Ep. 037: Agriculture & Life Growing Up in the American West

Ben Stiegelmeier shares stories from his life growing up farming and ranching in Selby, South Dakota where he, alongside his family, carried on his father’s legacy in production agriculture. He describes his German-Russian heritage and the German culture that is still prevalent in his area of the Dakotas. He reflects on the somewhat insular nature of the community he grew up in and also on the beauty of the community ties - ties that he sees changing as modern life makes it less necessary to rely on neighbors. Ben also discusses his transition to life as an auctioneer and the joy he has found in the ability to help people meet their needs. He explores some of the variation in the auction trade and how it has evolved over time. Finally, Ben & Garrett also discuss their love for old country music, especially the way it captures the beauty of the simplicity of life and finding meaning in the mundane.

Selby, South Dakota: https://selbysd.govoffice2.com/ 

The history of Germans in Russia and their migration to the U.S. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9c621b68d337472187571d9e413ada12 

Low-German: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_German 

Peach Kuchen recipe: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-the-heck-is-kuchen-22786 

Learn more about combines and other farming equipment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester 

Witness by Whittaker Chambers: https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Cold-Classics-Whittaker-Chambers/dp/162157296X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MSVYZZEYYS3G&keywords=witness+by+whittaker+chambers&qid=1642120353&sprefix=witness+by+w%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1 

The Auctioneer by Leroy Van Dyke: https://genius.com/Leroy-van-dyke-auctioneer-lyrics 

National Auctioneers Association: https://www.auctioneers.org/ 

Reserve Price: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/reserve-price.asp#:~:text=Common%20to%20auctions%2C%20a%20reserve,accept%20as%20the%20winning%20bid.&text=The%20reserve%20price%20prevents%20a,accept%20from%20winning%20the%20auction.