Nicollet & Sibley County Ag News

August 2024

Educator to You

Happy August!

Fair season is in full swing! This time of year is most definitely my favorite. I love to see all of the 4-H and Open Class exhibits, try out staple food vendors and connect with friends new and old. County fairs are a great place for the public to learn about agriculture. From the 4-H'er in the barn telling a fairgoer about their calf to a Master Gardener answering a number of questions in the horticulture building, there are many opportunities to educate!

County fairs also bring many opportunities for recognition. At the Sibley County Fair last week, we honored the Brandt Family as the 2024 Sibley county Farm Family of the Year and this week we get to honor Guldan Family Farm as the Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year. Be sure to read about both families in the Today in Agriculture section below.

Best wishes!

- Samantha

Note from ANR Summer Intern

The end of summer is near! Although I am not done with my internship until next week, by the time you receive another newsletter from Sam, I will be back at SDSU. This summer has been a fun-filled learning experience that has challenged me greatly. It turns out I do not know as much about trees as I thought I did before! I am very thankful for the opportunities I had to engage with the people of the community and learn about your unique operations. My favorite part of the experience was getting the opportunity to sample a local alfalfa field several times and see all the data from that. I am a hands-on learner so getting the opportunity to see, feel, and experience what is going on in that field was helpful for me moving forward as I begin my own operation.

This fall, I am returning to South Dakota State University to continue my degree in Ag Education with a minor in Animal Science. Thanks to this experience, I also have some new ways to explain agricultural information to the students I will interact with these next two years.

I would like to end by thanking the University of Minnesota Extension for making this internship opportunity possible, as well as Nicollet and Sibley Counties for welcoming me into your area. Finally, a big thank you to Sam Schoenbauer for taking me under your wing this summer and showing me the ropes of a job with Extension. Thank you for pushing me, but also allowing me to be creative within my impact in this role. Nicollet and Sibley Counties are truly blessed to have you as their Ag Educator!

Thank you to you all for making this such an impactful summer, I cannot wait to see where this opportunity will take me next!

Thank You!

- Jess

Today in Agriculture

2024 Sibley County Farm Family of the Year

Congratulations to the 2024 Sibley County Farm Family of the Year, the Brandt Family!

Jacob and Stephanie have three kids, Owen, Lincoln, and Clara, who all enjoy the farm life. Currently, the Brandts are partners in Sunrise Dairy, Five Star Dairy and Brickhouse Meats. The dairies currently milk 1,300 cows, three times a day. Jacob also farms with his father in a cash crop enterprise. Stephanie is the local agriculture teacher and FFA adviser at Sibley East High School. Because of this role, the Brandts have always been very active in promoting agriculture in their community.

As the kids have gotten older, the family has diversified into hogs, poultry and beef as their interests have expanded. The Brandt kids currently have a poultry flock of chickens, ducks and geese from which the family sells eggs. The Brandts raise about 100 hogs a year from farrow-to-finish and market them in the local community. They also have a small beef operation, consisting of Hereford and Wagyu animals.

2024 Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year

Congratulations to the 2024 Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year, Guldan Family Farm!

Tim Guldan is the owner/operator of Guldan Family Farm. His wife Brooke, is a registered OB nurse in New Ulm and helps with planting and markets as her schedule allows. Their children, Blaine, Olivia and Maura, have their roles on the farm. Blaine helps with the day-to-day operations outside of the school day and manages their stand at the New Ulm Farmers Market. Olivia and Maura eat their share of peas and melons while out in the fields collecting worms and bundling stems of foxtail.

The farm currently raises 25 acres of produce, roughly 150 varieties of 50 different fruits and vegetables. It has incorporated a small-scale direct-to-customer beef cattle operation into the business. The Guldans attend farmers markets in New Ulm and Mankato and offer a CSA program while hiring roughly 15-20 youth from the community each summer to assist with picking.