She was supposed to be on vacation that summer day instead of working. He had an internship he was supposed to be at, yet he happened to be at his parents’ farm helping give a tour to a group. Their meeting was serendipitous.

Today Kate and Jacob Van Manen are raising their children just a quarter mile away from where Jacob was raised – and where his parents still farm – near Kellogg in Central Iowa. They raise cattle, field corn, soybeans, sweet corn, tomatoes and pumpkins.

Tomato production was Kate’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) when she was in FFA, so she has renewed her interest in vegetable production. In 2020 they built a high tunnel, so she enjoys spending quiet time picking tomatoes after her children are asleep.

“As our kids get older, I’m excited to share with them lifelong lessons, as well as spiritual truths that closely align with many aspects of the farm,” says Kate, who grew up on a farm in Northwest Iowa near Storm Lake. Her family raised corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs. “Many tasks on the farm are done with family, which is something really special. Our daughter, Kennedy (age 4), gets excited about picking sweet corn at 5 a.m. with her great grandma. Kennedy also enthusiastically scoops cattle bunks in her Frozen® dress. It will be fun to see what farm tasks that Karter (age 1) enjoys.”

“There is something about letting your kids get their hands dirty and drink from a hose,” adds Kate. “One fun Dutch tradition that I married into is ‘coffee time.’ Great Grandma Trudy Van Manen lives across the road from us. She hosts a coffee time daily at 9 a.m., which brings everyone together for a break during which we enjoy the most delicious, homemade Dutch treats. Some mornings there are four generations present! It’s a simple thing but so special.”

Shared family values are one of the reasons Kate decided to join family-owned Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

“I am glad to be back in the ag industry professionally as I enjoy working with the most amazing, down-to-earth people,” says Kate, who had managed social media and assisted with marketing efforts for another regional seed business after she graduated in 2014 from Iowa State University with a major in Agriculture Communications and a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. Most recently, she worked in marketing and communications at a regional hospital. “I really appreciate the level of flexibility and trust that Latham Seeds provides to its team members. I feel very empowered to manage my time and projects and grow in my career skills. I also appreciate their values and importance on family and the understanding of farming challenges.”

Kate says she is especially looking forward to attending Latham® Dealer Kickoff this summer. She says she looks forward to meeting Latham dealers in person and interacting with them and their spouses online in her new role as digital media strategist for Latham Seeds. Kate is responsible for developing strategy and implementing tactics for Latham’s social media channels.

In her free time, Kate enjoys traveling, gardening, fitness and going on gator rides with her family to check their crops. They often spend a few hours – after 5 p.m. during the summer months – pulling weeds from their pumpkin patch. Kate also enjoys cooking.

“I did not grow up baking Dutch treats, and I’ve learned that’s entirely something different!” says Kate. “I usually volunteer to bring vegetables to Van Manen family gatherings, but a friend shared with me a recipe for Dutch letter bars. This recipe is so easy to make, and it tastes exactly like Dutch letters without all of the work. I brought these bars to coffee time once, and everyone thought they were delicious! I make these when we need something sweet in a pinch.”

His plans are not always our plans. His timing is not always our timing. Yet, His plans and His timing are always perfect.

Several years ago Anita McVey was asked to write an entry in a church’s annual Advent devotional. Church members shared a Christmas memory or wrote about what a particular passage meant to them, plus shared a recipe. She had no idea then a seed had been planted in her heart to write a 30-day devotional, “Because He First Fed Us: Ordinary Meals – Extraordinary Messages.” With artwork by her son Marcus, this light-hearted book highlights ordinary meals found in the Bible that reveal extraordinary messages.

“I believe food is a love language. It nourishes, heals, comforts and delights the body and soul,” says Anita, who began blogging in 2016. “When food is transformed into a meal, it becomes love in action. All the senses are engaged: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Memories are revived. Stories are told. Gratitude is expressed. Conversations flow and wisdom is gleaned.”

Shortly after starting her “Picnic Life Foodie” blog, Anita said she would read something or remember something in association with a Bible verse or story and think, “That would make a neat devotion.” After building a list of about 10 general topics, the idea for a book formed. She started saving more notes and phrases. Those pieces started turning into sentences and paragraphs and, eventually, devotions.

“Pairing my own memories about food and meals with Biblical truths has been a journey I never expected,” says Anita, who earned a master’s degree in Statistics from Iowa State University. “It is my hope and prayer that you will laugh and learn as you read and that your own memories of meals with family and friends will warm your heart and soul.”

Childhood memories Anita cherishes include growing up on her family’s farm in Northwest Iowa where she said she had a steady diet of faith, family and farming.

“We had pork and chicken directly from the farm, to the butcher, back to the farm and into the oven. We ate eggs from the hens in the coop and drank milk from my uncle’s dairy cows. The garden we planted and harvested was enormous, and we didn’t waste a thing. Canning and freezing were core classes,” says Anita. “Is it any wonder I am so obsessed with food?”

While cooking and baking about 10 years ago, Anita said she would reminisce about the person who gave her a recipe or the time she spent with her mom and grandmothers making a particular meal. Blogs were a new, but intriguing, concept to her at the time. Her oldest son helped her create a website for PicnicLifeFoodie.com, and she started writing! She also posts on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

“The name ‘Picnic Life Foodie’ did not come to me easily. I knew I wanted something sentimental and nostalgic. I thought of the meals we would eat as a family in the field during planting and harvesting seasons or the days when Dad would take us to the nearest lake and Mom would pack a simple lunch for all of us. Church potlucks, family reunions, school field trips … so many of my best memories centered around simple food with wonderful people. I have always loved picnics, but I realized it didn’t matter if they happened outdoors on a perfectly sunny day or indoors around a traditional table. There was a feeling, a lifestyle, that I wanted to encourage others to embrace.”

Through the writing experience, Anita says she has found that God gives us our passions, so we can tell our story from a place of enthusiasm and truth.

“I can’t talk about my history with food, without talking about my family. I can’t talk about my family without talking about faith. They are all intertwined,” she says. “God has been leading me through and giving me the courage to try something out of my comfort zone.”

Anita hopes her experience encourages others to try something new and to overcome their fears.

“I never imagined I would share my faith in a written form!” writes Anita in the “Gratitude” section of her devotional book. “I am so grateful God presented this opportunity to me. By telling my stories, my hope is that I have created a memoir of my faith for my family, friends and anyone who picks up this book to read even a single page.”

Anita’s gratitude extends to some amazing people, who have helped her find her way through this book. She writes:

• “My mom: the most selfless, humble, and faithful person I know. Thank you for starting each day of my childhood with devotions, ending each day with prayers, placing an Advent wreath at the center of our Christmas decorations, teaching me how to cook and bake with love, and for always, always reminding me to Whom I belong.
• Marty: my husband. You crack me up, rein me in, lead ‘from the back,’ and never let me down. Thank you for standing with me in the hardest of times, sharing joy in the little things, and loving the imperfect me. It is because you encouraged me to take a different path that this book exists.
• Nick: my son, my social media guru, and the reason I officially started writing. Thank you for taking me over the hurdle of creating a blog and for answering a parade of questions with patience and humor. Your creativity and drive motivate me, and your ability to find the best of every situation is a true gift.
• Marcus: my son, my artist, and the one who has taught me all about perspective. Thank you for inspiring me to look more closely at nature, art, movies and to discover the beauty in the details. I am so grateful that you agreed to illustrate this book and share your talent here. The messages of this book are more inviting and intriguing because of your work.”CHRISTMAS IN THE KITCHEN
  “Fudge served in a blue bowl” trigger so memories for Anita, who grew up baking batches of Christmas traditional German cookies with her mom and grandmothers. They would break out the third-generation cookie cutters to make sugar cookies. Every year her Grandma Glienke would serve fudge in a blue Depression-era glass bowl. Forty to 50 family members would cram into her grandmother’s living room on Christmas Eve, singing hymns and exchanging gifts. Today Anita is sharing her tried-and-true, family-favorite recipe for decadent, creamy, and easy-to-make fudge. May it create wonderful memories for your family, too!