Getting to Know Creed Mursu, Sunnyslope’s Youngest Customer

During our recent production sale in Lanesboro, my husband, Keith, handled the sale transactions in the office of the sales barn. As he greeted buyers and processed their paperwork, he noticed a young boy peering over the edge of the high counter.

The youth stood next to his uncle and grandfather who were paying for two bulls they had just purchased. Keith noticed the family had also picked up some heifers. “Who do you want these heifers registered to?” he asked.

Jerking a thumb towards his nephew, the uncle stated proudly, “Junior.” As a line of smiling onlookers watched, Creed Mursu reached a hand up to the counter to sign his name on the invoice, claiming ownership of four Sunnyslope Angus heifers.

Shortly after the sale, Keith and I ventured to northern Minnesota on farm business. Our return journey took us through the verdant lake district of Otter Tail County in west central Minnesota. Having heard about the youngster who bought four heifers, and knowing that he lived in the area, I couldn’t resist calling him to say hello. I suspected he might be one of our youngest customers ever, and I invited him to get together for a chat. He was eager to meet—and his mother, Amy, graciously gave her blessing.

We met eleven-year-old Creed on his grandfather’s farm, a peaceful place where black cattle grazed contentedly in the pastures surrounding the house.

Polite, thoughtful, and articulate, this elementary student explained how he, his uncle, and his grandfather made the five-hour journey to our annual bull and heifer sale.

“I got a $5,000 loan,” Creed explained, “and I wanted to do beef.”

Creed is a sixth-generation farmer. Creed’s grandfather, Albert Werner, runs a 600-cow beef operation with Creed’s uncle, Joe Werner. His father, Peter Mursu, operates a 240-cow dairy that features a mix of breeds. “We call it the rainbow herd,” Creed said of the milking group that includes his favorite Ayrshires and Linebacks, along with Holsteins, Jerseys, and Brown Swiss. Creed’s family also manages six barns of turkeys, maintains a small herd of dairy-beef, and enjoys a handful of chickens and three horses.

Creed helps out with each enterprise. Though he lives on the dairy farm and raises his own dairy steers, he wanted to use his business loan to establish an Angus herd. “My dad started at this age,” Creed shared. Peter Mursu began his farming business with beef, but later transitioned to dairy. “I want to be like my dad. Start off with beef and then go into dairy maybe.” Creed paused, “But I could be just like Uncle Joe and do beef for the rest of my life.”

His uncle, Joe, read about our sale and requested a catalog. Joe, Albert, and Creed studied the performance data for each animal and had their animals picked out before they arrived at the sales barn. His grandfather taught Creed how to read the EPDs in the catalog. “I wanted to get the real tame ones, so I looked at the docility first. And then the calving ease and milk. And then the birth weight and weaning weight.”

Once they arrived at the sale, Creed got his own bidding number. He also did his own bidding. It was the first time he had bid at a live auction. “It was fun,” he recalled. Was he nervous? “Yeah! I was very nervous.”

By the end of the sale, Sunnyslope had a new family of customers: three generations of the Werner-Mursu clan. Creed, representing the youngest generation, established his Angus herd by purchasing four Sunnyslope heifers: two daughters out of S S Absolute B66, a daughter out of S S Hoover Dam H27, and a daughter out of S S Great Northern H52.

There was one heifer Creed especially wanted: lot 65, S S Miss Abigail A98. “Grandpa said that 65 was really good, and we were wanting to get her. She grows really well too.” How did it feel when he had the winning bid? “I was excited!”

Though Creed was successful in buying four of the heifers he wanted, there was one that got away. “My dad said I should get five heifers,” Creed said, “and I was trying to get one more, but she went too high. The price was at $2,000, and I bid, but then the guy went way too high.” Was he disappointed about losing her? “It’s fine,” he said with a calm maturity that belied his eleven years. This young entrepreneur is only looking forward to the development of his newest enterprise.

Creed’s heifers are currently staying on his grandfather’s farm where they will be bred in mid-July. They will be moved to Creed’s farm in August where they will live in a new barn and await the birth of their calves in the spring. When I asked what he planned to do with the calves, he shared his business plan. “I’ll probably sell the bull calves to pay off my loan, and I’ll keep the heifers.” He even has a backup plan. “If I don’t have any bull calves, then I’ll use my steer money to pay off my business loan.” Beyond that, he will be pursuing expansion. “I’ll try to get more heifers,” he concluded. “I just want more cattle.”

Creed lives on the farm his great-great-great-grandfather Johan homesteaded after arriving from Finland around 1883. He shares a home with an older sister, two younger brothers, and two foster brothers. Though young, they all seem to be making plans for the future. “Irene wants to go to Florida to swim, because she’s really good at swimming. Teeg wants to help me with my farm. And I don’t know about Steel; he’s too young to talk yet.”

Not only does farming occupy much of Creed’s focus and energy, but it also dominates play time with his brothers and cousins. “We get all of our farming stuff, and we go plant and we raise cattle,” he said with a smile. One of his cousins has a vast collection of dinosaur toys. “We raise beef cattle and give them to the dinosaur farm, and their carnivores eat them up. Then we cut hay and give that to the dinosaur farm for the herbivores. But then we take our cows back and raise them up once more, so we can do it all over again.”

American novelist, poet, and farmer Wendell Berry once wrote, “There are only two reasons to farm: because you have to, and because you love to. The ones who choose to farm choose for love.” Clearly, Creed Mursu farms because he loves to.

Farming is in Creed’s DNA. More importantly, it’s in his heart. Thus, I knew his answer even before I asked a parting question: “Where do you see yourself in 20 years?”

Without hesitation, Creed replied, “A farmer.” He thought a moment, then added, “I want a beef herd like Grandpa’s. Yeah, that’s what I want.”