Saturday, October 15, 2022 | 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, October 15, 2022
Volume 1, Edition 10
Living toa legacy leave
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTO BY MARTIN LARSEN
(Above) Martin Larsen combines one of his fields on Oct. 3 near Byron. Parts of the Larsen farm have been in their family for eight generations. PHOTO BY TAYLOR JERDE
(Below) Glen (from left), Rudy, Tom and Martin Larsen stand by their 8050 Allis-Chalmers Allis Chalmers tractor on Oct. 5 near Byron. The four have been working together to get harvest done.
Larsen Farms honored as Olmsted County Farm Family of the Year BY TAYLOR JERDE STAFF WRITER
B
Y R O N – Martin Larsen has worked as a part-time conservation specialist for nearly a decade. He’s also a farmer. He balances his work as a farmer with educating other farmers about the importance of ground water and nitrate management. Larsen Farms has always been diverse, and this has helped Larsen look at the farm as a system, rather than as individual parts. From chickens to hogs to dairy cattle to what
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
they currently have now, the Larsen homestead has seen it all. Larsen Farms currently consists of corn, soybeans, food-grade oats, alfalfa, meat goats, and beef cattle. Their beef cattle have been converted overtime from his uncle Tom’s dairy herd. Those efforts have earned the Larsens the honor of being named the Olmsted County farm family of the year. As a conservationist, Larsen encourages other farmers to stay connected and be proactive with how they can assist in reducing nitrates. “The most important asset that we have
as farmers is our land, and if we treat it poorly and we erode it, it’s not going to be as productive,” he said. Larsen takes extreme pride in his work and enjoys sharing his findings with fellow farmers. He has been active in conservation since 2013, and he travels to different areas to present his research. “We want to do the best we can, so future generations can enjoy the land,” Larsen said. “It can be extremely rewarding seeing the changes and seeing people be successful.”
Larsen page 2
This month in the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on November 5, 2022
5
The case of a missing parent Touch of Grace Column
6
Rooted deep in history St. Charles
9
The mother breed Lake City