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Ted Behncke’s covered bridge stands in the background behind American Cream Draft Horses that he raises on his 33-acre farm near Fennimore, Wisconsin.

Contributed

The covered bridge on the Ted Behncke farm near Fennimore, Wisconsin, was built from repurposed barn lumber.

Contributed

A painting is inspired by the Behncke bridge in winter.

Contributed

An interior truss design supports the Behncke bridge.

Contributed

A privately owned bridge stands in Houston County, Minnesota.

Contributed by Dale Travis

The Imes Bridge, built in 1870-1871, is the oldest covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa.

Madison County

The Zumbrota Covered Bridge in Minnesota dates to 1869.

Contributed

Potatoes and beets continue to be harvested from the Hardie garden.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Though many are puny, some potatoes dug by Chris Hardie are larger.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

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Chris Hardie For Agri-View

I recently wrote about covered bridges remaining in Wisconsin but I missed one that has a story to tell. Ted Behncke of Fennimore, Wisconsin, contacted me after reading my story. Behncke – who is president of St. Coletta of Wisconsin – lives on a farm near Fennimore and built his own covered bridge.

Chris Hardie and his wife, Sherry, raise animals and crops on his great-grandparents’ Jackson County farm. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, he’s a former member of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and past-president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Email chardie1963@gmail.com with comments.