June was spent at the elk farm in Minnesota, where farm work was the main order of business. June is the month for harvesting first crop alfalfa, and this year’s crop was the best in recent years. 71 large round bales were stored, which is about double last year’s first crop count. Haying has evolved from one of the most back breaking chores on a farm to a mostly enjoyable effort because of modern equipment that eliminates much of the work. The extra hay will be needed as the elk have produced more calves than normal as well, 10 at last count.
Trail maintenance, prairie planting, and brush removal were the other main chores. 70 to 80 degree temperatures were common in June, and with abundant rain, the farm was green and growing. The State of Minnesota awarded the farm Century status for being in the Angstman family for more than 100 years. Jacob and Emma Angstman arrived at the farm in 1904 by horse and buggy with their 13 children, livestock and equipment. Subsequent owners were son Ezra and his wife Edna, and later their son Spencer with his wife Shirley, and Spencer’s brother Myron and his wife Suzanne. With most of the farm enrolled in the Minnesota Land Trust, the farm will remain intact forever, with no subdivision possible.
A shortage of dogs at ALO resulted in the purchase of a new dog, and English cocker spaniel named Tanner. English cockers retain a strong hunting instinct, and this dog is a partially trained bird dog. He is a wonderful retriever already, and after a couple of weeks on the farm showed excellent skill at flushing birds. Tanner is about 20 pounds, and at 16 months won’t get any bigger.
Two civil cases were settled. A Bethel woman received $17,500 for injuries suffered in a car accident, and a client in Minnesota recovered $83,000 for an accident near Princeton. ALO handles a few cases out of state from time to time. That can only happen in matters that don’t reach court, or by working with local counsel if they do.
Summer promises to be extremely busy, with a number of trials scheduled along with visits from family and friends. Add to that the completion of the cabin project planned for August and September, and things will be hopping. To that end, a replacement airplane is now parked at Hangar Lake. It has already logged a number of hours in Alaska, and appears to be an upgrade from the prior aircraft despite being two years older. Brand new floats has a lot to do with the improvement. Along with a new plane, ALO will soon have a new pilot as Andy is about 15 hours into his flight training in Bethel.