A new attraction is in the works at the Sherburne County History Center in Becker. The Farm Friends Barn is a barn that is being restored in a historically accurate way. The goal of the project is to give kids an opportunity to learn about where their food comes from and the history of agriculture in the area.

Saving the Barn

The barn, which is situated across the street from the history center, was relocated to its current home from the other side of Becker. The barn was once owned by the Bailey family. When Northern Metals bought the land the barn was sitting on, the company allowed the public the chance to move the old building, along with several others on the land, if they so desired.

Jean Johnson, daughter-in-law of Becker’s famous Norm Johnson (of Norm’s Farm Market) heard that the barn was going to be torn down unless it was rescued. She spoke with Northern Metals, and they were happy to donate the old building to the history center. Then it was only a matter of getting the old building moved quickly so Northern Metals could continue their building plans. 

Under a time crunch, Johnson and the other volunteers involved with the project were unable to find a company that could move the barn to its permanent home in time. Fortunately, one company, Marcus Building Movers, was able to make a compromise. They were scheduled to do a similar service for another individual in the area. They asked the customer if he would mind waiting, and the gentleman said he didn’t mind at all when he heard what the project was for. The movers were able to get the barn moved to the edge of the Northern Metals property before the deadline and, out of the way of the construction, it was able to sit there until the movers had a chance to bring it to its permanent home.

Restoration Efforts

Johnson and her team of volunteers are currently working to restore the barn. They are using as much recycled material as they can, slavaging siding, wood, and other materials from other old barns around the area. They even found some old railings from a barn in Santiago to add to the building. The railings were used to hold a bucket in place to load manure and roll it outside.

The team is also planning to build a milk house, and add Dutch doors to the building.

Even as this reporter was speaking with the volunteers, new ideas were being tossed around about projects that could be done. The site has a lot of potential for preserving a part of Becker history and educating future generations about agriculture in the area. 

Last weekend, the team was working on painting and adding trim to the outside of the building.

Going Forward

Johnson said the project was inspired when her daughter, who grew up around an agricultural lifestyle, asked her mom why the other kids didn’t seem to understand where their food came from. Johnson took the issue to the county, hoping to create an educational stand at the County Fair, but then the opportunity to save the Bailey farm came along, and thought it was better to have a permanent location where Sherburne History Center patrons could come and tour the barn all year. 

Johnson and her team hope to have the barn open for some Christmastime events this winter, possibly including a Santa visit and tree decorating. 

The volunteers are continuing to collect donations for the restoration effort. Donations can be made at the Farm Friends website, FarmFriendsBarn.org