Saturday, January 21, 2023 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #27 #278 M Madelia, MN 522 Sinclai Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre Centr MN 56378
SOUTH Saturday, January 21, 2023
Volume olume 1, Edition 16
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment Environme
Local value Boomflower Farm nurtures sustainability
possible, preferably within 50 miles driving distance from her farm, unless it KENYON – There are two damages the effectiveness of rules Katy Lund applies when she the product by doing so. The makes personal care products at products also have 10 or fewer Boomflower Farm.“One, I need to ingredients to keep them as natmake it myself,” Lund said. “Two, ural and minimalist as possible. The lotions, soaps, shampoos, i t needs to have at least one farmgrown ingredi- conditioners and salves Lund makes often contain milk from the ent.” All other two cows she has on her land that ingredients she she milks by hand. The products tries to source also have oils that are infused with medicinal herbs she grows in as locally as her garden. Lund uses tallow from her farm’s animals and pig lard from a nearby farm for some of her creations. Lund farms 20 acres near Kenyon in Goodhue County “The products are made in my kitchen, much to the chagrin of my husband,” Lund said. Bottling and packaging of products is done on the farm as well and all are labeled with the farm’s name. Lund said choosing a name for the product line was simple. “My husband is really into video games, and he just said, ‘Boomflower is perfect for your gamertag,’” Lund said. “It’s not a good PHOTO story, but it’s a good COURTESY name.” OF VINTAGE AT HEART PHOTOGRAPHY Her husPercy the draft horse band, Alex Zestands with owner Katy manek, works Lund at Boomflower Farm at Urgent Care near Kenyon. Percy does in Burnsville, numerous jobs on but he helps with the farm including the farm as well. hauling logs. BY JAN LEFEBVRE STAFF WRITER
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This mon in the COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on February 4, 2023
PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARROLL
Lund is a licensed mental health therapist through telehealth. She said she loves both roles she has taken on – therapist and farmer – and she thinks they have similarities. “They both give me a very big sense of purpose,” Lund said. “At its core, social work is about advocating for the betterment of all people. I find that a lot of what we are doing with farming, and my beliefs around farming and locally made, can connect back to that advocacy side of things. For her it’s about doing the most good for the communities they are in. The farm was the site of a goat dairy up until five years before Lund and Zemanek purchased it in November of 2020. The hayfield was still being used and maintained but the rest of the property wasn’t when the couple moved there. The land and buildings needed repairing. They have a full barn, a separate chicken coop, and a machine shed where they store the majority of their hay. “It’s been a big endeavor, but all the infrastructure was here when we moved in,” Lund said. “Our focus has been more on how do we repair the land to being more in harmony with the animals as well as just being healthier itself.”
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Fence line fiasco Grace Jeurissen Column
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Graduating into the classroom Eyota
Katy Lund and Alex Zemanek own Boomflower Farm near Kenyon. There they raise a variety of animals and make products using sustainable agriculture with a focus on keeping things local.
Since L u n d chooses animal breeds that are hardy in winter weather, her non-fowl animals mostly stay on the farm’s pasture. The animals include two milk cows, four steers and two horses – one a trained work horse that pulls logs and moves heavy loads. “The other is a pleasure horse that is too old and too wonky to be of much use other than just for fun,” Lund said. The farm is also home to a full herd of sheep, around 20 Icelandic and three Shetland that Lund and Zemanek own, and another 20 sheep owned by a tenant of theirs. “Icelandic sheep are technically a heritage breed,” Lund said. “They are more parasite resistant and have a hardier immune system than some of the more commercial breeds. They are much better at surviving. You can talk to a lot of sheep farmers who say that sheep are very good at finding ways to die because they are silly and get themselves stuck in silly situations.” The breed fits into Lund’s goal of making the whole farm as sustainable as possible.
Boomflower page 2
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What’s happening up north? Long Prairie