Mentors – Livestock
Laura and Marvin Bihl – Home Place Beef Organic Farm, Wright County
14316 Endicott Ave NW, Clearwater, MN 55320
320-558-6392, marvobihl@aol.com
Best time to contact: evenings
Laura and Marvin Bihl farm 240 acres, which have been certified organic since 1989. They raise cattle, which they direct market as certified organic beef. They use a long rotation with corn, small grain, and several years of alfalfa. Alfalfa and cattle manure are used as fertility sources, and grazing rotation, and cultivation for weed management. They are members of the Sustainable Farming Association, Wright Home Gardeners, Sierra Club, and Church Rural Life Advisory Board. They prefer to answer questions about organic beef production and certification standards.
Lynn Brakke – Lynn Brakke Organic Farms, Clay County
5724 170th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56560
218-585-4107, lbrakke@aol.com
Best time to contact: no calls after 9 pm or on Sundays
Lynn Brakke farms 2,500 acres, certified organic since 1994, and raises 35 head of certified organic Angus beef cattle. He has great experience with alternative crops, extended rotation, and alternative weed management methods such as electrostatic and flame weed control.
Craig Murphy – Stevens County
51487 320th St, Morris, MN 56267
320-392-5176, ciemurph@fedteldirect.net
Best time to contact: weeknights before 9 pm
Craig Murphy farms 470 acres, which have been certified organic since 1983. Craig experiements with many different alternative crops. He works with on-farm manures, green manures, roation, rotary hoe, harrow, cultivator, and hand-rogueing to manage weeds and soil fertility. Craig is Vice-Chair of the South Dakota Chapter 2 Organic Crop Improvement Association, and is on the board of the western chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
Dale Rusch – McLeod County
22864 190th Street, Hutchinson, MN 55350
320-587-5721
Best time to contact: Sunday nights, 9-10 pm
Dale Rusch has always farmed organically. He farms 240 acres, all certified organic since 1989. He also owns and operates an organic dairy. Dale follows a 4-5 year rotation and uses on-farm manures, lime, rock phosphate, and plow-downs for fertility and cultivation (including a rotary hoe and spring tooth harrow) and rotation for weed management. Dale is the 6th generation on a 100-year family farm, which has never seen any chemicals.
Jerry Wiebusch – Wiebusch’s Valley View Family Farm, Wabasha County
RR3 Box 86, Lake City, MN 55041
507-753-2754
Best time to contact: Evenings after 9 pm
Jerry Wiebusch farms traditional crops using techniques such as flame-weeding and has been certified since 1998. He currently operates a 70-head organic dairy.