BENTON AG Plus
Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday,
September 16, 2023
Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties
Fermentation
University of MN Extension by Tyler Rice
I am the type of gardener who is more invested in growing vegetables than actually eating them. This comes at a cost, not only the obvious cost of the inputs like seed, fertilizer and time but also the eventual realization that I’ve grown enough cabbage (and squash and tomatoes) to feed a small army. This year, to use up the surplus I decided we would try our hand at making sauerkraut. You can call it my little silage experiment, and in fact, the parallels are unavoidable. Fermentation is the way certain foods have been preserved for centuries, and in modern livestock production, ensiling bulk forage is nearly irreplaceable in its economy and nutrition. To ensure silage products are managed in a way that produces a quality product, it is good to understand the biological and chemical processes that occur in the harvest, pre-storage and fermentation phases. A good understanding of these processes can help us to better control feed quality.
Crunching
away
Foothills Orchard provides apples
BY MAURA WENNER STAFF WRITER
Tucked away in the sandy soils of Little Falls is Foothills Orchard, home to 12,000 apple trees. Ron Woltjer, owner of the orchard, bought the 16-acre property in 2005. At the time, it was bare land, where he built a shed to start. “I grew up on a big farm down by Willmar,” said Woltjer, who resides with wife Tai Jen Liu in Sartell. “I am mostly Dutch. My dad and grandfather had a small orchard of about 30 to 40 trees. So, I guess, I kind of got the bug.” For the fall-driven person, pies,
crisps and ciders are on the forecast with the arrival of the new harvest season. Woltjer has over 30 varieties of apples to make each recipe complete. “The University of Minnesota is one of the leading apple breeders in the world right now,” Woltjer said. “Down by Shakopee, they have a research farm where they cross different kinds of apples together. Many crosses are centered around Honeycrisp — a hard, crisp and sweet apple which they developed around 30 years ago.”
Foothills Orchard page 2B PHOTO BY MAURA WENNER
Fermentation page 3B
Ron Woltjer, owner of Foothills Orchard in Little Falls, stands next to a Honeycrisp apple tree Sept. 11 at his orchard in Little Falls. Woltjer, a Sartell resident, bought the property in 2005 and has since planted 12,000 apple trees along with other fruits and vegetables.
SPREADERS, SPREADERS, SPREADERS... New & Used Spreaders on the lot, ready to go! Stop in and speak to Rod!
1960-2023 Celebrating 63 years!
FLUEGGE’S AG Farm Material Handling Specialist
ROD FLUEGGE “the boss”
2040 Mahogany St., Mora, MN 320-679-2981 BA37-1B-BL