hometownsource. com / heartland / Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, April 19, 2026 Page 17
she and Randy would have to get along. That would be the only way it would really work.
Besides having worked together a lot growing up, Saehr and her brother continue to work side-by-side today. They work well together and have fun doing so.
“ We work very closely together and I would say he’ s my best friend. I’ m with him almost 24 hours a day. Our parents are also trying to pass this down to us to keep it in the family and make everything work, as far as finances, workload and balancing work with life,” she said.
Having taken on everything from milking cows to managing records, Saehr has also become quite skillful in writing and applying for various grants. Some of those grants include the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality grant, the Minnesota Livestock Investment grant and healthy soil grants through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
With the experience of applying for several grants and continuously looking for more, Saehr believes many farmers may not realize how many grants that are actually available to those in the agricultural community. She is often found perusing the website of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for different grants and is also very thankful for the support and assistance she has received from Kolby Hansen, who worked as a conservation agronomist for Morrison Soil & Water Conservation District at the time.
Although it is sometimes somewhat difficult to grasp it all when it comes to learning about and applying for grants- something Saehr has struggled with herself- she encourages people, especially young farmers to build relationships with those working at local ag-related offices. Many times they are able to help.
“ There are a lot of programs out there. More than I ever thought and in the financial end, nowadays every dollar counts,” she said.
When it comes to working on the farm, Saehr said she really likes the variety. In the morning and evening, her time is dedicated to the cows, and the time in between is often used for record keeping and tasks surrounding the breeding of the cows. A nice break from her routine, Saehr said, is when she gets to drive the tractor and see the fields, whether it is planting in the spring, seeing it grow over time and then harvest it in the fall.
To ease the workload for the family, Saehr helped implement a strip tillage on the farm. About 17 years old and still in high school at the time, she recalls her dad saying they had to come up with a way to make it all less labor intensive.
Strip tilling is usually done in the fall and includes preparing narrow 3-4 inches high tilled seedbeds, while leaving the soil between the rows untouched. By not tilling as deep, not as many rocks are brought to the surface, which in turn results in a whole lot less rock picking for the farmer, Saehr said.
“ We didn’ t implement all of our acres right away. We just started with a couple fields that we did the strip tillage on. As the years went on, we definitely were seeing the benefits for ourselves and just realizing how much labor, time and fuel it was saving us,” she said.
Saehr said the biggest drivers to implement conservation practices on their farm were labor and cost. Strip tilling their fields also resulted in the soil becoming healthier. Because the Saehrs only do one pass with the strip till machine, followed by the planter, the soil, including the natural, organic matter, is not disturbed as much, the risk for erosion has decreased.
In 2017, the Saehrs strip-tilling practices, along with other conservation measures, brought people from the Morrison Soil & Water Conservation District, the Department of Natural Resources, members from Camp Ripley and others to tour their farm. The bus tour, which was organized by the Morrison Soil & Water Conservation District, was a great success and the Saehrs enjoyed hosting it.
“ It was nice to see people take an interest in and take an interest in coming out to the farm,” she said.
Besides her love for farming, Saehr has a passion for helping people. She is a first responder with the Sullivan Lake First Response Team since 2023. Reminiscing, Saehr said she was inspired to become a first responder after their neighbor had a diabetic episode during hunting season and became unconscious.
“ I have some family members who are on the Pierz First Response Team and seeing them just jump into action and help that man was just really inspiring to see. It was just very inspiring seeing other people help,” she said.
Saehr’ s life is also filled with music as she sings in the church choir at St. Joseph’ s Church in Pierz. Between farming, being a first responder and singing, she stays busy, but grounded. Committed to her family and her community, Saehr keeps showing up, working hard and doing what needs to be done.
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