From sterilized halls to barn stalls

Editor’s note: Information for this article was gathered from Ron Eustice’s book, “Gentlemen Farmers, Farms & Ranches of the Rich & Famous,” interviews with Carol (Heins) Pyfferoen and Rick Pagel, as well as news articles, a Heins family scrapbook and website material.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — In 2024, the Mayo Clinic cared for patients from every state in the U.S. as well as 135 countries. Yet what is sometimes not covered is the Mayo Clinic’s historic connections to the dairy industry.

“Urban people, they always look at me (with) a little bit of shock when you point out to them that the Mayo Clinic … was founded by a bunch of farmers,” said Rick Pagel, who grew up on a dairy farm in Olmsted County.

This agriculture connection Pagel refers to was best delineated by Ron Eustice in his book, “Gentlemen Farmers, Farms & Ranches of the Rich & Famous.” Eustice writes about five medical doctors who owned dairy farms: Dr. Charles Mayo, Dr. Frank Mann, Dr. Christopher Graham, Dr. Donald Balfour and Dr. Hiram Essex. Dr. Graham, brother-in-law of Dr. Charlie Mayo, donated the land for the Olmsted County Fairgrounds in 1919. Each farm had premium genetics and impacted the dairy community.

Dr. Essex is one of the most recent of these doctors and is still remembered within the Olmsted County dairy community. According to Eustice’s book, Dr. Essex worked at the Mayo Clinic from 1928–1958, specializing in cardiac physiology, parasites, venom and poison. His Esmur Downs herd was elite, with genetics sold across the world and a herd dispersal that broke Minnesota records.

Dr. Essex and his wife, Marian, established the 52-cow capacity dairy in 1942 in a 50/50 lease with the Leon Heins family.

Carol (Heins) Pyfferoen, Leon’s granddaughter, grew up at Esmur Downs while her parents, Howard and Marian Heins, were working with the Essexes.

“Mom always talked about how the Mayo brothers encouraged the young doctors to invest in property, in farms,” Pyfferoen said. “A lot of people couldn’t afford to buy a farm. … That was very popular back then to have tenant farmers.”

According to Eustice’s book, Dr. Essex became interested in being involved in agriculture through his friend, Dr. Mann, who owned Mandan Farm near Stewartville.

Pyfferoen has the original lease agreement her grandfather signed. It goes over everything from the number of horses and chickens allowed to be fed on the shared feed, to the killing of Canadian thistles, the daily hauling of manure, silage costs and more.

The income and bills were split and the Heins family provided labor while Dr. Essex provided for upkeep and owned the farm. They farmed with horses originally, purchasing an Allis Chalmers tractor in 1946 but continuing to use horses.

Initially the herd was grade Holsteins, but by 1954, the herd had transitioned to 100% registered Holsteins.

Dr. Essex and the Heins were both involved in breeding choices.

“(My parents) made good decisions, they worked hard, they took care of things,” Pyfferoen said. “The more successful Mom and Dad were with that, the more successful (the Essexes) were.”

Genetics from Esmur Downs were sold across the U.S. and abroad, including the countries of Japan, Italy, France and Mexico. They also sent bulls to stud.

“The success was the genetics,” Pyfferoen said.

According to a Holstein News article from April 1977, the Esmur Downs current herd had a BAA of 106.3 with 10 cows classified as Excellent.

Pyfferoen said Eustice worked with their farm to extend their showing efforts beyond the local area. This helped give them exposure, which assisted in selling their genetics.

By April 1980, a Minnesota Regional Holstein News article said the Heins family — and by extension, the Essexes — had bred the 1979 All-American aged bull, Esmur Downs Elevation Bell, who had a score of EX–95. They also had bred 30 Excellent cows.

According to Eustice’s book, in total, the Esmur Downs herd by 1979 had 46 cows that surpassed 100,000 pounds of milk. According to an Agri News newspaper article from 2003, Esmur Downs had three of the four 1970 All-American get-of-sire honorable mention animals.

A Post Bulletin article from approximately 1968 published during the Olmsted County Fair chronicles a taste of what success looked like locally for Esmur Downs. The Heins siblings had the 4-H grand champion cow, the 4-H reserve champion cow, the 4-H grand champion dairy herd, first and second place in the 4-H junior herd cow division, the 4-H first-place junior yearling and the 4-H first-place junior heifer calf. Open class had not happened yet.

“We were very successful showing cattle,” Pyfferoen said. “Dad always said, ‘You don’t need to tell everybody else how good you are, because if you’re that good, they’re going to know it.’”

In 1972, Esmur Downs received the Henry S. Bartel Memorial Trophy for the best three females at the Minnesota State Fair.

Dr. Essex was participatory in the showing Pyfferoen said.

“He liked to be involved,” she said. “Especially when he was younger, when we would show cattle, he’d be at the fairs and the black and white show.”

Dr. Essex was also part of the community. According to Eustice’s book, he served as the president of the Olmsted County Holstein Association in 1950. An article in a 1977 issue of the Minnesota Holstein News indicates he also served on the Minnesota Holstein Association board for nine years and was the president for two.

According to Eustice’s book, Dr. Essex, as well as Dr. Mann and Rick Pagel’s grandfather, George Pagel, would travel to southeast Minnesota to help find animals for the Rochester Area Holstein Sale. Pagel said his grandpa told him that when the doctors came, they often would be riding in Dr. Charlie Mayo’s blue Buick.

Pyfferoen said the Essexes would come out to Esmur Downs often and that they had a good relationship with them.

Esmur Downs was situated on 320 acres. The barn at Esmur Downs had a haymow in the middle of the barn with four rows of cows surrounding it, three rows with their heads facing the mow and one with their heads faced away.

“It was the most unhandy (setup) ever because nothing was level,” Pyfferoen said.

In 1979, the year after Dr. Essex’s death, the herd was dispersed. At the time it was the highest-averaging dispersal for a Minnesota Holstein herd at an average of $4,356 per lot according to a Post Bulletin article dated April 16, 1979. There were 58 lots that sold for a total of $252,700. Adjusted for inflation, that would equal over $1.1 million today. One of the animals, Esmur Downs Astro Elevation, sold for $12,100, which, adjusted for inflation, would be more than $54,800.

After the herd dispersal, a portion of the farmland was donated to the city of Rochester and became Essex Park, and the remainder was sold later. The Heins family continued the Esmur Downs prefix on a farm near Oronoco.