The Pooch family of Farwell has been named Pope County’s “2022 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.

In 1953, Delmar and Ida Pooch purchased the original Pooch farm in Nora Township. They raised dairy cows, hogs, sheep, chickens and crop farmed. Their son, Vernon, began farming in 1973 by milking cows; later he began farrowing pigs and selling seed corn. In 2000, Vernon’s son, Nick, started feeding Holstein steers and crop farming. In 2008, his brother Austin began farming with Nick and they expanded their crop acreage.

Currently, the family grows corn, seed soybeans, wheat, oats, alfalfa and grass hay on 1,500 acres. They feed several hundred head of northern Minnesota beef calves to finish annually. They also background beef calves. The Pooch family practices minimum tillage on their crop ground; they plant corn and soybean research plots, and sell Gold Country Seed.

Brothers Nick and Austin run the daily operation of the farm. Their father, Vernon, helps with field work and sells seed. Nick’s wife, Kris, vaccinates the cattle and helps keep them healthy, drives a tractor and handles the bookwork. Austin’s wife, Katie, works in the healthcare industry. Nick and Austin’s mother, Sonia, is retired. Nick and Kris have three children: Blake, Brady and Blaine. Austin and Katie also have three kids: Avery, Sadie and Porter. The brothers’ sister, Vanessa, lives in Montana.

All the kids in the Pooch family are in 4-H, where they show beef calves and sheep. The kids are the second generation of the family to show livestock. Austin is a Pope County Fair board member; Nick is a member of the Glacial Ridge Cattlemen’s Association and serves on the Pope County FSA committee. Vernon is involved with Pope County Corn and Soybean Growers and the Minnesota Farmers Union. Austin and Katie’s family attend Our Lady of the Runestone Catholic Church in Kensington. Nick, Kris and their family along with Vernon and Sonia attend Lowry Covenant Church.

The families were officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 4 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minn. Profiles of the 2022 honorees and information on the recognition event can be found on the University’s farm family website, https://extension.umn.edu/farm-families.

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. 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.