Palmquist Farm

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The Palmquist Farm ski trails are in excellent shape for this weekend. Fortunately, we did not get the rain that some areas received a few days back. We have about 3 inches of powder on top of a very good base. Please call 1-800-519-2558 for current details.

Greetings from The Farm!

We had 33 poeple staying with us over Martin Luther King weekend. The skiing was very good with moderate temperatures and excellent snow conditions. We have about a 6-10 inch base, and all the trails are open with good to very good conditions.

Also we got a poem from a Ukranian fellow that was here with his girlfreind over New Years. This poem is really cute and funny. It is as follows:

Days at the Palmquist Farm

I’ve seen a place where magic dwells, where dreams come true,
Where the Northwoods mystery stretches her tiny arms to you.
Such place for century has been in cheesehead beer state,
Back then and now, you are welcome, never it’s for you too late.

Arrive, shake hands with wise, hardworking Jim and Helen,
They’ll welcome you and say: “Ah, you are a good fellow!”
Homemade you’ll plenty eat and drink, then jump on skis,
With laughter hunt that “Snow Snake” in moments blink.

Upon return, enjoy fresh bakery and hot, delicious cider,
Let flames of fireplace bring warmth to body, joy to heart.
Enrich the other guests with smile, then journey to your cabin,
There silent rest. Sweet dreams…Yes, I do know, it’s the best.

Hearty full breakfast, Jim’s pat on the shoulder, Helen’s smile,
No time to waist, new day is upon us, What might it bring?
Perhaps a sleigh ride to where buffalos and deer dwell,
More skiing? Maybe sledding? I know not, your turn to tell.

I chose all of the above, for outdoors is my true pure love.
When body is exhausted, yet spirit craves another journey,
Take both to sauna, there let warmth massage the weary self,
Yes, jump into snow, Spirit within will surely yell “Whoa!”

My words will not do justice to what experienced must be,
Come, live, enjoy the everyday, the beautiful, be carefree!
Immerse yourself in the tradition’s magic lively charm
Bring family, make friends, begin adventure at the Palmquist Farm!

Rodion
1/13/2010

As you can see, the newly redesigned Palmquist Farm website is now live. Please take a look around and let us know what you think. We've expanded many areas of the site to offer you even more information on what The Farm has to offer. You should especially check out all the new photos we've added to the photo galleries--there's now a photo gallery for each aspect of The Farm.

If you are looking for a special place to spend New Years this year, The Farm still has some space available for a few more guests. Currently, the Red House is available for the weekend of New Years, and some individual rooms are also open in the Farmhouse. Make your reservation soon, though, as this space could fill up quickly!

Palmquist Farm, together with Zion Lutheran Church of Brantwood, will be hosting a Live Nativity on Sunday, December 20th starting at 5pm. The nativity will take place in the horse barn at The Farm, and refreshments will be served afterward. All are welcome to attend! Please contact us if you have any questions.

Like many places in the Midwest this week, Palmquist Farm received about 8 inches of new snow. This is more than enough to ski on, so make your reservation now for a cross-country skiing vacation!

We're also busy decorating for the Christmas season. Today we're making fresh new wreaths to hang all over the Farm, and soon we'll have Christmas trees ready for our guests to enjoy.

We hope you've had an enjoyable winter so far, and we wish you safe travels during the coming holiday season.

Helen and Jim Palmquist

Labels: christmas, new snow

Here is the official news release with information about this unique award:

On August 11th during a banquet at the Wisconsin State Fair, Jim and Helen Palmquist will be honored with the Century Farm award. This award is given to farms that can provide proof of continuous family ownership for the past 100 years.

What started as a 40-acre subsistence farm by Jacob Gustafson, Jim’s great grandfather, has grown into a sprawling 800-plus acre vacation farm with a beef herd, a buffalo herd and acres of land devoted to sustained timber production.

Anton Palmquist, Jim’s grandfather, lived by the philosophy, “Times change, and businesses must change with the times." Anton, who emigrated from Finland when he was 16 years old, had been a logging contractor and operated logging camps at various locations in Northern Wisconsin. At that time, the farm served as a headquarters for the Palmquist’s logging operations. They stabled the horses there and grew hay for them in the nearby fields. During seasonal slow times, lumberjacks stayed at the farm and worked on clearing land and constructing buildings.

With the advent of forest mechanization, timber harvesting changed and “camp logging” became obsolete. Dairy farming became the most important activity at Palmquist Farm. Their operation was similar to the usual Wisconsin dairy farm at that time, with a herd of around 40 milking cows. Around that same time, the Palmquists began a timber stand improvement program, harvesting trees in accordance with the silvicultural practices established by DNR foresters. In 1976, Palmquist Farm was selected as Wisconsin’s outstanding tree farm for the year due to efforts in managing the farm’s forests.

A farm vacation program was initiated in the late 1940’s and over the years became more and more important. The dairy herd was sold in 1989 and was replaced by a beef herd and a small buffalo herd.

Today, tourism is the most important activity at Palmquist Farm. The farm is set up to provide meals and lodging for as many as 60 guests at one time. Thousands of people from all over the US and the world have visited the farm. Many return year after year. Activities include cross-country skiing, hunting, sleigh rides, horseback riding (bring your own horse) and simply relaxing on the farm. It is often used as a site for small conferences, business meetings, weddings and family or class reunions.

Palmquist Farm has been featured in articles in the Readers Digest, the New York Times and many local and regional newspapers and magazines. It has been the subject of a number of television programs, including a grouse hunt with retired football player Larry Csonka, which had an estimated audience of 40 million viewers.