Rural Living 2009

There’s a reason you live in a rural area.

We just thought we’d remind you of it.

• Livestock auctioneer championship Page 3 • Butter sculpture Page 4 • • Wagon & sleigh collection page 6 • 4-H Page 8 • Fieldstone Page 10 •

March 29, 2009 Supplement to the

Page 2

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

2007 Census of Agriculture shows Minnesota remains top contender The 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture released in 2009 shows Minnesota remains a leader in U.S. agriculture with rising farm income and increased value of agricultural products. Fifty percent of the total value of U.S. agricultural products comes from nine states, including Minnesota.

The Census of Agriculture is conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Data for the 2007 calendar year was collected in 2008.

The market value of farm production was up 54 percent over the last five years from $8.6 billion to $13.2 billion. Crop sales accounted for 53 percent of the total market value while livestock, livestock products and poultry accounted for 47 percent. However, those increases are tempered by a dramatic 90 percent rise in fuel and fertilizer expenses.

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson says the census shows Minnesota continues to be a dominant force in agriculture.

“These numbers underscore the value of agriculture not only here in Minnesota but also in our ability to compete in the global agricultural marketplace,” Hugoson said.

Among the top nine states, Minnesota ranked seventh, ahead of North Carolina and Wisconsin. California is the top agricultural producer.

The census shows the number of Minnesota farms is holding steady with 80,992 farms in the state. That compares to 80,839 in 2002 when the last census was taken.

The census also shows there’ s been more growth in the number of smaller farm (less than 180 acres) and larger farms (1000 acres or more), while the number of farms around 500 acres declined over the last five years.

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The average farm size fell from 340 acres to 332 acres.

The average age of Minnesota farmers was 55.3 years, compared to 52.9 years five years ago.

Census results are available online and in various publications to be issued by NASS. For more information, visit www.agcensus. usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.

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March 29, 2009

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

Page 3

World livestock auctioneer championship in Fergus Falls Long Prairie, Perham callers to compete with best talent in the nation Falls.

The 33rd contestant is the current International Auctioneer Champion, Peter Raffan, of Armstrong, B.C. The WLAC traditionally gives a “bye” into the semi-finals to the winner of this Canadian contest.

Bobby Smith, a market owner from Fairview, Okla., is LMA’s president. He said, “All of us with LMA are excited to bring the Championship to Joe Varner’s market.

Like hundreds of markets across the county, Fergus Falls not only puts competition into livestock marketing — the best way to get the best price — it’s also an important part of the local economy.”

The contest starts at 8 a.m. and is open to the public.

Six judges, all LMA members, score the semi-finalists on two elements: an interview competition, and the live auction rounds.

The interviews will be conducted before a live and webcast audience, Friday morning, the 12th, during LMA’s annual meeting.

Reigning world champion Matt Lowery will ask each semi-finalist the same three

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11 at the Ramada-Plaza Hotel in Fargo, N.D. It is open to marketing business owners and producers. A number of key industry issues, featuring knowledgeable speakers, will be featured.

For program and registration information, call LMA at (800) 821-2048.

The semi-finalists and their hometowns are Mitch Barthel, Perham; Ted Baum, O’Neill, Neb.; Jeff Bynum, Southside, Ala.; Darren T. Carter, Ninety Six, S.C.; Nick Caspers, Hecla, S.D.; Jake Cheechov, Eugene, Ore.; Dan Clark, Winner, S.D.; Charly Cummings, Yates Center, Kan.; Shannon Davis, Yantis, Texas; Eli Detweiler, Jr., Ruffin, N.C.; Justin Dodson, Welch, Okla.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Jim Hertzog, Greenwood, Mo.; Lynn Langvardt, Wakefield, Kan.; Brian Little, Wann, Okla.; Kevin Magby, Atoka, Okla.; Andrew McDowell, Vandalia, Ill.; Brandon Neely, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; Mike Nuss, Minatare, Neb.; Ted Odle, Brush, Colo.; Peter Raffan; Tanner Ragan, Sulphur Springs, Texas; Don Rodgers, Bakersfield, Calif.; Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Duane Rus, Rock Valley, Iowa; Jason Santomaso, Sterling, Colo.; Kevin Schow, Paxton, Neb.; Kyle J. Shobe, Lewistown, Mont.; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Va.; Gabe Spikes, Bowie, Texas; Ty Thompson, Billings, Mont.; Al Wessel, Long Prairie; and Billy Younkin, Cecil, Ala.

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questions, on industry issues and topics.

This interview will count for 25 percent of their score, and judging criteria include presentation, clarity of expression/articulation livestock industry knowledge, spokesman for the industry, and would you hire this auctioneer?

Saturday morning the semi-finalists are judged as they sell several drafts of cattle.

The judging criteria includes clarity of their chant, vocal quality, bid-catching ability, conduct of the sale and answering the question, “Would I hire this auctioneer?”

The top 10 scorers then return for a final round of selling, where the same judging criteria are used. The three title winners — world, reserve and runner-up champion — are announced at an awards banquet the evening of the 13th.

The three winners take home thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including, for the world champion, a year’s free use of a new truck.

The contest is the closing event for LMA’s annual meeting, which begins June

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Fergus Falls Livestock Auction Market, Inc. will put the auction method of selling livestock in the spotlight, when it hosts the 46th annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) on June 13.

“The auctioneer continues to be a very vital part of competitive livestock marketing,” said market owner Joe Varner. “We’ll have 33 of North America’s best, competing for the top title in their profession, the world livestock auctioneer champion.”

The annual contest is sponsored and conducted by Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), Kansas City, Mo. LMA is North America’s largest membership organization dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector.

Varner, who owns or is a partner in 15 livestock markets, said: “It’s always been my dream to host the WLAC. We hope to have the biggest turnout ever for the contest.”

The contest is an actual sale, with buyers on the seats. Varner said he expects 3,5004,000 cattle, made up of some 1,000 fed cattle and butcher cows, and 2,500 feeders.

“These will all be home-raised, and a lot of backgrounded, quality cattle.”

Thirty-two of the championship semifinalists qualified for the Minnesota contest through four WLAC quarterfinal qualifying contests, conducted from September to December 2008 by LMA. The top eight scorers in each quarterfinal move on to Fergus

Page 4

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

My life as a butter sculpture model ... and other tales from dairy princess Becky Richter STEVE SCHULZ

PJeditor@gmail.com

Photos provided

Becky Richter (center) was cheered on by her mom, Karyl, and dad, Bruce.

was a big fan of the Minnesota Twins.

“I looked at [fellow Wadena County Dairy Princess] Brittney Strayer and said, ‘I love the Twins!’” Becky said.

As the judges read off more identifying information about finalist eight, it became clear it was Becky, and she was headed up to the stage.

“I looked at my parents, and my mom’s face is just red.

Mom’s crying already,” Becky said. “And I look over and my dad had tears in his eyes. And my dad never cries.”

Becky was off to the Great Minnesota Get Together. It’s

continued on page 5

S

Becky Richter knows dairy, and she has a 56-pound hunk of butter stashed in her dad’s new freezer to prove it.

Becky is the 20-year-old daughter of Bruce and Karyl Richter, who operate a 100-herd dairy farm between Wadena and Verndale. She’s always done chores and helped out with the operation, so her knowledge of the industry spurred her to run for dairy princess.

In 2004, Becky ran in the newly formed junior division of the pageant, along with eight competitors. Her knowledge of the industry proved important.

“It’s all farming-based,” Becky said of the competition.

“Some people might think it’s a beauty pageant, but it’s nowhere near that.”

Contestants are quizzed on topics from dealing with a PETA representative to milk protein concentrates.

When it came time to hand out crowns, Becky said she hoped she would be one of the five who were given some sort of crown rather than the four who weren’t, but she said her hopes faded quickly when the runner-up was crowned and only one tiara remained. Then it was placed on her head.

“I was like, ‘Whaaaat? I won?’” she said.

Before long, Becky was preparing for the “May Event,” an invite of more than 100 dairy princesses from across Minnesota held at St. Ben’s college in St. Joseph, Minn.

After more competition, 12 finalists were to be announced. Instead of just blurting out the names of the winners, the organizers began to describe each winner before naming her. They started out by saying finalist number eight

The Princess Kay of the Milky Way candidate poses next to her butter sculpture.

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March 29, 2009

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

Page 5

continued from page 4

Photos provided

Photos of the Princess Kay finalists were shown as the butter sculptures were created so fairgoers could decide for themselves how lifelike the creations were.

What started as a rectangular, 90-pound block of butter became a sculpture of Becky Richter, dairy princess.

at the State Fair that the overall winner, the Princess Kay of the Milky Way, is crowned.

There were three days of judging, a summer full of training, and a final competition. Becky won a $500 scholarship, didn’t win the Princess Kay title, but did get one of the same once-in-a-lifetime perks—her head sculpture carved out of

a block of butter at the fair.

While that may sound glamorous, consider this: Becky had to sit still in a see-through, 40-degree cooler for seven hours as roughly 1 million fair-goers — many of them wellwishers from home — streamed through and tried to get her attention to say hi.

“You can’t move or anything,” Becky said. “It’s just weird to look out.”

But the dairy princess had no complaints, and handled the task with poise. She said the sculptor — who has been coming from California for nearly 50 years to do the carvings — put her at ease.

“She was just easy to talk to,” Becky said.

When the majesty of the fair came to an end, the butter sculpture belonged to her, and preparations were busily

made to transport the 56-pound sculpture back to Wadena County.

“It was raining that day, but I had to have the air conditioning on [in the car],” Becky said.

She and her mother shivered all the way home. Meanwhile, Bruce headed to Weber’s Hardware in Wadena to purchase a new freezer just for the sculpture.

When she and Karyl arrived home, Becky’s brother was anxious to help and grabbed the seat-belted sculpture from the vehicle. But he handled it a little too roughly, and an indentation was put in an awkward spot — and the nose was smooshed.

“It kind of went ‘thunk’ in the box,” Becky said. “I was screaming at him.”

But she went to work on the sculpture.

“I was like a pro at rhinoplasty,” Becky joked. “I went in with a little stick of butter. I shaped it back to normal and used my scraps of butter to make it look good.”

And today it still sits — alone — in that freezer.

“I think it’s locked,” she said.

Becky said she plans to keep the sculpture in mom and dad’s freezer as long as they’ll let her, but may pull it out someday at her wedding reception to put it on display. But the clock may be ticking.

“They say it shrinks over time,” she said.

Becky ended up running in both the junior and senior divisions of the county dairy princess contest, took part in about 30-40 events like parades, fairs and other appearA butter carving specialist from California works on sculptures at the Minnesota State Fair.

ances, and now runs the dairy princess contest, which is set to crown new winners on March 21.

While college may take her away from the farm and to Alexandria in the coming years, she has one more idea for the use of her butter sculpture.

“Next year if I’m in Alex [my parents] can pull it out and look at it,” she said jokingly. “I don’t think it will be as good at milking cows as me, though.”

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Page 6

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

True horse power Sebeka farmer’s wagon, sleigh collection keeps him busy BRIAN HANSEL

brianh@wadenapj.com

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Clark Anderson has a hobby that really gets him around.

The Sebeka dairy farmer has more than 40 horse-drawn wagons and sleighs from the United States and Sweden tucked inside buildings and sitting in the yard at his farm.

Anderson started collecting wagons back in 1966 when he was a sophomore in high school growing up near Williston, N.D. Anderson’s dad and uncle used draft horses so his interest came naturally. When the Andersons moved to the rolling farm country of Wadena County 12 years ago his wagon collection also made the trip.

Bringing wagons 400 miles from Williston to Sebeka is one thing, but what do you do when a relative living in Dolls-Rostock, Sweden decides to leave you her wagon collection? If you are the kind of collector that Clark Anderson is, you go to Photo by Brian Hansel Sweden.

Wadena County farmer Clark Anderson has a number of horseAnderson has taken many trips drawn sleighs in his wagon collection, including this farm chores to Sweden over the years and speaks sleigh. the language. Polite people say he

speaks the language pretty well and Anderson himself feels he speaks it “well enough to get around.�

He went back to Sweden in October to bring the wagon collection home. He stayed for five weeks, taking apart the 29 wagons he inherited with the help of his cousin, who farms in Sweden. The two men placed the wagons inside containers and they made the trip from Sweden to New York in just a week and a half. Anderson ran into red tape when a customs official held up the containers. Anderson got a Minneapolis brokerage firm to help him clear the containers through customs. It took the two containers two months to reach Wadena from that point. “It cost four times as much to get them from New York to Minneapolis as it did from Sweden to Photo by Brian Hansel New York,� said Anderson. “And half as much as from Minneapolis Anderson brought a small, blue to Wadena as it did from Sweden sleigh from Sweden. to New York and that doesn’t make sense.�

The wagons in Anderson’s collection have all been kept indoors continued on page 7 so they are in good condition. Some

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March 29, 2009

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

Page 7

continued from page 6

Photo by Brian Hansel

One of the nicest wagons in Anderson’s collection is a promenade wagon, which was used for special occaisons.

of them are side dumping wagons for sugar beet hauling, some are dogcarts, so named because they provided a place for hunting dogs as well as their owners; some are wagonettes, which were used in military parades; and others are promenade wagons, which were fancier and would take

people to church or for a Sunday afternoon drive. Some are sleighs with skis instead of wheels.

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that is pictured in a hunting picnic scene with the owner, the King of Sweden and Alfred Nobel, the man whom the Nobel

Prize is named after.

Wagons were the most common form of transportation in Sweden up until World War I. They had a brief revival in Sweden during World War II because it was so difficult to obtain gasoline.

Anderson enjoys using his wagons in the summer months and has them on the road about four days a week. His daughter, Kajsa, who also loves wagons, had her dad take her to the first day of school in Sebeka last fall in a horse-drawn wagon.

Anderson has not been just collecting wagons, he has been collecting history, some of it family history. His grandfather, Olaf Anderson, who came from the same village in Sweden as the woman who left Clark the wagons, came over to the United States on a ship that left England in 1912 just before a ship called the “Titanic.”

“If he had missed that ship I wouldn’t be here,” Anderson laughed.

Anderson belongs to the St. Croix Driving Society which has members in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. He knows of several members in the Twin Cities that have 30-40 vehicles, but as far as he knows he owns the only Swedish wagons in the club.

“The major difference between Sweden and here is that farms were older and they had the buildings to store them (the wagons) inside,” Anderson said. “A lot of carriages in the United States got sat out in the tree groves. A typical farmyard in Sweden has 5-6 storage buildings as well as livestock buildings.”

Anderson even bought some carriages

Photo by Brian Hansel

One of the wagons in Anderson’s Swedish collection once served in the Norrland Dragoon Regiment.

very reasonably while in Sweden from a man who had been a colonel in the Swedish calvary during World War II. The man had 60 calvarymen under his command.

“He said they practiced three days a week fighting Germans and three days a week fighting Americans and took Sunday off, because they were a neutral,” Anderson laughed. “He was quite a story-teller.”

Anderson has a wagon in his Swedish collection that shows three men having a picnic while on a hunting trip — the owner of the wagon at that time, the King of Sweden and Alfred Nobel, the inventor who inspired the famous Nobel Prize.

“I think that is kind of neat,” Anderson smiled.

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Page 8

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

4-H goes beyond the farm Rural kids, city kids have 50/50 mix in program SARA HACKING

sarah@wadenapj.com

Wadena County 4-H isn’t just for farm kids anymore.

“A lot of people think 4-H is farms and that’s a huge myth,” said Kris Huebsch, the county’s 4-H program coordinator.

The ratio of country and town kids enrolled is close to 50/50, Huebsch said. The trend toward kids in town becoming involved started in the 1970s with an exchange program that allows kids to go to different counties, states and countries.

Kris Huebsch, Wadena “4-H has always been a County 4-H program program that’s been evolving coordinator with what kids are interested in and what’s going on in the world,” Huebsch said.

Projects today include photography, rocketry, GPS mapping and DNA analysis. Crafts and fine arts is the most popular project in Wadena County and kids can do digital artwork if that’s what they’re interested in.

There is also a science, engineering and technology program, Huebsch said.

“That’s definitely geared towards what’s going on in our world today,” she said. “But we’re also still very much supporting our outdoor things.”

4-H thinks it’s really important to get kids outside and using their imaginations, she said.

“We’re finding a kind of scary trend that kids across the nation aren’t getting outside like their parents were,” Huebsch said. “Computers are a huge part of our lives now ... but you also need to be able to go outside and explore and be able to do stuff on your own time.”

Conservation, wildlife and other environmental issues are very important to 4-H, she said.

Several of the county’s most popular projects involve animals such as dairy, dog, horse and poultry. These projects aren’t just for country kids either.

Town kids who don’t live on farms can lease a livestock animal, she said. That’s a growing trend.

“We are seeing more kids that haven’t necessarily lived on a farm before being exposed to that, which is wonderful,” Huebsch said.

4-H encourages the kids to visit the animal daily, especially in the summer, and take care of them and work with them, she said. They can even take the animal to the fair.

Katy Wegscheid gets the attention of her dog Rascal, who she learned to train through 4-H.

A popular animal project that town and country kids can get involved in is the dog project.

“Our dog project in Wadena County is very strong,” Huebsch said. “It’s a wonderful project for the kids.”

Kids learn to train their pets to sit, stay and heel on a leash, Huebsch said. More advanced classes teach agility where the dogs go over jumps and maneuver obstacles.

Kids have to attend at least seven of the 14 training sessions in order to participate in the fair, she said.

The county fair is 4-H’s “big, grand event,” she said.

Kids need to enroll in 4-H by May 1 in order to participate.

Otherwise kids can enroll anytime of the year, she said. The 4-H season begins Oct. 1. Most clubs meet once a month.

Photo provided

There are 10 4-H clubs in Wadena County with around 170 members and more than 40 screened adult volunteers.

Boys and girls are equally involved in the program, Huebsch said. 4-H is open to everyone from kindergarten through one year after high school. 4-H was founded in 1902 and began in Wadena County in 1918. Huebsch sees 4-H continuing to grow, she said.

“The more the word gets out about how diverse 4-H is and how we keep evolving with the times ... I think the more the program grows,” Huebsch said. “It’s stood the test of time, world wars and depressions. So I think we’re doing something right.”

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March 29, 2009

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

Page 9

New study emphasizes the need for farmers to sharpen financial skills A new study analyzing agricultural financial conditions highlights the need for farmers to keep a tight eye on finances says Bob Craven, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management. The study showed that price volatility and the declining margins are impacting farm finances.

“The study results won’t be news to farmers who have seen their input costs go up while market prices decline, but it is a reminder that this is the time to sharpen your money management skills,” said Craven, an Extension farm management economist.

Craven recommended using tools like University of Minnesota developed FINPACK to analyze finances and improve their marketing skills through programs like Extension’s Winning the Game program.

As part of the study, the Center for Farm Financial Management and Extension Risk Management Education Regional Centers surveyed 2,300 agricultural professional nationwide about their analysis of agricultural financial conditions. Key findings include: • Most agricultural producers are in relatively sound financial shape. More than 60 percent of survey respondents said that 10 percent or less of producers they deal with are experiencing financial stress now. Another 15 percent indicated that less than 2 percent of producers they deal with are currently experiencing financial stress.

• The survey respondents predicted an increase in financial stress among producers during the next three years. Slightly more

than 28 percent of respondents expect at least 30 percent of their agricultural clients to experience financial stress during the next three years.

• Declining land values and rising interest rates, two factors that played a key role in the 1980s farm crisis, ranked at the bottom of 13 factors contributing to farm financial stress. Top rated factors were price/input cost margins, price volatility and negative cash flows.

• More than 80 percent of producers are equipped in terms of financial skills to manage their businesses through a period of financial stress according to survey respondents.

• Responses given by lenders when asked about future financial conditions tended to be less pessimistic than those from individuals who supply goods and services to agriculture. Twenty-six percent of lenders think the probability is very high that producers will experience financial stress in the next three years compared to 39 percent of all respondents who rated the probability at very high.

Craven said that Minnesota conditions are probably slightly more optimistic than the national conditions reflected in the survey.

“Our dairy producers are facing a tough profit situation now, but many Minnesota producers raising crops entered 2009 in a relatively strong financial position,” he said.

The 2,300 agriculture professionals responding to the survey included lenders,

Roads were full of hay racks as the fall harvest started last fall.

educators, crop insurance agents, consultants, farm input suppliers and brokers. A summary of the survey is available on the University of Minnesota Center for Farm financial management website www.cffm. umn.edu.

In addition to the education programs from Craven and other Extension farm management educators, University of Minnesota

Photo by Steve Schulz

Extension’s Farmer-Lender Mediation program helps farmers and lenders work out solutions for managing agriculture debt.

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EXCAVATING INC.

218-631-2204

104 N.W. Elm, Wadena, MN 56482 Spring Field Work Time

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631-7261 Toll Free 1-866-631-4277

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NORTHSIDE FLORAL, LLC Hwy. 71 N, Wadena, MN 631-1774 Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 5:30, Sat. 8:30-12:00

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Page 10

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

An opportunity is a knockin’ Join in the rap, rap, rap … will need creative artists (all ages), welders, landscapers and excavation specialists. For those of you that don’t fit in those categories, anyone who would like to aid in planning, fundraising, or coordinating are needed as well.

There will also be a need for land to build the rock art upon. If you are a landowner along U.S. Highway 71, you are perhaps the most crucial part of this project. If you are a farmer who would like some of your rock pile to disappear, you are a key to this as well.

MARLO BENNING

marlo@inhnews.com

Fieldstone is a plentiful natural resource that many a farmer has cursed each spring as they are forced to remove them from their fields before planting their crops.

Not only is it a big undertaking to remove them, but then there is the plight of where to pile them once they’ve painstakingly gathered them all up.

But what if this same cumbersome, sometimes annoying natural resource could be put to good use? What if it was the key to unlocking a tourism door to our area?

David Evert, the man behind the scenes on the Murals of Minnesota project in Wadena, has a vision of using rocks of all sizes to bring tourists to our otherwise quiet little towns.

“Opportunity lies before us, it requires but to see things differently,” Evert said.

Of course, where the rocks now lie abandoned in piles in tree groves and at the corners of farmland, no one has interest in seeing. But what if they were made into masterpieces by the minds and hands of artists? What if the U.S. Highway 71 corridor could be home to the biggest stretch of rock art in the nation, or even the world? Now that would be something. ... This would be Evert’s dream come true.

That is why he is working along with the Long Prairie Tourism Commission and the Long Prairie Chamber of Commerce to get the ball rolling on a rock art project.

The tourism commission has agreed to put a jump start on the project, putting its feelers out to all of those who may want to be a part of this unique endeavor.

The span of the artwork

Wanted: rock lovers or rock haters

There is much planning to be done in order to make this project a success, but the biggest need is people power. The project

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Northern Irrigation 45214 Co. Rd 80 E., Perham, MN 56573

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Originally the plan was to install rock art from Sauk Centre to Itasca State Park, but because of interest from other communities along 71, the project will stretch inward from the state’s borders.

Minnesota Rocks—Border to Border is the official name of the project, which describes it well.

Minnesota Rocks needs to have a starting point and that’s where it’s at right now.

The tourism commission has set its sights on a small area to begin with, focusing on the corridor that lies between Sauk Centre and Wadena.

Anyone in these communities or beyond is encouraged to become a part of this endeavor to bring a much needed taste of tourism to the route along U.S. Highway 71.

If you are willing to help in anyway, please contact one of the following people: Peg Churchwell at (320) 732-6450 or e-mail peg@ladydogdesign.com, Julie Baum at (320) 732-2514 or e-mail jbaum@longprairie.org, Marlo Benning at (218) 756-2131 or e-mail marlo@inhnews.com. Planning meetings will begin soon.

It is the hope of those already involved in the project to turn fieldstone into something magnificent, and while doing so, bring tourists to see that our part of Minnesota is a beautiful place to visit and maybe, just maybe, stay for awhile.

March 29, 2009

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

HOW THE STIMULUS PACKAGE WILL AFFECT AGRICULTURE The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17. The $789 billion legislation includes tax cuts, additional spending programs, aid to states, students, schools, the unemployed and communities. This legislation is intended to impact many areas of the economy including the agriculture industry.

The new stimulus legislation makes over 300 changes to the existing IRS code.

Two of the most notable changes that will impact agriculture is an extension of special or bonus depreciation and an increase in the section 179 deduction.

The 50-percent special or bonus depreciation provision expired at the end of 2008. The new legislation extends the time period for 50-percent bonus depreciation to include qualifying property acquired and placed in service in 2009. The new legislation also extends 50-percent bonus depreciation through tax year 2010 for property with a recovery period of 10 years or longer, transportation property, and certain aircraft.

The section 179 deduction limit was scheduled to be $133,000 with a qualifying property limit of $530,000 for tax year 2009. The new stimulus package changes the maximum section 179 deduction to $250,000 with a qualifying property limit of $800,000 for tax year 2009.

One additional issue the stimulus legislation modified was the carry back period for a net operating loss (NOL). Typically, the carry back period for a NOL is two years. The stimulus package allows a qualifying entity to carry the NOL back up to five years. This carry back provision would only be eligible for a net operating loss incurred during tax year 2008.

Always consult with your tax advisor to examine your individual situation. This information is offered as educational information only and not intended to be legal or financial advice. For questions specific to your farm business, consult with your tax preparer.

Publication References

Quickfinder Handbooks/Thomson Reuters. Stimulus Plan Summary Table. http://www.quickfinder.com/intranetfiles/164593/QF%20American%20Recov ery%20and%20Reinvestment%20Act%20 of%202009%20table-w%20logo.pdf National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). NATP’s Summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://www.natptax.com/ 2009recoveryact.pdf CCH Tax Briefing: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://tax. cchgroup.com/Legislation/House-SenateRecovery-Act-2009.pdf

Page 11

Eat your colors for better health DEEANN LEINES

University of Minnesota Extension

Did you know that colors are good for you? Fruits and vegetables contain compounds called phytochemicals that give them both their color and aroma.

Phytochemicals are also found in beans, grains and other plants. A couple of the more common ones are beta carotene and lycopene. There is some evidence that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains may reduce the risk of certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and is also good for the heart.

Phytochemicals are chemicals produced naturally by plants to protect themselves, but when consumed may also help humans protect themselves from disease. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain the largest amounts of phytochemicals. Refined foods such as sugar and alcohol do not contain phytochemicals. It is recommended that adults eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit and 6 ounces of grains (of which 3 ounces are whole grains) each day. In addition to phytochemicals, these foods are rich in minerals, fiber and vitamins, and are low in saturated fat. It’s better to eat food high in these nutrients than to consume supplements because foods have fiber and other trace minerals in them as well.

There are five color groups of vegetables and fruits. They are red, yellow/orange, blue/ purple, green and white/tan. Eat a variety of colors in your diet for the abundance of nutrients you need to be healthy.

How can you get your family to eat more fruits and vegetables? If your children are young, try to get them to taste a variety of fruits and vegetables so that they get used to a multitude of flavors. As you are grocery shopping, make a mental note to check out some of the more unusual fruits and vegetables and then try serving them at home. Don’t give up just because your child says they do not like something after tasting it once. Sometimes it takes time to develop a liking for some of the more strongly flavored fruits/vegetables.

Keep a colorful variety of fruit and vegetables washed, handy and ready to consume to encourage children to grab them for snacks. Include your children in preparing those multi-colored meals and the fun will follow!

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Page 12

Rural Living • Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal Intercom

March 29, 2009

Photos by Steve Schulz

(Above) An irrigator sprays a field north of U.S. Highway 10 near Wadena. While the Wadena area started 2008 in drought conditions, spring snowstorms added needed moisture.

Field work Photos by Brian Hansel

(Upper right) A handsome corn crop resulted from a favorable growing season in 2008.

(Upper left) A John Deere 9650 combine plows through a field of corn.

(Upper right)Yellow kernels of corn cascade into a truck box.

(Above) John Deere and International tractors are used in a corn harvesting operation on an Otter Tail County farm.

(Left) A Catapillar tractor prepares to go to work on a combined corn field with a chisel plow.