush about the situation: Dennis’ wife, Jean, has worked as a histologist in Sioux Falls hospitals since she was 17.

She prepares tissue samples for a pathologist to study.

His options were radiation or chemo or both at the same time.

When they found out the cancer was stage 3, he said: “Hey, it’s wide open now. The guns are loaded, the hammer’s cocked. I want them both at the same time. We’re going at this thing as hard as we can.’”

He had 32 radiation treatments and took a high dose of a new chemotherapy drug every day for nine months. “I kind of got along with the chemo all right. I took the anti-puke pills. I never missed a day of work. I was moving grain bins and shoeing horses back then.”

The time after finishing chemo was not encouraging. “Those were the worst 30 days of the whole damn deal. I thought this thing had exploded in my head. My head hurt so bad.”

He faced the next scan with trepidation. But, he said, “The doctor came in and says ‘I think we got it whupped. We can’t find a spot on there that’s alive yet. I don’t think I need to see you anymore.’”

Dennis went back for a checkup every six months for two years – but has never been back since. “I was pretty much blessed by God in the deal. The big guy upstairs up there took care of that.”

Dennis and Jean have two daughters. Katie lives in Kalispell, Mont., which is next to Glacier National Park. Katie is an equine veterinarian, a small animal vet and now an animal chiropractor. Their daughter Taylor is a registered nurse in Canton. She and her husband, Austin Fossum, live just a few miles away on the other side of the Newton Hills. Austin is an electrician.

Earlier this year, Taylor and Austin welcomed a son, Rhett James. It’s the first grandchild for Dennis and Jean.

Undoubtedly, Rhett will hear all about his grandfather’s wild and wooly adventures. “Everybody’s got a story.

It’s just life. It is what it is,” Dennis said.

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THE BOOTE BARN

Dennis Boote’s barn is a story unto itself. The original barn burned down a number of years ago. Over four years, Dennis built a new barn on the footprint of the old one. “Everything in this barn except that one beam, I did myself. Every board, every screw, every cut, I did myself. The next person who lives here, if they want something different inside here, everything is put in with screws. All they’ve got to do is get a screwgun and a few bits and pull it out.” When the first barn burned down, he lost 10 saddles, but the saddle horns remained on the wall lined up in a row. Today, the saddle horns hang on the barn walls as hooks.

The interior wall pictured here has an interesting collection of “good conversation pieces.”

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Buffalo skull.

A copper water cup to drop down the well for a quick drink. Its design tips easier and fills faster than a bucket.

This red Longhorn cow skull is from a heifer Dennis purchased almost by accident. The seller said, “Oh, she’s a two-year-old with one hip that’s messed up. She’s no good so we just threw her in the feedyard.” Dennis said, “’Well, what do you want for her?’ He said $250. I said, “You know what, load her up, I’ll take her, too.’ I took her home and threw her in the pasture. She had 22 calves.

She had to be almost 25 years old before she didn’t have anything left. My kids nicknamed her Horns. And she was a good momma, let me tell you.”

The “1886” sign and all of the wood on this interior barn wall was salvaged from Pattee Creek Ranch, a large operation located for many years northwest of Hudson.

Ironically, his land was originally purchased from Dakota Territory in 1886. Other interior walls are covered in steel salvaged from a round barn which had collapsed east of Hudson. He straightened the steel and cut it to fit.

This buffalo skull was discovered about 1971 on a sandbar in the Rock River at Rock Valley.

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11

TURNER COUNTY FAMILY

ONE FOOT IN THE WORLD OF PORK AND ANOTHER IN THE WORLD OF CATTLE

By Bob Fitch

If a person wants to learn about South Dakota’s pork industry, the guy to talk to is Glenn Muller. He’s happy to talk about the accomplishments of the state’s pork producers and the positive prospects for the industry looking forward. But getting Glenn to talk about himself is like catching a greased pig or riding a rodeo bronc – it’s not easy.

Glenn, his wife Joan, and their entire family have been part of agriculture in one form or another for decades. In fact, Glenn and Joan celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August, so the couple has been in it together for a long time on their farm near Davis.

Glenn and Joan Muller of Davis. Glenn is executive director of the South Dakota Pork Producers Council.

12

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

October is National Pork Month and Glenn is executive director of the South Dakota Pork Producers Council, so let’s talk hogs first.

Swine production in South Dakota is increasing at a good clip. “Our numbers have been growing consistently by about 8 percent a year over the last five years. We’re seeing some responsible growth,” Glenn said.

West River shows potential for industry growth because hogs would be isolated from disease. However, swine herds continue to be tied largely to corn production east of the river and processing at Smithfield in Sioux Falls.

Across the state line to the east, Sioux County, Iowa, has the highest concentration of livestock anywhere in the country and provides a possible road map for related economic development. “We see the positive attributes – all their small towns are thriving and there’s a lot of industrial development revolving around agriculture,” Glenn said. The largest negative in northwest Iowa is worry about bio-security because of livestock population density. Some people have concerns about odor, although those issues have been largely minimized, he said.

The Muller family farm. In the background is the storm brewing which generated the tornado that struck nearby Lennox on Saturday, Aug. 28.

Photo by Joan Muller.

“I think we’re doing a really good job in South Dakota educating the public about the value of livestock production, so we’re seeing some expansion and communities are seeing the benefits of jobs coming back, which supports the local business infrastructure.”

Joan added that growth in the production of hogs and other livestock also helps communities “in areas such as strengthening schools and hospitals.” Joan was a nurse for 50 years, so the importance of healthcare is always top of mind.

According to Glenn, “Agriculture has always been the number one industry in South Dakota, but I think a lot of times we take it for granted that it’s always going to be there. We haven’t nurtured it or encouraged it in communities like perhaps we should. When an area loses its ag base and livestock production, small communities suffer. They see a migration of youth out of their communities.”

Glenn and Joan’s daughter Shelly Altena, son Steven Muller, and son-in-law Cory Altena do the final fitting for one of the Muller Herefords being shown at the Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City in January 2021.

There are good stories to tell right now about spinoff jobs from a strong ag base. “Look at Jack Links in Alpena. The town itself is pretty small, but you’ve got a processing plant there that employs a tremendous number of people. Parkston is another prime example of what a solid livestock base does for a town. Look at MDS and the feed mill and other ag-associated businesses there. It’s a thriving community because of agriculture,” said Glenn, who was the volunteer president of SDPPC from 1990-92.

Looking back at his 10-plus years as SDPPC executive director, he said, “The one initiative that all producers in South Dakota take pride in is the evolution of the new Swine Research & Education facility at SDSU. Pork producers in the state stepped forward and brought the message to the administration at SDSU that there was a strong need for this facility and assisted in moving it forward.” Producers were also advocates for the Animal Disease Research & Diagnostic Lab at SDSU. About seven years ago, SDPPC did a long-range strategic plan and the organization set a goal to grow the industry in order to maintain the state’s swine-related infrastructure. With 8 percent growth in each of the last five years, “It appears we’ve had some very good success in that arena. We feel

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Glenn and Joan’s son, Steven Muller, and his wife, Amy Sutton-Muller, with their children Shally and Shaden. They live near Onida, S.D.

Glenn and Joan’s granddaughters, Kinsly and Keilahny; their daughter, Shelly; and her husband, Cory Altena. They live near George, Iowa.

the industry is on a lot more solid ground today than it was 10 years ago and that we can maintain the infrastructure and have a viable pork industry in South Dakota.”

Glenn grew up as a pork producer – and a whole lot more. The Muller farm had a farrow-to-feeder pig operation for many years. “Back when I was a kid, we were as diversified as you can get. We had chickens, pigs, sheep and milked cows. Things have evolved but 14

Glenn and Joan’s son, Scott Muller, with his girlfriend, Amie Larsen. They live in Hurley.

Glenn and Joan’s grandchildren, Cash and Sage; their daughter, Sarah; and her husband, Shannon Vogele. They live south of Lennox.

we’ve kept the cattle around.”

He and Joan both graduated from Lennox High School. Joan went to Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls to become an LPN and had a life-long career in nursing.

“I was at Sanford Women’s Health for 39 years, taking care of women, women’s health, pregnancies, and so forth.” She retired Sept. 1, 2020.

“Covid kind of pushed me into retirement. I’m an ovarian cancer

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

survivor and they didn’t want me to work during Covid. I’m happy to say my checkups are good now.” (She had cancer treatment in 2018.) “I miss my patients and co-workers, but I’m enjoying being a typical grandmother who goes to the events of all her grandchildren.

I like to give Glenn a helping hand when I can.” She also enjoys reading and canning vegetables and likes to try new recipes and crafts.

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Glenn attended South Dakota State University where he majored in ag education and animal science. He described his professional career as a “jigsaw puzzle.” After college, he had three different stints as an agriculture teacher. He farmed fulltime from 1976-1983, before moving farm work to part-time status when he worked at a Canton bank in the 1980s.

Prior to joining the pork council, he worked at Smithfield Foods for 13 years. “I started in procurement and ended up in risk management.” The family sold their sows when he joined Smithfield as a precaution against moving disease one direction or another.

Together, Glenn and Joan raised four children.

Son Scott is a livestock truck driver for Prime Time Trucking.

His girlfriend, Amie Larsen, is a cook at the school in Hurley.

They live in Hurley. Glenn and Joan’s son Steven owns Midwest Sonotech, a carcass evaluation firm. He’s also part of Muller Cattle and has a herd of his own near Onida, S.D. His wife, Amy Sutton-Muller, does marketing and event production for Sutton Rodeo and is a timer for PRCA. They have two children: Shaden, 8, and Shally, 4. Shaden is a vocal soloist and has sung the national anthem at rodeos.

Glenn grilling pork at an event in Rapid City with Ronda Snyder, who coordinates SDPPC promotion and consumer education in the Black Hills region. Photo courtesy SDPPC.

Their daughter Shelly is a cosmetologist in Sioux Falls. She and her husband, Cory Altena, farm near George, Iowa, and run Altena Show Cattle. They have two daughters: Kinsly, 12, and Keilahny, 5. Kinsly captured the junior beef showman title in her first trip to the American Royal in Kansas City last year.

Glenn and Joan’s daughter Sarah is a lab quality manager at Poet’s Chancellor plant plus operates Vogele Show Cattle near Lennox with her husband, Shannon, and their children, Cash, 16, and Sage, 14. Cash and Sage have shown champion pigs at both the Iowa State Fair and Aksarben.

“Our whole family has been involved in the cattle business.

We’ve always had cattle around the farm,” Glenn said. “We run a small herd of cows, primarily commercial with a few purebred Herefords. All of our family has been involved in building the caliber of our herd. We sell cattle at the Excellence Sale, the state Hereford sale. And we’ll typically go to Rapid City with some cattle for the Black Hills Stock Show.”

Joan said their children were highly involved in 4-H, FFA and Open shows when they were growing up. They showed cattle, pigs and sheep. Glenn said, “Our kids gained a lot in 4-H and FFA … the people they met, the experiences they had, and the leadership qualities they developed. I think they developed their work ethic by being on a small farm and giving their livestock that extra care … knowing what it takes to feed one right to get it to the point where it will be more competitive.

If you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to work.”

Herefords from the Muller herd at the Excellence South Dakota Hereford Sale in Brookings in November 2020.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Joan agreed, “I think it made our kids well-rounded individuals.

And now we’ve got the next generation. It’s fun to watch the grandkids do what their parents did. They’re in it to win it.”

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RUSTIC DESIGNS AND MORE The Christmas seasonal show at Rustic Designs & More is Nov. 6-14.

It will feature crafts, fine art, antiques and more. Rustic Designs is located at 41450 264th St., Ethan. For information, find them on Facebook or call 605-770-2411.

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October 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

19

HUTCHINSON COUNTY FAMILY

A SANCTUARY FOR THE SOUL

By Bob Fitch

Faith and family are the two cornerstones of a unique retreat center located near Tripp just south of the Hutchinson County line.

Jan and Gary Jerke in front of his childhood home, a 1917 Sears & Roebuck kit-built house. They’ve refurbished it as a guest house at The Farm retreat center.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Age Media Qtr Page Color 7-12-19.pdf 1 7/12/2019 11:22:43 AM

A state-of-the-art meeting space in the loft of the barn at The Farm.

“I always had a dream to honor the memory of our ancestors and to do it in a way that’s faith-based and tells the story of immigrant families,” said Gary Jerke, who, with his wife, Janice, developed and operate a rural retreat center called “The Farm” which is completing its first full year. It is a nonprofit organization overseen by a nine-member volunteer board under the name Faith & Family First Inc. Gary said the intention is to focus on what he calls the “8 F’s.”

The first two “F’s” are the foundation for everything else – faith and family. “I’ve always felt they are the cornerstones of our society. If you don’t have a strong faith and a strong family network, then our society is going to crumble,” he said. The next “F” is freedom – they are working with groups such as the VFW and the American Legion to develop a patriotic freedom display. Other “F” themes are fitness and health, financial well-being, farm life, and folklore and fun.

Of course, farm life wouldn’t be fun if one overlooked the “F” of food. “Kuchen and chislic are two of South Dakota’s state foods and, of course, those are traditions from our local German-Russian ancestors.” When Gary and Jan give tours of the local area, there are usually stops featuring kuchen and chislic. They also plan to have cooking and canning classes.

Over a calendar year, programs will be developed around each of the eight “F’s.”

Among Gary and Jan’s inspirations for pursing development of the retreat center was the Bible verse found in Exodus October 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

21

23:19: “Bring the first of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.” “I thought the first of the first fruits of the land we’ve been given in this country would be the yard or the homestead – the core of what we have. It was my intention to dedicate this back to God. We have a large cross we light at night. In a couple of the beds of the house, when you’re lying there at night, you can see the cross to remind us to return to Him what He gave to us. So that’s the purpose of this property,” he said.

“One of the expressions I like to use for the property is that it’s a sanctuary for the soul. Many people who come here find the environment allows them to get right with God or to define what they need to work on within themselves.”

The Farm is located on the original Jerke family homestead. The primary five acres includes Gary’s childhood home – a 1917 Sears & Roebuck kit-built house which has been remodeled and refurbished inside and out. They added a wrap-around porch and a wheelchair-friendly ramp. The first-floor bedroom and bathroom are handicap-accessible, as is most of the property and facilities. The house has a modern kitchen and sleeps 12. However, they did have a church group of 45 people from Mitchell – many brought sleeping bags and slept in tents, the you’re seekin Whether tree house and the barn.

The treehouse at The Farm.

g a skilled, a living comm ssist unity for yo able things urself or for is do the Jerke’s not provide food service, a se n se a we’Typically, love of warmth a re num er nto onand d make e. Jan might be convinced comfort. Le althoughbGary tT some kuchen. In addition, it’s possible to have an event catered by one of the local Hutterite colonies.

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ceremonies, an outdoor stock tank splash pool, and a fire pit. The authentic Amish-built barn is heated and airconditioned and includes German-Russian historical displays and state-of-the-art meeting space for up to 90 people. It also has a kitchen. In the nearby calf shed, they’re developing historically-based interactive displays which are familyfriendly. There’s also space for laser tag and nerf gun battles – but no video games because they want kids to stay active and use their imaginations.

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The Amish group of families who built the barn also help in the summer with keeping the farm neat, cleaning the house for guests, and tending to the sheep and horses they loan to James Hofer, Owner/ Founder

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The lower level meeting space in the Amish-built barn at The Farm.

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The Farm. One time the tour groups from The Farm stopped at a shop the Amish run and bought them out of baked goods and candy. The same group enjoyed a meal prepared and served by the Greenwood Hutterite Colony of Delmont.

The Farm clearly identifies itself as a Christian nonprofit with a mission to provide an alcohol-free, drug-free and smoke-free experience to those seeking tranquility. Gary and Jan welcome family reunions, weddings, prayer retreats, class reunions, and corporate retreats and planning sessions. They recently played host to the South Dakota State Plowing Contest. Gary is immersed in local culture and can lead groups in historical, culinary and agrarian tours upon request for an additional fee.

An Amish-made quilt in a bedroom of the house.

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Jan said, “The most interesting part of this place is the people who come and their stories.” One woman brought her daughter and they just spent the afternoon together sitting in the hammock swings on the porch.

Another woman came to sit on the patio to write in her journal. “It is such a peaceful setting,” Gary said.

“It’s a gravel road and we don’t get a lot of traffic. You don’t have any of the peripheral noise of even a small town. You can hear the rooster crowing, the sheep bellering and once in a while a horse neighing.

You just kind of find yourself.”

The property features 37 acres of native prairie pasture. “It’s never been turned over, it’s never been grazed.

You can walk out in it and feel what Laura Ingalls Wilder might have felt,” Gary said.

Faith, family, freedom, food, folklore and fun are woven into The Farm’s additional purpose of celebrating the story of immigrants to South Dakota. “My great-grandfather homesteaded here in Dakota Territory days. All of our immigrant ancestors made South Dakota what it is. We

wanted to have a place where we could pay homage to them.”

Gary is an expert on the story of Germans from Russia who settled in Dakota Territory. Except for a settlement in Sandusky, Ohio, more German-Russians first settled in South Dakota than anyplace else.

Hutchinson County and all of its neighboring counties have elements of the German-Russian people and culture. Gary said, “The core of the German-Russian culture – even more so than North Dakota and north-central South Dakota – is Hutchinson County. At one time, Hutchinson County was likely the most ethnically identifiable county in the country because it was virtually all Germanic-speaking people.” Various German peoples moved here as families into villages like Olivet, Tripp, Freeman, Parkston and Menno. People in the towns shared the German language but they were also individually identifiable as sub-groups of the Germans from Russia.

As Germans, the early pioneers to Hutchinson and its neighboring counties stand out because they left Germany for Russia before Hitler and the Nazi movement; and left Russia for the United States before Lenin, Stalin and communism.

“They were just a unique people with a unique culture that you could very easily define. They’re the hollyhock people, they’re the lilac bush people, they’re the mulberry tree people, and they’re the kuchen and chislic people. Some of that will survive and some of it will be forgotten.”

One of the bedrooms in the guest house.

Since retiring from a career in financial services, Gary has not only worked to develop The Farm, but he’s also been an instrumental advocate for the introduction of the German-Russian Cultural Heritage Center at Northern State University in Aberdeen. He’s also compiling the histories of local families and churches, especially related to the Germans from Russia experience.

The Jerke family’s original 80-acre homestead has been placed into a trust which will pass to Gary and Janice’s children: son Kristopher, his wife Brooke, and their children, Eleanor, Ava and Amelia Jerke; and daughter Heidi and her husband Johnny Wade.

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With an eye towards preserving memories for their own and others’ children and grandchildren, Gary said, “People need to talk to people. They need to put away their computers and iPads and smartphones. They need to sit down with their family and their neighbors – especially the elderly – and ask them questions. Dig into their stories and wisdom – it’s history that makes life fuller and more complete.”

For information about room and facility rates, go to www.experiencethefarm.com, call 605-505-1233 or find them on Facebook.

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October 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN? Along with big red barns and windmills, silos are one of the iconic physical structures identified with the American farm.

Windmills were the first of these three structures to face its demise. Then big red barns began disappearing despite the strong sentiment attached to them. Fortunately, there are diehard preservationists saving a share of those barns, despite the hefty price tag.

Silos were the last of the three to rise on the farm skyline. Will they be the next iconic structure to come down?

Filling the silo at the J.S. Pingrey farm near Hurley, S.D., in 1911. Filling the first generation of upright silos was a very labor intensive process. Photo from Hurley Centennial book.

Silo pits for grain storage date to the 8th century BC in Greece and to 5000 BC in the Middle East. In Turkey and Persia, insurance agents bought wheat and barley when it was inexpensive and stored it in hidden pits for times of scarcity.

The first modern upright silo was invented and built in 1873 by Fred Hatch of McHenry County, Illinois.

The United States Department of Agriculture says there were only 91 silos in the United States in 1882. By 1895, there were more than 50,000 silos across the country, and by 1903, there were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 silos dotting the landscape. Silos were especially important in the development of the dairy industry because of the ability to store highquality green feeds.

“For the dairy herd it is difficult to find its equal,” one Iowa farmer in the early 1900s said about silage. He moved his cows away from the silo while having work done on his barn.

During the time without silage, the farmer said the cows’ milk production dropped by a third.

South Dakota began to see silos rise on the farm landscape during the Second Dakota Boom of 1902–1915. The first silo to appear in a particular area was often a newsworthy event. On Sept. 7, 1911, the Turner County Herald reported that its editor made a trip to the Jim Pingrey farm where a new silo was being filled for the first time: “Silos are a new thing here and they are all being closely watched by farmers who will build next year if they seem successful.”

The editor said 20 men were engaged in filling the silo near Hurley. “The corn is cut with corn binders and hauled to the silo where it is fed into a cutter run by a traction engine. After being cut, it is elevated straight up through sheet iron pipe to the top of the silo. Inside three men are kept busy packing the fine corn. It is tramped and every corner is packed. The stalks, 26

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

A Rock Valley, Iowa, farm was home to the fourth “Iowa Silo” developed and monitored by Iowa State College. Note the chart documenting the costs of the structure. Photos are from Iowa State University except when noted.

Photo by Brett Davelaar, BD Photography.

leaves, ears and all are cut into fine pieces not over an inch long. It makes a soft pile, damp but not wet and will keep as long as it is not exposed to the air.” The Herald reported an acre of corn could make five to 10 tons of ensilage.

The use of silos “is the beginning of a new era in Turner County farming and means more stock on small acreages than is possible any other way,” said the Herald’s editor.

At first, silos were built of wood. Because the wood deteriorated, curved concrete blocks were introduced in 1900.

Concrete or cement staves for use in silo construction were invented in 1905. Clay tile was introduced in 1908 and metal silos were being advertised by 1910.

In the early 1900s, Iowa State College was experimenting with what they called the “Iowa Silo.” The average cost of a 16 x 35-foot silo with a concrete roof was between $300 and $350. The walls of the Iowa Silo were specially designed “hollow, hard-burned” tiles. The blocks were laid horizontally around the silo, and the joints were laid in cement mortar. Steel wire was laid between the courses of tiles for reinforcement.

The highly-recognizable blue Harvestore glass-fused-to-steel, low-oxygen silo was introduced in 1949. Harvestore silos increased in popularity through the 1960s into the 1970s.

Whether it’s true or not, the expense of Harvestore silos is frequently blamed for bankrupting many farmers during the 1980’s farm crisis. While there are staunch defenders of the brand, a brief online search quickly finds long threads of

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discussion about what some called “blue tombstones” or “monuments to a broke farmer.”

For several decades, as cattle feedlots and dairies have gotten significantly larger, there has been a move away from silo towers and towards silage being stored in plastic-wrapped bunkers, plastic-covered piles or plastic bags. These methods are typically easier to work with and the feed is faster to access than feed in upright silos.

As fewer upright silos are built and old ones are torn down or fall down, it appears to only be a matter of time until silos follow windmills and barns as a disappearing site in the Midwestern farm landscape.

Sources: • •

• • • • • • • • •

Cheryl Mullenbach, iowawatch.org, 2017 J.B. Davidson and M.L. King, Iowa State College Ag Experiment Station Bulletin #117, 1910. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/bulletin/vol10/iss117/1 Iowa State College Ag Experiment Station, 1919 South Dakota State Historical Society / SWCA Environmental Consultants, 2013 Hurley Centennial book / Turner County Herald, 1911 International Silo Association. silo.org/about-us/history/history-of-tower-silo Wikipedia entry: Silo Wisconsin State Farmer, 2020 MorningAgClips.com, 2020 Delano Herald-Journal, 2007 Hutchinson Leader, 2019

Construction and completion of the “Iowa Silo” developed by the team at Iowa State College.

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MINNEHAHA COUNTY FAMILY

BUNDE FAMILY IS ‘PART OF THE DIRT’ IN MINNEHAHA COUNTY

By Bob Fitch

Travis Bunde considers himself fortunate to be the fifth generation working the family’s land in Minnehaha County.

“I’m one of the lucky ones because I know a lot of people who would like to farm, but their family’s farm is gone or it’s been rented out. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to farm.

Not everyone has the chance.”

Travis and his wife, Stacy, farm on the north edge of Lyons with his parents, Terry and Deb Bunde.

Several of the great grandparents of Terry and Deb were homesteaders in the area, dating as far back as 1875. “We’re pretty much part of the dirt around here,” Deb said.

Hogs were part of the farm until two years ago. The family did farrow-to-finish up until 1999, then switched to bringing in iso-wean pigs before finally moving to custom feeding before exiting the pork industry in 2019.

Front: Travis, Stacy, Deb and Terry Bunde. Above: Tristen, Brianna and Morgan.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Deb said, “When our kids were little, I’d put them in the feed cart and away we’d go and take care of pigs.”

Terry said, “Yep, cut teeth, castrate little pigs, cut tails off. Sometimes

The Bunde family in the fall of 2019. Standing in back: Arian holding Abbott, Kinley (standing on straw bale) Brady holding Summit, Morgan, Stacy, Tristen, Travis, Brianna, Aiden, Miranda, Owen, Justin holding Addyson. Seated in front: Jenna holding Grayson and Hadley, Brett holding Brynn, Deb, Terry, Kali, Tara holding Keegan, Chris holding Emerlee. Missing from the picture is Laikyn, Brady and Arian’s fourth child born Oct. 4, 2020.

we’d have to throw the kids out of the pen so the sows didn’t get them.” Deb added: “The kids did it all. They all worked. It didn’t hurt anybody.” In addition to Travis, who is the oldest, they have three other sons – Justin, Brett and Brady; and one daughter, Tara.

All five of their children graduated from South Dakota State University. Terry said, “It paid off for our kids to go to SDSU. They all got good jobs. All the kids are doing well, which makes us very happy.”

Travis is an engineer who worked in the Twin Cities before he and Stacy moved back to South Dakota when their first child was a newborn about 15 years ago. In 2011, he took a position as a systems engineer at Sioux Falls-based Raven Industries, a national leader in precision agriculture technology. He continues to work there fulltime as the OEM sales manager, overseeing the company’s OEM business as well as sales of OmniDrive, one of Raven’s autonomous products. Raven was recently acquired by CNH Industrial, a London-based corporation whose brands span several major equipment industries. In agriculture, CNH brands include Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr.

“Travis luckily decided he wanted to farm and he brought us into the 21st century,” Deb said. “Terry is learning to live by text. Lots of times, Travis can’t get out of a meeting, but he can answer a question from his dad via text. His brother, Justin, also works at Raven and he’s very good at talking Terry

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“In town, we could run and play with our friends all the time. We had time to go to the lake. We went to farms, but it was riding four-wheelers and horses.”

“Farming is a relief from the stress of my other work,” Travis said.

Working full-time off the farm enables him to leverage the farm income to invest back into the operation. “Hopefully when I’m 107 and want to retire, all of the work hours invested to keep the farm going will make it available for another generation.”

Front: Morgan and Brianna. Back: Travis, Tristen and Stacy.

through the electronics when Travis isn’t available.”

Terry said, “Justin will ask me ‘Did you push the button? No? Well, push the button.’ And my response is ‘Ok, now it works.’ Sometimes I’d like them to take the electronics off and I’ll just put the marker down.

But actually it’s amazing how much more you can get done with the auto-steer and all the new stuff on the planter.”

Travis said precision ag technology allows their co-op to apply the right amount of fertilizer in the right place. “We’ve got some variable ground out there. So we variablerate fertilize everything and variable-population plant. We’re planting quite a few different brands and hybrids to try to be the most productive we can. I like crunching the numbers.” Deb added: “Travis is more analytical and Terry is more put the tractor in gear and go.”

Through Raven, the farm has had access to some of the most advanced farm technology. They enjoyed being able to test multiple 32

different brands of sprayers. “But we got used to running sprayers that cost around $500,000. When we bought our own sprayer last year, it was like, wow, this is a downgrade,” Travis said.

Over the years, his career has been intense and often involved lots of travel. “I missed a lot when my kids were younger, that’s for sure.

When they were little, I didn’t ever pick them up from daycare. When I’d get home at night, often they’d already be in bed. I didn’t have a choice – the burden of the work was all-consuming. I’ve got piles of vacation time, but I’m the one who suffers if I take it. A lot of nights, I go into my home office and work for a few hours.”

But the combination of the engineering career and income from farming allowed Stacy to stay home when the kids were little. When the youngest started kindergarten, she went to work as an educational assistant at Tri-Valley Schools. Stacy grew up in Crooks. “Farming is a totally different lifestyle,” she said.

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

The next generation includes children Brianna, 15, Tristen, 14, and Morgan, 12. All three attend Tri-Valley Schools where they are involved in sports. Brianna, Tristen and Morgan appreciate being able to share many experiences with their extended family and listening to stories about ancestors and the history of the farm.

Tristen and his cousin Aiden spent a good share of the summer pulling out old fence lines. While Deb might have been reluctant to have her grandsons operating some of the equipment, Travis said, “Aw, they were fine. Since we don’t have livestock, they were ripping out fence lines and jobs like that which might otherwise get overlooked.

There’s value in that work.” Terry agreed: “There’s value in any physical work.” Deb said Tristen told her that just when he and his cousin thought they were done removing fence, they kept finding more parts and pieces. His cousin Aiden said: “Just close your eyes, Tristen. Just don’t look anymore.” Then he tripped over some more of it.

Unlike most farms which struggle with a lack of available labor, the Bunde’s have competition in the ranks during harvest. Between Terry and Deb’s four sons, one

son-in-law and now grandchildren, Terry said, “Come fall, they all want to come out and help. It gets to be kind of a fight to see who runs the combine. It’s first-come, first-served if you want to work out here.”

But grandson Tristen has his own humorous take on the situation.

“Dad’s always hoping our whole family can move closer together, but I’m kind of hoping they move further away, so I can help more during harvest.”

Running down the rest of Terry and Deb’s family: •

Daughter Tara is a nurse at Avera Health in Sioux Falls. Her husband, Chris Skoglund, is a Sioux Falls fire fighter. They live on an acreage adjacent to the farm and have three children.

•

Son Justin also works at Raven.

His wife, Miranda, is a human resources manager at Henry Carlson Co. They have three children and live in Crooks.

•

Son Brett works at EROS. His wife, Jenna, is a transplant coordinator.

They also have three children and live in Sioux Falls.

•

Son Brady works for Farmers Business Network (FBN) and his wife, Arian, works for the SDSU Foundation. They live in Brookings with their four children.

Deb added, “We went through the ‘80s and ‘90s; it took a while to get back up from those years. When we first started farming, Terry’s dad was going very big at the time and his banker told him ‘Don’t make the principal payments on the land, just pay the interest. You’re better off to keep going.’ Then we went through that time of 20 percent interest and it about took his dad down and it about took us down. Along with everybody else, we scrounged through it.”

She continued, “But we have always loved this lifestyle and being home with the kids. We’ve been blessed to work with our parents and our kids and now our grandkids. Success is when we all gather around the table and we laugh.

“We’ve never aspired to be so big we can’t do it as a family. For us, everything has been the farm. We are the farm. The farm is us and the family,” Deb said. Terry agreed: “Yep, they’re one and the same.”

Deb retired last year and said she truly enjoys helping out with the transportation of grandchildren.

For the previous seven years, she worked for 12 Points Consulting, a telecommunications firm. Prior to that, she worked 13 years for The Summit Group, a hotel development firm in Sioux Falls.

She and Terry have come a long way from their beginnings. Terry said, “In 1976, we bought our first 80 acres, and we had 30-bushel corn that year. That didn’t work very well.”

Deb and Terry Bunde of Lyons.

October 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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FROM THE KITCHEN

MEAT LOVER’S PIZZA HOT DISH From www.tasteofhome.com

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• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms • 4 cans (8 ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce • 2 cans (15 ounces each) pizza sauce • 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta • 1 cup water • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning • 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS: • In a large skillet, cook beef, sausage, onion and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes; crumble meat; drain.

•

Transfer meat mixture to a greased 6-qt. slow cooker.

Stir in tomato sauce, pizza sauce, pasta, water, tomato paste, pepperoni and Italian seasoning. Cook, covered, on low until pasta is tender, 3-4 hours.

• Stir thoroughly; mix in 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Cook, covered, until cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes longer.

Contact Bob Fitch at (712) 551-4123 or Bob@agemedia.pub 34

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021

Note: Meat Lover’s Pizza Hot Dish is a hearty casserole perfect for a hungry crew coming in from harvest. Throw in any pizza toppings your family likes – Canadian bacon, black olives, green peppers, etc.

Our publications are based on families and their stories. Our goal is to build community and connections within the Ag circles of Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and Hutchinson Counties and surrounding areas. If you have a fun story or would like to suggest a family to feature, reach out to us at Bob@agemedia.pub.

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October June 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

35 11

of Minnehaha County October 2021

BEHIND EVERY MEAL IS A

SUCCESSFUL FARMING OPERATION

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | October 2021