Ollie Belongs on the Farm was written and published by Shelby Erdmann when she was just 16 years old! If you would like to purchase more than 6 copies, please call 507-458-4378! Thank you all so much!
"DAKOTA, Minn. – “Many times in my life, I’ve wished I could see God’s plan for my life,” said Shelby Erdmann, 17. “But the older I get, the more I thank God for everything he throws at me for the better.”
She’s the daughter of Willie and Billie Erdmann of Dakota; she’s a senior at Luther High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin. When she was 13 years old her father bought her a 1650 wide-front Oliver tractor – and her love of Olivers started. Her dad taught her how to rake hay with it.
“Because it was old, often it would need fixing,” she said. “But it always made it back to the field.”
And then a few years later her dad was injured when a tree fell on his legs. He returned home from the hospital a month later in a wheelchair. She said it took him three months to learn to walk again and a full year to recover.
The farm needed things done that had been my father’s job before,” she said. “In an effort to help, I learned to do them. I have the resilience to persevere and accomplish whatever goal I set for myself.”
The Erdmanns live on a 100-acre farm, 70 of which are tillable. With additional land they rent, they farm 220 acres – rotating corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. They custom-raise cattle for their neighbors as well as own a small beef-dairy-cross herd of their own – three of which belong to Shelby Erdmann. She’s responsible for feeding the cattle and helping in the fields.
Willie Erdmann said his daughter was originally afraid to drive the skid steer but after his injury she learned. Plus she learned to feed cattle, clean and bed the pens, and scrape the lot.
“Sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the horns and go,” he said.
After the accident, Shelby Erdmann said she learned to appreciate even the little things in life – like something as simple as her dad making breakfast in the morning.
“When he was in the thick of the healing process, that wasn’t there,” she said. “Now my dad makes eggs, sausage and coffee every morning. I will always feel blessed for the food on the table and the hands that made it. Little things like that, I will never take for granted again.”
A few years ago she decided to write a book about an Oliver tractor after looking for one to give to two little boys she babysits. She couldn’t find one.
So I just decided to write one for the boys,” she said.
Erdmann recently published that book – “Ollie Belongs on the Farm.” The characters, storyline and overriding theme of the story are based on real people and experiences she’s had in her life, she said. She self-published the book after eight months of brainstorming, writing, revising, illustrating and formatting. Two of her friends helped with illustrations. Ava B. Loehr helped paint the watercolor illustrations. Corrina K. Rouvel drew the characters. Erdmann drew the tractors, which were inspired by her own tractors, and she also helped paint the illustrations.
Erdmann said she treasures her family and friends.
“The positive people who make an impact in my life are the ones I surround myself with the most,” she said.
The back page of the book shows a 4020 tractor with the words “Pullin’ For Monty.” The character is in memory of a family friend, Monty Gellersen, who would pull with a 4020 John Deere tractor. He appears in her story as a John Deere tractor. Ollie in the story is her own Oliver tractor. Also included are her dad and the two boys she babysits – Cullen and Blaine.
Erdmann said the plot was inspired by her brother Blake Erdmann, who was born with a disability.
“People are notorious for judging someone who looks different,” she said. “So I wanted the characters to realize in the story that even though some people are different, we all have a place to belong.”
People are already asking her if she’s going to write another book, she said.
“Ideas are already churning in my head,” she said.
Erdmann said she lives by 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Giving thanks in all circumstances.” She’s learned that the circumstances she’s faced have changed her for the better."
*This is the original article written by Sarah Pfaff-Cavadini for Agri-View, a Lee Enterprises agricultural publication based in Madison, Wisconsin.
