ountry C Friday, September 3, 2021
cres A Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 29
Caretakers PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Don Berheim looks over the Aberdeen cattle on pasture Aug. 5 at the Berheim farm north of Benson.
Berheims’ philosophy brings joy to daily life on the farm
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Don and Helen Berheim, along with their son, Nate, raise cattle north of Benson on land they see as a gift, while they see themselves as caretakers.
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
ENSON – On the picturesque hills north of Benson, Aberdeen cattle graze on the Don and Helen Berheim property where they farm with their son, Nate. For them, everything is about relationships – between family, as stewards watching over their cattle and, most importantly for them, the land. There is a symbiotic relationship, a mutually beneficial cooperation to serve the needs of all. “From a perspective of caretaking, what we are constantly seeking to do is for our ground to be healthy, to do our best by it,” Nate said Aug. 5 at his parents’ home, just next door to his own. “Cattle are the tool used to work with the ground, a partnership in a sense. If we take care of the ground it takes care of the cattle, which then take care of us.” What is very obvious on meeting the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Sept. 17
BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
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Berheims is their enjoyment of their work and of one another. As Don, 82, and Helen, 78, approach their retirement years, Nate, 53, has chosen to be there for them. He moved to the farm four years ago. “It’s a rich relationship and he loves to learn about these things and if that were not the case, it would be a painful experience,” Don said. Don and Helen are still active on the farm, with Nate using his flexibility as a full-time carpenter/contractor to be there for much of the heavier work. “This works right now because of what Dad’s able to do; in the future, he is not going to be able to do that,” Nate said. Bantering back and forth, Don said, “When will that be?” Nate considered the question, but
Berheims page 2
12 Animals we love 14 Country is a way of life Luxemburg 21 Untamed paradise Kimball 24 Country Cooking Royalton
26 Ruckheims find happiness through growing hemp Parkers Prairie 28 Country Acres according to: Randall 29 FFA Q&A 30 What’s this?
