Dear Neighbor,
Congratulations to three area families – the Blairs, the Uphoffs and the Klimeks – for receiving 2015 Farm Family of the Year recognition Thursday during the annual Farmfest event near Redwood Falls.
There were 80 families awarded this year. The University of Minnesota issues the awards and provides profiles of each. Here is a quick look at these three area families:
The Blairs represent the fifth generation of their family to farm land near Glenwood in Pope County. Curt and Angie have four children – Clay, Brady, Kennedy and Will – and live on their farm which was first purchased in the late 1800s from the railroad. Their farm has been a cattle and grain operation all along. The Blairs have over 800 beef cows and manage 950 acres of corn and alfalfa. The family is involved in the Cattlemen Association, the National Charolaise Association, 4-H and has invested in the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company.
Chuck and Deb Uphoff operate a farm near Melrose in Stearns County that has been in the family since 1968. Theirs was the second farm in Minnesota to be certified under the Minnesota Agriculture Quality Certification Program. The Uphoffs raise grass-fed beef and Holstein heifers with their son, Ross. They also raise alfalfa, oats, corn and soybeans using no-till and sell meadow hay to area farmers. Chuck and Deb have two children, Ross and Chantel. Ross works for a Minnesota bureau of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in and also helps out on the farm.
The Klimeks, Glen and Mary Lou, milk about 50 cows and raise replacement livestock for their herd on a dairy farm near Alexandria in Douglas County. They also grow corn, hay and oats for feed. The Klimeks have been working their farm since 1977. Glen and Mary Lou raised eight children, all of whom were involved in 4-H and FFA. Son, Frank, helps milk and does fieldwork on the farm. Glen serves on the local Cenex Co-op board and also is a member of civic organizations. Mary Lou is a past 4-H leader.
More information regarding this program and full profiles of all 80 families is available at http://mnfarmfamilies.cfans.umn.edu.
Hats off to the Blairs, Uphoffs and Klimeks for doing such good work on the local ag. scene and for upholding the legacy of family farms. These families are making a positive impact and it is good to see them receive recognition.
Sincerely,
Paul