43 stories on MP3 – Farming the peat

Coon Creek drains central Anoka County and lies in the Anoka Sand Plain, generalized as a level landscape with high water table and sandy soils pocketed with peatlands.Farming this landscape is difficult without drainage. Ditching occurred here from the 1891-1918. Now, there are about 125 miles of public ditches and 130 miles of private ditches.

Enjoy these stories by Stanley Knoll and his son, Jeff, about ditching and farming the peatlands of central Anoka county. Stanley started farming in the late 1930s at the age of 16; he bought a ditch dragline 10 years later.

Stories are grouped by topic with some chronological order, yet can be listened to randomly. They were recorded in the fall of 2008, used with permission of the Knolls. Thanks go to Stanley’s wife, Dee, for her stories and Jeorgette for her assistance.

Stories by other people living or working in the Coon Creek watershed are forthcoming.

• Click here for map & photos of Knoll story references
• Knoll Story – Peat ~ 2.5 minutes
• Knoll Story – Peat productivity ~ 1 minute
• Knoll Story – Peat burning ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Scattered acres ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Stanley gardening as kid ~ 1.5 minutes
• Knoll story – Stanley’s first work ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Whipple farm (first vegetable farm-rented) ~ 1.5 minutes
• Knoll story – First farm(s) ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Radishes ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll story – Selling at farmers market ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll story – Buyers at Mpls farmers market ~ 1 minute
• Knoll Story – Red Owl & other customers ~ 1.5 minutes
• Knoll Story – Radishes, surplus ~ 1 minute+
• Knoll Story – The other cash crop, potatoes ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll Story – Canned stew ~ 1 minute
• Knoll Story – Eating radishes, Kids as workers ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll Story – Indio visitor ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Hired help ~ 1 minute-
• Knoll story – Radish bunch numbers ~ 20 seconds
• Knoll story – Crates for shipping radishes ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Ice cutting for greentops ~ 2 minutes
• Knoll story – Ice makers for radishes ~ 45 seconds
• Knoll Story – Crop Storage ~ 1 minute
• Knoll Story – Acreage in tillage ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Parsnips ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll story – Sod & radish rotation ~ 1 minute
• Knoll Story – Transition to sod ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Housing buildout ~ 1.5 miuntes
• Knoll story – The boonies (Dee) ~ 20 seconds
• Knoll story – UMN visitors ~ 45 seconds
• Knoll story – Vegetable Growers Club ~ 1 minute-
• Knoll story – UMN test plots ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Test Plots 2 ~ 20 seconds
• Knoll story – DDT ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Pre-DDT ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Rain and crops Jeff & Stanley ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll story – Extension Agent focus ~ 1.5 minutes
• Knoll story – Dragline age ~ 40 seconds
• Knoll story – Ditching process ~ 1.5 minutes
• Knoll story – Petitioning for ditch cleaning ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Coon Creek cleaning contract ~ 1 minute
• Knoll story – Lexington farmland drainage ~ 30 seconds
• Knoll story – Stanley wading as a kid-fishes ~ 20 seconds