Farm Repurchase Leads To Dairy Barn Restoration

2026 - Volume #50, Issue #4, Page #29

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Mark Rodenwald of Albany, Minn., repurchased and restored his family’s dairy decades after it was sold, returning the century-old barn to milking condition.
  “The previous owner, who purchased the farm from Mom and Dad, became a good friend of the family,” says Rodenwald. “Dad intended to purchase it back, but it was unavailable. They ended up purchasing a farm across the road from this property.”
  Rodenwald knew from an early age that he wanted to farm after school, so he let the owner, Ed Baarts, know of his interest.
  “I told him I would purchase the property at any point and offer a life estate for the next ten years,” he says. “Ed passed away in 2006, and we moved onto the farm in 2009.”
  For Rodenwald, the property’s barn was the main draw.
  “The barn is a historic building. I couldn’t see letting it fall down.”
  It originally had no pipeline or gutter system, and part of the wall had already fallen by the time of the 2003 purchase. He began the restoration process before moving, using a local workforce.
  “It happened one piece at a time. First, we jacked up each section, replaced the plates, and removed approximately 5 ft of rotten siding. Then we remortared the inside rock and replaced the roof with steel.”
  The original roof and foundation were restored, though the interior was gutted to dirt level to install a gutter system. This process required taking down the outer rock formation one section at a time to rebuild it.
  “Before starting the dairy, all the concrete and stations were replaced on the interior,” Rodenwald says. “The barn now holds 25 cows. Prior to us remodeling, the barn milked 36.”
  This level of farming is an excellent complement to Rodenwald’s real estate day job. Most mornings, he’s up early for farm chores and gets to the office by 7:30. There’s hope of growing his herd to a hundred and eventually either putting in a free-stall barn or using the pasture space to house cows outside.
  Despite the effort involved, Rodenwald remains thrilled with the outcome.
  “If I took this on again, there isn’t anything I would change. You just have to be patient with restoration work. My 5-year plan is to continue farming.”
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Rodenwald (ph 320-290-6275).

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Farm Repurchase Leads To Dairy Barn Restoration Mark Rodenwald of Albany, Minn., repurchased and restored his family’s dairy decades after it was sold, returning the century-old barn to milking condition. “The previous owner, who purchased the farm from Mom and Dad, became a good friend of the family,” says Rodenwald. “Dad intended to purchase it back, but it was unavailable. They ended up purchasing a farm across the road from this property.” Rodenwald knew from an early age that he wanted to farm after school, so he let the owner, Ed Baarts, know of his interest. “I told him I would purchase the property at any point and offer a life estate for the next ten years,” he says. “Ed passed away in 2006, and we moved onto the farm in 2009.” For Rodenwald, the property’s barn was the main draw. “The barn is a historic building. I couldn’t see letting it fall down.” It originally had no pipeline or gutter system, and part of the wall had already fallen by the time of the 2003 purchase. He began the restoration process before moving, using a local workforce. “It happened one piece at a time. First, we jacked up each section, replaced the plates, and removed approximately 5 ft of rotten siding. Then we remortared the inside rock and replaced the roof with steel.” The original roof and foundation were restored, though the interior was gutted to dirt level to install a gutter system. This process required taking down the outer rock formation one section at a time to rebuild it. “Before starting the dairy, all the concrete and stations were replaced on the interior,” Rodenwald says. “The barn now holds 25 cows. Prior to us remodeling, the barn milked 36.” This level of farming is an excellent complement to Rodenwald’s real estate day job. Most mornings, he’s up early for farm chores and gets to the office by 7:30. There’s hope of growing his herd to a hundred and eventually either putting in a free-stall barn or using the pasture space to house cows outside. Despite the effort involved, Rodenwald remains thrilled with the outcome. “If I took this on again, there isn’t anything I would change. You just have to be patient with restoration work. My 5-year plan is to continue farming.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Rodenwald (ph 320-290-6275).

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