The business of agriculture

Date Modified: 03/05/2008 3:47 PM

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Southeast Minnesota agriculture offers a little of everything for everyone.

The region has 500-cow dairies and pasture pork production. Farmers grow corn and soybeans, peas and green beans. Artisans make cheese and the region is home to a world-recognized turkey processor.

Olmsted County is the most populous county in the eight-county southeastern Minnesota region. It is dominated by Rochester and its leading employer, Mayo Clinic, but agriculture thrives outside the city.

In 2005, 9,870 tons of green peas and 48,450 bushels of sweet corn were harvested in Olmsted County, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service. Nearly 20 million bushels of corn and 4 million bushels of soybeans were harvested. There were 9,400 beef cows and 8,400 dairy cows in the county as of Jan. 1, 2006.

The county is also home to orchards, farmers markets, elk farms and honey production. Country Heritage Adventures Farm Tours, (866) 280-6624, offers tours of some of the area’s unique farms.

Those farms include Ellison Sheep Farm in Goodhue County, where wool is spun to create handcrafted clothing and gifts.

There were 3,000 breeding sheep and lambs in Goodhue County on Jan. 1, 2006, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service. The county was also home to 19,900 milk cows and 6,400 beef cows. Nearly 35,000 acres of hay was grown in the county in 2005 and nearly 24 million bushels of corn and 4.6 million bushels of soybeans.

The county’s typography ranges from prairie to bluffs, with several creeks and rivers running through the county on their way to the Mississippi River. The Cannon, Little Cannon and Zumbro run through the county, as do Belle and Prairie creeks.

Goodhue County is also home to Barn Bluff, which is close to the Mississippi River at Red Wing. The Red Wing Shoe Company has operated for more than a century in Red Wing, producing work shoes for the American farmer.

One of the state’s most well-known orchards, Pepin Heights, is located along the Mississippi River in nearby Wabasha County. The county is home to several other orchards, including Apple Ridge and Wescott Agri Products.

Wabasha County farmers produced about 19 million bushels of corn in 2005 and 2 million bushels of soybeans, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service. There were 17,500 dairy cows and 8,400 beef cows as of Jan. 1, 2006.

Winona County had 24,500 dairy cows and 7,600 beef cows as of Jan. 1, 2006. The county’s farmers grew 217,000 tons of hay in 2005 and 13.4 million bushels of corn, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service.

The county is also home to a bison herds, orchards and organic production. Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables in Winona County sells organic fruits and vegetables in stores from Minneapolis to Chicago.

Scenic Houston County, in Minnesota’s southeastern tip, had 9,600 dairy cows as of Jan. 1, 2006, and 9,900 beef cows, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service.

Houston County is also home to La Crescent, Minnesota’s Apple Capital, where orchards sell many varieties of fresh apples direct to consumers.

There is also plenty of corn and soybean production in the county. Houston County farmers harvested 9.5 million bushels of corn in 2003 and 1.6 million bushels of soybeans.

In Fillmore County to the west, bicycle trails draw thousands of visitors to the scenic Root River Valley each year. Historic Forestville State Park is a popular draw. Costumed guides take visitors back to the late 1800s during the summer months.

The county seat of Preston is known as "Minnesota’s Trout Capital," reminding all of the superior trout fishing to be had in the area.

Fillmore County is also an agricultural powerhouse, with 12,000 milk cows on Jan. 1, 2006, and 17,500 beef cows. The county’s hard-working farmers harvested 212,700 tons of hay, 27.9 bushels of corn and 5.6 million bushels of soybeans.

In neighboring Mower County, pork production is No. 1. The county is home to the headquarters of Hormel, a worldwide meat-processing company. Hormel also owns turkey producer and processor Jenni-O Turkey Store.

Tourists may enjoy the SPAM Museum in downtown Austin. There’s also a National Barrow Show, known as the World Series of Swine Shows, that attracts people from around the nation to Austin in September.

The county was home to 257,000 hogs on Dec. 1, 2005, according to the Minnesota Ag Statistics Service. The county’s farmers raised 31.5 million bushels of corn and 8.9 million bushels of soybeans in 2005.

In Dodge County to the north, 19.8 million bushels of corn and 4.8 million bushels of soybeans were grown in 2005. The county was home to 134,000 hogs on Dec. 1, 2005, and 6,200 milk cows and 1,900 beef cows on Jan. 1, 2006.

The county is also home to an alpaca farm and a small apple orchard.