When Greg Elsenpeter died in 2003, his sons Dan and Luke became the fifth generation to operate the Elsenpeters’ dairy farm outside Maple Lake. About 45 miles northwest of Minneapolis in Wright County, Valley View Dairy is an organic farm of roughly 700 acres south of Minnesota Highway 55.
The brothers and their two families milk 200 cows twice daily from a stock of about 400, including calves. They grow their own hay and feed corn — and a few other grains. On June 29, the Elsenpeters’ dairy farm will be the site of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ celebration of Rural Life Sunday — an annual event that was last held on a Maple Lake area farm in 1995.
Rural Life Sunday celebrates the blessings of rural life and highlights the people who live and work in rural areas, said Father John Meyer, pastor of the host parish, St. Timothy in Maple Lake. Father Meyer said a rural lifestyle is characterized by families who, relying on weather and the land, place their trust in God and recognize that they are stewards of his creation.
“Rural life has so much to celebrate,” said Father Meyer, “a strong sense of family, faith, solid values, community and trust in God.”
Working the land is a faith-based profession, said Dan Elsenpeter, because to a large extent, outcomes can’t be controlled. Farming demands the strength of spirit to overcome uncertainty as well as the skill and experience to diagnose and address issues along the way.
“There are so many times we’ll be working on a project or trying to get a crop in (amid) problem after problem and things not going as planned,” said Dan’s son Henry, “and Mom will say, ‘maybe God doesn’t want you doing that.’”
But divine providence and small miracles also figure into the equation. There was the time the problematic corn chopper finally fell apart just as Dan was driving it along the road after finishing up in the field on the final day of the harvest — perfect timing. Or the day of grandma’s funeral when Dan and Luke somehow managed to harvest 60 to 80 acres of hay after the service and just ahead of a torrential downpour.
The general public might not fully understand all the work and risks that are part of farming. But Rural Life Sunday is an opportunity to experience a taste of it at the Elsenpeters’ farm.
Weather permitting, Mass will be celebrated outdoors by Bishop Michael Izen, a former pastor of St. Timothy, and food and activities will follow the service.
Bishop Izen said that in addition to celebrating the blessings of rural life, Rural Life Sunday is important because it builds on the work of Catholic Rural Life, a national organization that supports Catholic farmers and others in rural areas. Founded in St. Louis in 1923 as the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, the organization has been based in St. Paul since 2014.
There are “(s)o many special people at St. Timothy’s,” said Bishop Izen, while expressing gratitude for the opportunity to be with the community of his first pastorate, “people who I truly think of as family.”
Food and activities will follow the Mass. The Elsenpeter family is supplying hot dogs and beef from their stock, and the parish community is pitching in to help. The Knights of Columbus are signed up for grilling duty, and the Council of Catholic Women is providing side dishes and serving. There will be children’s games and tours of the farm.
Father Meyer said the Elsenpeters represent the best in rural life. They were approached about hosting Rural Life Sunday, he said, because they are active in the church and can manage a large event. Many of the Elsenpeter relatives are also active in the parish and school, Father Meyer said.
Greg Elsenpeter, known as a good storyteller, was a deacon at St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo for four years before his death, and his wife, Krista, has been involved in the parish music ministry as a pianist and an organist for almost 70 years.
“There’s a lot of music in the family,” confirmed Krista, who said that one weekend she counted 13 family members — three children and 10 grandchildren — participating in the parish’s music ministry and as altar servers. “But the real blessing for me is that they like the music of the church,” Krista said.
One thing she’s personally grateful for is the kind of children that she said rural families are sending out into the world. They are children with a good work ethic and good values who, when they take on a job, are ready to take on the responsibility, Krista said.
“Our younger kids are on the calf-feeding crew,” said Dan’s wife, Erica, describing the six to eight weeks of bottle feeding required for calves. “If calves are not fed, they may get sick. There’s a safety net, but the kids learn there’s a direct connection between what they do and the outcome — they learn accountability.”
And they’re learning to care for living things, added Dan, “they’re learning respect for life.”
The Elsenpeter dairy farm has provided learning experiences for school children. Luke’s wife, Elizabeth, pointed out that they had recently hosted St. Timothy preschool, kindergarten and first grade classes, showing them the ins and outs of the milking parlor, the calves, the free stall barn and what the cows eat. And then, she said, she talked about God’s creation — what he gave us in a little seed, and how that little seed is used by farmers.
“Faith isn’t just in a church building,” said Elizabeth, “You can go outside and it’s everywhere.” Elizabeth has taught at the elementary level, and Dan’s wife, Erica, was a high school English teacher for six years.
DIRECTIONS
Those planning to attend Rural Life Sunday at Valley View Dairy farm are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. To get there, drive along Minnesota Highway 55 from either the east or west, turn south onto Dillon Avenue NW (between Buffalo and Maple Lake), and, at the T-intersection, head east on 30th Street NW until parking signs appear at a four-way intersection. Handicap parking will be available. In case of rain, celebrations will be held inside a shed at the farm. Outdoor restrooms and hand washing stations will be on site.
