ountry C cres A Farming with family
A Supplement to the Star Shopper
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 • Edition 1
Schiefelbeins’ beef operation is one of a kind By KATELYN ASFELD Staff Writer KIMBALL – Black Angus beef cattle dot rolling hills of pastureland south of Kimball. The pastures seem endless and the cattle, standing content in the pasture, chew on their cud. Wind rustles the dead grass of the picturesque and serene landscape on a winter day. The sound of four-wheelers and ATVs revving, followed by a few moos and the occasional “Yup, yup!” break the silence. Kids stand in the road ditch with their arms stretched out. The sounds get louder and suddenly a swathe of Black Angus cattle comes over the hill. Heads bobbing and feet shuffling, they make their way to the barn where they will get their vaccinations and worming shots. Some stay on the road while others veer off into the field, but they all move in the
PHOTO BY KATELYN ASFELD
Using four-wheelers and ATVs, the Schiefelbeins drive their black Angus cattle to the barn where they will get their vaccinations and worming shots.
same direction to the barn. Schiefelbein Farms is recognized in the beef industry as one of the largest registered Angus herds in the country. The family-owned operation has more than 850 registered Angus cows, 5,600 acres of pastureland and crop fields and 20,000 calves that they buy and sell each year. People gather from all over the world to attend or watch their annual cattle auction. The operation was founded in 1955 by Frank Schiefelbein II, also known as
Big Frank. Schiefelbein’s eight sons and four grandsons manage the operation, with daughters-in-law and grandchildren helping out. They do not hire any outside help. Many wonder how the Schiefelbeins get along with each other and are able to work together so well.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Frosty (left) and Frank II, also known as Big Frank, are originally from Minneapolis. The couple moved to Kimball in 1955 where Big Frank began his farming career.
A LIFETIME OF LEARNING PHOTOS BY KATELYN ASFELD
Joe Yanish uses a rasp to file the bottom of a hoof to make a smooth and even surface. When a horse grows its feet out, it naturally wears unevenly, just like a worn pair of shoes.
By KATELYN ASFELD Staff Writer LITCHFIELD – It was a sunny day and 20 degrees out. Inside one of his clients’ barns, farrier Joe Yanish was dutifully working on a horse’s hooves. The barn had an earthy smell from the horses and hay. Stalls lined the barn and horses stuck their heads out, watching curiously. In his work area, Yanish was bent over examining a hoof. The horse that was being cared for had a wooly winter coat and stood patiently during his checkup. Stooping down, Yanish picked up a hoof and rested it between his legs. In a swift movement, he pulled out his hoof knife and began cutting away the excess overgrowth. He moved on to the next step, trimming the outer edge of the hoof with his nippers, like trimming nails for humans. Picking up his rasp, he filed down the bottom of the hoof, making a smooth and even surface. He brought the hoof forward and rasped the outer surface of the hoof. He set the hoof down and moved onto the next. “The hoof is a three-dimensional object,” he said. “You’re not
just trimming the bottom, you’re looking at the whole thing. If you see somebody walking down the street in an old pair of boots and they are worn on one side – that is basically what happens to horses’ feet. When a horse grows its feet out, it has its natural conformation. And whether because of defect of that conformation or the environment, that horse will wear unevenly, so the horse has to be balanced and trimmed to the conformation of the animal.” Yanish grew up with horses outside of Kimball. He always liked horses, but didn’t get into his farrier career immediately after graduating high school. “I used to build houses,” Yanish said. “My wife and I had been married for three years, and we lived in the cities. I did custom homes down there; then we moved home to Litchfield and we were expecting.” In 2006, the housing market going under. With a baby on the way, Yanish knew if he wanted to make a career change, it would have to be before his son, Gabriel, was born. His mother-in-law, Yvonne Johnson, helped him find an occupation that incorporated horses. She suggested farrier work as the demand for
Yanish hones skills as farrier
farriers was high in their area. “I had no prior knowledge of farrier work whatsoever, but I always liked horses,” said Yanish. Johnson helped him locate the Minnesota School of Horseshoeing in Anoka and Yanish enrolled in January of 2006. His parents-in-law, Yvonne and Wayne, helped Yanish in his schooling through words of support and encouragement. “It was a two-and-a-halfmonth class,” Yanish said. “Class was every day from seven in the morning to five in the afternoon. The first three days of the week was anatomy in the morning and forging in the afternoon. Then on Thursday and Friday, we would go and work on horses.” In the beginning, Yanish worked full time at the lumber yard and part-time as a farrier in the evening. Gradually, he began working parttime at the lumber yard and parttime as a farrier, later transitioning to a full-time farrier. In 2008, Yanish’s wife, Erin, was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure (ESRD). Her kidneys were functioning below 10 percent
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