History of Life on the Farm
Presentation to the Annandale History Club
February 2, 1999
Bill & Trula Kersten

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The Annandale History Club met on February 2, 1999, and the topic was growing up and living on the farm.  Bill and Trula (Ballard) Kersten both were born on farms near South Haven.   

Horses were very important in all aspects of farming. When tractors first came in they were very skeptical about them. In 1926 Bill's dad bought their first tractor.  Bill counted 60 rubber tires now on his farm equipment.

They grew grain, alfalfa and later soybeans and corn. The Fairhaven Mill ground feed and flour for the area, and the miller lived in the mill.  They also had a few cows, hogs, and chickens. They went into dairy farming later. The milk market really started after WWII.  Bulk tanks and electricity helped the dairy business. Trula told several cute stories about learning to milk cows.  

They also raised broilers. Many people loved to eat them. Both Bill and Trula's families lost their farms in the Depression years.  The bank in South Haven went broke and Bill's dad had signed the bond.

They had a milk route for many years. Bill and his brother farmed together. Trula's father drove cattle up here and he lived in a covered wagon and later had a log house.  Later they had a stage coach service to St Cloud. He also had a dray service.  He delivered to the Kimball, South Haven, and Annandale area. Farming has been good, lots of sweat, laughs, and hard times but they are thankful for all the opportunities they have had.

Bill said the average farm was 80 acres. They had to clear the land. Bill's dad bought horses in the Dakotas. The horses were branded but not broken. They would herd the horses from St. Cloud to South Haven.  Neighbors would help each other threshing.  From 22 Holsteins they had over 100 cows before they retired.  

We are losing tremendous amounts of farm land each year.

The school children got 10 cents a bushel to pick potatoes. They picked enough to send 26 box cars of potatoes to market.

Trula's grandmother brought her spinning wheel from Sweden when she was 16. Her grandmother would stay a couple weeks spinning for different families. Bill remembers ice up to 38 inches thick on the lakes when they were cutting ice for the ice houses.

Trula told many cute stories about their life on the farm and we all enjoyed their talk very much.  

Respectfully submitted 
Barb Ostlund, Secretary

Note: Trula and Bill lived on the farm most of their lives. They were married almost 70 years before Bill died in 2005.  When Trula and I [Barb Ostlund] went over this program summary prior to its being added to the History Club online notes, she said, "We had a good life!"