Interview with a farmer
What's life really like a farm?
I recently had the pleasure to sit down with an area farmer and pick his brain about farming life.
When did you know you wanted to be a farmer? Age 5. I watched my dad every day and knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do. As I got older I knew for sure because of my love of animals and making my own schedule working on a farm was very appealing.
What's the biggest difference in farming now compared to 30 years ago. Farming has really gotten easier with all the advances in machinery.
What's the scariest that’s ever happened to you on the farm? My dad and I were swathing. He hopped off and crawled underneath the header to check on something and it fell on top of him. I jumped down and with the strength of ten men, lifted it off of him. I have no idea how I was able to that in that moment.
What's the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened? Take a roll of paper towels with you on the tractor, enough said.
What's the most valuable thing on the farm? My farm wife. Since the year we got married we have worked side by side and its attributed to our great marriage.
What's the most interesting thing you can tell us about working on a farm? Over the years I continue to find Indian artifacts working the land and its always interesting to see what new things I find.
Posted on June 6th, 2022
Recipe of the Month
Avocado Toast
A lot of people don’t know what to do with Avocado’s, besides Guacamole, of course! Here is a versatile recipe that is so easy and fresh for summer! You can change it up so many ways, and it is so healthy! - Michelle
Ingredients:
· Whole grain toast (or any bread)
· Ripe avocados
· Egg (I used fried over easy, but could use boiled, poached or scrambled)
· Seasonings—Salt and pepper, or my favorite, Everything Bagel Seasoning!
· Tomatoes (optional) - use halved cherry or sliced, you can even marinate them!
· Other optional ingredients: Bacon, Chives, micro-greens, Cholula hot sauce, feta cheese , red onion, salmon, squeeze of lime juice, etc. Feel free to make it how you like!
Instructions: Cook your egg (if using), make toast, add mashed up avocado on the toast, put egg on top, top with toppings and sprinkle with seasonings!
Posted on June 6th, 2022
Claim Corner
There's nothing more frustrating then a slow driver when you are trying to get to your destination. Springtime in North Dakota is the worst for slow vehicles because of the amount of farm equipment and anhydrous tanks being pulled on the highways. Farmers must drive slow and carefully when pulling nurse tanks because of safety reasons. There have been many reports of vehicles hitting anhydrous tanks on the roads. There was recently a report of a vehicle unknowingly pulling out in front of a truck pulling dual tanks. The driver of the tanks swerved to avoid the crash and it resulted in the tanks overturning. Aside from the chemical spill, there were no injuries. If you cause a crash or spill by reckless driving or hitting tanks, you may be liable to cover the costs of a chemical cleanup. It’s a good idea to make sure know your medical liability limits if you should cause harm to another individual or yourself if there is a crash. There are also certain steps you can take to ensure your safety if you are the one pulling tanks as many farmers do in our area. The use of a safety clip on the hitch pin when towing anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks on and off the road is essential to your safety and that of the public. The safety clip will keep the hitch pin from working out and releasing the nurse tank. Always attach safety chains when towing anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks on public roads. Take sufficient time to park the nurse tank close to the source tanks. This will reduce the chances of potential spills leading to accidents. In our farming communities, it is important that we are always alert and sensitive to the fact that certain equipment have to be driven slow to ensure the safety of everyone around them as well as themselves. If you are a bystander and come upon an accident with an anhydrous tank, take EXTREME caution. These can be very dangerous and deadly. The spill can go for miles and affect your health severely. Immediately call 911 and stay back!
Posted on June 6th, 2022
I’m a Barbie Girl…..
By Amy Haldorson
Does your child have a Barbie jeep or an electric bike? If you come to my house, you’ll more than likely see a couple of kids zooming around on them all over our yard. Sometimes even running over pets or their siblings. There has also been an occasional 3am Barbie car race between adults. Shhh don’t tell my kids. One particular beautiful starry night my friend and I were bored. Because, why sleep at 3am when you can drive Barbie cars around. She hopped on and the next thing you know she's zooming towards my garage door. You know how this turns out….I blamed it on the kids of course. When I asked Chad how to go about turning in the claim, he had more questions than usual…but my first thought was, am I liable for this damage? Most homeowners insurance policies now extend coverage for motorized vehicles, including Barbie Jeeps. But, there are some exceptions to this rule, so you may want to check with your insurance agent. Now, if the Barbie car had an accident off our property and hit someone else or someone's else's property, I may have been liable. Homeowner’s policies may or may not provide coverage while on the insured premises, and it less likely that polices extend coverage for these motorized vehicles beyond the property. This could leave your clients (and possibly YOU) open to a liability exposure if there were to be an accident, injury or property damaged caused by the motorized vehicle….and yes, Barbie Jeeps and electric bicycles are considered motorized vehicles. As the weather warms and those warm weather toys come out of the garage and on to the driveways….and sidewalks and streets, it is a great time to ask your talk to your insurance agent about any toys that you may have on your property.
Safety Tips for Electric Cars for Kids:
1. Inspect the car. Do a once over and make sure there are no broken or missing parts. Additionally, you should get familiar with how the toy works. Make sure there are no exposed electrical components or sharp edges.
2. Create a safe riding environment. Think about helmets and seatbelts, riding surfaces, and fences.
3. Properly maintaining the vehicles are important. The main components to keep an eye on for an electric toy car are; wheels, body and battery.
4. Cleaning and proper storage. If you want the toy to last a long time, do not keep it outside. Rain, snow, moisture and curious critters are all threats and will easily dam-age, as well as damage the battery.
5. Age and weight limits. Be sure to check out all the features and limitations of a car before buying it to ensure its age and weight are appropriate for you child.
Posted on June 6th, 2022
Cinco de Mayo
True or False?
Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day.
False.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. As Napoleon III marched towards Mexico City with plans to invade, he encountered a small Mexican army at Puebla. Even though the Mexican army had fewer resources and less training, they were able to defeat the French and stop the invasion.
That’s worth raising a (margarita) glass to, don’t you think?
Cheers—and Happy Cinco de Mayo from our entire team!
Posted on May 5th, 2022
Community Spotlight
Its Spring Time!
Time for…..pumpkins? You read that right. With help from area businesses, the Rugby Chamber and Prairie Village Museum are gearing up for Rugby’s newest project. They plan to open a pumpkin patch and corn maze near the museum in October. Let the planning begin! The pumpkin patch and corn maze will sit just to the west of the museum buildings on the museum grounds. The plan is to have it open to visitors for five weekends in October. They realize October is a long way away, but in order to make some of the purchases, they need community help now. A needed $20,000 has already been cut in half by events put on since January. In addition to the pumpkins, funds are needed for a barrel train, corn maze, and peat pots to start seeds over the large swath of land. Other items still in the idea stage include a horse-drawn wagon to transport visitors from the museum parking lot to the pumpkin patch. Local businesses have started to sponsor and will be have the opportunity to if they haven't already. All sponsors will receive recognition. It wont go unnoticed.
For more information on ways to help with the pumpkin patch, call 701-208-0539.
Let’s help make this happen!
Posted on May 5th, 2022
Recipe of the Month
Tropical Chex Mix
"This Chex mix was an absolute hit at NuLine’s stop on the Rugby Beer and Seltzer crawl last month!"
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter melted
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
4 cups Rice Chex
4 cups Corn Chex
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup dried pineapple pieces
1 cup dried banana chips
1 cup dried coconut pieces or 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Instructions:
Mix the melted butter, brown sugar and coconut extract. Place the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, nuts, bananas and pineapple in a large bowl. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 45 min, stirring every 15 min. Add coconut for the last 15 min. & watch Hazelnuts closely) Cool and store in an airtight container.
Posted on May 5th, 2022
What is Kiwanis?
A lot of communities have a Kiwanis Club. Most people have no idea what the Kiwanis is about and what they do! Take it from our own, Michelle Weinmann, here at NuLine. She joined the Kiwanis last year after being invited to one of their monthly meetings, and has really enjoyed being a part of the group. In fact, she has taken on the public relations aspect of the local club.
The Harvey Kiwanis was established in 1923. For close to 96 years, Kiwanians have volunteered in various capacities serving the children of the area. Harvey Kiwanis is a member of the International organization also. Some of the local Harvey projects have included pancake feeds, Coats for Kids, book sales, scholarship awards, Welcome back to school events, ditch cleaning and the Kiwanis Community Playground Project. The playground project is the most recent project in which they were able to add more equipment to the Centennial Park play area, a toddler set for ages 6-24 mos! They also volunteer to serve concessions at the movie theater and take tickets at local football games. As everyone has busy schedules, you are not required to assist in all events. Who can become a member? ANYONE! The main objective of a Kiwanis group is to help children in all types of capacities. It’s a very rewarding organization to be a part of. They are always looking for new members desiring to improve the lives of children in their community. Harvey Kiwanis meetings happen once a month for an hour with a guest speaker, along with lunch. Topics vary from local businesses telling about their services, to travel topics, or a mission trip, etc. They are always open to learning new topics and expanding services to area youth. Michelle has enjoyed being part of the group so far and is amazed at the drive to get projects done for the community. She encourages people to call her and come to a meeting and check out what Kiwanis is all about!
Posted on May 5th, 2022
Our NuLine Kids
By Amy Haldorson
The time has finally come. The graduation of our children. What seemed like a far off day is now at the forefront and NuLine would like to pay tribute to three exceptionally special seniors: Isaac Friese, Alexa Haldorson and our High School co-op employee, Madden Thorson. These remarkable individuals are starting their journey into adulthood and we couldn't be more proud. Watching our "NuLine kids" grow up has been one of our greatest joys and we wish them all luck with their undoubtedly bright future.
SENIOR INTERVIEW
1. What will you miss the most about high school ?
2. Best high school memory?
3. Future plans?
4. Any advice to underclassman?
Madden:
-Being around my friends and classmates every day. I will also miss being on the field or court with my teammates.
-Playing under the lights on Friday nights.
-Attending MSUM and plan on going into business and playing football.
-Cherish every moment/memory because it’s a quick 4 years!
Isaac:
-I will miss my friends that I have made and seeing them on a daily basis.
-I don’t have one best memory, but I liked being able to participate in so many high school sports and activities. I also liked that seniors finally got the logo painted on the football field for our last season. (Thanks to some parents for that.)
-I will be attending Valley City State University to study Agri-business and play football.
-Don’t take these years for granted, enjoy every minute of them. Get involved in an activity, club or athletic sport because you get to hang with your friends and also meet so many other kids from around the state. Work hard, but have fun because it will pay off!
Alexa:
-Getting to see all of my friends every day and messing around in Mr. Preble’s class.
-My best memory was senior skip day.
-I plan to attend NDSU and major in Business Management.
-Don’t be afraid to join organizations in high school. It keeps you busy and you can learn a lot of valuable life skills from them.
Posted on May 5th, 2022
Employee Spotlight
Jennifer Poitra—Dunseith, ND
Please join us in welcoming Jennifer (Jen) Poitra to our NuLine team! Originally hailing from Dunseith, Jen was happy for the opportunity to be the face of our Dunseith office. Jen has two daughters and a baby granddaughter, who is the light of her life. She recently had the opportunity to spend a long visit with her as they live in California. Jen has sure enjoyed spoiling her and looks forward to future visits. Area customers may also recognize Jen from her past experience working for Campbell Insurance Agency, which occupied the building NuLine now inhabits. Jennifer was eager to get back in the insurance world after her time spent working in the banking industry. So far she has really enjoyed getting to know the customers and reconnecting with old ones and of course, the wonderful NuLine staff! Jennifer has been loving the technology that NuLine brings and the easy going work place has made the transition really easy. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the lake, doing anything on water or relaxing with a book. All of us at NuLine are excited to have her as part of our group!
Our Dunseith office is open Monday through Friday and you can reach Jennifer or any of our other agents by calling 701-244-5796.
Posted on April 20th, 2022