Articles, Reviews and Interviews about Curt's Writing
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Curt and Donna Arens welcomed their new baby son, Benjamin Harold (middle name after Curt's father) on October 28, 2010. Benjamin was born at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, SD. He was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long. He is welcomed home by his big sisters, Lauren and Taylor and his big brother, Zachary.
If you'd like to see a photo of little Benjamin, click HERE
CROFTON, Neb. – Area family farmer and veteran farm journalist, Curt Arens, was named new regional editor for Farm Progress recently. Arens, who has been farming his family’s fourth-generation land for the past 25 years, and who has been free lancing for several national farm publications as well, takes the position held most recently by Ann Toner, who sadly passed away earlier this year of cancer.
His duties will include writing feature farm stories for Farm Progress publications - mostly for Nebraska Farmer, with additional writing duties with Dakota Farmer and Wallace’s Farmer magazines. He will make his office on the family farm.
Arens has been free lancing for Nebraska Farmer editor, Don McCabe for the past four years. “I have very big shoes to fill,” says Arens, about taking the position held by revered farm journalist, Ann Toner. “But I am looking forward to getting out on the farms and ranches in our region and telling the story of producers and their families who live on the land.”
In 2008, Arens authored his first book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” for ACTA Publications. The book garnered a 2009 Catholic Press Association award. In 2009, he released a second book, “A Year with Farm to Family: A Journal of Rural Life,” published by the Cedar County News.
He has been assistant director for such Northeast Nebraska RC&D programs as Farm to Family Connection and Farmers Market Moms. He has co-authored, “Making the Connection: A Toolkit for Starting a Radio and Web-based Local Food Campaign,” released in 2008 and assisted in the booklet project, “A Family Guide to Finding and Growing Fresh Food,” set for release later this year by Northeast Nebraska RC&D.
Arens continues to farm his family’s fourth generation land along West Bow Creek south of Crofton, Nebraska, with his wife Donna, and their three children, Lauren, Taylor and Zachary. He and Donna are active in the St. Rose School Boosters, local 4-H club and in their school and church. They also enjoy gardening and working around their farmstead.
March 9, 2010
Curt’s father, Harold Arens, passed away on Feb. 27, 2010 at his home in Crofton at the age of 82. Curt says that his father is one of the greatest influences on his life. Harold was Curt’s father, mentor and friend. Harold Arens grew up on the same farm along West Bow Creek where Curt and his family live now. He entered the Army in 1951, serving with Company G, 110th Infantry, 28th Division in Ulm, Germany during the Korean Conflict.
When he returned home, he farmed with his parents and eventually married Margaret Bickett in 1960. They farmed together for 37 years, before moving to Crofton when Curt and Donna were married and moved onto the farm. He was a lifelong member of St. Rose Parish, serving as APC delegate, on parish council, and as a member of the St. Rose Catholic Order of Foresters and Knights of Columbus. Harold was a strong supporter of St. Rose School.
Harold was a people greeter at the Yankton, SD Walmart for nearly 20 years, and he continued to farm with Curt too. His favorite prayer was the rosary and Harold always had a deep devotion to Christ, as well as Mary, Our Heavenly Mother and to St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers.
See a video tribute to Harold Arens - HERE
October 4, 2009
CROFTON, Neb. – Nebraska family farmer, Curt Arens, has been a free lance farm writer for over 25 years, nearly as long as he’s been farming on his own. After five years of penning a weekly column for the Cedar County News in Hartington, Neb. and other affiliate newspapers in northeast Nebraska, Arens released his favorite columns recently in a new book, “A Year with Farm to Family: A Journal of Rural Life.”
Arens’ new book, published by the Cedar County News, is a compilation of 52 – a year’s worth – of select columns, that, like farm life, follow the seasons. Many of the columns are humorous, like “Free Range Swine” that talks about the day Arens’ pigs decided to break out of their pen and roam around the farmstead, or “Will You Be Mine?” that offers Arens’ ideas about the most rejected farm wife Valentine’s Day gifts.
Other columns featured in the book tackle more serious farm issues, like “Is Cheap Food Good Policy?” or “Patriotism and Your Dinner Table.”
In his review of the book, Texas rancher, Wylie Harris wrote, “Arens sits you down and talks straight and fair, but kind, like the neighbor across the fence we all wish we had.”
Tim Nissen, a Nebraska farmer and vineyard owner, reviewed the book by saying it is “a wonderful collection of thought provoking insights into the world of rural America – often challenging one to view issues through a deeper perspective.”
Arens’ first book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” published in 2008 by ACTA Publications, garnered a 2009 Catholic Press Association award for a book by a first time author. Helping to found the weekly Yankton, SD local food and farm family radio program, “Farm to Family Connection,” he co-authored the Northeast Nebraska RC&D booklet and CD called “Making the Connection: A Toolkit for Starting a Radio and Web-based Local Food Campaign” with Sandy Patton of Brunswick in 2008. Arens is a 2003-2005 member of the Food and Society Policy Fellowship, a national communications fellowship promoting locally raised food and sustainable family agriculture.
He began writing “Farm to Family” columns in 2005, after long-time Cedar County News journalist, John Thoene, Jr., retired from his 31-year column called “Farm Talk.”
“I worried in the beginning that I wouldn’t have anything to write about each week,” said Arens. “But after interviewing John and Rose Thoene when John decided to retire after writing some 1600 columns over the years, I learned that he too didn’t have a grand plan of column ideas. He simply came up with something each week from his own experiences.”
Arens said, “I have found this formula to be true for me as well. When asked how I come up with ideas for my columns, I often have to shrug and answer sheepishly that I really don’t know. My family, my wife and children, awesome rural landscapes around our farm, my reflections on the past, beautiful life lessons I’ve learned from my elders, neighbors and friends and current news stories of the day all provide inspiration.
“But I also write about my dogs and cats, pigs and cows, local schools, churches, communities, volunteers and of course, the weather,” he said.
Arens farms his fourth generation family farm along West Bow Creek near Crofton, Nebraska with his wife, Donna and their three children. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, alfalfa, and operate a small cow-calf herd.
“A Year with Farm to Family” is currently available from local outlets like the Cedar County News office in Hartington, St. James Marketplace, St. James, People’s Grocery and Mary Jo’s in Crofton, and from Arens’ website, www.downtoearthbooks.com.
June 16, 2009
SKOKIE, IL - Nebraska farmer and author, Curt Arens, recently won top honors in the First Time Author of a Book category of the Catholic Press Association's 2009 Book Awards.
Arens' book, Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land, takes a fresh look at the role faith plays in his work as a fourth-generation family farmer. As he traces his journey, Arens offers deeply personal views on several key events, including the day of his marriage to wife Donna, becoming a father of Lauren, Taylor and Zachary, being a good husband, and the spirituality of rural living combined with the challenges found in contemporary family farming. His touching reflections and candid accounts of spiritual and professional growth give readers an engaging and practical perspective on religion's inextricable link to everyday life and work.
The Catholic Press Awards recognize individuals and publication teams for their outstanding work as members of the Catholic press and their commitment to spreading the word of God. In selecting Down to Earth for first place honors, the Catholic Press Association noted: "The book is an excellent example of a spirituality for the laity that is neither overly pious nor embarrassed to express itself." Down to Earth was published by Chicago-based ACTA Publications in 2008 as part of its American Catholic Experience series.
Arens' award winning book is an insightful collection of personal reflections that individuals will want to have on their bookshelves. It is a must-read for anyone looking for guidance on how to apply faith to life's everyday responsibilities.
First book looks at importance of stewardship
By LISA MAXSON
Catholic Voice
For Curt Arens, working the land of his grandparents' farm along Bow Creek in Crofton not only brings him pleasure and a source of income, but also deepens his Catholic faith.
Raised on that land, the 44-year-old Arens writes about learning how to farm and the importance of his Catholic faith in "Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land." His first book was published in January as part of ACTA Publications' American Catholic Experience series, which features first-person reflections by lay people.
The 110-page book is filled with short stories about Arens' upbringing and the people who impacted his life - his family and friends and those in his parish and community. It traces his development as a farmer and a Catholic.
~~~Click here for the rest of the story....
The Mirror - Newspaper of the Diocese of Springfield/Cape Girardeau
May 9, 2008
(Used with Permission)
Like many in the Diocese of Springfield/Cape Girardeau, Curt Arens has life-long ties to the land. He is a fourth generation farmer who works the Nebraska home place that was purchased by his great-grandfather in 1914. An author, too, he writes "Farm to Family," a weekly column on faith, family and farming. Arens is Catholic in the same way that he is a farmer: It's who he is at the deepest level of his identity.
Down to Earth explores spirituality through Arens' occupation and his commitment, both literal and figurative, to sowing the seeds of faith. His unyielding devotion in the face of difficulty odds tells a story steeped in the tradition of America: the land, the harvest, the laborers, and their relationship with the Creator, who watches over them.
Arens seeds God's hand in his everyday interactions: hauling a truckload of soybeans to the grain elevator in order to pay for a wedding ring; watching a hailstorm destroy a crop of oats in minutes; raising his three children in a culture that has little concern for both spirituality and the little questions like "Where do Cheerios come from?"
Walk the fields with Arens and share his belief that God always blesses the laborers who go out to reap the harvest that feeds us, body and soul.
by Loretta Sorensen
Apr. 7, 2008
Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan, Yankton, SD
CROFTON, Neb. - In the expanse of a few easy-reading and word picture-laden pages, Crofton farmer Curt Arens has tucked a wealth of personal insight into the journey he's experienced as a fourth generation northeast Nebraska farmer in "Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land."
A veteran freelance journalist, Arens began collecting some of his writings and proposing book projects to publishers about four years ago. When his proposal caught a publisher's eye two years ago at ACTA Publications in Skokie, Ill., Arens was surprised that the book company had a proposal of their own.
~~~ Click HERE for the rest of the story...
Norfolk Daily News, Norfolk, Neb.
March 14, 2008
www.norfolkdailynews.com
By Mary Pat Hoag
(Used with Permission)
CROFTON - Curt Arens is a down-to-earth guy, who cherishes his Catholic faith, family and farm career - in that order.
The fourth generation of his family to farm southwest of Crofton along the West Bow Creek bared his soul in his recently released book, "Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land."
Arens said his book is likely one of few that portrays "a realistic look at rural life through the lens of faith."
The publisher is ACTA Publications in Skokie, Ill. Arens' book is the sixth in its "American Catholic Experience" series, featuring first-person reflections written by "ordinary laypeople."
Publisher Gregory Pierce said Arens' book "is about the harvest of blessings that come from trying to help bring about the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven. In that sense, it is for all of us, no matter where or how we find ourselves living and working in this world. It is about every farmer, and it is about you and about me."
Arens said his book "is a tribute to the sacredness of rural life, particularly those hard-working, generous people in my own community. It is about the faith and farm lessons I've learned from my parents and grandparents, from my wife, children and in-laws, and from my neighbors and friends."
During an interview with the Daily News, Arens said the urban sector "is curious about not only how we live, but life in small communities, what we think about faith and how it plays out in our lives."
The book writing and rewrites spanned from April to September 2006, with the book released this January. Arens is now promoting the book on his new Web site and lining up book deliveries, media interviews and book signings before planting and calving begin next month.
Arens, the oldest of two sons of Harold and Margaret Arens who reside in Crofton, said he was ecstatic when he saw the first copy of his book.
"It was like bringing in the harvest, finally being done," said the 1982 Crofton Community High School graduate. Another exciting moment, he said, was discovering his book on amazon.com.
Arens, now 44, said he has secretly aspired to write a book since his high school years when he edited the school newspaper and began writing for the local newspaper.
He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture with a major in animal science. Since then, he's combined both his passion for agriculture and writing.
But while Arens has written hundreds of articles - primarily ag-related for a wide range of publications, from local to national - he said tackling a book project was a new challenge.
"It was the toughest, roughest, deepest writing assignment I've ever tackled," Arens said. "I thought I prayed a lot before, but during the process of pouring out my soul onto paper, I prayed even harder."
Arens, who views himself as a reserved person, said he has "always viewed faith as a private matter. So revealing how I think about faith in my own life as a husband, father and farmer was one of the most difficult writing opportunities that I have taken on."
Arens shares intimate details about the realities of farming; his college years; meeting and marrying the former Donna Zauha, a "city girl" from Papillion who formerly taught at St. Leonard's School in Madison; and becoming a father.
Arens and his wife, a teacher at St. Rose of Lima School in Crofton, are the parents of three children: daughters Lauren, 8, and Taylor, 6, and son Zachary, 2.
While Arens said farming "is difficult, and a lot less romantic than most urban dwellers think . . . the rewards of living on the land, witnessing God and caring for creation close-up, and raising a family within the warmth of a small town and close-knit faith community, far outweigh the financial challenges."
February 2008
(Farm to Family, Cedar County News, Hartington, Neb.)
by Curt Arens
Dear Friends,
There are a lot of big days in a person’s life. You know, the day you get married, the days your kids are born. For farmers, maybe the day I first went into debt or "bought the farm." I was fortunate, last week, to have another big day.
I’ve always aspired to write a book – maybe a biography of a President, or a farm book of some kind. I’ve been writing long enough, that I thought a book might be a natural progression. So, about four years ago, I started pitching book ideas to publishers. I pitched several agriculture book concepts to ag presses. I pitched a number of historical subjects I’d like to write about to the academic press. No one wanted to offer me a contract and I had no money to self-publish and no time to market it.
I tried everything. Here are some of the topics that were most rejected by publishers I contacted. I still don’t see why a publisher wouldn’t jump at these, because I was just pitching subjects I knew best…
10. Pitching Manure for Dummies
9. How to Castrate Pigs – The Real Story
8) It’s a Cow’s Life
7) Floyd Snickelfritz – A Famous American
6) Pliers and Baling Wire – Who Needs Duct Tape?
5) How to Upset Your Wife, Your Kids, Your Parents and Your Dog All in One Day
4) Loving Your Kids – The Spit-up and Dirty Diapers Chronicles
3) How to Gauge the Amount of Protein in Corn Stover
2) The Fine Lost Art of Walking Soybean Fields
AND finally, my number one most rejected book titles
1. Making Hay Where the Sun Don’t Shine
I know what you are all thinking. It is amazing that someone didn’t bite on these. Finally, in desperation, I pitched a small booklet of meditations for farm families to a Catholic publisher in the Chicago area.
Guess what? They hated the idea. BUT, the publisher was gracious enough to offer me a concept that he would buy. It was a tough assignment. He wanted me to write about my faith, about being Catholic on the farm.
Are you kidding? I don’t like to share my feelings about much of anything, so, while I rely on my faith and my church community constantly, in every trial every day, I wasn’t thrilled about sharing these thoughts with the world.
Yet, I gave it a try, as part of the publisher’s "American Catholic Experience" series. It was the toughest, roughest, deepest writing assignment I’ve ever tackled. I thought I prayed a lot before, but during the process of pouring out my soul onto paper, I prayed even harder.
The result, "Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land," was released by ACTA Publications last month. The cover photo is of a farm – not our farm – but a farm. The inside pages basically lay out – according to what I was asked to write – experiences, reflections, inspirations, thoughts and observations of the folks around me – my college friends, my childhood friends and family, my own wife and kids, my in-laws, my friends and neighbors today – and how being a Catholic plays out in my role as a husband, father and farmer. It is about the many times I’ve messed up in life – and how I’ve learned from those of you who are around me – great lessons in faith and life.
I make it quite clear that I am a sinner, not a saint. But I admire the saints – not only those folks who have been canonized officially by the Church, but also those saints that walk among us all, in our communities, on the farms and in and out of our lives, doing good things for us every day. I write about what I consider the "sacredness of rural life" and the blessings of our lives on the farm and within our small town.
It sounds pretty sappy, and it is. There are stories in the book that many of you can relate to and will recall, because you were there. There are other, more personal stories, that no one has ever heard from me before.
The first case of my books, actually in print, after three years of writing, rewriting, reviewing, editing, rewriting, scratching out and throwing away and starting over, came to our house last week.
Some of you who knew about this little project have been asking where to find the books, so, I’ll tell you.
They are available now at www.actapublications. You can buy them online at www.amazon.com too. If you want an autographed copy, you can order them directly from me by visiting www.downtoearthbooks.com. Locally, right now they are at the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center, and should soon be at the Cedar County News office and at the Vineyard in Yankton. Probably be in many other places down the road.
The stories in the book are sometimes humorous – like the time our Lauren was sitting in church with other kids up front listening to Father read the Nativity, and yelled out that she "has to go potty." There are others that are rather dramatic, like the time when we first learned how serious Dad’s asthma was. But, they are all sincere, coming from the heart.
Anyway, I wanted to share this great day with my many friends. Now I’m working on ideas for a second book – I think maybe that pliers and baling wire concept has a chance.
January, 2008
"Down to Earth" explores spirituality through the occupation of one man; a fourth generation Nebraska farmer committed to-both figuatively and literally-sowing the seeds of faith. His unyielding devotion in the face of difficult odds tells a story steeped in the tradition of America: the land, the harvest, the laborers and their relationship with the Creator who watches over us even today.
(Excerpt from ACTA Publications 2008 Spring Catalog)
Watch this page for further book reviews, articles and excerpts from "Down to Earth" - www.actapublications.com