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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
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GUEST COLUMN
Area business rebuilding after fire; crops update
By Rep. Paul Anderson
Those passing through Freeport on I-94 may have noticed the frame and rafters in place for a new building on the site where the Swany White Flour Mill once stood. Yes, the good news is that owners Gary and Sharon Thelen are rebuilding after a massive fire destroyed their 100-year old mill last December. After extensive research and pencil-pushing, in addition to much encouragement from their long-time customers, the Thelens are moving ahead with plans to re-build and continue the business, which has been in Gary’s family for three generations.
Gary told me over the weekend they hope to finish construction on the building later this summer, hopefully sometime in August, and then start moving in new equipment. “We will continue making the same products, only now we will have more modern equipment.” He added that keeping the Swany White name going was a big factor in the decision to rebuild.
Congratulations to all those involved with getting the new building off the ground. It was a big decision for the Thelens, one that will surely be greeted with a positive response from their customers. One Pope County resident commented that she enjoyed baking bread and had used Swany White flour exclusively because it “was the best available.” That tradition can now continue, both for the Thelens and for all who enjoy their many products, from the special pancake mix to their different flours.
The summer parade season is in full swing. The weather cooperated for celebrations in Villard, Melrose, and Starbuck over the weekend. From driving around the district, it’s apparent that rain is badly needed, especially on lighter soils, where crops are suffering from a lack of moisture. The small grain fields are turning color rapidly which means that harvest is only a week or two away. It’s dry over nearly the entire Midwest, with crop conditions deteriorating with every passing day. I read a report on my DTN of a farmer in southern Illinois taking a brush cutter to his 1,000 acres of corn!
Commodity prices are rising rapidly as the projected size of this year’s crop gets smaller. That will make it difficult for those who feed corn and soybean meal to manage a positive cash flow. In addition, ethanol plants are in a difficult position as the price of their inputs go up. It’s called “demand destruction” when prices reach levels that make it impossible for those who utilize those commodities to make a profit. They either reduce production or stop all together.
The West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris will host its annual Summer Field Day this Friday, July 13. Tours begin at 8 a.m. and include research in the areas of precision planting, nitrate reduction, Round-Up resistant weeds, and field tiling. There will also be studies pertaining to weed management in conventional soybeans and organic corn.
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