Bodden Family Farm in Theresa is Turning 175

Over the next few weeks, I will be telling the stories of some of our local area farms that have been the fabric of the agriculture industry that has grown and adapted throughout the years. The Bodden family farm, located outside of Theresa, will be turning 175 years old, with Todd and Mary Alice Bodden running the farm with their son, Matt. An interesting story about the family farm, because originally, Adam and Margaret first settled in the town of Wayne, but after a land dispute, they moved west to the town of Theresa. The sixth-generation family farm started on October 31, 1851, when Adam and Margaret Bodden emigrated from Prussia and purchased 40 acres in the town of Theresa. Their Son Jacob and his wife Gertrude were farming it next to the original 40 acres with the passing farm to Hubert and Anna, then to John and Evelyn until the present day with Todd and Mary Alice. Currently, the Boddens milk 50 dairy cows with their milk sold to Widmer’s Cheese Cellars as one of the three farms producing Widmer’s award-winning cheeses in Theresa, and their main crops are hay, corn and soy beans grown on their 133 acres. “We went from milking 35 to 50 cows and from milking in buckets to a pipeline system as the farm adapted throughout the years,” said Todd Bodden. “Also went from baling square bales to chopping hay and making bales, plus using bags to store forages.” “We are producing quality local food and providing income, which is spent in the local economy and is important for local agriculture in our area,” said Bodden. The Boddens are farmers because they are attempting to be good stewards of the land, contributing to the local economy and continuing the family legacy. “The future of local area agriculture is smaller farms disappearing and converging into much larger operations,” said Bodden. Bodden farming mentors were his father (John) and his uncles, who helped shape his farming knowledge and work ethic at the 175-year-old family farm. “We are proud that we survived and thrived by farming and that we have raised two fine young men (Matt and Tom) here on our family farm,” said Bodden.
Feel free to reach out to me at bpriesgen@mmclocal.com if you have a farm you would like to be featured in our newspaper.