Soderholms, of Worthington, are Nobles County Farm Family of the Year

Jan 08, 2024

WORTHINGTON — Tom and Joyce Soderholm, Worthington, were selected by Nobles County’s Extension Committee as the 2023 Farm Family of the Year.

The couple, along with their three adult daughters, will be recognized prior to the start of the tractor pull Wednesday evening in the grandstand at the Nobles County Fair in Worthington, and will join fellow honorees from around the state during a recognition ceremony Thursday afternoon at Farmfest, on the Gilfillan Estate in rural Redwood County.

The Soderholms have long been involved in Nobles County agriculture; today their farm is operated by the fourth and fifth generations. Tom and his younger brothers, John and Jim, share equipment and work together, though each has his own land. Three nephews — Brian, Craig and Deron (sons of John and Pam) — are working their way into the business. A fourth nephew, David, works for Titan Machinery in Worthington and helps with fall field work.

The Soderholms grow corn and soybeans, cattle and hogs.

“My great-grandparents moved up from Iowa … in the late 1800s,” said Tom. His grandfather bought an 80-acre and 160-acre parcel to start with, and later, Tom’s dad joined his father and purchased land together. That land is now the nucleus of Soderholm farms, Tom said. His younger brother, John, lives on the site now, after Tom and Joyce moved into Worthington six years ago.

Tom and Joyce, married for 52 years, met as teens while attending 4-H Youth Leadership Conference. Joyce grew up in Rock County, and Tom was a member of the Elk Tip Toppers in Nobles County — the same club all three of their daughters were enrolled in.

“I met him when I was a junior in high school,” Joyce said. “We both went to Ak-Sar-Ben (a livestock show in Omaha, Nebraska) together too.”

Tom showed pigs; Joyce showed cattle.

“When we were dating, I got to show a pig and I’d never shown a pig before,” she recalled.

Tom began farming as a high school junior. With his brothers 11 and 12 years younger (they also have five sisters), Tom rented three quarters of land that first year — and bought a brand new tractor that is still used today to operate the auger on their farm.

“Then came the draft,” Tom said, noting his deployment to Korea in 1969-70 as a member of the U.S. Army. “I was in reconnaissance and got to be out in the boonies.

“I saw the most happiest people in the world — they didn’t have anything,” he recalled. “That’s one thing I come back with — it’s not the monetary stuff that you buy (that matters).”

Tom and Joyce were married in August 1971, during of all things, the Nobles County Fair.

“Way back when, just like it is now, we have to plan things around farming … when we had babies, when the girls got married. Farming affects so much,” Joyce said. “We even came back from our honeymoon early because we had to get back to the farm.”

“We got married and, within a month or so, all the neighbors came over about 9 p.m.,” added Tom. “They were beating the pots and pans and saying, ‘We want food.’”

It was a shivaree. Neighbors don’t often get together to do things like that anymore.

Both Tom and Joyce stay involved in the community. Tom is a former board member of Nobles County Farm Bureau, and was heavily involved in its Promotion and Education committee, serving as chairman of the state committee for a year. He and fellow Farm Bureau board member Carol Christopherson brought the Ag in the Classroom program to Nobles County years ago. Their program involved teaching third graders about agriculture by having students make their own personal pan pizza at a local pizza place.

More recently, Tom completed 15 years of service on the Producers Livestock Board, which met quarterly in Omaha, Nebraska. The board represents producers in seven states, Tom said, adding that when he reached age 70, he was no longer eligible to serve.

Joyce, meanwhile, was a Nobles County Extension committee member for 12 years, volunteers in church, on the local hospital auxiliary and is a member of some neighborhood clubs. She makes pillows for breast cancer patients and, last year, made Christmas stockings for infants born at Sanford Worthington Medical Center during December.

She keeps busy with their eight grandkids, and in the summer is heavily involved in 4-H judging at area county fairs. By the end of this summer, she will have judged at 14 county fairs — down three fairs from last year.

Joyce became a county fair judge for 4-H in 1993 at the urging of then-4-H educator Andrea Ruesch.

“She got me to judge fashion review at the (Minnesota) State Fair,” Joyce said. “I like the home ec areas. I’ve really gotten into vet science, the banners, community pride, health, safety and citizenship; a lot of food and food reviews. My top (choice) is fashion review and construction.”

Tom leaves for the farm at 6:15 a.m. daily to feed cattle. He runs errands at noon and doesn’t return home until after the evening cattle chores are finished.

“He realizes he can’t do it all anymore,” Joyce said, adding that she’s the go-fer, making trips around the tri-state area for parts and whatever’s needed

“I sold my acreage and some land to my nephew to get him started,” Tom shared. “I thought it’s better to help somebody while they’re young.”

He credits two landlords who were great mentors when he started in farming, and wants to make sure the Soderholm farm stays in the family too.

During his era in farming, the family endured some difficult times — the 1980s farm crisis, a bottoming out in the hog market and the ups and downs in cattle and grain prices.

Today, the Soderholms are contract pork producers through Compart in Nicollet, and market their finished beef to the highest bidder. All of their feeder cattle are purchased as calves from the Lexington, Kentucky, area.

Each member of the Soderholm farming operation has a specialty. Tom feeds cattle, sprays the crops, windrows the hay and fixes equipment. Jim works with the hogs and does the planting. John helps with the cattle and does some of the books.

“In the fall I don’t get too involved with the harvest,” Tom said. “I prep all of the corn stalks that we use for bedding.”

After harvest, Tom begins to wind down for the winter. Each January and February for the past 13 years, he and Joyce have traveled to Hawaii, where they rent a condo and learn to relax. In recent years they’ve stayed at Waikoloa Beach Villas, an area of the big island that is less humid and offers more of an agricultural experience, with lots of cattle ranches and amazing fruits.

They read, take walks, go sightseeing, visit friends and, for Joyce, take some quilting classes. The biggest hardship is missing the grandkids’ events, though Joyce turns to YouTube when she can to catch their games.

Their grandchildren are involved in a variety of activities, from dance and soccer to football, baseball, softball and gymnastics. They have one granddaughter, Piper, enrolled in 4-H for the first time this year.

On their selection as Nobles County’s Farm Family of the Year, both Tom and Joyce were surprised by the recognition.

“I’m also happy that other people see what I did in my life,” Tom said. “I served on the township board for about 15 years. It was a job I enjoyed, but yet I hated. You learn that everybody’s not going to like you, but if you stick to your principles … in the end it’s being respected.”

After a lifetime of hard work, Tom said he’d do it all again.

“I’m going to be 73,” he said. “(Thursday) was 14 hours out in the heat. I feel I’m blessed with good health.”

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