Carrying on two family farms

LEWISTON, Minn. — Sheldon and Karli Luehmann and their daughter, Jolene, are the next generation on not one but two family farms.

“The main goal with every family farm is to pass it on to that next generation,” Sheldon said. “That doesn’t always happen with two farms. … I would say it’s kind of rare, and so we feel very blessed that we have the opportunities that we have to do so. It’s a lot of work, but we have a lot of really awesome people around us to help us.”

Karli agreed.

“(Our parents) are grateful to see the land and everything being utilized, staying in the family,” she said.

The Luehmanns live on the farm Sheldon grew up on near Lewiston. There, they raise 40 cow/calf beef pairs to finish. In the old dairy barn, they farrow pigs, which are finished for pork. The Luehmanns also have 60 egg layer chickens, three donkeys for livestock protection, two sheep, two goats, and they raised 500 meat chickens last year. The Luehmanns sell their meat and eggs as well as tallow skin care products directly to consumers under their farm name, Luehmann Family Livestock.

Eight minutes away, near Rollingstone, is Pine-Vue Farms dairy, where Karli grew up. The Luehmanns purchased the herd of dairy cows in 2021. They milk 100 cows with full-time help from Karli’s dad, Paul Moger.

“What’s really important to us is to be able to try to pass it on to our next generation,” Sheldon said. “Our main goal every day is to create an opportunity if the next generation wants to (continue farming). … (That is) because there are a lot of people out there that wish they could farm but don’t have the opportunity.”

The Luehmanns also farm about 600 acres of crop land spread across the two farms and several rented acreages. They raise about 150 acres of hay, 100 acres of corn for silage and 100 acres of corn for grain for the livestock. The rest of the land is cash crops.

With income streams from seven different farm products, the Luehmanns said they intend to continue both farms side by side.

“It’s very smart to be very diversified and capitalize on different markets when some are better than others to help the bottom line,” Sheldon said.

The Luehmanns purchased the land and building site of Sheldon’s family farm this year. They hope to eventually do the same for Pine-Vue Farms.

“(There) really wasn’t a transition plan to speak of whatsoever for either family,” Sheldon said. “We’ve had to work through that. That definitely has its battles.”

Sheldon said part of figuring out a plan has included working with a farm business manager and making sure they have a good banker and tax professional.

“We try to surround ourselves with people who want the best for us,” he said.

Both Sheldon and Karli farm full time. Karli returned to the farm after Jolene arrived.

“Once we had her, it was my calling to return back to the dairy,” she said. “Daycare was really hard to find. If we did find daycare, it was not close by, or it was just incredibly expensive.”

The Luehmanns are raising Jolene on the farm as they were raised. She likes to spend time in the parlor and go for tractor rides.

Karli said working with family, though it can be difficult, is one of the best parts of farming.

“It really is truly a blessing to work alongside your family every day,” she said.

Besides barn chores, Karli focuses on marketing their beef, pork, chicken, eggs and tallow skin care products. Karli started selling at the Altura Area Farmers Market in 2024 and the Rochester farmers market this year.

“We want our customers to know, first off, where their food comes from,” Karli said. “We love the communication that we have with them, the connection, the questions that they ask. We raise the product responsibly with care. … We feed it to our own family, so they should feel confident to give it to theirs.”

The Luehmanns also sell their meat through shares. Though shares represent the bulk of their sales and farmers markets have a steep commitment to time, they continue their efforts at the latter because of the premium prices.

“If I had a normal nine-to-five job, I would not be doing this,” Karli said. “There’s no way.”

Karli’s tallow skin care products are a new addition to their farmers market offerings. Karli started rendering tallow in February after a friend sent her a video about making tallow products.
Initially, she said, she was unconvinced, but after being deluged by Facebook with videos on making tallow products and their benefits, she gave it a try. Today, she makes 3-ingredient tallow moisturizers and also has a coffee-infused tallow eye cream.

With two farm enterprises and a young child, the Luehmanns stay busy. They said their support system, especially their parents, has been a lifesaver, whether it is watching Jolene while Karli is at the farmers market, Sheldon’s dad helping with field work, or Karli’s dad and all the work he does on a regular basis.

Moger is in charge of mixing, feeding and calves on the dairy, among other tasks. The Luehmanns do most of the milking themselves with the assistance of one to two part-time milkers. The Luehmanns maintain a somatic cell count of under 60,000, which Sheldon said is something they are proud of.

When it comes to what they have learned as farmers, Sheldon said he encourages other young farm couples to treat farming like a business but not to miss out on the fun of the process. He also said to listen to advice from others and to diversify income streams.

“Also, don’t burn yourself out,” he said. “Try to find that line (of) maximizing your time and your efforts, but also take care of yourself.”

Most of all, Sheldon said it is important to him and Karli to prioritize family and faith.

“As busy … as you get, you still have to try to find time to be a husband and a wife, to go to church, to keep Christ as the center of your house and raise your kids,” he said.