These days consumers are interested in tracking where their food products originate. Visitors to the newly renovated Wells Visitors Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, get a “farm to spoon” view from an interactive display that shows how fresh milk is delivered from local dairy farms to Wells Enterprises where it is turned into ice cream.

Wells collects and processes more than 20 tankers of milk daily, 365 days of the year. It makes nearly 1,000 different products like Blue Bunny® Peppermint Stick Ice Cream and the original Bomb Pop.® In fact, more ice cream is made in Le Mars than anywhere else. That’s why in 1994 the Iowa Legislature officially declared this Northwest Iowa community the Ice Cream Capital of the World.

During National Ice Cream Month in July, I got the pleasure of touring one of the local dairy farms that supplies milk to America’s largest privately held, family-owned ice cream and frozen treat manufacturer. Plymouth Dairy is aptly named as it is located amongst the beautiful hills of Plymouth County. Owned and operated by the Feuerhelm family, this dairy farm is a mere 10-minute drive from Wells’ ice cream plant.

Plymouth Dairy was founded in 1999 to diversify income because crop prices were extremely low. Scott Feuerhelm, who graduated from Iowa State University in 1995 had returned home to farm with his father, Alan. They milked their first cows in August 2000. Scott’s older brother, Brad, joined them in 2002. Kurt Weirda serves as general manager of Plymouth Dairy. While Weirda focuses on managing the dairy herd and its 35 employees, the Feuerhelms focus on crop and forage production.

In addition to their day-to-day duties, they believe it’s important to be involved with the industry. Alan Feuerhelm is a past board member of the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance and serves on the Midwest Dairy Association. Kurt Weirda has served as chairman of Dairy Iowa. Plymouth Dairy owners and managers also have hosted Breakfast on the Farm during June Dairy Month, plus they host numerous tours for school groups and other organizations throughout the year.

“We want to show consumers that we care about producing a high-quality product and the way to do this is by making sure the cows are well taken care of and comfortable” says Scott Feuerhelm.

Understanding consumer preferences and viewpoints is especially important to Scott’s wife, Jill. She grew up on a Central Iowa row crop and cattle feeding farm and majored in Agricultural Business. Upon graduating from ISU, Jill began working at The Meyocks Group in West Des Moines where she was an account executive for food and animal health accounts.

Developing strategy for marketing and communicating agricultural products served Jill well as she began her career at Wells and has held various roles within marketing, brand management and sales.

“I enjoy working for Wells because it is a family-owned company with a commitment to manufacturing high-quality ice cream and novelties,” says Jill. “I have been able to grow in my career at Wells by holding various positions within the company.”

The Feuerhelm family is working hard to live a legacy that allows their children to become fifth generation farmers. In 2019, they expanded their farming operation to include Perry Creek Dairy. The new facility, also in located in Plymouth County, includes 7.5 acres of under-roof freestall barns. These barns allow for maximum cow comfort, safety, and environmental stewardship. As many as 3,600 cows can be milked three times daily in the 80-stall parlor.

“The comfort of our cows is of utmost importance,” explains Scott. “Our cows all have sand beds. Fans and sprinklers keep them cool in the summer and the barns keep them warm during the winter. They are given plenty of fresh water and food.”

Milk from Perry Creek Dairy supports the Agropur mozzarella cheese production facility in Hull, Iowa. Today they’re sharing with us a family favorite recipe that makes use of the products they produce. Why not top off a great homemade meal with a dish of Blue Bunny Peppermint Stick ice cream?

Chicken Deluxe

6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ small package Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix

¼ c. butter

Arrange chicken in pan or casserole dish so pieces are touching.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Pour one can cream of chicken soup over cheeses.  Roll Pepperidge Farm stuffing to fine crumbs; sprinkle over everything.  Drizzle melted butter over dressing.  Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours at 300 degrees.

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” – Charles Buxton

This brilliant quote from an English brewer, writer, philanthropist and member of Parliament recently popped up in my Facebook feed. Immediately, I thought of Jennifer Schmitt. She’s a wife, the mother of two, a farmer, a special education consultant, agricultural advocate and an author. She’s also an inspiration.

“Everyone has a different story to tell,” says Jennifer, who lives with her family on a farm near Rockford, Iowa. She also is a member of the Floyd County Fair Board and serves as president of the St. Mary Roseville Board of Education. “If we don’t tell our family stories, they will disappear with us when we are no longer here. If we don’t share stories about our own farms and agriculture operations, someone else will. Telling our own stories provides us an opportunity to share the facts.”

Jennifer says she started blogging to share her family’s farm story and to share her writing with others. 4-H and FFA helped influence her passion for agriculture, as well as taught her leadership and communication skills she uses in all aspects of my life whether it’s on the farm or working with families in her role in education. From the time she was in fourth grade, she has enjoyed writing.

“I had a teacher who spurred me to have a big dream of writing a children’s book at the ripe age of nine,” says Jennifer. “I have been writing in some mode ever since. In college, I wrote for the newspaper. I started my Tails from the Gravel Road blog to share our family’s story.

When I was first debating what to call my blog, I toyed around with ‘Tales from Jersey Avenue’ because that’s where we lived,” adds Jennifer. “The more I played around with the idea, I thought using ‘Tails’ would be a fun twist and a way to tie in our farm stories. I ultimately decided on “Tails from the Gravel Road” because I felt people could relate better to traveling gravel roads.”

Being relatable is key to gaining trust and building relationships with consumers, which is another of Jennifer’s goal.

“You don’t have to wait for the perfect moment or perfect picture to share on social media. Don’t be afraid to share your story because it is YOURS,” says Jennifer, author of the children’s book You Will Do Great Things. “Show your real life. Real life is relatable in my opinion.”

Keeping it real to Jennifer means sharing photos of farmers working in the fields at night or in the wee hours of the morning. She and her husband, Rob, both have off-farm jobs. They also have two daughters, 11-year-old Grace and 8-year-old Ellie.

The Schmitt family raises cattle and a few pigs plus. They also have a hay and crop operation, so their farm chores are done outside normal office hours. Charlotte, a special pig on their farm, and a calf named Bruno have inspired characters for future children’s books.

The family’s mixed herd of beef cattle includes Simmental and Charolais, as well as Angus. They market directly to the consumer, which means they deliver market-weight cattle to the locker. Then the consumer pays the Schmitts for the product and the locker for the processing.

“Our girls are learning about business, marketing, caring for animals, and the value of hard work,” says Jennifer, who grew up on a cow/calf and row crop operation just west of where she now lives. “Grace and Ellie know that chores and farm tasks must be done before the fun and above all, they understand why. They both jump in and help when needed whether it is giving shots to animals, filling waterers or filling the hayloft with hay.”

These every-day moments have inspired Jennifer to share her farm tales through stories and pictures. Her latest book, Tawanda’s Tales, is based on a real childhood experience.

“I shared this story with my mom when I first had it written. She said, ‘Please tell me this is fiction.’ As a mother myself, I understand that she was most concerned with my safety and wellbeing. It’s probably best that she didn’t hear about the ‘adventure’ that took place until years after it happened.”

Curious to learn more about Jennifer’s childhood adventure? Check it out! Tawanda’s Tales is written at a second grade reading level, so it might make a great gift for a special reader on your list.

“I hope that kids will hear a story of a fun adventure on horseback,” says Jennifer. “I hope parents will remember a fun time that they had with a friend, and I hope all readers think about a special friend that they have in their life.”

Jennifer likes to sign her books with “Dream big and huge!” Her advice to farmers who are apprehensive about sharing their family’s story is to just get started. Need a little more inspiration to start telling your story? Follow Jennifer on Instagram or Facebook.

Another way you might share part of your family’s farm story is by giving gifts that you made or produced. Today Jennifer is sharing with us a favorite recipe for homemade apple pie filling that can easily be adapted into an apple crisp. She got this recipe from her cousin, Shannon Bushbaum, who published it in the Sacred Heart School’s cookbook.

“I love this recipe because it’s great for giving as a gift, and it’s a fun way to use apples from our trees,” says Jennifer, who hopes you enjoy this recipe as much as she does! Who knows? Maybe I’ll even be inspired to make it for Christmas. I still have apples from our tree in my refrigerator.

Kris’ Canned Apple Pie Filling

4 1/2c. sugar

1 C. Cornstarch

10 C. Water

2 tsp. Cinnamon

¼ tsp. Nutmeg

½ tsp. Salt

Apples

Prepare apples by washing, peeling, coring, and slicing.  Pack in pint or quart jars.  To pack tighter, hold jar with one hand and pat jar with other.  Bring other ingredients to a boil until thick.  Pour mixture over apples in jars.  Filling to 1” from the rim.  Process for 20 minutes in hot water bath or 5 minutes in a pressure cooker at 5 pounds.  Makes 8 quarts (16 pints).

You want it? Work for it.

That’s the lesson Craig and Julie Nice are teaching their four children on their farm in Ardoch, North Dakota. Their oldest two daughters, Alexis and Elizabeth, have learned to balance a checkbook and repay a loan thanks to their pork enterprise.

“When I was young, my family always raised a few head of hogs to put some pork in our freezer and then sell to the neighbors,” said Craig. “Julie and I talked about it. We decided it would be a good way to teach our kids responsibility and a lot of really great life lessons.”

In 2016, the Nice’s oldest daughters bought 25 feeder pigs. The girls oversold their product. Realizing there was a market for locally raised pigs, Alexis and Elizabeth wanted to expand their operation but needed capital. The FSA officer suggested to Craig that Alexis and Elizabeth should complete a Youth Loan Application. The girls wrote a business plan, which included developing a budget. They had to list everything they would need to grow their business: fencing, additional barn space, feeders, feed grinder and livestock trailer.

Like most start-up businesses, profit during the first several years was put back into the business to fund its growth. This year, or Year 4 of the business, is the first time the girls are projected to put money in their individual bank accounts.

In addition to money management, the girls have learned other important skills like risk management and genetic diversification. Three years ago, the girls bought 50 feeder pigs from one producer. Because that group of pigs had several problems, the following year Alexis and Elizabeth purchased 25 pigs from two different farms. Last year the Nice sisters bought groups of feeder pigs from three different farms.

“It’s just like planting seed,” says Craig, who is a Latham® seed dealer. “Farmers plant more than one corn hybrid to spread risk with different genetics. Our girls have learned it’s important to diversify risk.”

As the sisters’ business grew, they realized they needed to name it. They started with the word “prairie” because the family’s yard started as prairie. Their farmyard was a CRP field in 2013. As Craig’s seed business expanded, he needed a yard to build a shed to store seed.  They built the seed shed/shop first. Then in 2015 they started building their house.

Little Farm on the Prairie was chosen for the girls’ pork venture. The next step was finding a processor who could work with them. They deliver live pigs in groups of seven to 13 for processing. This allows the local processor to handle the volume, plus it allows the girls to market them in smaller groups.

The girls market their pork primarily through word of mouth. They also hang posters in local businesses and promote it through their Little Farm on the Prairie Facebook page.

Business planning, financial management, risk management and marketing are life skills that are important regardless of what careers these young women will decide to pursue. Alexis, 19, is a sophomore at Mayville State University, where she is a student manager of the Comets women’s basketball team. She is working on a degree in exercise science and plans to continue her education in to become an athletic trainer. After she graduates from college, Alexis would like to return home. The family’s farming enterprise includes a custom fertilizer application and custom planting, a seed dealership, and a repair shop for farm equipment as Craig was a JD service technician for 10 years. He also sells air drill parts and rebuilds air drills.

One of the reasons Craig became a Latham dealer is because the 2018 Latham Seed Product Guide contained an article that encouraged the next generation to come into the farm. Farming is a legacy for both Craig and Julie’s family. In fact, Alexis was one week old when she had her first combine ride.

Life is interesting on the Nice family farm as each of their four daughters has very different interests. Elizabeth, 15 years old, is a sophomore in high school.  She has a love for children, so Elizabeth spends most of her summer babysitting for a local family. Her parents describe her as having a gentle, kind, loving personality.  Elizabeth is very active. She’s a leader in her school and loves playing volleyball.

Emma, 11 years old, is a sixth grader.  Her parents call her their inventor. Craig has to hide the duct tape or it’s gone. Emma made a wallet out of Gorilla tape, complete with a pouch for credit cards. She enjoys playing cops and made her own holster out of duct tape. She also enjoys participating robotics and playing basketball in school.

Five-year-old Josephine is a kindergartener.  She loves to watch cooking shows. A fan of Molly Yeh from the television series Girl Meets Farm, Josephine often asks her parents to drive through East Grand Forks “to see if Molly is home.” East Grand Forks is a short 30-minute drive from the Nice family farm, but Molly is anything but the girl next door.

Yeh grew up in the Chicago suburbs with a Chinese father and Jewish mother. She studied percussion at Juilliard in New York City. After getting married, Yeh relocated with her husband to a sugar beet farm in East Grand Forks. There she has managed to build a culinary empire, including the award-winning cookbook, “Molly on the Range.” She is the creator of the critically-acclaimed and highly popular food and lifestyle brand “my name is yeh”, which has been recognized by the likes of the New York Times and Food & Wine. She was named “blog of the year” by New York Magazine, Saveur, and “food blog of the year” by Yahoo. Yeh in 2017 made Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list.

Inspired by cooking shows and their Norwegian heritage, last year the Nice family decided to carry on a family tradition of making lefse. Julie texted Craig’s cousin for the recipe. Together Craig and Julie watched a “how to” video on YouTube. After all, they watched a YouTube video to learn how to side their house themselves. Why not learn how to make lefse the same way?

“We had so much fun, and our lefse turned out so well,” says Julie. “Lefse is something we will continue to make during the holiday season,” says Julie. “We freeze the lefse in packages of six since there are six of us in the family. When we want a treat, we just pull a bag from the freezer. Our favorite way to top them is just butter and sugar.”

Today the Nice family is sharing their time-honored tradition of lefse making with us.

Five dollars seems like such a small price to pay for someone who has served six tours of duty overseas, but $5 could make a notable difference in one person’s life.

One hundred percent of the $5 per person gate fee to Enchanted Acres pumpkin patch on Saturday, Oct. 26, will be donated to Retrieving Freedom Inc. (RFI). Headquartered in Waverly, Iowa, RFI is a non-profit organization dedicated to training service dogs for veterans and children with autism. Dogs that exhibit specific traits are trained to meet the needs of each specific recipient. The dogs go through more than two years of training to meet RFI’s strict standards for a successful placement.

Retrieving Freedom is an organization that Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has supported in the past. When I heard that a fellow Sheffield resident is raising funds for RFI because he is receiving a service dog, I decided to help Andrew O’Connor reach his goal.

What could be a better way to honor this solider than by helping him reach his fund-raising goal by Veteran’s Day? Veterans Day is a federal holiday that is celebrated each year on November 11 to honor military veterans, or people who have served in the United States Armed Forces and were discharged honorably.

“Calling Retrieving Freedom is one of the best decisions I’ve made to date,” says O’Connor, 36, of Sheffield, Iowa. He served 13½ years in the United States Army where he was an 11B Infantryman. He served six tours overseas: four tours in Iraq, one tour in Afghanistan, and one tour in Jordan. During a routine patrol on August 6, 2007, O’Connor’s squad entered a section of abandoned houses and began clearing them.

“I and another team member started to enter the back of one house when it exploded,” recalls O’Connor. “I was thrown 50 feet from where I was standing and was knocked unconscious. The rest of my squad was killed. I live with that guilt every day. I struggle with extreme anxiety and depression, so I’m looking forward to regaining some of my personal daily freedom back with Tilly.”

O’Connor has been training with Tilly for the past year at RFI’s training facility in Wavery. The pair has worked both in the training facility and in public alongside professional trainers. Tilly is trained specific tasks to meet O’Connor’s specific needs, such as providing him some relief in anxious situations. The team is set to graduate in the early months of 2020.

It costs from $25,000 to $30,000 to train one service dog. While service dogs are provided at no cost to qualifying recipients, O’Connor wants to give back to the organization that is giving him so much.

I am hopeful that together we can raise $7,500 for RFI! Feel free to dress in your favorite Halloween costume and hand-deliver your $5 contribution to Enchanted Acres pumpkin patch on October 26.

Those who wish to contribute at a larger level are encouraged to mail their tax-deductible donations to Retrieving Freedom, 1152 230th Street, Waverly, IA 50677. Please put “Andrew O’Connor” in the memo. Donations also may be made through RFI’s website.

“We’ve placed just over 100 certified service dogs, and our goal is to double the number of dogs in training,” says Scott Dewey, RFI co-founder and director of operations. “Your donation will help us help more people.”

Service dogs in training will be at Enchanted Acres on October 26 from noon until 2 PM. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet families that foster service dogs for RFI, interact with puppies and help with their training. A 30-minute service dog demonstration will be held at 1 PM.

In celebration of our upcoming puppy party at my pumpkin patch, I’m sharing a recipe for Peanut Butter Puppy Chow that I got a years ago from a woman in my church circle. Maybe making puppy chow will inspire you to host a bake sale to raise funds for RFI! (Click here for a cute DYI “doggie treat bag” design. Another recipe that’s been a hit when I served it at Girl Scout meetings is Pumpkin Fluff Dip served with Scooby Doo dog bone-shaped graham crackers.)

Just as football fanatics travel across the country to cheer on their favorite team to victory, we’re spanning the Upper Midwest to introduce you to some important players on Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ sales team.

Last week we introduced you to Latham’s Regional Sales Manager (RSM) for Northwest Iowa, Jeremy Joynt, who played tight end at Illinois State University. Jeremy explained how lessons learned through team sports apply to the workplace. The previous week we highlighted Joe Salter, Latham’s RSM in Northern Wisconsin, who shared how skills he gained on the gridiron transfer to our sales team.

Our third in a series of “Friday Night Lights” feature articles will focus on Latham’s RSM for Central Iowa – East. Aaron Steenhoek, a native of Pella, Iowa, feels blessed that he and his wife were able to purchase his grandparents’ acreage a little more than one year ago.

Aaron and Cory want to raise their three sons like they were raised. Cory grew up in Central Iowa near Garwin where her parents and her brother are the fourth and fifth generations, respectively, to farm that land. When Aaron was growing up, his grandpa and his dad raised corn and soybean in rotation. They grew alfalfa to provide forage for the family’s cow-calf operation. Aaron and his siblings also had 4-H feeder cattle projects.

Aaron’s grandfather retired from farming when Aaron was in college. Aaron graduated from Central College in 2011 and began farming with his father in 2012. They raise row crops, as well as alfalfa to feed as forage for their spring-calving, commercial cow-calf herd. Most of their cows are Angus influenced, but Aaron says they’re working toward a purebred Gelbvieh and Balancer herd. They also raise some Piedmontese F1 crosses.

“The Piedmontese is a double-muscled, myostatin-free beef that is lower in fat and cholesterol but higher in protein,” explains Aaron. “Essentially, you get the good of red meat with the essential amino acids in a more tender steak that is lower in calories and lower in cholesterol like chicken.”

The Steenhoek family enjoys spending time today, caring for the land and their cattle.

“Our boys are as actively involved in farming as they can be at their young ages. Their little eyes are always watching. If a piece of machinery is moving, they’re in it!” says Aaron. “God willing, our sons will become the seventh generation to operate our family farm. There’s so much history here. We actually have the original abstract from when my great, great, great grandfather bought the farm from the founder of Pella.”

Family comes first for Aaron, and that’s one reason he says he was drawn to working for family-owned Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

“The Lathams don’t just say family first, they mean it. You can see it through their actions,” says Aaron. “At the end of the day, that’s what this life comes down to… Farming is about providing for your family, teaching them values and virtues along the way, and hopefully leaving them something to continue.”

Creating a legacy is important to Aaron and Cory. The couple met while they were both attending Central College in Pella where they both majored in exercise science health promotion. Cory played basketball and ran track at Central College. She also became a personal trainer while she was still in college, and a few years ago she opened her own studio.

“My kids go with my wife daily to the gym. They enjoy interacting with her clients and working out with them,” says Aaron. “Our oldest son, Emmett, started Pre-K this fall. He loves everything farming. Two-year-old Rhett follows closely in Emmett’s footsteps. If 7-month-old Klay could figure out how to run with his big brothers, he would!”

Every parent knows the days can be long but the years pass quickly. Soon the Steenhoek children will likely play sports where they’ll gain more life-long lessons.

“Playing sports taught me a lot about building relationships and working hard, both of which are necessary to differentiate yourself in a competitive marketplace,” says Aaron. “Being part of a team means working well with others, as well as pulling your own weight. You must elevate your play, so others around you see how you behave and want to elevate their own play. It means helping others, so the entire organization can succeed.”

Aaron also learned to adapt to change. He became a defensive specialist in college, playing the strong side defensive end position.

“This position in college is usually held by people a little larger than I, but I was able to hold my own with the speed and body awareness that I developed. I used to be one of the guys across the line, so I knew how to use their body weight against them.”

Aaron continues, “I played defensive end in high school, but the elevated level of play in college meant I couldn’t continue playing both ways plus special teams. Most days, I couldn’t play my own position on defense for the entire game because I needed a breather. This completely changed the pace of the game for me, and that was probably what I struggled with the most. Everyone around me was so much bigger, faster, and stronger. I had no choice but to match and beat their intensity on the field. College football taught me a lot about what people are capable of when they are willing to put in the effort and work for what they want to achieve.”

When he was majoring in exercise science, Aaron thought he would graduate from college and become a coach. Now he spends his days coaching Latham® dealers on how to meet their farmer-customers’ needs.

“What I enjoy most about selling seed is not actually selling at all. I enjoy working with farmers to help them improve the bottom line. I enjoy learning about their farms and practices. I learn what has worked for them and place products on their acres to help them have the best long-term results!

The Steenhoek family spends time together exercising, camping and boating. Aaron also enjoys hunting a few times throughout the year.

In celebration of October as Pumpkin Month, the Steenhoek family is sharing with us their favorite recipe for pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin has an impressive nutrition profile. It’s low in calories and high in antioxidants. Grab a pumpkin muffin or two on your way out the door to get your day off to a good start!