Brockberg farm recognized as a century farm
By: Sirrina Martinez
Multimedia reporter
The farm of Bill and Jody Brockberg is one of 97 farms across the state that has been recognized as a Century Farm by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau in 2024. At a total of 160 acres, the operation is located around two miles east of Trosky, although it has a Jasper address.
In 1924, Bill's grandfather, Frank Brockberg, and his wife Louise, bought the farm. According to Brockberg's application for Century Farm recognition, the young newlywed couple produced products and crops that were typical of the day including cream, beef, pigs, chickens, eggs and ducks. Frank was a German born immigrant, and his father-in-law co-signed for a loan for the land, which at the time went for $100 an acre. During the Great Depression era, the farm should have been lost by the family, Brockberg said. However, the bank had so many farms at the time that they didn't want it. Once the economy began to turn around, Frank and Louise were able to make all of their back payments and the family moved forward. The couple lived in the typical two-story farmhouse and raised their five children for many years until Frank passed away in 1951. Ownership of the farm was transferred to Louise who lived there until she sold it to her son Melvin Brockberg and his wife Dorothy in 1975. The farm made it through the crisis of the 80's, Brockberg said, and continued to remain in the family.
Melvin and Dorothy owned the farm from 1975-2002, and raised their two children there, Bill and his sister Kathy. In 2002, Bill bought the farm from his parents, and he had his wife Jody have worked hard to keep it going ever since. The couple have one son, Corey, who is married to Laura, and a grandson named Hatcher who live in Boulder, Colo.
Unfortunately, the original house was torn down after the foundation caved in, but Brockberg was able to salvage the hardwood floors that Jody loved, and reuse them in the new home that was built in 2011.
"Jody had beautiful hardwood floors (in the original house)," he said. "I took every board out of thehardwood floor and I refinished it and put it in the new house. It was a labor of love."
Up until recently, Brockberg said, the family continued to raise dairy cows, "until two years ago there were cows milked continuously," he said. "Then I sold the dairy. Now we raise beef cattle, stock cows, goats and crops."
Some of the crops they raise include soybeans, oats, alfalfa and rye crops. The farm is also a Certified Clean Water Farm. The Brockberg farm has produced more than just your typical agricultural products. In October of 1990, Brockberg and his father had an unusual dairy cow that had a pattern on her left side that was shaped like the head of Mickey Mouse. The Holstein was not a great milk producer, Brockberg said, and the family had considered selling her. Her fate was changed when Jody reached out to the Walt Disney Corporation and suggested that they consider bringing her into their fold. Disney purchased the cow from the family and she was renamed Minnie Moo. For the remainder of her life, Minnie Moo lived at Grandma Duck's Petting Farm and at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground's Tri-Circle Ranch in Florida.
"Jody was 100% responsible for making all the connections and transactions," he said. "That's when dad and I were in partnership. She (Minnie Moo) wasn't the best dairy cow and we were going to sell it. Jody took it and ran with it."
Brockberg said that he and Jody are honored to have the rare opportunity to buy and keep the farm in the family and to have it recognized as a Century Farm.
"Not very often does that happen now days," he said. "I'm very honored."
Multimedia reporter
The farm of Bill and Jody Brockberg is one of 97 farms across the state that has been recognized as a Century Farm by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau in 2024. At a total of 160 acres, the operation is located around two miles east of Trosky, although it has a Jasper address.
In 1924, Bill's grandfather, Frank Brockberg, and his wife Louise, bought the farm. According to Brockberg's application for Century Farm recognition, the young newlywed couple produced products and crops that were typical of the day including cream, beef, pigs, chickens, eggs and ducks. Frank was a German born immigrant, and his father-in-law co-signed for a loan for the land, which at the time went for $100 an acre. During the Great Depression era, the farm should have been lost by the family, Brockberg said. However, the bank had so many farms at the time that they didn't want it. Once the economy began to turn around, Frank and Louise were able to make all of their back payments and the family moved forward. The couple lived in the typical two-story farmhouse and raised their five children for many years until Frank passed away in 1951. Ownership of the farm was transferred to Louise who lived there until she sold it to her son Melvin Brockberg and his wife Dorothy in 1975. The farm made it through the crisis of the 80's, Brockberg said, and continued to remain in the family.
Melvin and Dorothy owned the farm from 1975-2002, and raised their two children there, Bill and his sister Kathy. In 2002, Bill bought the farm from his parents, and he had his wife Jody have worked hard to keep it going ever since. The couple have one son, Corey, who is married to Laura, and a grandson named Hatcher who live in Boulder, Colo.
Unfortunately, the original house was torn down after the foundation caved in, but Brockberg was able to salvage the hardwood floors that Jody loved, and reuse them in the new home that was built in 2011.
"Jody had beautiful hardwood floors (in the original house)," he said. "I took every board out of thehardwood floor and I refinished it and put it in the new house. It was a labor of love."
Up until recently, Brockberg said, the family continued to raise dairy cows, "until two years ago there were cows milked continuously," he said. "Then I sold the dairy. Now we raise beef cattle, stock cows, goats and crops."
Some of the crops they raise include soybeans, oats, alfalfa and rye crops. The farm is also a Certified Clean Water Farm. The Brockberg farm has produced more than just your typical agricultural products. In October of 1990, Brockberg and his father had an unusual dairy cow that had a pattern on her left side that was shaped like the head of Mickey Mouse. The Holstein was not a great milk producer, Brockberg said, and the family had considered selling her. Her fate was changed when Jody reached out to the Walt Disney Corporation and suggested that they consider bringing her into their fold. Disney purchased the cow from the family and she was renamed Minnie Moo. For the remainder of her life, Minnie Moo lived at Grandma Duck's Petting Farm and at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground's Tri-Circle Ranch in Florida.
"Jody was 100% responsible for making all the connections and transactions," he said. "That's when dad and I were in partnership. She (Minnie Moo) wasn't the best dairy cow and we were going to sell it. Jody took it and ran with it."
Brockberg said that he and Jody are honored to have the rare opportunity to buy and keep the farm in the family and to have it recognized as a Century Farm.
"Not very often does that happen now days," he said. "I'm very honored."