Saturday, September 17, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, September 17, 2022
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 9, Edition 45
PHOTO BY JAN LEFEBVRE
Julia Kolb (from left) Erin and 10-monthold Cooper Krug, climbed up into a load of harvested beans Sept. 8. at Anderson Farms near Belgrade. Cooper was experiencing how kidney beans feel between his toes.
Exchanging ideas
and friendship German student experiences rural Minnesota family farms BY JAN LEFEBVRE | STAFF WRITER
BELGRADE – Five families who live in rural areas across Minnesota welcomed a new family member this summer when they opened their homes and lives to 24-yearold Julia Kolb from Wörnitz, Germany through the IFYE (International Farm Youth Exchange) program. For Kolb, the experience was a whirlwind of new adventures. For her host families, it was a chance to see their lives through the fresh eyes of an enthusiastic young woman who was willing to try anything from driving a com-
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
bine to giving pigs their vaccination shots. “Julia jumped into her role as a family member without hesitation and was always willing to go with the flow,” said Caitlyn Krueger, State Coordinator for Minnesota’s IFYE program and one of Julia’s hosts this summer. “I appreciate her willingness to come from Germany and share her story while also getting out of her comfort zone at times.” Krueger is giving back to IFYE because of the experiences she gained as an exchange student through the
This month in the
program in 2016, when she stayed with rural families in both Finland and India. IFYE was founded after World War II as a way to build bridges between people across the globe. Exchange students are placed with families to experience what rural life is like in the countries they visit. After an orientation in Washington, D. C. with other IFYE students from around the world, Kolb’s Minnesota summer began June 20 with her first stay at the Schmitt family’s farm near Rice. Natalie and Mark Schmitt, along with their son, Austin, run a dairy with 85 registered Holsteins and 400 acres of cropped land. The Schmitts brought Kolb to their family reunion in Illinois and to the National Holstein Convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as well as
COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Oct. 1, 2022
to various local festivals in the Rice area. Kolb also joined in with chores and other activities including feeding calves, baking, and even sewing bean bags with Natalie for a local cornhole tournament, which, until then, Kolb had never played. “I wasn’t very good at it, “Kolb said with a laugh. Her favorite chore was bottle feeding young calves. “They are so cute when they are little,” Kolb said. “A calf was born on the last day I was there. It’s named Julia now, so there is a little calf on the farm that has my name.” The Schmitts loved comparing Kolb’s German culture to their own since Mark Schmitt’s ancestors immigrated from Germany. “It was fun to discover the similarities between central
Minnesota and [Julia’s] home area in Germany, to see the different traditions that survive today between the old country and here,” Natalie said. Schmitt also believes she learned something from Kolb. “Her easy-going nature and willingness to try new foods or different activities inspired me to be open to the possibilities surrounding me,” she said. On July 11, Kolb began the next leg of her IFYE journey by moving in with Peter and Abby Scott, who live near Pelican Rapids. “They live in the middle of the woods. It was so nice there,” Kolb said. She would sometimes go into work with Peter at the elevator in town or else with Abby at a turkey plant. Peter’s
IFYE page 2
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The case of a missing parent Grace Jeurissen column
13 Living their dreams Albany
23 Establishing their ecosystem Barrett
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Weeding Nancy Packard Leasman column
21 Country cooking Sauk Centre
B Section Minnesota Farm Families
10 A tasty toast to the troops Miltona
22 FFA Dassel-Cokato