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Serving rural Benton County, Morrison, Mille Lacs & Kanabec Counties.
BENTON AG Plus
Sauk Rapids Herald
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2018
Jinglebelland wedding bells Johnson proposes to Belden on Christmas Day with newborn calf BY BRITTANY OLSON STAFF WRITER
BROOK PARK – Zeb Johnson knew other dairy farm couples had become engaged with some help from a cute calf when deciding how he would pop the question, but he also knew that it would not seem quite as special any other way. Fortunately for Johnson and his new fiancé, Danielle Belden, his judgement was right. Johnson and Belden, who milk about 50 cows near Brook Park, are planning a wedding for 2019 after he wrote “Will you marry me?” on the left ear tag of an hours-old heifer calf named Jinglebell. “Jinglebell was born on Christmas morning, and I knew other people had done similar proposals,” Johnson said. “But because she loves calves so much, if I had proposed any other way I don’t know if it would have meant as much.” Earlier last year, the two connected via FarmersOnly.com. Johnson, a lifelong dairyman, and Belden, who grew up in the Twin Cities suburb of Apple Valley, found a kindred spirit in each other by their birthdays being one day apart and a common love for all creatures great and small. Proposal page 3
PHOTO BY BRITTANY OLSON
Zeb Johnson and Danielle Belden are planning an upcoming wedding. The couple was engaged on Christmas Day on Johnson’s 50-cow dairy near Brook Park.
Agricultural interest weaved in family Beehlers continue FFA involvement despite generation gap BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Siblings Rainy (from left), Landon and Kolby Beehler display a Foley FFA jacket Feb. 13 in their home in Foley. The three are all members of the chapter.
of Foley, will receive their State FFA Degrees this spring and have both placed first regionally in their supervised agriculture experiences (SAEs). “(FFA has) given them a positive attitude towards each other and their friends,” Eric said. “They have a good outlook in life
toward their careers, and it gives them confidence and a drive.” Both Kolby’s diversified horticulture SAE and Rainy’s specialty crop SAE were completed through their employment at Minnesota Native Landscapes, Inc. in Otsego. The two log their hours, paychecks and skills into
a database and complete reports, proficiency awards, reviewing what they have learned. Kolby concentrates on management of all Minnesota native plant species, whereas Rainy focuses on specifically prairie plants. “I have learned nearly all the plants native to Minnesota and
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FOLEY — Some say twins skip a generation. In the case of Kolby and Rainy Beehler’s FFA experience that is true. The 17-year-old twins joined Foley High School’s FFA chapter when they were in ninth grade, much like their grandpa Gary Beehler did over 50 years ago. Joining FFA happened by chance for Gary’s granddaughters. Kolby was placed in an Intro to Ag elective course because it was the only thing that would fit in her class schedule. Foley FFA Advisor Al Stemper happened to teach a unit on the National FFA Organization, and Kolby was intrigued. She joined the chapter and urged her sister to, as well. Today, the twins are nearing the culmination of their high school FFA journey with numerous accolades and plenty of experience under their belts. The daughters of Eric and Kris Beehler,
how to tell different plant diseases; I also learned how to treat disease using herbicides and pesticides,” said Kolby, who placed second in the state last year for her project and would like to continue her education in aquatic biology and work with the Department of Natural Resources. In addition to the vegetation work, Rainy spends time completing SAEs in poultry production, raising chickens and ducks for meat and eggs, and wildlife management, stocking pheasants into their natural habitat. The two also participate in competitions, such as fish and wildlife and, despite not living on a farm, dairy evaluation — something Gary competed in for four years before graduating from FHS in 1970. Unlike the vast categories of involvement today, many of Foley’s members in the late 1960s were involved in contests related to dairy farms. “We would go around testing milk and keep track from one farm to the next. We always kind of prided ourselves on the fact that our cows were doing better than yours,” said Gary, who grew up on a Holstein cow farm near Gilman and continued to help his father after he and his wife Bernie were married. Over the years, the