DEFENDING OUR MARKETS

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association is standing up to protect biodiesel against attacks at the federal and state level by joining lawsuits challenging actions that harm our homegrown, low carbon fuels.

But legal advocacy is expensive, and we need your support.

By LAURA COLE

The Land Staff Writer

As the fifth generation to operate the farm, Tim Fischer had the upbringing to carry on the family tradition. But markets can have a way of impacting a path. By donning his sales cap while maintaining his farming roots, Fischer found a new way to keep his heritage thriving.

Around 1855, Christian Fischer, a German immigrant with a well drilling background, initially established roots in South Dakota. Working for the railroad, Christian, Fischer’s great-great-grandfather, ended up staying in the Waseca area for a winter, where he met his wife, Henrietta. Fischer stated when city plans began, it was discovered that Christian was a well driller. “He drilled the first two wells for the city of Waseca and for partial payment, they gave him this farm.” And so began Fischer Family Farms.

After the land was cleared, Fischer stated the farm had a traditional set-up with about 10 sows, 10 milk cows, sheep, chickens, goats, and work horses. Beginning with Fischer’s great-grandpa Herman, the family has grown sweet corn since 1928. Fischer shared that his great-grandpa and his grandpa, Erich, were the largest breeders of Percheron horses in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s — at one time having about 45 at the farm and receiving awards for their genetics. Fischer’s father, Clayton, chose to go a different direction, and the last four horses were sold to a logging camp in Maine in 1964.

In the summers of his youth, Fischer helped farmers baling hay. With the money he saved, he bought two bred gilts: one a Yorkshire, the other a Hampshire. At the age of 13 or 14, he began selling purebred boars. Fischer remembers his dad having to drive him to his sales as he didn’t have his license yet.

Fischer raised purebred boars and gilts from about 1976 until around 2010, selling on average 400 boars a year. He stated he still has a lot of the Hampshire and Yorkshire genetics that he can trace. Fischer also milked about 35 cows until around 1997. As he began the transition of owning the farm, he decided to liquidate the dairy operation and turn his attention to hogs.

While Fischer’s Berkshire/Duroc cross pigs take a little longer to get to market, he feels the difference in meat marbeling is worth the wait.

However, the following year, in 1998, Fischer faced a challenge when hog prices went as low as eight cents per pound.

Fischer recalled having to do something different since he wasn’t fitting the mold the large packers wanted. “We have a different kind of a pig that are more fat, more like grandpa raised,” he remarked. The choices he felt he was facing were to take a more corporate route, change the genetics, or simply get out of the pig business.

But instead, he was presented with a new idea to work with. Fischer stated a friend who had worked for him for a few years reached out and at the time was selling lettuce to restaurants in the cities. He knew the chefs were wanting pork and beef directly from the farmer.

A couple of pigs were butchered for samples and business cards were created. “That’s how it started,” Fischer stated. “I just started knocking on doors.”

While Fischer remembers facing some closed doors, he recalled how samples left with the chefs led to phone calls with interest in his product. In 2002, Fischer stated he had business with four or five restaurants. He now works with 80.

“The basis of our meat is what sets us apart. They’re a Berkshire/Duroc cross. We like to get the best of both worlds. We like the marbling of the Berkshire and the red juiciness of the Duroc. But then we also throw in a little bit of Hampshire, which gives the pig a bigger carcass, the ability to hang more meat on that carcass,” Fischer stated. “And then we throw in just a little bit of Yorkshire for litter size.”

Fischer stated he does use some genetics that are just Berkshire/Duroc for certain products, such as his popular tomahawk chop.

There are no growth stimulants in their feed, and so Fischer stated it takes an additional two to two and a half months to finish in comparison to others. “It’s a slower growing meat. It’s got more fat in it, more marbling. It tastes like pork used to taste; that’s the best way to describe it.”

Heather Asbury, owner of the award-winning Heather’s Restaurant located in South Minneapolis, first became acquainted with Fischer Family Farms Pork during her ten years at the former restaurant, Lucia’s, in Uptown Minneapolis. Asbury referenced Lucia’s as having been a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, and stated during her time Fischer was the only pork farmer the restaurant worked with.

When Heather’s opened in 2020, Asbury began working with Fischer right away. Describing his products as superior, she incorporates a variety of his offerings into her menu, such as breakfast sausage patties and maple coil sausage, and currently purchases on average 170 pounds of bacon from him every week. “He has the best bacon ever,” Asbury commented. A current feature is the Summer BLT which includes Fischer’s bacon along with lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and a basil aioli. “It just flies off the shelf this time of year.”

Besides his work with restaurants, Fischer also works with six colleges and furnishes meat for Target corporate headquarters and their world headquarters, as well as for the Grand Stand acts at the State Fair. This unique gig has led to Fischer establishing a customer base with stars such as Brad Paisley and many others.

Fischer currently has about 110 sows on the farm.