The Kerry & Kimberly Ruppert family of Currie has been named Murray County’s “2021 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.
The Ruppert farm started with 160 acres in Murray Township. It was homesteaded in 1897 by Kerry’s great-grandparents, John and Mary Ruppert. John and Mary’s son, John V. and his wife, Theresa, purchased the farm in 1933. Their son, Melvin, and his wife, JoEllyn, purchased the farm in 1975 and added 200 additional acres. The farm is now run by Melvin and JoEllyn’s son, Kerry, and his wife, Kimberly. Kerry started farming in 1981 after graduating from Canby Vo-Tech. He later purchased the farm from his parents.
Kerry and Kimberly met and married in 2001 while Kerry was working at Schwan’s in Marshall. Kerry has a degree in production agriculture and Kimberly earned a degree in ag business. They have three children: Haylee, Zachery, and Katelyn. The kids all help around the farm with chores that include driving grain carts, picking rocks, unloading grain and soil sampling. They also help with the family’s garden business, Ruppert Garden Produce, which is paying for their college education. The Ruppert farming operation consists of 1,200 acres of owned and rented land planted to corn and soybeans.
Kerry runs the day-to-day operation of the farm; Kimberly helps wherever she is needed. Haylee graduated from college with an agriculture business degree and lives with her boyfriend, Josh Anker, in Murdo, S.D., helping him with his cow/calf and grain operation. Zachery is enrolled at Minnesota West-Worthington working toward a plant science degree and Katelyn will be in 9th grade this fall at Tracy High School.
The Rupperts are members of IHM Church in Currie and the Minnesota Farm Bureau. Kerry and Kim oversee the Tracy Area Youth Pool League and Kerry serves as the Tracy Area Pool League president. Kerry is a member of the Tracy Eagles Club. Haylee and Zachery were members of the Tracy Area FFA where Katelyn is currently a member. The family is honored to be the Murray County Farm Family of the Year.
The families will be officially recognized in a ceremony Thursday, Aug. 5 at the annual Farmfest near Redwood Falls. Profiles of the 2021 honorees and information on the recognition event can be found on the University’s farm family website, https://z. umn.edu/farm-families-year.
Honored families are chosen, one per county, by local University of Minnesota Extension committees based on their demonstrated commitment to their communities and to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
“These farm families are a major driver of Minnesota’s economy and the vitality of Minnesota’s rural communities,” said Bev Durgan, dean of University of Minnesota Extension. “The University of Minnesota is proud to recognize these farm families for their contributions to agriculture and their communities.”
Along with Farmfest, University units sponsoring the recognition event include University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Farmfest runs Aug. 3-5 at the Gilfillan Estate, near Redwood Falls, Minn. Event hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the gate and those 17 and under are admitted free. More information on Farmfest is available at https://www.ideaggroup. com/farmfest
