Contact: Julie Christensen, U of M Extension, (612) 626-4077

U of M recognizes 2008 Farm Families of the Year

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (6/30/2008)—Sixty-eight families from around the state, one from each participating county, have been named a “2008 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.

The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 7 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minn. Profiles of the 2008 honorees and information on the recognition event can be found on the University’s farm family website, at http://mnfarmfamilies.cfans.umn.edu/.

“The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contribution to agriculture and their communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of University of Minnesota Extension. “Farm families are the foundation of Minnesota agriculture and major contributors to the vitality of our communities.”

Families receiving honors were selected by their local county Extension committees and have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and supporting agriculture and agriculture production.

“This year’s farm families show the broad range of food produced by Minnesota’s farmers – everything from soybeans and hogs to less traditional crops like hybrid poplars and maple syrup,” said Allen Levine, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. “We’re proud to salute these families and their hard work to put food on our tables.”

The diversity of Minnesota family farms can be seen by looking at a sample of the 2008 honorees:

• Keith and Sandy Engen Family of Cottonwood County, Lamberton, Minn. Keith and Sandy Engen operate a corn and soybean crop rotation where they also finish beef cattle and custom feed hogs. Their daughter Britta is the current Minnesota Beef Queen.

• The Rogotzke Family of St. Louis County, Duluth, Minn. Dave and Anne Rogotzke own a maple forest where they collect syrup from nearly 4,600 taps and bottle it for market. During the months of June and July the family commercially fishes for King and Sockeye Salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

• Jeffrey and Susie Thoe Family of Dodge County, Hayfield, Minn. Jeffrey and Susie Thoe milk a herd of Registered Holsteins on a farm that was established 150 years ago. They also raise vegetables for market and corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa for their own use.

• Tim and Marilyn Backman of Grant County, Herman, Minn. Tim and Marilyn Backman own and operate Backman Seeds, Inc. which started when Tim’s parents purchased a seed conditioning plant in 1976. The Backman Farm plants soybeans and wheat for seed production and corn and sugar beets for market.

• Mike and Julie Swenson of Lac qui Parle County, Dawson, Minn. Mike and Julie Swenson started farming in 1981 and are the fourth generation on their farm. They run 780 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat as well as custom finish 800-900 hogs per year.

• Verdelle and Faye Olson of Polk County, Fertile, Minn. Verdelle and Faye Olson began farming in 1965 and are currently in a joint operation with their son Troy. The family raises bison and hybrid poplar trees and has 1,000 acres of land in a corn and soybean rotation. 

Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Farmfest runs Aug. 5-7 at the Gilfillan Estate, near Redwood Falls, Minn. Event hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 5 and 6, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 7. Admission is $7 per person, and those 18 and under are admitted free. More information on Farmfest is available at www.farmshows.com/ffst.

Here is a complete listing of the 2008 University of Minnesota Farm Family of the Year honorees, by county:

NOTE: News releases were current as of the date of issue. If you have a question on older releases, use the news release search (upper left-hand column of the News main page) or the main Extension search (upper right of this page) to locate more recent information.

URL: http:// www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2008/2008farmfamilies.html  This page was updated July 11, 2008 .
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