Saturday, April 15, 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, April 15, 2023
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 1, Edition 22
PHOTOS BY AMY KYLLO
Sue Wiegrefe holds a two-day-old lamb while looking at hazelnut bushes March 24 on her farm near Mabel. Wiegrefe planted her first hazelnuts in 2015.
When a
scientist farms Wiegrefe develops hazelnuts, incorporates sheep on diversified farm BY AMY KYLLO | STAFF WRITER
Sue Wiegrefe trims a jacket on a new lamb at her farm near Mabel. Wiegrefe raisies sheep along with a variety of orchard produce.
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
MABEL – When Dr. Sue Wiegrefe harvests hazelnuts, the process can only be described as scientific. As a plant geneticist, Wiegrefe is applying her skills to produce exceptional hazelnut genetics. Wiegrefe owns Prairie Plum Farm, which is a 14.5-acre farm where she raises hazelnuts, elderberries, sheep, apples, pears and … wild plums, the namesake of the farm. Wiegrefe planted her first hazelnuts in 2015. She is working to develop hazelnut genetics to provide a high-quality seed. “I can add value to the genetics by deleting the bottom 10% and selling the seeds from only the top 10%,” Wiegrefe said. Each bush is harvested and judged by the size and quantity of the hazelnuts that it produces. Wiegrefe said she is interested in the bushes that produce hazelnuts that are predominantly 5/8 of an inch in diameter or greater. Besides
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COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on May 6, 2023
tracki n g their diameter, she cracks and weighs the hazelnuts to determine the percent kernel versus shell. Wiegrefe is intentional with the plant genetics that she brings onto her farm. “I am building on the decades of work on hazelnuts done by my former employer, Badgersett Research Corporation,” Wiegrefe said. “I handpicked the parents for the plants from materials I observed there. By knowing the mother you know at least half of the genetics and so I specifically chose ones that I thought had promise.” As Wiegrefe hones her plant collection through tracking of har-
A lamb basks in the sun April 12 at Prairie Plum Farm. Spring is when Sue Wiegrefe’s flock of sheep lamb.
vest and intentional culling, she consciously works to keep a variety of plant families. “I am a believer in genetic diversity,” Wiegrefe said. “On the hazelnuts I am hoping to have plants that are similar but not identical.”
Wiegrefe page 2
4
Memories in a tiestall barn Grace Jeurissen Column
7
Dairy princess Q&As
5
Farm fresh food focus Rushford
13 Daredevil art for a farm boy heart Kasson