Ag Appreciation Banquet Held
The Mountrail County Ag Improvement Association held the annual Ag Appreciation Banquet on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the Mountrail County South Complex in Stanley. The association held their first appreciation banquet in November of 2019. The evening is about having a good time and celebrating agriculture.
The evening started with a social hour and live music by Ty Taylor and Jerilyn Wiseman. They played throughout the social hour, dinner and again after the featured speaker wrapped up.
Mountrail County Ag Association president Cliff Tollefson welcomed everyone to the evening. He thanked everyone for coming while also pointing out that those attending were welcome as they gave them a “date night”.
The Mountrail County Ag Improvement Association presented their annual Distinguished Service Award. This year’s recipient was Fritz Weisenberger. John Woodbury said this award is given to those who have been a strong supporter of the ag industry and Ag Improvement. Fritz has been part of that for over 50 years. A lifetime member of Mountrail County, Fritz was born and raised in Stanley. He grew up on his family’s farm north of town. He went to school and graduated from Stanley High School and Minot State College.
For a brief time, he worked for Tioga Air Heaters before starting work in the agriculture field in 1975. He started with Stanley Farm Supply, then Borud Implement and currently Gooseneck Implement, adding up to 50+ years with John Deere. He has held several positions with these John Deere businesses, and throughout his fifty years, he has enjoyed working with third, fourth and fifth generation farmers and ranchers.
In his younger years, Fritz was a member of the Victory Producers 4-H Club and the Stanley FFA. He is a thirty-nine year member of the Stanley Fire Department, having served as chief, secretary and treasurers. He is also a lifetime member of the ND Firemen’s Association. He was a volunteer driver for the ambulance service for twelve years and was instrumental in the fundraising for and building of a new ambulance garage.
He has served on the Palermo Faith Lutheran Church council, American Lutheran Church council, and the Prairie Lutheran parish council. He also served on the Mountrail Bethel Home board. Fritz served two terms as mayor for the City of Stanley and as a councilman for four years. He also served on the R&T water board and the Mountrail County Planning and Zoning board. He has also proudly served as a judge for the Mountrail County Farm and Ranch Days dessert contest.
Fritz and his wife Cheryl have three children and four grandchildren.
The Soil Conservation District also presented their annual achievement award at the banquet. This year’s recipients were Josh and Stephanie Johnson Farms and Kevin Johnson.
Josh returned to the family farm in 2006 after graduating from NDSU. He farmed alongside his father, Rodney. It was when Rodney was looking at retirement in 2011 that Kevin returned to the farm after working in finance and industrial equipment sales out of state.
The operation was originally farming conventionally, making the switch to no-till around 2008. Josh recalls investing in a disk drill early in his career and says they haven’t looked back since. He feels that even though it can be a love/hate relationship, it has made the biggest difference in their farming operation and they’ve seen the positive impact on the soil. Kevin feels that lots of little changes have made a big impact. Things like soil testing, using more biologicals, cutting back on synthetic fertilizer, and focusing on soil health have provided great strides in their conservation efforts.
They are not afraid to try new techniques. They try new combinations with crops and have recently invested in stripper headers. They have found them to be another game changer in advancing their soil health goals. Although they have not been using them long, they have both seen the positive connection when adding them into the no till operation.
They constantly strive to find better methods and management plans, and can often be found going to workshops to further educate themselves. They have both worked closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to look at strategies and goals within their farm. They are able to learn about many new opportunities to better their management strategies along with setting goals to help with productivity on their land so they can have a sustainable operation for the next generation.
They are both quick to acknowledge their family’s help and support. Kevin is supported by Krissy. Josh and Stephanie are raising the next generation on the farm with their five children.
Although they each have their own operations, they work closely together, sharing some machinery, lots of labor, new ideas, and a love for the land all while having fun working alongside family.
This year’s featured speaker was Rob Sharkey, known as The SharkFarmer. He is a fifth generation farmer from Illinois, and one of six children and the only boy. He says he met his wife at 16 at a 4-H dance. He went to Southern Illinois University and then came back to the farm. It was his turn, he says, and he went into the hog business in the Spring of 1988. That was as hog prices hit a record low and he went completely broke.