|
| | ||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | NEWSSTAND LOCATIONS | ||||
| ||||
|
|
| | |
Two livestock giants inducted into Steele County Hall of Fame Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Agri News staff writer
OWATONNA, Minn. -- Two giants in Steele County's livestock industry were inducted into the Steele County Livestock Hall of Fame on Aug. 18, the opening day of the Steele County Free Fair.
Marvin Meixner, a retired hog and dairy producer, and Joe Stransky, a longtime dairy man, were inducted in the sixth annual Hall of Fame ceremony, joining 26 others in the prestigious club.
Meixner
Marvin Meixner grew up on a Somerset Township farm. He showed at his first Steele County Free Fair in 1937 when he was 6 years old, taking poultry from the family flock for the open class show.
"I know I had one blue ribbon," Meixner said, out of four or five entries.
He joined 4-H when most people quit, Meixner said. He was 16 and was able to stay in until he was 21. At 22, he became a 4-H leader, a post he held for 13 years.
Meixner was also a member of the Owatonna FFA, a very good program, he said. He was chapter secretary for two years and was a member of the state winning parliamentary procedure team in 1947.
After graduation, he started farming.
"I guess that's all I ever wanted to do is stay on the farm and farm," he said.
Meixner was a Poland China and Hampshire seedstock producer for 25 years. His passion was breeding and raising superior livestock.
"We always tried to do better than we did the year before," Meixner said.
He made a name for himself as a hog and dairy cattle showman at the Steele County Free Fair and the Minnesota State Fair. He showed hogs for more than 30 years, beginning in 1946 and stopping in 1980. He showed Ayrshires open class from 1972 to 1985.
He stayed connected to youth, opening his farm to 4-H and FFA members to learn livestock management, judging and genetics.
He was a founding member of the Steele County Pork Producers and was a leader in the Steele County dairy industry.
Though he has hung up his cattle halters, he continues to attend dairy shows at the SCFF and other fairs.
"As soon as the animals come out in the ring, I pretend I'm the judge," Meixner said. "I place them in my mind."
Most of the time he agrees with the judge. Larry Tande is his favorite judge to watch. Tande was the Steele County agent when Meixner's three children where in 4-H, so they got to know each other. Also, Meixner likes Tande's judging style.
It was Tande who called him three months ago to tell Meixner he would be inducted into the Steele County Livestock Hall of Fame.
"I've kindof been on Cloud Nine since," Meixner said.
"I knew most of the previous winners and I thought if I could someday win the award they won, I would be very happy É and I am."
Stransky
Joe R. Stransky grew up working alongside his father on the farm just outside Owatonna.
In 1961, he showed a senior yearling in the same show arena in which he was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 18. That senior yearling was a barren heifer and was sold after the fair.
Later that year, Stransky went with his uncle, George Deml, to a fall sale and purchased a heifer that he earned state fair trips with for the next three years.
When he was a senior at Marion High School, he signed up to go to the Extension office on career day. Larry Tande met him there and gave him a college application. The application was rejected, but with Tande's help and insistence, the application was resubmitted and accepted.
At the U of M, his friend Ron Eustice introduced him to Garth Miller, the coach of the college dairy judging team.
Stransky learned his system for giving reasons and brought that system to Steele County. It's a system the county is still known for, he said.
He coached the Steele County dairy judging team for 18 years, coaching the team to several state championships. He has coached the coaches and Steele County is always expected to be at or near the top in state dairy judging contests, said Brad Rugg, who was master of ceremonies for the event.
Stransky has judged dairy cattle shows in more than 40 Minnesota counties and the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
He continues to judge, enjoying the camaraderie with the people. They share a commitment and common bond, Stransky said.
Stransky and his wife, Ev, will celebrate 38 years of marriage two weeks from now and their relationship has been a true partnership. Ev had a degree in speech and English when they married, Stransky said. She taught for two years and was very good at it. At that time, they had a decision to make. They had a young son and they wanted to add cows, so Ev gave up her teaching and joined him full time on the farm.
She did whatever was asked of her, Stransky said, from milking cows to running machinery. She and her father were great buddies, Stransky said.
Ev also brought experience in showing to the family. Her expertise helped Stranshome Farms exhibit the Grand Champion Holstein and Brown Swiss females at the 2008 Minnesota State Fair.
Stransky exhibited at the SCFF last week, continuing a tradition begun as a 13-year-old 4-H'er. He's shown open class for close to 50 years. It's always been Holsteins.
Their son, Reid, and his wife, Daria, are now on the family farm. Like his mother and his wife, Daria has given up her career to be a full-time farmer, Stransky said.
He knew from the time he was in high school that he wanted to be a farmer, Stransky said. There are other more financially rewarding careers, but farming is most interesting, intriguing and challenging.
Stransky was named Minnesota's Outstanding Young Farmer in 1981 and he received Minnesota Holstein's Long Time Meritorious Award in 2007.
But he isn't content to rest on past achievements, he and Ev are looking ahead to future generations and nurturing tomorrow's farmers. At last count, Stransky said, 13 young men who have worked on their farm have started herds on their own.
Starting young people in agriculture should be the community's mission, Stransky said. |
| | |
| |
Copyright 2009 Agri News
All Rights Reserved
