Approximately three years ago I was faced with the task of dealing with the family farm in Western Minnesota. My grandfather had bought the land after homesteading in Montana. There was a close call during the depression when a life insurance policy was the only thing that saved the land.
My dad grew up on the land as well as myself, spending my days fishing with my dog on the Yellowbank River and hunting squirrels and ducks as I became a teenager. It was where my dad rode a horse and brought calves back on his saddle while the cows trailed behind. My dad loved the land but did move into Ortonville so my mom could be in better position to well real estate. She had carried too many washtubs of silage.
It was my dad’s refuge and mine when I returned from college and began to work. Hunting with my dad and spending time showing him the pictures I was now taking of the river and displaying them was a treat to him and myself.
When he decided to enroll the farm into the CRP, it was a good move and the wildlife became very evident as we planted and clipped and burned. The native prairie flowers on the unbroken prairie became very important to myself. I timed my trips to the farm to photograph the purple cone flowers and they now are displayed at our clinic.
After dad passed I took over the CRP and worked with another farmer to keep it current. I did my best and some years it was a stretch when corn was 12 dollars a bushel. And I enrolled the land again.
The time came after mom passed that I knew I would have to sell to satisfy my sister and be realistic about my lifestyle in media.
I had gotten a Whitetail Properties card in the mail and that is when I met Greg. I knew this was going to be tough mentally and physically dealing with selling of the farm considering the family dynamics.
Then my sister passed, which opened a whole new family dynamic with family who had no ties to the land. During this time Greg worked hard in listing, researching and flying a drone over the land. He knew what the land meant to me and was very aware of the bond I had with the land and the desire to sell the property to someone who would treat the land like our family did and valued the natural beauty.
I was put together with the one person who could deal with all the pitfalls of driveways, and every possible legal issue to settle my sister’s estate, buy out my brother-in-law, work with the bank and the attorney. Greg handled it great. Never once did I second guess him or his advice. When the Graham brothers came along, we both knew we had found the new owners who would take care of the land.
I have made a friend with Greg, gotten to see his daughters in action on Facebook and see how she shot a buck this year.
Now I know I was long with this but Greg, if you ever need someone to speak on your behalf pertaining to your honesty and ability, I would be willing to be that person.
— Steve Kohls