(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to "Farm Connections."

I'm your host, Dan Hoffman.

On today's episode, we head to Le Roy, Minnesota to check out Fiddlehead Knob, where we talk to Kalvin Stern about running a farm and growing mushrooms.

Then we meet up with Dick Soltau as he shares a little slice of history with his collection of rescued and restored windmills.

All here today on "Farm Connections."

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Welcome to Farm Connections with your host Dan Hoffman.

- [Announcer] "Farm Connection's" premier sponsor is Minnesota Corn - [Announcer] Programming supported by Minnesota Corn, working to identify and promote opportunities for corn growers, enhance quality of life and help others understand the value and importance of corn production to America's economy.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Additional support from the following sponsors.

- [Announcer] Programming supported by R&S Grain Systems a family-owned business, serving its customers for 50 years with leading designs in the manufacturing of grain handling equipment and grain storage systems.

You can call them for a quote today.

- [Announcer] Programming supported by EDP Renewables North America, owner, operator of Prairie Star and Pioneer Prairie Wind Farms in Minnesota and Iowa.

EDPR Wind Farms and solar parks provide income to farmers and help power rural economies across the continent.

- [Announcer] Mower County Farm Bureau Association, a KSMQ broadcast sponsor, advocates for agriculture based on the policies and beliefs of its members.

It's dedicated to making the voices of its members stronger.

You can learn more about membership benefits at fbmn.org - [Announcer] Programs supported by employee-owned AgVantage Software, Rochester, Minnesota, celebrating their 50th year designing and developing agribusiness software for grain elevators, feed manufacturers, producers, fertilizer and chemical dealers, co-ops, seed companies, and fuel distributors.

(calming music) (calming music continues) - Welcome to "Farm Connections".

We traveled to rural Le Roy, Minnesota, to Fiddlehead Knob Farm and with me today is Kalvin Stern.

Kalvin, thanks for letting us come here.

- Hey, thanks for coming, Dan.

- What is going on at this place?

- Yeah, so we, my wife and I moved here all the way back in 2017 now I think.

And we dreamed of starting an organic farm and we didn't really wanna do vegetable farming, so we figured let's do some mushrooms 'cause we also really love foraging for mushrooms and finding wild ones out in the woods.

So we landed on mushrooms.

- Well what a wonderful journey.

But it doesn't sound like it started just here.

It sounds like you wandered a little bit and then came back.

Can you tell us about that?

- Yeah, yeah.

So my wife and I met after high school and we moved over to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where we both went to school there and we both went to school for international studies, but were really involved with some local food stuff.

Did a lot of foraging and just kind of exploring out in the woods and kind of fell in love with mushroom foraging.

And then after that there's a lot of stuff that happened in between there.

But then after that we moved to Boone, North Carolina, which was a really thriving local food scene.

And we both got involved with, I was involved with a local biodynamic and certified organic farm where we'd raised pigs, cows, veggies, all sorts of stuff.

And then my wife worked with a local homeless shelter where we worked closely together feeding folks with really good food.

So we fell in love with local food kind of all throughout that time.

And then moved back in 2016 and moved back to the farm, which was her great grandpa's farm.

And it was just sitting empty and needed some love.

- So Kalvin, it sounds like you and your partner, your spouse, Rachel, have done a lot of traveling.

You've done some educational experiences, you probably could have gone anywhere in the world.

What brought you to rural Minnesota?

- Well, we both grew up here.

We've got very big families in the area, which means a large support network.

And that was something when we started raising our family, we're like, we really need a support network as anybody does.

And we moved back here, we had access to this 10 acre farm, which just needed some love.

And we've been really working hard to make it beautiful for our children and hopefully maybe someday down the future to invite others to the farm to do some farm tour stuff or I don't know, the sky's the limit on that.

- Well tell us about the history of this farm before you and Rachel began to nurture it and make it into your own.

- Sure, it used to be Rachel's great grandpa.

So Bill Uland was the original one here at the farm and her grandpa grew up in this house and her grandparents now live just a mile down the road.

So we see them very often.

And they farmed corn and soy, they did dairy farming in this area and for their entire lives.

And they had this beautiful farm that we were just amazed to be able to purchase and to live our life here and build this new farm.

It's a little bit different than the corn and soy, but you know.

(laughs) - Well sometimes there's opportunities for everybody to be a traditional or corn, soybean farmer.

And you must have run into that, perhaps.

- We did and that was something we didn't necessarily want to do.

We knew we wanted to do something different and figuring out what worked and what didn't, took a lot of time and figure it out and a lot of mistakes.

But the mushroom farming was really something we were able to do in a very small space and to really go far with it in such a small space.

- And how long have you been working at this?

- So we've been at it since 2017 is when we officially started the business.

But we've been kind of foraging and hobby growing for since probably 2012.

- Would you say all your past experiences have kind of come together and manifested themselves here?

Or did you just randomly pick one or two experiences?

- Yeah, you know, I think I worked as a carpenter for many years and again, Rachel, with her organizing and working with nonprofits, she was really able to write some grants for us that were essential for our farm.

And again, with my carpentry experience, I was able to build everything that I needed in the grow room and around the farm and yeah.

So I think it all kind of culminated into this spot where we landed and we couldn't be happier.

- What kind of response did you get from family and the community around you when you said, "We want to be part of you?"

- Yeah, you know, they were so supportive.

You know, it's been a lot of back and forth, you know, whether or not we wanna do this completely full-time.

But we finally made the jump a couple years ago when Rachel quit her job and went full-time on the farm.

And our family and community from our farmer's markets to our local community here in Le Roy have been very supportive of what we're doing here.

- So Kalvin, I noticed the product packaging, it's beautiful.

You've got on there since 2017, I think.

You've got on there about certified organic grower.

What does value added mean on the food and agricultural side?

- Yeah, so specifically with mushrooms, that was a big thing that's kind of the part of the success of our farm is our value added products.

So we take all of our mushrooms, whether that's our organic mushrooms that we grow, or ones that I forage and we dry them down or we put them into like a mushroom jerky and we really make them into something more than just mushrooms that you fry up in garlic and butter.

And it's been a lot of fun because you could really get creative with some of the recipes you do and especially like this time of year we're making lots and lots of mushroom jerky for the holiday markets.

And we really also try to strive for zero waste with our farm.

So any product that we don't sell or that sits in the cooler for a little bit longer than it should, we don't really want that to go to compost.

We want to be able to use that.

So we dry it down and put it into different products where we might powder it, put it into jerky or just dry it down and sell it as a dried mushroom blend.

- Why should I want to eat your mushrooms?

- Well, you know our story now, so you know where it's coming from, from a good, hardworking family.

And also we're certified organic, so we're using quality ingredients in all our substrate and, you know, the way we harvest and store our mushrooms with that organic certification, we have to go through some pretty intense just audits and making sure our processes are very clean and making sure that nothing is going into it that's going to compromise our product in any way.

And we really strive to bring in quality product to our markets and to our customers 'cause otherwise our product wouldn't sell.

(laughs) - Tell us about the process you go through to bring us those delicious mushrooms.

- Yeah, so we grow everything here at the farm.

We dry everything down on the farm and basically we harvest mushrooms, every day we're harvesting seven days a week and we harvest them, going into our walk-in cooler and then we send them out to different restaurants in the Rochester, Decorah, Mason City area and do the Rochester Farmer's Market.

- You must have some plans for the future?

- Yeah, so our goal is to obviously continue the business, but we want to add on more of a more value added products, but we're just running outta space in our small little 30 by 30 shed.

So the goal is to add on another 30 foot addition to this shed and to continue on with more value added products and to be able to access more of a broader market than just our local farmer's market, though that's our core, our most important one.

- Kalvin you mentioned expanding.

What's expansion mean and where you at now for numbers?

- Yeah, so what we've been doing in this 30 by 30 shed for the last year, well really since May, we've grown over 5,000 pounds of mushrooms since then that have gone to restaurants, farmer's markets, and all over the place.

And we're kind of at our max here.

So what we really want to do is be able to expand onto the shed.

And what really allows us to do that and to keep our costs low with some of that stuff is our solar powered farm.

You know, we went solar powered back in 2022 I think, maybe 2023.

And it's been able to keep our costs so low because we used to get about $800 a month electric bills, with an indoor farm, it takes a lot of power to run.

So that was a huge, huge thing for our farm.

And we were able to get a couple of grants that my wife was amazing and wrote the grants for and we got both of them.

So one was a $20,000 grant and then another $10,000 grant through the American Farmland Trust.

So that made this farm and that dream possible.

So yeah.

- You went from $800 electric bill a month down to about?

- $50.

- Good job.

- Yeah, it's been a life saver.

- Well it takes a lot of work and dedication to be an entrepreneur and it takes a lot of work and dedication to be a farmer.

What drives you?

- Well, for one, my family, you know, because if we weren't doing this, we wouldn't be able to have this life.

So my family's the number one driver for what we do.

I'm able to put food on the table for them.

And you know, with our mushrooms, there's not a whole lot of mushrooms farmer in the area.

So at markets, you know, we get to trade our mushrooms for all sorts of different locally grown veggies and stuff.

So it feeds my family that way, which is amazing.

And we get to really just feel good about all of that because of the food that we're eating too.

So every day, you know, we really try to live that out and, you know, again, eating good food, putting good food in our bodies so we could feel good about what we're doing.

- You've talked about future plans.

Let's say it's a Friday morning and you get up.

What makes you happy at the end of the day?

When it's Friday night or Saturday night or Monday night, what makes you happy about what you accomplished?

- Well, you know, it's a mix of things.

You know, we get to just being able to do this every day, some days we take it for granted, but we really try to reflect on it every day that we get to be here with our kids and homeschool them and instill the values that we really find important in them every day.

And so, you know, at the end of the day it doesn't feel like I'm waking up, I don't have to wake up the next morning to go to work, which is a wonderful feeling.

I just, you know, 'cause we're truly doing what we love here.

- Awesome.

Thank you Kalvin.

- Yeah, thanks, Dan.

- Stay tuned for more on "Farm Connections".

(upbeat music) We traveled to Le Roy, Minnesota to the acreage of Ann and Dick Soltau.

And Dicks gonna tell us all about this wonderful windmill display he's put together.

Dick, thanks for having us here.

How'd this all start?

- Back in '97, I wanted a windmill.

- One?

- One.

- One, I wanted one.

- Then what happened?

- And we started looking and finally found one.

And we were able to talk to the guy, the farmer that had it out in the middle of his field, talk him out of it, purchased it, went and took it down, moved it home and that's the tall one in the middle, the Arrow motor.

And that was our first, and then it just kind of got outta control from there.

- [Dan] I wouldn't call this outta control.

It seems like a controlled burn.

- It is a controlled burn.

Actually this started in like November of '97 we put the first one up.

And then every couple years after that, another one would get rescued.

We'd bring it home, work on it, tear it apart, put new bearings, shafts, whatever it needed in it and put it back up again.

And most of the time we put them up in the wintertime when the ground was froze so when we brought the boom truck in to set them up, it wasn't so hard on the lawn and that kind of stuff.

And then we would, prior to that, we would cover up the ground with insulated blankets, take the frost out so we could dig the holes.

'Cause all the holes for each one of these is about five feet deep.

And then we would just, after we put the legs on them and put it in the ground, pack the dirt back around it again.

And then that's all that holds them in the ground.

- What's the oldest tower you have, a wind turbine?

- This one, this flower one, this wooden basket one.

That one was, we think around the 1890s is when that one was built.

That one is pretty special.

It's on its island all by itself.

We looked, we waited... That one's only been up for... Maybe five years ago we got this one.

That was a wonderful find to get this one and got it.

- What year was that one built again please?

- Probably around 1890.

- So that's not made yesterday?

- No.

- 135 years or so, right?

- Yes.

Yes.

- That's amazing.

- Yes.

- So you rescued it and it must make you feel good.

- Oh, the rescue probably is the most enjoyable because when you see the ones that are out in the field and they're squeaking or the guys in the yard, they're squeaking and you know, they haven't been oiled for 30 years or whatever.

They're not supposed to squeak.

I mean, you can hear them.

I mean they're just all, you hear the wind noise a little bit through them, but they're quiet.

- Yours are smooth.

- Very smooth.

All of them have had, you know, new bearings.

Some of them got new shafts, some of them have been so badly damaged, they've got new wheels on them.

- Imagine being a farm youth in the late 1800s or in the early 1900s before rural electric came past our farms.

Imagine being a young man on a farm and spending all kinds of time pumping water, right?

That's hard work.

So imagine the joy when papa and grandpa bought a windmill, right?

- A windmill.

- Yes.

- I don't have to pump 300 or 400 gallons of water a day for the cattle, right.

- And sometimes I think they had crews that would help put them up but also go round and maintain them, wouldn't they?

- I'm gonna say, I'm gonna just guess that most of the farmers had to oil their own.

'Cause some of these like this wooden basket one and that wooden one way back in the corner, they're open gear boxes, so they're out in the weather.

They would take a lot more maintenance than the ones that have got the gear boxes in them that are in the oil bath.

So again, not knowing, but I would guess if a guy was going to use these open ones on a regular basis, which you'd use every day, I would say once a month you'd have to go up there and oil it or grease it.

Where the oil bath ones, once a year go up and check the oil.

Or if you'd happen to hear it squeaking, it's like okay, that squeak goes a long way.

- Yeah it does.

- Well ours has squeaked on occasion, whatever happens, it leaked some oil somehow.

But the wheel on that acts like a speaker.

So when that little shaft that goes through that it turns on, gets a squeak to it, it comes out and it amplifies on the wheel.

And so I mean, that's why when you hear a squeaky windmill you can hear it for a long ways because it's got that... - It's irritating.

- It's irritating.

Exactly.

So it's not nice to have them squeak 'cause it's... Like when we go around looking for one and they don't want to get rid of it, which we've checked on a lot of them and, "Nope, we're gonna save that one.

It was on grandpa's farm," you know, whatever it is.

They don't wanna get rid of it.

And it's like, then take care of it.

I mean that's my message to them.

Take care of it, you know, make it last.

Well some of them say that that have been squeaking for 30 years and they're... - Too late.

It's too late.

Yep.

They're gonna need a bearing kit.

They're gonna need a lot of attention.

- Can you still get parts?

- Some of them, yes.

We've got a couple of places where we're able to, there's a couple of them that have got new wheels on and there's a place out in South Dakota that actually has prints for new wheels and we've purchased wheels from him.

And they are exact, when we get them, you bolt them together and they fit.

I mean they're right on the money, you know, for what we want.

There's a few places around that do make new shafts.

A lot of the stuff that we do, we're able to manufacture our own.

So there is a place up in Wisconsin that the guy actually sells new, brand new Arrow motor complete.

I mean, you can buy the tower, the head, everything.

Or like for us, we need a bearing kit.

Okay.

And we'll drive up there and say, "Okay, this is what we need."

Have our shopping list and he'll go through the parts bins, pick all the stuff out.

"Here we go."

- They've done well.

- Done well.

Yeah.

- What do you hope that the public or people that come by take away from looking at your windmills?

- I don't know.

It's just so, so much enjoyment for me.

I mean, I enjoy the rescue, I enjoy finding them.

I enjoy the rescue, I enjoy bringing them home.

And then when I get them in the shop, it's like, what was this manufacturer thinking?

You know, as you take it apart, it's like, huh.

And you know, then you put it all back together again and make it work.

And it's just... My dad always said, "When it's gone, it's gone."

These aren't gone.

- No.

You've preserved for your enjoyment, but also your family and the community.

And you even put a little cabin back there with an observation deck, right?

- Yeah that was a lucky deal.

I feel very fortunate to have that little patio back there.

It's very relaxing to go out there and sit and, you know, have a cup of coffee or a root beer float or whatever you wanna do and just sit there and look at them and it's like a big picture that you're looking at.

- Well, if I understand it correctly, you even have children that travel from far away and grandchildren to either watch and observe or stay in the cabin, right?

- Right, yep, we've got a grandson that when he comes down, he likes to stay in the cabin.

So we put an air mattress up out there and he stays there with us.

- Nice.

- Yeah.

- You mentioned earlier about the tail and moving it or locking it.

Let's say a huge wind is coming.

- I don't worry about mine anymore.

I used to when we first started, 'cause I wasn't that familiar with what was gonna happen, but when the wheel and the tail are perpendicular, that's making maximum power.

And when you turn the tail so that the wheel is turned not facing directly into the wind, 'cause the wind will follow the tail.

So when you turn it a little bit, the wind will glance, it's a glancing blow off the face so you're not getting full power out of it.

So the wind today is very minimal.

The flags aren't even hardly moving and they're turning all real nice and slow.

On a day when we have heavy thunderstorms and 50, 60 mile an hour winds, we've got these all adjusted so the tail is not tight.

So the brakes are not set, but they're close.

And so that way the wind will glance off of them and you can see them, they're turning reasonably fast, but nowhere near the speed that they're gonna wreck themselves.

So, I mean, I like to keep them running 'cause it's fun to watch them turn and it keeps all the parts oiled, you know, 'cause the oil bath and the little dippers that are in there keeps everything moving so they stay nice and quiet.

- Again, just to summarize, Dick, why do you do this?

- It's just so much enjoyment.

I mean, everybody's gotta have a hobby or should have a hobby.

And I don't wanna say this is a hobby, but it's about as close as you can get to one.

And I enjoy the mechanical stuff.

I enjoy being around them.

I enjoy talking about them.

And when somebody stops by just out of the blue that you have no idea who the people are and they wanna visit about it's like, I got time.

This is great.

Kinda what you're looking for.

- That's wonderful.

And your passion and you're sharing it and you're giving back to the people in the community.

Thank you, Dick.

- Okay.

- And thanks for sharing with the audience at KSMQ.

- Okay, thank you.

- That does it for now.

I'm Dan Hoffman.

Thanks for joining us here on "Farm Connections".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] "Farm Connection's" premier sponsor is Minnesota Corn - [Announcer] Programming supported by Minnesota Corn, working to identify and promote opportunities for corn growers, enhance quality of life and help others understand the value and importance of corn production to America's economy.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Additional support from the following sponsors.

- [Announcer] Programming supported by R&S Grain Systems, a family-owned business, serving its customers for 50 years with leading designs in the manufacturing of grain handling equipment and grain storage systems.

You can call them for a quote today.

- [Announcer] Programming supported by EDP Renewables North America, owner, operator of Prairie Star and Pioneer Prairie Wind Farms in Minnesota and Iowa.

EDPR Wind Farms and Solar Parks provide income to farmers and help power rural economies across the continent.

- [Announcer] Mower County Farm Bureau Association, a KSMQ broadcast sponsor, advocates for agriculture based on the policies and beliefs of its members.

It's dedicated to making the voices of its members stronger.

You can learn more about membership benefits at fbmn.org - [Announcer] Programs supported by employee-owned AgVantage Software, Rochester, Minnesota, celebrating their 50th year designing and developing agribusiness software for grain elevators, feed manufacturers, producers, fertilizer and chemical dealers, co-ops, seed companies, and fuel distributors.

(upbeat music)