The Larsons, headed up by Ray and Darlene, are the 2024 Rice County Farm Family of the Year. The family heads up Bridgewater Farm.
Ray grew up on a small hobby farm west of Northfield and Darlene grew up on a dairy farm near Webster. Ray and Darlene got married in 1977, and they were able to buy Ray’s aunt’s farm west of Northfield on Highway 19.
Over the years, they’ve raised corn, soybeans, and canning crops with hay being the major enterprise. They also raise about 80 beef cattle a year with around 18 head being purchased directly by customers each year.
Ray and Darlene have two children, John and Emily. John and his family organize and host the Bridgewater Farm Pumpkin Patch festival every fall. They also help when needed on the farm.
Emily and her family live in Dallas, Texas and visit twice a year; they really enjoy activities on the farm.
Ray was a board member of Cannon Valley Coop for 15 years. Ray and Darlene are active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield where Ray has served as an elder, head usher, and sings in the choir. Darlene is on the fellowship committee and altar guild.
Ray is also part of the Bridgewater Planning and Zoning Commission and Northfield Retirement Facilities Committee. Darlene serves as a Bridgewater election judge. Ray and Darlene have been longtime supporters and volunteers of local FFA and 4-H organizations.
The farm is also a Clean Water Legacy Farm through the Livestock Environmental Quality Assurance Program from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. They implement no-till beans and minimal tilling of corn.
In the fall, they enjoy seeing the families come to the farm to learn about agriculture and see the animals at the Bridgewater Farm Pumpkin Patch.
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