New Vision’s expanded Magnolia feed mill
boosts prep, loading capabilities

Mavis Fodness | Freelance reporter

Meeting the dietary needs of the millions of hogs bred and marketed annually in the tri-state area is now faster and more efficient for patrons of the New Vision Co-Op feed mill near Magnolia.

The cooperative recently finished an $18 million expansion for an additional load-out facility that took 16 months to complete. The expansion was ready for use in November 2025, which surprised site manager Adam Garms

“They finished a little early,” he said. “It was supposed to be done in February of this year.”
By the time New Vision conducted a public open house May 20, the facility was fully operational as open house attendees enjoyed lunch and guided tours of the facility.

The expansion added another 175-foot tall concrete, load-out structure, tripling New Vision’s storage bins to 48 (or 1,400 tons), which can be loaded from three separate truck bays. The new facility allows two semi-trailers to be loaded at once, lowering the completion time to minutes due to the facility’s improved design, which mimics a semi-truck trailer.

“It’s pretty much a truck in the sky,” Garms said. “There’s nine compartments —all the scales that are above match up with the compartments on the truck.”

An extensive camera system allows each load to be monitored from a central control room. A separate computer system monitors orders already mixed and waiting for loading from one of the 48  bins located above the truck bays.

Global positioning systems in each of the co-op’s 13 semi-trucks alerts the control room when a truck is on its way back to the load facility. Before the truck arrives, the control room prepares one or all nine of the hoppers that funnel the mixed feed into the semi-trailer.

“It takes us 5 to 7 minutes to load (the hoppers),” Garms said. “It takes about (another) 30 seconds to dump (the feed into the trailer) and the driver to grab their paperwork and off they go to deliver.”
Typically, Garms said, one semi can be loaded with more than one order.

“I think the most we’ve ever done was seven in one truck,” he said.

The expanded load-out facility means drivers no longer have long down times waiting outside the facility after morning deliveries. One driver at the open house said, “I don’t get my naps in the afternoon,” when asked about the improvements.

On a busy day, 150 feed orders are prepared, loaded and delivered from the Magnolia mill.
An average day about 40 orders are completed, Garms said, or about 2,000 tons of mixed feed going to customers in southwest Minnesota, southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa.

More than half of the mill’s orders are delivered to swine producers. Other orders go to poultry, sheep, dairy and beef cattle producers.

Garms said the Magnolia location is the largest mill facility within New Vision Co-Op and one of the largest mills in the region. Other New Vision mills are in Worthington, Windom and Mankato.
The Magnolia mill employs 24 people.
 

Three years after Muller’s accident, he continues farming career

Mavis Fodness | Freelance reporter

Three years after a life-changing farm accident, 33-year-old Travis Muller is thankful he is able to continue working at a career he began in childhood on his grandparents’ farm north of Windom.

Today, Muller is a bilateral amputee, having lost portions of both his legs in the farm accident. Muller is one of thousands of farmers who are injured or killed in farm accidents across the U.S. each year.

Despite the life-changing event, Muller returned to operate Muller Farms, much like he did prior to the Sept. 23, 2023 accident.

Now, however, Muller works with a little extra caution since “things can happen fast.”

“Everybody is always in a hurry and I understand that. So am I. But that can be a big problem,” he said. “Just remember there’s always tomorrow for more work — take time to take safety seriously or you might not have tomorrow at all.”

Ag among most dangerous jobs

According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting have the highest fatality rates among all industries in Minnesota with a rate of 16.4 fatalities per 100,000 full time workers.

“There are many factors that make farming dangerous,” said Emily Krekelberg, a farm safety and health Extension educator at the University of Minnesota. “Some of the major considerations are the physical nature of the job, the proximity to and use of large equipment and the unpredictable timing of some farm tasks such as field work.”

Grain bins are especially dangerous with 21 reported entrapments in the U.S., with six of those incidents resulting in a fatality. Five of those incidents were in Minnesota.

However, Krekelberg acknowledged many farm accidents go unreported, as farming does not fall under OSHA reporting requirements as most farms have less than 10 employees.

“A lot of data that is gathered comes from finding new reports about incidents or farmers voluntarily reporting via survey or research interview,” she said.

Like Muller, Krekelberg also recommends slowing down and thinking twice while working around the farm.

“Before taking any action of the farm, it’s important to have a level head and consider the action being taken,” she said. “Farming is a stressful job with often tight deadlines that can lead to frantic, poor decision making.”

9-23-23 was a ‘normal’ Sunday
A morning church service followed by bike rides on the mild, mid 70s sunny day had Travis Muller, his wife, Jasmine, and then 2-year-old daughter, Shaylie, home for an afternoon of chores.

On the top of the chores list was clearing the rest of the corn out of the 100,000 bushel grain bin in preparation for the soon-to-start 2023 harvest.

“I shouldn’t have been in a hurry, but we were going to start a little house project and I just wanted to get this done and get on to other stuff with my family,” Muller recalled. “It’s not like we were pressed against the clock or anything.”

Inside the grain bin was a power grain sweep, which moves along the bottom of the bin sweeping the grain into an auger and depositing the grain into the bin’s center, where another auger takes the grain out of the bin. The sweep saves time and hours of manual scooping with shovels and brooms.

Muller agreed to be inside the bin along with his uncle. His brother watched from the doorway.
“I was in front of the sweep — shouldn’t have been — but I was scooping corn away from the wall so that way when the sweep came around it would catch the grain and bring it to the middle,” he said.
Muller doesn’t remember the seconds leading up to the sweep’s metal auger catching his pant legs but remembers the quick thinking of his brother, Jordan, to stop the sweep and his uncle, Wayne, using his belt as a tourniquet. His dad, Scott, who was working outside the bin called 911.

The pain in his legs almost overwhelmed him.
“It was about 45 minutes until I got on the chopper that I was conscious for,” Muller said. “Once I got on the chopper, they gave me whatever they gave me and then it was like ‘thank you.’”

Both local and state media outlets reported on Muller’s accident and recovery at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. The most attention occurred in the weeks after the Sept. 23, 2023 accident. A Caring Tree account created by Jasmine kept friends and family informed on Travis’ condition and recovery progress.

She thanked the quick thinking of family members and emergency personnel for Travis’ positive outcome.

“As life changing as this will be and heartbreaking to lose his legs, the doctor said just a few more seconds and he would no longer be with us,” Jasmine wrote.

After 25 days in the hospital and seven surgeries, Muller went home.

Life different, much the same
Travis Muller is used to sharing images from years of competing in snocross events on social media. He used the same channels to document his recovery and the journey he underwent to return to operating the family’s grain farm.

“I have always hoped that my story would open a few eyes to farmers and workers alike to hopefully remind them of the dangers that are always lurking and prevent injury or loss (of life),” he said. “I’ve heard of too many grain bin accidents since mine.”

Even with farm equipment improvements, problems far too often force farmers into grain bins.
“Unfortunately we are not one easy invention away from curing that problem,” Muller said. “We just need to really use our heads, be safe and not be in a hurry.”

As a result of the accident, the Mullers have placed extra safety measures around the 10 bins that make up the grain storage site. Stop buttons for the power sweeps have been moved closer to the bin opening, which it can easily be reached from inside the bin. Tourniquets and first-aid kits are located in key areas.

A new, more safe power grain sweep was installed in one of the bins thanks to New Vision. The regional agribusiness donated a power grain sweep that uses rubber paddles instead of a metal auger to remove grain from bins.

In his recovery, Muller’s social media posts showed the progress he made working around the farm. He spent weeks in a motorized wheelchair after the accident and, six months after the accident, he was fitted with carbon fiber prosthetics through Limb Lab out of Mankato.

Early on in his recovery, Muller set a goal to do everything he did before the accident, if not better.
A year after the accident, Muller was back in the tractor doing fall fieldwork and, more importantly, he was playing daily with his daughter and helping his wife around the house.

“Life is much different and much the same,” Muller said. “Every morning when I put on both legs, that’s different. I for sure cannot do as many things as I would like to in a day, or as fast, but I can do a lot of things.”

Attitude is everything
Positivity has been paramount in Travis Muller’s recovery and return to farming.

Months after the accident, Muller tried to keep an open mind on what he wanted to do with his new chance at life. His thoughts always turned toward being able to keep on living on his late grandparents’ farm (which Richard and Dolores Muller established in 1950), a place Travis moved his family into prior to the accident. Travis wanted the farm operation to stay in the family.

“I only have one brother so really it’s me or nobody,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to give up the opportunity. I really do love where we live and the peacefulness of living on a farm and away from the city.”

Muller now has more respect for the inherent dangers involved on the family farm. He previously thought the chance of serious injury was greater in the frequent snocross events he raced than the chances he would be seriously hurt in a farm accident at home.

He credits a higher power in his change in perspective and ultimate recovery.

“No matter what you’re going through, there are most likely so many positives to be grateful for,” he said. “There’s a huge part of my story of what’s possible with God. I believe He allowed that to happen to teach me, grow me, but allow me to live and continue this life here on Earth and enjoy it with my family.”

 

Lake Benton artist expands work to
nationwide audience, now includes horses

Mavis Fodness | Freelance reporter

One cannot think of the American West without picturing cattle, horses and cowboys.

Fifteen years ago, Lake Benton artist Michelle Weber turned a hobby into an art career by transferring those images from her family’s cow-calf operation to canvas.

“I will always enjoy lifting a brush to canvas with a unique perspective on how I can best represent beef cattle and modern agriculture,” she said. “When I began stretching my wings behind the easel by painting pieces that ignite my fire, the horse surfaced quickly as a place where my heart feels happy.”

Three years ago, horses became everyday tools in the Weber cattle operation.

As a result, horses naturally began appearing more and more in Weber’s artwork after 2023.

Horse art garnishes a Texas show invite
In the fall of 2024, Weber set a goal to exhibit more of her original artwork at shows or galleries. She began the process by committing to sending out 24 applications to organizers across the U.S.

Within weeks, she received a potential invite to exhibit at the 42nd annual Roundup and Exhibition at the Museum of Western Art (MOWA) in Kerrville, Texas.

Darrel Beaucamp is the MOWA executive director.
He said the selection committee approved of Weber’s application. He was also encouraged by other Round Up artists who spoke highly of her artwork, which depicts a different Western lifestyle.

“Michelle paints from the unique perspective of a northern rancher,” Beaucamp said. “Her work is intimate — coming from her deep-roots in the rural agriculture scene.”

The annual Roundup exhibition focuses on the preservation and promotion of Western heritage. The event provides an educational platform and cultural enrichment to a diverse audience. As many as 60 artists are invited to submit original artwork. A meet-and-greet event at the opening of the three-month exhibition allows attendees to get to the know the invited artists.

Horses are the most common animal depicted in the Western artwork.

“The horse was essential to the American West, providing the vital mobility, power and survival tool needed to traverse vast, rugged landscapes,” Beauchamp said. “(Horses) completed transformed Native American societies, enabling the cattle ranching industry, and drove nineteenth-century expansion across the frontier.”

Instead of scenes from the 1800s, Weber’s artwork show horses from a more modern day perspective and with a softer edge to the scenes first captured by a camera. Her interpretation of the pictures undergo transformation when it goes to the canvas. She often blends and layers her subjects with various shades of brown, gray, red and black, later accenting areas in white, yellow and cream paint to highlight small points within the subject(s).

“Painting horses has absolutely pushed my untrained eye to see new shapes, muscles, textures and movements but I am a willing learner and I am up for the challenge,” she said. “The look in an eye or the flick of an ear can elevate a painting from a craft store special to fine art.”

For her first MOWA exhibit, Weber went outside her comfort zone. In a conversation with director Beauchamp, he challenged her to think small.
Traditionally Weber used canvases sized at 24- by 36-inches and 36- by 48-inches. Beaucamp wanted Weber’s artwork to be no larger than 10-inches.
“This posed an extreme challenge for me: How was I going to catch a viewer’s eye from across a crowded room on a 10- by 10-inch space,” Weber said. “I decided to focus heavily on lighting and a subject that would pull at the heartstrings —horses and little girls.”

The result was two small artworks called “Every Girls’ Dream” and “Little Hands; Big Heart.” Both paintings featured a close up of a little girl and a horse. Both were painted using shades of white and gray with a small touch of color.

“Little Hands; Big Heart” is currently Weber’s favorite creation involving a horse.

“It sold while I was down there, shining a light on my career while helping chip away at the imposters syndrome which creeps in from time to time,” she said.

Self doubt on her artworks’ popularity, Weber was invited to this year’s Roundup. She created two pieces using the larger canvas sizes she’s more comfortable.

The result was pieces titled “Burnin’ Daylight” and “Reined In.” Both paintings caught the eye of buyers with sale prices of $6,750 and $7,850 respectively.
Beauchamp said 2026 sale averages ranged from $3,500 to $10,000.

Due to her popularity, Weber’s invited to exhibit at the 2027 event, her third-straight year.

“I knew it (the first invitation) was a big deal but did not have any idea how much of an honor it was,” she said. “The artists represented at that show are as high caliber as they come and I will forever hold that first show and the MOWA deep in my heart.”

More than 90 pieces of Weber’s art, including those from the MOWA event, are available online or at her art studio in Lake Benton.

Horses: More than just art subjects
“Horses have always had a presence here,” Weber said.

Long before Weber Land and Cattle was created by Weber and her husband, Jesse, in 2001, Jesse’s mom, Jodi Weber, was and still is a passionate horsewoman. Jodi has spent her life raising world champion cutting horses.

It was Jodi, who introduced horses to the younger Webers when she gave a pony to Jesse and Michelle’s first child, Wacey.

“Wacey was only 2, and Sugar wasn’t good for much except creating a safe exposure to horses our young family needed,” Michelle said.

The positive exposure has allowed the family’s horse herd to grow to seven horses, all of which are ridden to work cattle on the Weber ranch. Outside of work, the horses are ridden in both 4-H game and pleasure events. They recently began attending western heritage and ranch riding events.
As the number of horses grew so did the Weber family.

In addition to Wacey (now 14) the Webers have four additional children: Reese (11), Andi (10), Mick (7) and Wren (5).

The addition to horses to the cattle business has been a good fit.

“Horses can read your soul, I swear,” Michelle said. “They all love working cows.”

She has seen various lessons the horses have taught over the years. While the lessons are too numerous to list, the top four lessons include:

1.) Hold your ground.

2.) You might be uncomfortable but to get better you have to overcome or next time the problem will just be worse.

3.) Control your emotions or they will control you.

4.) Sometimes the quiet cues speak the loudest.
Those simple lessons are more often incorporated into Michelle’s artwork.

“When I can capture the simple moments on our farm and ranch, which to us are ordinary, but to the rest of the world those moments are truly extraordinary,” she said.