Meet your farmer: Kay

Barista by day, farmer by afternoon/night.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, get to know Kay one of your Stormy Creek Farm farmers!

Growing up in a small family on the farm, Kay did pretty much everything her brother did to help out and keep the operation running, even as a little girl. 

Unlike larger families she knew where the boys did most of the outside work, Kay remembers working alongside her brother and dad cleaning barns, bailing hay, and feeding the animals. Taking care of the cattle was her favorite part. 

“I just loved going out in our pasture herding the cows, bringing them home to milk, raising the calves, bottle feeding the calves when it didn’t work out with their mothers, and just talking to them,” Kay said. “It was something we put a lot of hard work into, but we so enjoyed it.”

Throughout her childhood, the farm experienced some good times and some challenging ones. Eventually the money wasn’t there to make ends meet and the family had to sell their dairy cows in 1968. 

“I remember going to the auction market to sell the cows and it was one of the saddest days of my life,” Kay said. “Up until that point, that was our life. It was so important to my dad, mom, brother and I. We worked so hard, but it just didn't work out.”

Of course, life went on. Eventually, she left the farm, went to school, didn’t marry a farmer like everyone said she would, became a business manager for a nearby school and now currently works as a barista at Lola’s in New Ulm. 

Getting back to the farm

In the back of her mind, she always wanted the farm to be a big part of her life again.

“Growing up on the farm, there were some hard times, but it was always family time,” Kay said. “With our small family, we always worked hard together and was something I always wanted to get back to.”

For much of the past decades, the family rented out the farm’s pasture to other local farmers. Keith and Kay decided they wanted to take back the land to raise their own 100 percent grass-fed cattle, which would also help them move toward other more sustainable farming practices.

“We knew raising cattle 100 percent pastured and grass-fed was the right way. We are already seeing we don’t have to deal with concerns that farmers raising cattle on grain do,” Kay said.

“We don’t have large vet bills, calving is easier because our cows aren’t heavier than they should be, they give birth on grass and aren’t confined, and they are all around just really healthy, so there is absolutely no need for antibiotics.”

Raising grass-fed cattle also provides a source of income that allows them to get away from raising row crops and artificial fertilizers. Instead of raising row crops, Keith is planting more cover crops (grasses that don’t require tilling), planning to convert more tilled fields into pasture, and using the herd’s organic manure on the fields.

“I’ve seen how badly fields have eroded over the years from tilling and row crops. Getting away from chemicals is better for the soil, decreases run-off and is just better for our community.”

Farming is what I know. Animals are what I know. If I could do it full-time, I would.

“When I am back at the farm doing work, it feels like my life. A lot of people don’t understand it. Or understand what’s in it for me,” Kay said. “It’s not about what’s in it for me. It’s what it brings me back to.”

Most weekdays, Kay can be found working at Lola’s making specialty coffee drinks and during the afternoon/night she focuses on farm business. 

The Stormy Creek Farm Bistro Burger at Lola’s

Lola’s supports many local farmers and features Stormy Creek Farm’s beef in their Bistro burger. When you’re at Lola’s you can actually order one of these burgers from Kay. How cool is that? 

“Lola’s has been such a great partner,” Kay said. “It’s all about buying local and supporting your community members. We need to do that as much as we can, because we need what we have in rural Minnesota.”

Supporting small farmers for the future of rural Minnesota

In reality, farming is difficult. Small Minnesota family farms are closing by the hundreds every year.

“I worry about our town sometimes. I worry about what will happen if/when our community members are limited to getting their food from Walmart,” Kay said. “That’s scary to me because you really don’t know how your food was grown or how it got to you when you buy from a huge corporation. That’s why places like the New Ulm Co-op and people buying from local farmers are so important.”

She believes that it benefits everyone to do some research about what goes into growing and getting food to their tables.

Stormy Creek Farm is still only a few years old. In 2020 and beyond Kay and Keith are looking forward to adding more pasture and continually improving the grasses/hay they grow to feed the herd.

While it’s a lot of work, Kay keeps doing it because of the feedback she’s getting from the community and because she feels like the farm is where she belongs. 

“We take pride in everything we do. It’s so rewarding to hear the people tell us that our beef is the best they have ever had.”