4-H’ers discover creamery’s delicious legacy during Dairy Month
During National Dairy Month, 4-H was looking to engage youth in how milk goes from cows on the farm to products that nourish us and top our pancakes.
A tour of the locally owned Hope Creamery in the community of Hope in Somerset Township showed Freeborn County and Steele County 4-H’ers part of how Steele County earned the nickname of the Butter Capital of the World.
“The kids liked learning the history of the 105-year-old building from Hudson Mrotz, the manager, and about the vintage machinery that still churns out delicious butter,” said 4-H intern Evan Melby. “They sampled the always-fresh butter and pondered how only three full-time employees produce all of it — and yet it’s sold across the country.”
Other stops on the tour included a look into the business operations at Krause Feed and Supplies and lessons on South-Central Minnesota’s agricultural heritage from Farmamerica.
Highlights
- Bella N., a Steele County 4-H’er, is a 4-H State Ambassador and helped lead a statewide service project on disaster relief.
- Extension’s agricultural business management team delivered farmland rent workshops and an income tax short course in Owatonna.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Vang Family are favorites at the Owatonna Farmers Market, known not just for produce but also for their kindness. They’ve donated loads of vegetables to the local food shelf. Owatonna is not just where they farm; it is truly home for the Vang family.
- Michelle O’Connor and Andrew Thighes are in Class 13 of the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership (MARL) program. O’Connor operates a crop insurance service business in Blooming Prairie. Thighes is a seed growth specialist with Central Farm Service.
- Master Gardener volunteers planted a Blue Ribbon Garden at the Steele County fairgrounds that has blossomed into a favorite site for spotting monarchs and gathering for education about raised bed gardening.
- SuperShelf: Steele County Food Shelf
- Steele County Safety Camp teaches agricultural safety to fourth graders.
Steele County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Steele County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.