The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on March 17, 1949.
County Pioneer Growth of Certified Southern Type Brome Seed in State
Rock county has gained distinction as being one of the pioneer counties in raising certified Fischer and Lincoln brome grass, a plant of vital importance to soil conservation.
Soil Conservationist Jerry Simpson said this week that Luverne was the only place in the state where certified Fischer brome could be bought over the counter. The Luverne Farm Store had been selling certified Rock county grown Fischer brome, but was now sold out. They purchased their seed from Roger Pengra, Mound township farmer, who raised the first plot of Fischer brome in the state to be certified outside of nursery plantings.
Fischer and Lincoln brome are in great demand. As a matter of fact a Faribault seed firm is planning to sow 130 acres of it for seed this year—if it can get the seed. Dealers throughout the state have been able only to get about 1,000 pounds each from the seed sources throughout the country, and little, if any, of this certified.
Fischer and Lincoln are both “southern bromes.” They are more quickly established upon planting, start growing earlier in the spring, and yield about 20 per cent more seed in southern Minnesota. Brome is valuable as hay and feed, and for its root system which is of great importance in soil conservation work.
Planted with alfalfa, red clover or alsike clover, it has a feed value almost equal to legumes, and at the same time it increases the hay yield close to a ton per acre.
It has a vast root system, producing 5 to 6 tons of dry roots per acre on a two-year-old stand. These roots add organic and building erosion, and the water intake and the water holding capacity of the soil is increased.
Livestock raisers like it because when planted half and half with some legume such as alfalfa, it makes a safe pasture for livestock, where pure alfalfa does not.
When sown on crop land, it can be cut as hay, and then pastured. It is ideal for use in building waterways, turn rows at the end of fields, for seeding weedy fence lines, and is the most drouth resistant grass available for pasture improvement. It requires considerable nitrogen, and for that reason, thrives best when planted with a legume such as clover or alfalfa.
Rock county has perhaps more acres sown to brome than any other county in the state. The first bag of certified Fischer and the first bag of certified Lincoln brome was brought into the county three years ago when the soil conservation supervisors managed to secure 100 pounds of seed. J. E. Sells, Beaver Creek township, planted a five acre tract of Fischer, and L. J. Hofelmann planted a five acre tract of Lincoln. Seed was produced the second year, and sold locally.
Mr. Pengra purchased his first seed in 1946, and planted it that fall. Last year, he harvested 2,800 pounds, and the seed qualified for state certification.
There were eight other seed plots in the county last year, which in all produced about 10,000 pounds, all sold locally. Farmers growing the seed were John Shurr, Kanaranzi township; James Dunn, J. E. Sells, and Crawford Bros., Beaver Creek township; and Paul Iverson Vienna township.
Thus through the efforts of the soil conservation district supervisors, who obtained the first seed, Rock county has a good start in raising new crop which is steadily increasing in importance in the vast program of soil conservation.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.