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The 2015 Farm Family of the Year was first attracted to Chisago County because of  its steadfast Scandinavian-ism.  And, if you enter  the family’s surname ‘osland’ into a Google search for its Norwegian meaning,  it comes up “farmstead” with hill/ridge as secondary meanings.  A nice coincidence as Mark and Wanda Osland, of Sunrise, and their two boys,  are Farm Family of the Year.

A farming operation in each county has been selected annually by local Minnesota Extension programs since 1980.  The honor is jointly sponsored by the U-of-M College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences, by the College of Veterinary Sciences and FarmFest.

Mark Osland talked about Osland Cattle Company with the Press;  as he supervised pee wee hockey players at free skate in the Chisago Lakes Ice Arena.  

Mark and Wanda must be super-organized;  because along with operating the farm -- the two are active with their boys in at least three organized sports programs, and also in church, Knights of Columbus and, for Mark at least, keeping track of local politics.  He ran as a write-in for sheriff in the last election and he still monitors in-person an assortment of local issues.  He also holds a full-time Investigator position with the Minneapolis Police.

 Chisago County’s Farm Family of 2015 is right in line with what’s trending in agriculture.

According to the U.S. Ag Census, performed every five years, as of 2012 the number of Minnesota farm operators who have been in farming for 10 years or less had grown to 17 percent.  The average age of the Minnesota farmer is 56.6 years, so either newcomers start showing up or ag is in trouble, analysts say.  

As an aside:  Land Stewardship Project is one organization assisting beginning farmers.  The organization hosts a variety of classes and mentoring opportunities. Not far from here-- at Marine on St Croix’s  Big River Farms-will be two hands on informational sessions on tractors in September, for example.  

There’s also  a “Beginning Farming” nine-session course coming to Amery, Wisconsin in November.  

See Land Stewardship’s website for details.

Osland, though,  was quite comfortable entering farming.  He grew up in a town of a couple hundred people, on a dairy farm.

He explains that Osland Cattle Company was borne from his and Wanda’s desire for their kids to experience small town rural lifestyle.  Mark said they took a drive up towards this area from the Cities, and looked at vacant land in Sunrise Township , and built their farm and home in 2004.  

Mark says his father teases him about why he needs more tractors than the dairy farm had when he was a boy.

The breeding Simmental cattle herd has been down-sized to about 15 head,  with family activities and interests taking up a lot of time.  The Oslands also have corn and bean cash crops, and grow hay for the animals.

Mark estimates about 100 acres total in the operation, counting Cattle Company-owned and other fields that he rents.  

The farmer in him takes over when he talks excitedly of participating in a recent field test.  Equipment normally used in construction, but which he saw had promise for use in agriculture, was provided by the manufacturer for him to test out.  He’s very enthusiastic about improving the way things are done on the farm.   The fertilizer unit from  Quick-Attach Attachments could someday replace dangerous and cumbersome power take-off auger systems, he predicts.

The FarmFest event next week will host the Oslands and about 80 other Minnesota Farm Families as guests and recognize them for contributing to the future of farming and of their communities.

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