Families and growers from across Minnesota will be represented as the University of Minnesota honors them in the 2024 Farm Family of the Year ceremony.
The farms will be recognized in a ceremony beginning at 1:15 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 8, at the annual Minnesota Farmfest on the Gilfillan Estate near Redwood Falls. The event is in the Wick Buildings Farmfest Center on the estate grounds.
Those honored cover a wide spectrum of farming, from traditional crops and livestock to community-based ventures and operations producing a wide range of fruit, vegetables and flowers. They were chosen by local University of Minnesota Extension committees based on the honorees’ demonstrated commitment to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“This year’s 86 Farm Families of the Year reflect the breadth and variety of agriculture in our state,” said Extension Dean Bev Durgan. “The University of Minnesota is proud to honor these families and their innovation and dedication to Minnesota agriculture.”
A sampling of farmers and their contributions to agriculture follows.
See all of the 2024 farm family profiles.
Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley, Clay County
Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley was formed in 2012 by a group of parents of teens with developmental disabilities. Since then, Farm in the Dell has provided meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the beautiful farm and garden setting.
Farm in the Dell is nestled on a 25-acre plot near Moorhead in Clay County. Along with a handful of full-time staff and dozens of volunteers, the farm employs more than 30 people who have disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism and muscular dystrophy, providing them with purposeful employment, a steady paycheck and a place to belong.
Each season, they grow dozens of varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Farm organizers sell produce through the farm’s CSA program and at local farmers markets. The nonprofit also connects with other farms, farmers markets, retail businesses and restaurants.
The Lavender Barnyard, Dakota County
Marie and Marty Schuhwerck started The Lavender Barnyard in 2019 as a grand experiment, not knowing if the plants would survive Minnesota winters. To their delight, the plants survived as long as they were covered. The couple began to develop products and attend farmers markets. In 2022, Marie and Marty started offering U-pick so that people could come out and experience lavender for themselves.
This year, the Schuhwercks have expanded to U-pick, small group events, micro-ceremonies, and kids’ days. They are experimenting with propagation with the goal of having a plant sale each year. They are also adding a few employees to keep up with demand during lavender bloom. Marie runs the day-to-day operations and Marty handles all the behind-the-scenes work with machinery and construction.
The Schuhwercks host weekly programs for kids to explore the farm and learn about lavender and pollination. This year they have invited local farmers to the farm to teach the kids about sheep and wool, maple syrup, and beekeeping.
They also run a non-profit called Twofold Blooms, taking flowers left over from weddings, funerals and other events, and turning them into arrangements for seniors in memory care and hospice.
Marie helps budding farmers expand the state’s lavender industry and will teach a class at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum this fall.
Jeff and Chanda Sayles, Mower County
Jeff and Chanda are sixth-generation farmers and own Jane Brown Farms, a century farm south of Austin. Jeff’s family started Jane Brown Farms in 1960. Jeff continues the brand with his own hog operation and expanded crop farming.
The Sayleses are contract hog growers with a 6,000-head wean-to-finish operation, and they raise corn and soybeans. The Sayles farming operation includes Jeff and Chanda and their children, Faith and Andrew, along with Jeff’s father, Sheldon. Faith and Andrew are 4-H graduates of the Enterprise 4-H club, that started with members including their great-grandfather.
They’ve hosted the Austin Chamber 3rd Grade Tour for the last three years. The tour gives more than 350 students a hands-on experience touching hogs and learning how to make hog feed and includes a drone demonstration. They also enjoy hosting a yearly classroom tour for Austin High School’s ag, food and natural resources students. The students “suit up” for an afternoon in the barns, learning the birth-to-harvest cycle of hog production.
Guldan Family Farm, Nicollet County
Family pioneers homesteaded the Guldan Family Farm before Minnesota achieved statehood. Fruits and vegetables became prominent on the farm in the 1980s when Denny and Janice Guldan looked for a way to stay viable during the farm crisis. What started as an experimental acre of strawberries next to 150 acres of corn and soybeans slowly shaped into 25 acres of fresh produce.
Tim Guldan is the owner/operator. His wife, Brooke, is a registered obstetrics nurse in New Ulm and helps with planting and markets as her schedule allows. Their children, Blaine, Olivia and Maura, have their roles on the farm.
The farm currently raises 25 acres of produce: roughly 150 varieties of 50 different fruits and vegetables. It has incorporated a small-scale direct-to-customer beef cattle operation into the business. The Guldans attend farmers markets in New Ulm and Mankato and continue to offer a CSA program while hiring roughly 15 to 20 youth from the community each summer to help with picking.
The farm has participated in many University of Minnesota Extension projects involving soil quality, high tunnels, nutrient movement, pumpkins, cover crops, new varieties of brassicas, and produce profit-and-loss studies.
Tim currently serves as the vice president of the Mankato Farmers Market, on the board of directors for the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, and on the steering committee for the New Ulm Farmers Market.
Goeden Family Farm, Wadena County
The Goeden family has been farming their land in central Minnesota for 140 years. Kevin and Gail are currently the fourth generation of the family to farm and are transitioning the operation to the fifth generation.
The Goedens operate a 150-cow dairy farm. They raise their own replacement heifers and grow alfalfa, corn and oats. The family rotationally graze their cattle and practice no-till, cover crops and strip farming.
Kevin is the farm manager; he milks cows and does field work. Gail raises the calves. Their son, Jack, manages the dairy operation and helps with fieldwork. His wife, Angela, helps milk cows and feed calves when needed. All the Goeden kids have been involved in 4-H. The family is active in their church; Kevin is on the local co-op board.
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