Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fall 2010 Bethany Prairie Highland Sales





It was love at first sight for Matea Nelson and Bella, Linda's bottle calf






Dick Grotberg and Jadon Krivoruchka became the oldest and the youngest Scottish Highland breeders in the state. Jadon's dad Roy came along to drive.
Eleven year old Jadon started his herd with 2 cows, 3 heifer calves and 2 bull calves. Jadon picked out the animals himself and he knew exactly which ones he wanted!
 

  
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Some of the 2010 calves are Scottish Highland/Red Angus crosses from cows that we purchased from  Cass Aarstad a year ago
Before winter set in for good, we sold 39 head to Chad Peterson, Newport, NE, and delivered them to Phil Jerde in South Dakota

The Jerde children entertained their parents and you know who else!



Friday, November 19, 2010

Prairie Farm Pilot Project Small Scale Renewable Fuel



Make your farm sustainable - Grow your own fuel!
A Ton of sunflower seeds makes 80 gallons of filtered oil and 1,200 pounds of meal.
The oil is used to run diesel tractors and vehicles.
The meal is used for high protein livestock feed.
Ten percent of a farm's acres are needed to provide fuel for the farm.

This is our Chinese press from Walder Mfg.
Mark Walder is showing a fellow from Canada and Dick Lovestrand how to run the press.


WE HAVE STRUCK OIL!!!

Didn't take us too long to figure out that we needed to do a lot of settling and filtering to turn the crude oil into oil for fuel! Settling takes 2 weeks, then the SVO is filtered to 5 microns.

Paul Aakre, University of MN - Crookston, Bethany Prairie, and the NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnership are working together on to evaluate the constraints of a family farm operation to produce its' own fuel.


Dick Lovestrand often explains the workings of the oilseed press - farmers have specific uses and questions in mind. Some are a bit surprised and disappointed that they can't just put straight vegetable oil (SVO) into diesel engines without modifications.



Meal and filtered oil


 Dick and Dick check out our Fuel Meister which turns filtered sunflower oil into bio-diesel in the transesterification process. Straight Vegetable Oil can be used  to replace diesel fuel by using a two tank Elsbett system. Paul Aakre and the students at UMC are helping us with both of these processes.






For more information contact Linda Grotberg  lindag@daktel.com or cell phone: 701-320-9535

 

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Bethany Prairie Field Day 2010


August 3, 2010, morning has come.

Field Day is here and we are up with the chickens!



Laurie had made the last pass over the grass the night before.  Sheryl Smith our official photographer is here early to take the fun scenery pictures before the workshops start.
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The broiler chickens were already in the freezer, but she managed to find a few blossoms that the little goats left us.


Susan Long and Marilyn Isaacson from NPSAS and Carol Peterson, Sheyenne James RC&D are ready to register guests.


 Yvonne Lawley and Steve Zwinger from the NDSU Carrington Research Station  show the  purpose of cover crops
Paul DuBourt, Griggs Co NRCS, and Linda tell about the CSP and Organic EQIP programs and how they relate to the pasture and crop rotations.

Karri Stroh, FARRMS, visits with Jack Olson, one of the farmer members in the Prairie Farm Pilot Project SARE Farmer/Rancher group grant.

Anthony our NDSU intern from Uganda taking notes in the field.

Jeff Hemmenway, SD NRCS used the Rainfall Simulator to show how different soils react to rainfall. "That was the most facsinating demonstration that we have ever seen!" was one of the comments.
Members of the Bethany Prairie soil science team, Susan Samson-Liebig, Lance Duey,
and Fred Aziz, gave demonstrations on soil quality and Web Soil Survey.
ARS in Mandan sent people to show simple soill  tests that can be done by farmers.
Paul Aakre, University of MN - Crookston, was on hand to present the project that UMC, Bethany Prairie, and the NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnership are working together on to evaluate the constraints of a family farm operation to produce its' own fuel.

Dick Lovestrand explained the workings of the oilseed press - farmers had specific uses and questions in mind. Some were a bit surprised and disappointed that you can't just put straight vegetable oil into diesel engines without modifications.

A Scottish Highland roast beef dinner with creamed potatoes and all the trimmings was provided by ND Ag Department and the Barnes Co Farm Bureau and served by a great kitchen crew!

 
Stan Amundson, Midwest Dairy #5, was here again this year to serve ice cream for dessert.
 Dick G., on the left, was his star boarder

The day was beautiful -  the fellowship great!
A good time was had by all!
Thank you to our co-sponsors
NPSAS, ND Ag Department, Sheyenne James RC&D,
FARRMS, NCR-SARE, Barnes Co Farm Bureau
Midwest Dairy #5