TOP FARM FAMILY
Ahrens Farms of rural Owatonna make their way through the recent Fourth of July parade in Blooming Prairie with their John Deere tractor. The family is being recognized as this year’s Steele County Farm Family of the Year. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
The Ahrens family of Owatonna has been named Steele County’s Farm Family of the Year.
Family members will be recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 3 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls. They will also be honored at the Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Steele County Free Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
The Ahrens’ ancestors arrived from Germany in 1867 and settled in Havana Township. Great-grandfather Fred Sr. came to this country when he was 17. Thirty years later, he was elected as a county commissioner and was instrumenttal in the building of the Steele County Courthouse. He purchased the family’s current home farm in 1899. His son, Fred Jr., began his farming career on the land. Martin and Lorraine, parents of the current partners, took over the farm from Fred Jr. In 1976; Brian and his brother Brad and their wives created the Ahrens Farms Partnership. When Martin retired, his youngest son, Marshall, joined the partnership. That continued until 2019 when Brad retired. Brian’s sons, Nolan and Nate, then joined the partnership and now represent the sixth generation of the Ahrens family to operate the farm.
The farm began as a dairy and livestock operation. It then transitioned into a farrow-to-finish hog and crop farm, then a swine finishing and crop farm, and currently runs as a strict crop farming business, growing corn, soybeans and vegetables.
The current partnership consists of Brian and Lisa Ahrens and Marshall and Patty Ahrens, and Brian and Lisa’s sons, Nolan and his wife Missy, and Nate and his wife Molly.
Brian and Lisa have three children: Nolan (Missy), Amber (Mark Dobberstein), and Nate (Molly) and seven grandchildren: Carson, Miley, Maxx, Lucas, Amelia, Al, and Ava. Marshall and Patty Ahrens have two children: Zach and Kaylea (Zach Scott).
The farm is a family operation. All family members are involved in the operation – from driving and maintaining machinery, to driving trucks, to making meals, recordkeeping and bookwork. Brad continues to lend a hand when needed as does Brad and Sherry’s son, Travis along with his son, Teagun. During planting and harvest, even brother Randy who lives in Texas, comes to help.
Ahrens family members were and are very involved in their community in a variety of organizations, including the Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers Associations, Owatonna FFA alumni, Steele County Ag Society, 4-H, Steele County Fair, Steele County Pork Producers, St. John’s Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran churches, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Claremont Chamber of Commerce, and many different area sports organizations.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota's economy and the vitality of Minnesota's rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of the University of Minnesota Extension. “The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Profiles of the 2023 honorees can be found on the University’s farm family website, https://extension.umn.edu/farm-families.
Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.