Farmers are known for wearing many caps, and Val Plagge is no exception.  She’s a farmer, a farm wife, mother, as well as an independent leadership development and event planner.

Val met her husband, Ian, when they were students in the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University.  Upon graduating from ISU, they got married and moved near Ian’s home farm in Latimer, Iowa.  They began farming in 2005; today they raise corn, soybeans and finish hogs.

Active in their community, both Val and Ian serve on the Franklin County Farm Bureau board and are members of the Farm Bureau Young Member Committee.  Ian is a member of the Franklin County Extension Council, and Val is the Franklin County 4-H Communications Project leader.  Val is also a volunteer and vice chairman of the North Iowa Make a Wish Foundation.  Together Val and Ian serve as youth sponsors for the Senior High youth group at their church, as well.  Plus, Val teaches high school Sunday School.

When she has free time, Val enjoys experimenting with new recipes.  It’s no wonder that her most recent charity project combines many of her interests.  She developed a recipe for Cy’s Cook Off.  Here’s how Val describes the contest in her Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids blog spot:

I produced my “Cardinal & Gold Cream Cheese Burgers” by modifying and coupling other burger recipes together. I created the burger for a Pinterest contest for Iowa State Athletics. There contest is called Cy’s Cook Off, and whoever receives the most repins and likes wins a $100 gift card to Cy’s Locker Room and an autographed Coach Rhoades mini helmet. I’m planning on giving the helmet to Make A Wish North Iowa for the Wish Upon A Par auction on June 27, and I’m planning on decking out the family in new ISU gear for football if I win.

Val does a fantastic job of showing each of the burger-making process in her blog post.  The color photography makes me wish I could sink my teeth right into one of those burgers right now!  From reading her post, I learned to place a thumbprint in the center of each patty to help them cook evenly.  Who knew?  You can bet I’ll give it a try now!

You can try your hand at making Cardinal & Gold Cream Cheese Burgers, too.  In honor of May Beef Month, today we’re featuring Val’s recipe on TheFieldPosition.com.  Remember to also either “like” or “repin” this recipe by May 7 on Iowa State Athletics Pinterest page.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Val Plagge on her WIN for ISU’s “Cy’s Cook Off Challenge”

After embarking on a journey that lasted five years and took him across six states, pilot Dale Hemann landed in Mitchell County.

Today Dale and his wife, Cindy, feel blessed to raise their four children in the remodeled farmhouse where Dale lived as a child.  They also raise corn and soybeans plus sell Latham® seeds.  In addition, Dale contract feeds hogs and finishes Holstein steers after starting them on the bucket.

“We love it here,” says Cindy, a native of Wellington, Kansas.  “We’ve lived in enough places to appreciate the quality of life in rural Iowa.”

Like many high school graduates, Dale left his parents’ home in rural Osage, Iowa, and enrolled in college.  Dale earned a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Technology and a commercial pilot’s license before moving to Arkansas where Dale worked for a freight outfit as an airplane mechanic, flying to other cities where he did maintenance right on the ramp.

After Dale earned a master’s degree in Aviation Safety from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, he had a short stint as production manager at Kestrel Aircraft in Norman, Oklahoma. He then made the move to Tulsa, where he worked for American Airlines.  It wasn’t long before a friend of Dale’s called to let him know that Raytheon had an opening for an engineer in Wichita, Kansas.  Dale got the job and moved once again.  Shortly after moving to Wichita, Dale and Cindy got married. Cindy then left her job at College of the Ozarks in Branson and joined Dale in Wichita.

After a year in Wichita, Dale was contacted by a friend with whom he had worked at American Airlines.  He thought Dale would be a good fit for a newly created position in his department at FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee.  Dale and Cindy packed up and moved to the Memphis area, settling in Olive Branch, Mississippi.  The Hemann’s oldest two children were born while they were living in Mississippi.

With their young family in mind, Dale and Cindy began their journey “home.”  They knew they wanted to raise their children around extended family members and in a rural area where there kids could play freely without some of the worries that come with city living.  Dale took a position as a ramp/operations manager with FedEx and subsequent transfers moved the family to Madison, Wisconsin, and then to Ames, Iowa.  They were thrilled when a position opened with FedEx in Rochester, Minnesota, just  60 miles from Dale’s hometown.

While commuting home from work one day, Dale had a heart-to-heart talk with his dad.  Dale was growing weary of switching jobs and moving his family.  He was seeking stability and believed that farming would provide that.  Plans were made for Dale to begin farming with his dad.  Meanwhile, his parents, Larry and Rosemary, made plans to build a house in town.  Dale farmed long distance for the first year, commuting to Osage on weekends and using vacation days as needed to get the farm work done.

“None of this would have been possible without the help of my dad,” says Dale.  It was an interesting time for all family members.  Larry and Rosemary moved out of their house in the country one weekend, and Dale’s family moved in the following weekend.

That was eight years ago, and the family has done lot of growing.  Dale and Cindy’s oldest daughter, Lindsay, is now 13.  Emily will turn 12 on Feb. 29, and Whitney is 9.  Their son, Alex, is 7.

“I love that we live in the country where our kids have lots of room to play,” says Cindy, who grew up in town where she enjoyed playing with neighborhood kids.  “They find creative ways to entertain themselves, and we host lots of play dates.”

This time of year the children are busy making crafts, trying experiments and baking.  Four active kids with a host of active friends means lots of kitchen time!

“We recently made clay.  We had to make volcanoes two weekends in a row because our kids wanted to make them with their friends,” says Cindy with a smile.  “Although we’re constantly cleaning up the kitchen, it’s worth it.  We’re making memories.”

Cupcakes are one of the Hemann kids’ favorite things to make. The family’s favorite show is Cupcake Wars, which has no doubt inspired some of their fascination with muffin tins and decorating tools.

Although they enjoy sweet treats, the family’s favorite meal centers on beef.  Today they’re sharing a recipe for Beef Brisket.

As a child, the highlight of making the 45-minute trip to visit my paternal grandmother in Howard County, Iowa, was a chance to drive around the beautiful countryside and watch the Amish tend to their livestock and care for their crops.  I was intrigued by their commitment to family and their sense of duty.

Each member of the family plays a part in the family’s economic survival, says Dr. John Hostetler in his book, Amish Society.  He writes:

“Like most parents in American society, the Amish recognize the teen period as critical. The Amish family needs the help of its teen-age child more than the typical American family, and the child feels the family’s need of him. The young person who works on the farm can understand and feel the contribution he is making to his family.”

On a farm, your work directly affects you and your family. You are a member of this company (the family), and you have your job responsibilities. In simple terms, the cows have to be fed and milked so that food and shelter can be provided for the family. Your paycheck comes daily in the form of food, clothing, shelter and affection.

Children see their parents working hard every day and children want to help… I once saw a four-year-old Amish boy cry when he could not go along and help father in the field.

Amish children are needed to help inside the house, too.  When a family has eight or nine children, there is a lot of food to be prepared.  It’s no wonder that Amish women often get together for a frolic, or a work event that combines socializing with a practical goal.  Common frolics include quilting, canning, pie baking and apple sauce making.

Like the Amish, we can get a group of girlfriends together.  A simple frolic can help us make multiple meals in short order while enjoying some “girl time.”  That’s essentially what I did in September by hosting “Cook Once for a Bunch.”  You could do something similar in your home, community center or even in your church’s kitchen – with friends or even your family.

Many recipes are simple enough for young children to make.  Start by putting a new twist on Tator Tot Casserole from Freezer Chics, which one of my friends made when we got together in September.  During this same get together, I picked up my new “go to” recipe for lasagna.  I like this lasagna so much that I’m going to take it Sunday for our community’s annual Boy Scout Thanksgiving potluck.  With browned hamburger in my freezer, prep time will be 15 minutes or less!  That means I’ll have time to cut up veggies for this adorable Turkey Relish Tray, as well as organize this “notable” Turkey Craft.

Thanksgiving reminds me that I’m so thankful for family, friendships, food and freedom.  (Notice that “football” doesn’t top my list.)  I’m hopeful that I might enjoy a little quiet time right after dinner on Thanksgiving Day.  Perhaps I’ll get a chance to curl up with a novel by one of my favorite Amish authors, Wanda Brunstetter or Beverly Lewis. Reading will remind me how much I really need some girl time.  That will make me think about a frolic, which will prompt me to email my friends about a date to “Cook Once for a Bunch.”  Yes, my wheels are already turning!