By Jolene Farley
Warmer temperatures the past few weeks have brought area farmers relief after the sixth coldest November and second coldest December on record.

No matter how low temperatures dipped in November and December, farmers with livestock had to brave the cold.

At Hills Bros. Farms, Hills, Mike Sandager and his brother Pucky (Gene) ventured out every day to feed approximately 900 head of cattle.

The Sandagers feed them once a day at 3:30 in the afternoon. This schedule has worked well for them, according to Mike, but because the animals must keep eating evenly during cold weather they have to be careful to feed at the same time every day.

Hills Bros. Farms uses a two-phase feeding program. Calves 450 to 700 pounds are fed a diet high in roughage to build their frames. Cattle 700 to 1,200 pounds are fed a high corn ration to add weight. The cattle are sold when they weigh 1,200 pounds.

If the Sandagers suspect a storm is coming, the feed mix is adjusted. Cattle donÕt eat as much during a blizzard so they increase the long stem hay, which produces heat.

Hills Bros. Farms has lost only one animal to cold weather this winter. The business has been lucky, according to Mike.

He said cattle actually do better if they are out of the wind but not inside a shelter. If they are inside, they all bunch together and that creates heat. Heat causes moisture, and the cattle get wet. Then they go outside and the moisture freezes on their coats.

The Sandagers, like their cattle, endure the cold, "The key thing is to keep moving," said Mike. "If you are doing work you donÕt get cold."

They cover their faces with handkerchiefs or scarves. The tractor Mike uses to feed with doesnÕt have a cab. "I did freeze my ears one time," he said.

Winter means special problems for cattle producers. Cattle waterers freezing is a cold weather hazard. Heaters run continuously in the tanks to keep water thawed. This drastically increases electric bills for farmers.

Corn for the feed mix can freeze into large chunks, which can damage equipment.

Although Hills Bros. Farms suffered only one casualty this winter the Sandagers have a much subtler worry.

Cattle show a loss of weight gain during extreme weather because all the feed they're given serves only to maintain them - not to put on weight. This affects the farmers' end return. No weight gain means feeding an animal longer until it reaches the desired weight.

For example, Mike said they went a couple of weeks with no gains on their herd when the weather was so cold. Their cattle are gaining again since the temperature has warmed up.

It has been worse, Mike said, recalling the winter of 1996 being the worst. Winter started early and there was no break that year.

Snow was piled so high they couldn't get anywhere. The Sandagers did not own a tractor snow blower so they spent a lot of time scooping trenches next to fences. Snow drifted so high cattle could walk right out of the fences.

Purchasing a snow blower "has made life a lot simpler" for them this year.

Cattle farmers have enjoyed high prices last year and this year, at 70 to 76 cents per hundred weight. "It hasn't been that high for several years," Mike said.

But as with many agricultural markets, the costs of production are catching up with profits.

For example, with markets indicating another good year for feeder cattle, Mike said producers paid a premium this year for calves.

Also, hay prices are about three times higher this year due to lower supplies and increased demand.

"Last year we made about $50 per head, but this year, we're lucky if we break even or make $5 a head," Mike said.

He added that one good year of cattle prices is hardly enough to make up for the two years prior to last year, when cattle producers lost $50 to $100 a head.

By Sara Quam
Exsito has indeed left town - and probably the grocery shelves - for good.

This, after months of rumors, was discussed by the Economic Development Authority Tuesday.

Frank and Ruthann Patterson, owners of the tomato-based food processing business, were actually current with city payments up to a few months ago.

The city didn't try to recoup the late payments until December to give Exsito a chance to come through with what it owed.

The Pattersons, who now live in Rock Rapids, Iowa, under an unlisted number, owe about $50,000 to the city from a loan and guarantee to a local lender. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy was recently filed only in Ruthann's name.

The money owed to the city does not count the building, land and updates worth $215,000 the city completed in order for the Pattersons to operate there.

On a brighter note, the West Hatting Street building has a potential new occupant, according to LEDA director Tony Chladek.

After payments to the city stopped, staff investigated some of the company's claims and found that it hadn't been fully incorporated as was indicated.

"They had a very good product, but they just didn't cooperate," Keith Erickson, LEDA member said.

The city's relationship with the Pattersons started more than a year and a half ago.

The city often hears from businesses wanting to relocate or start in towns such as Luverne. Through some of these business-recruiting conferences, Luverne made a deal with Exsito that was actually less costly than many of the other options.

Part of Exsito's original contract called for it to create five jobs within two years that pay not less than $9 per hour with health insurance benefits. That, according to Ruthann, wasn't going to be a problem.

She told the Star Herald in September 1999 that she had agreements from Sam's Club and Super Valu to distribute the product. Ruthann even had intentions to expand the tomato products to include fresh-squeezed lemonade.

The ReiTech relocation
On another business recruiting venture, Chladek said he doesn't expect ReiTech to locate in Luverne. Despite Luverne's generous offer, South Dakota still has some benefits Luverne can't match.

ReiTech Corporation is a manufacturer and marketer of a safety device called Easy Off Power Control. It is installed on heavy equipment used in educational, industrial, food and home workshop settings.

The shut-off mechanism is designed to reduce machine accidents. The product is retrofitted to equipment like table saws. The fitting puts a large stop button at knee level which allows the operator to push the button with his knee while keeping hands free for work.

Chladek said he expects ReiTech to locate in Brookings, S.D., but that hasn't been confirmed to him.

The LEDA said this development should only spur citizens to support border legislation, which would help businesses, through tax incentives, that would otherwise locate in South Dakota.

City Administrator Matt Hylen believes ReiTech would already be operating out of Luverne if border city legislation was in place.

Hills-Beaver Creek snapped a two-game losing streak in girls' basketball by rolling to a 46-31 victory in Lake Benton Tuesday.

Becky Broesder scored 13 points to lead the Patriots in scoring, and Erin Boeve had a big night that included 12 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals.

The win upped H-BC's record to 3-2 heading into a road game against Edgerton Public tonight.

H-BC played good basketball on both ends of the court while upending the Bobcats by 15 points.

The Patriots cashed in on 47 percent of their field goals and outrebounded LB 39-28. H-BC's tough defensive effort limited the Bobcats to 20-percent shooting from the floor.

An outstanding first half for the Patriots paved the way to victory.

H-BC opened a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and increased the difference to 24 points (27-3) at one point in the second quarter before settling for a 28-9 advantage at the intermission.

"We came out and got on top of them right away," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "We were very assertive offensively in attacking the basket, and we played well in transition. Those things set the tempo for the rest of the game."

Shanna Tilstra and Boeve led the first-half charge by scoring seven points each.

Broesder came up with a strong second half that featured her scoring seven points. Jamie Arp added seven points in the second half.

LB trimmed H-BC's lead to 15 points (35-20) by the end of the third quarter, and both teams netted 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Box score
C.Tilstra 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0 1-2 1, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Brandt 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 2 0 1-2 5, S.Tilstra 4 0 1-2 9, Broesder 4 0 5-9 13, DeNoble 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 4 0 1-3 9, Arp 4 0 1-4 9.

Team statistics
H-BC: 18 of 38 field goals (47 percent), 10 of 22 free throws (45 percent), 39 rebounds, 27 turnovers.
LB: 10 of 51 field goals (20 percent), nine of 23 free throws (39 percent), 28 rebounds, 24 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek nearly pulled off a huge boys' basketball upset when the Patriots hosted Tri-County Conference rival Southwest Christian in Hills Friday.

The Patriots had the two-time defending state champions on the ropes as they opened a 16-point lead over the Eagles during the second quarter.

SWC, however, pulled to within 13 points of the Patriots by halftime before outscoring H-BC 38-19 in the second half while recording a 52-46 win.

The setback snapped what was a two-game winning streak for the 2-4 Patriots. SWC improved to 5-1 with the win.

It looked like it was going to be H-BC's night when the Patriots dominated play in the first half.

After SWC scored the first two points of the game, H-BC spent the rest of the first period outscoring the Eagles 16-2 while opening a 16-4 cushion.

The Patriots increased their lead to 17 points (23-16) during the second quarter, but the Eagles used an 8-4 surge late in the stanza to make the difference 27-14 at halftime.

H-BC scored the first two points of the third quarter to increase its lead to 15 points before the Eagles put together an 8-0 run to trail 29-21.

The Patriots recovered from SWC's run by padding their advantage to 13 points as the third quarter progressed, but SWC rallied late in the stanza and trailed 37-33 at period's end.

The Eagles outscored H-BC 13-3 in the first half of the fourth quarter to move in front 46-40. A pair of field goals by Matt Buck pulled the Patriots within two points of the Eagles twice in the final two minutes of play, but SWC fought off the challenge to win the game by six points.

In the end, poor shooting by the Patriots in the second half opened the door for SWCÕs late rally.

After their impressive first half, H-BC was limited to six of 28 (21 percent) shooting from the field in the third and fourth quarters. Making just three of eight free throws in the fourth quarter also hurt the Patriots.

"It was a hard-fought-game the whole way," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "That's just the way we play each other. We played good defense the whole game, and we really played well coming out of the box in the first half. We just had a little trouble scoring in the third and fourth quarters."

Brad Haak recorded a double-double for H-BC by leading the Patriots with 16 rebounds and 10 points. Darin and Lyle DeBoer charted six and five steals respectively for H-BC.

The Patriots play in Westbrook tomorrow.

Box score
D.DeBoer 2 0 0-2 4, Van Batavia 0 0 0-0 0, Van Maanen 1 0 0-0 2, Fransman 0 0 4-4 4, Haak 4 0 2-7 10, L.DeBoer 2 1 0-0 7, Top 1 0 3-3 5, Crawford 3 0 0-0 6, Buck 3 0 2-2 8.

Team statistics
H-BC: 17 of 58 field goals (29 percent), 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent), 36 rebounds, 22 turnovers.
SWC: 20 of 58 field goals (34 percent), nine of 15 free throws (60 percent), 24 rebounds, 22 turnovers.

The Hills-Beaver Creek girls fell one game off the pace in Tri-County Conference basketball play when they dropped a 54-28 decision to Southwest Christian in Hills Thursday.

H-BC, SWC and Ellsworth all were unbeaten in the loop entering ThursdayÕs play.
SWC and Ellsworth now share the top spot, while H-BC is in second place with a 1-1 mark.

The Patriots kept things close against SWC for two quarters, but the E-Gals used a 32-14 scoring cushion in the second half to win by 26 points in the end.

"It was a situation where we wanted to keep it close, and we hung in there with them in the first half," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "Then they just overpowered us. They have a lot of weapons."

The E-Gals led by five points (11-6) after eight minutes of play before extending the difference to eight counters (22-14) with an 11-8 scoring edge in the second period.

SWC padded the margin to 12 points (35-23) by the end of the third quarter of play before outscoring the Patriots 19-5 in the final eight minutes to put the game away.

The E-Gals outshot H-BC 43-26 percent from the field and 59-38 percent at the line. The Patriots turned the ball over seven more times (24-17) than SWC did at game's end.

Shanna Tilstra led H-BC in scoring with nine points.

Jamie Arp grabbed six rebounds and produced three steals for the Patriots. Jody Rentschler added three steals.

Box score
C.Tilstra 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 2 0 0-0 4, Sandstede 0 1 0-1 3, Brandt 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 0 0 0-0 0, S.Tilstra 4 0 1-4 9, Broesder 1 0 0-2 2, Rozeboom 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 2 0 0-0 4, Arp 1 0 4-6 6.

Team statistics
H-BC: 11 of 43 field goals, five of 13 free throws (38 percent), 23 rebounds, 24 turnovers.
SWC: 21 of 49 field goals (43 percent), 10 of 17 free throws (59 percent), 26 rebounds, 17 turnovers.

Every three seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Traditionally blood supplies decrease at this time of year due to the holidays. Many donors are out of town or simply too busy to donate.

This fact hit close to home recently when a plea from the Sioux Falls Regional Blood Bank went out for O-positive blood for the Rev. Tom Mabe, Luverne.
Mabe remains in the intensive care unit of Sioux Valley Hospital after suffering a dissecting aortic aneurysm.

After the word got out, friends and neighbors willingly responded. The hospital was inundated with calls from more than 100 local people who volunteered to give blood.

Several donated at the Blood Bank itself; others waited until the Sioux Falls Regional Blood Bank traveled to Luverne.

Mabe is one of many whom blood donations can help. Each donation can help three different seriously ill patients.

According to the Sioux Falls Regional Blood Bank, a pint of blood is broken into three different components used differently by patients.

Blood is used for trauma patients, surgery patients and cancer victims. The Blood Bank currently needs all types of blood.

The Blood Bank hopes to increase area blood supplies by celebrating the 31st Anniversary of National Blood Month in January with the theme "Give Blood ... The Gift of Life."

When donations decrease, calls are made to potential donors to remind them to give blood.

Donors must be 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. The most common reason people cannot donate this time of year is antibiotics. A donor must be off medication for 24 hours before donating.

In 2000, around 21,000 pints of lifesaving blood were donated at the Sioux Falls Regional Blood Bank, with 182 donated at the blood drives held in Luverne. More is needed to help thousands of seriously ill patients in our region.

The Blood Bank is sponsoring another drive from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Luverne Community Hospital on Jan. 19 to give people another chance to donate the gift of life.
Since the Sioux Falls Regional Blood Bank supplies Luverne Community Hospital with all its blood, blood collected from these drives is used to help our friends and neighbors.

For more information or to reserve a time to donate contact LaDell Petersen.

January
Jan. 5: Arnold Reese, 87, Luverne.
Jan. 9: Earl Thompson, 75, Seal Beach, Calif.
Jan. 13: Miranda Morris, infant, Eden Prairie.
Jan. 16: Jennie Harding, 95, Luverne.
Jan. 21: Landon Wulf, 11, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jan. 28: Amy Nesheim, 24, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jan. 31: Harry Anderson, 86, Mountain Home, Ark.

February
Feb. 2: Wilford Johnson, 72, New London.
Feb. 12: William Kuehl, 92, Luverne.
Feb. 17: Alice Eppenbaugh, 96, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Feb. 20: Elmer Nelson, 84, Hills; Ole Hommen, 77, Luverne.
Feb. 21: Johanna Bosch, 89, Luverne.
Feb. 26: Angie Veldkamp, 94, Luverne.
Feb. 27: William Ehde, 94, Hills.
Feb. 29: Anna Bartelmehs, 97, Janesville.

March
March 7: Lloyd Ellsworth, 88, Hills; Elizabeth Rauk, 82, Beaver Creek.
March 8: Gene Hoiland, 76, Jasper.
March 9: Dewey Hartsuiker, 83, Sioux Falls, S.D.
March 14: Robert Melton Jr. 74, Luverne; Edna Nerison, 94, Sioux Falls.
March 18: Lil Danielson, 85, Hills.
March 21: Edward Fransman, 73, Hills.

April
April 6: Charles "Chuck" Nelson, 77, Hills.
April 8: Myron Kruse, 59, Sacramento, Calif.
April 9: Elise Sundem, 92, Hills.
April 12: Edward Gehrke, 87, Hills.
April 26: Leola Resen, 83, Hills.
April 27: Ben Beyenhof, 93, Rock Rapids.

May
May 13: Anna Mae (Mazie) Boogard, 61, Grand Rapids, Mich.
May 22: Mable Thorin, 97, Hills.
May 29: Olga Danielson, 91, Cannon Falls.

June
June 4: Cathryn Vander Woude, 85, Hills.
June 7: Anna Gehrke, 82, Hills.
June 28: James Van Wyhe, 95, Hills.

July
July 9: Herman Kroon, 76, Steen; Jay Aykens, 83, Steen.
July 12 John Walz, 95, Wheaton.
July 14: Nickolas Van Iperen, 82, Luverne.
July 20: Jennie Hoogeveen, 87, Steen.
July 29: Helen Forrest, 90, Luverne.

August
Aug. 18: Lois Kelly, 73, South Sioux City, Neb.
Aug. 21: Gladys Gudmundson Stordahl, 90, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Aug. 26: Rose Ann Skattum, 86, Luverne; Donald DeJong, 64, Leota.

September
Sept. 1: William Hiney Sr., 81, Luverne.
Sept. 7: Viola (Sandstede) Lutz, 81, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sept. 8: Gilbert Berkhof, 72, Lakewood, Calif.; Carl Groen, 76, Rock Rapids, Iowa.
Sept. 10: Ruth Kallsen, 87, Hills.
Sept. 22: Kim Kremin, 33, Luverne; Anna Mae Opland, 79, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sept. 29: Ruth Olson, 80, Luverne; Wayne Pieper, 84, Sioux Falls, S.D.

October
Oct. 21: Everett Van Ginkel, 74, Inwood, Iowa.
Oct. 27: Clara Rentschler, 82, Hills.

November
Nov. 3: Ruth Hengeveld, 87, Luverne; Herman Josendahl, 88, Luverne.
Nov. 5: Elizabeth Wulf, 84, Larchwood, Iowa.
Nov. 11: Ronald Marr, 40, Tea, S.D.
Nov. 13: Helen James, 92, Hills.
Nov. 19: Richard Davis, 66, Minneapolis.
Nov. 20: Ella Wissink, 89, Steen.
Nov. 22: Henry Blom, 74, Luverne; Anna Knobloch, 88, Larchwood, Iowa.
Nov. 23: Matilda Gebhart, 83, Elkton, S.D.
Nov. 24: Anna Finke, 90, Luverne; Mildred Rozeboom, 75, Luverne.
Nov. 26: Hattie Hoff, 94, Rock Rapids, Iowa.

December
Dec. 2: Betty Larson, 71, Hills; Ella Metzger, 86, Lester, Iowa.
Dec. 5: Floyd Vanden Bosch, 61, Worthington; Conley Helgeson, 74, Hills.
Dec. 8: Darrah "Pat" Sammons, 88, Danube.
Dec. 11: John Arends, 93, Luverne.
Dec. 19: Mary Anne Navara, 70, Hills.
Dec. 24: Helen Wallin, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dec. 25: Edwin Aanenson, 75, Luverne.

By Jolene Farley
After 47 years in the banking industry, Wendell Bengtson will retire on at the end of the year as executive vice president of Exchange State Bank, Hills.

Wendell began his career in the fall of 1953 after returning from Korea where he served as a medic in the 3rd Infantry Division for the U.S. Army.

His first banking job was at the State Bank & Trust Company, Nevada, Iowa. He began as a teller and soon moved up to manager of a branch bank.

Bengtson lived in his home town of Colo, Iowa, until he married his wife, Wilma, on Aug. 3, 1957, in Osceola, Iowa. They purchased a home in McCallsburg, Iowa. The Bengtsons have two children, Noreen and Brian.

In 1961 Bengtson returned to Colo as manager of the bank. The Colo bank sold insurance products, so this offered Bengtson experience in this area. It soon became apparent that there were no opportunities for advancement at the Colo State Bank and Trust. So Bengtson accepted the position of cashier at the Farmers State Bank of Delavan, Minn. He also served on the board of directors.

His hopes to purchase the Delavan bank never materialized, so Bengtson again began looking for a different position. The spring of 1971 saw Bengtson move to Norway, Iowa, to become the cashier and director of the Benton County Savings Bank.

After the bank in Delavan was repeatedly sold throughout the seven years he worked there, Bengtson decided it was time to move on again.

This time he and his family moved to Hills. In May 1978, he arrived at the Exchange State Bank. This was shortly after the Bonanders purchased the bank from D.A. Roning.

Bengtson was cashier, sold insurance, prepared taxes and served on the board of directors.

The bank was located on the corner of Main Street where the little park is now, according to Bengtson. Other employees when he started work were Rodney Bonander, Gene Sundem, Dorothy Thorin, and Carol Nelson.

The bank built at its current location in 1980.

Bengtson has seen many changes in the financial industry. "Back yonder everything was done with posting machines like adding machines," he said. "Now everything is computerized."

Bengtson said demand for financial services has changed, with all kinds of avenues for people to invest money.

In agriculture, the number of farmers has decreased drastically. "Farmers are a lot bigger, and it takes more money to keep going," he said.

Regulation and competition have both increased in the banking industry.

Bengtson is quick to say he has many good memories and would love to do it all over again. He thanks the Exchange State Bank for being a good employer for 22 years, all the people he has worked with and all his loyal customers.

He and Wilma plan to remain in Hills after he retires.