Saturday, February 4, 2023 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #278 Madelia, MN 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre MN 56378
SOUTH Saturday, February 4, 2023
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 1, Edition 17
g i n n i t d h e n a i r t fi s e t u l d O
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Heins family recognized for conservation practices BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER
ALTURA – What started in 2015 as 20 acres and a vision, has now turned into a continuous opportunity to learn and experiment with land, crops and cattle rotation. Eric and Michelle Heins and their three children, Brayden, Adelyn and Grayson, run Hoosier Ridge Ranch near Altura in Wabasha County. Their ranch is based on rotationally grazing their herd of 2 5 Normande beef cows, creating a 100% grass-fed mark e t
animal for butcher. They also offer custom grazing during the growing season and manage the custom grazing herds separate. They run a total of 350 acres. “Our ultimate goal is to graze nearly every square inch of the acreage we run, including the wooded areas, to help minimize inputs,” Eric Heins said. “We can feed cattle using the pastures and crop residue, sell their meat to customers, all while adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.” From the beginning of their farming venture, the Heinses
knew they wanted to rotationally graze and find a niche in the grass-fed beef market. Their efforts earned them the 2022 Outstanding Conservationist Award for the Southeast region of Minnesota. Needing some guidance on fencing, pastures and water line/management in the beginning, they sought help from their local Natural Resource Conservation Service. The NRCS helped them get started on their venture, and they have continued to learn from, and grow, their operation. Now, nearly 8 years after they started their farm, the Heins family accepted the conserva-
Eric Heins spreads a bale of grass hay Jan. 30 near Altura. The Heinses’ herd of Normande beef are being wintered on this field.
tionist award Dec. 14 in Bloomington during the 86th Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ annual meeting. They were among eight farms to be recognized statewide. The award recognizes farms and people for their accomplishments with implementing conservation practices and improving the land around them. The Heinses were nominated by Terri Peters, manager of the Wabasha Soil and Water Conservation District. “We haven’t been doing this very long, so we felt surprised that we were nominated for the award,” Eric
Heins said. “It’s an honor to be recognized for what we are trying to achieve.” The Heins family centers its operation on the Normande beef cows they pasture yearround, only bringing them into the barn for wind protection during extreme winter weather and for annual herd health and maintenance checks.
Heins page 2
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
(Above)Normande beef cattle munch on hay Jan. 30 at Hoosier Ridge Ranch near Altura. The Normande breed originated from the Normandy region in France. PHOTO SUBMITTED
(Right) The Heins family – Michelle (from left) Grayson, Adelyn, Brayden and Eric – run Hoosier Ridge Ranch in Wabasha county. The Heinses were selected as recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Conservationist Award for the southeast region of Minnesota.
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on February 18, 2023
4
Spend more money Grace Jeurissen column
7
A rural identity Amy Kyllo Column
5
Routine comfort Stewartville
9
With open barn doors Hayfield