At their first meeting last Thursday, July 30, the Scott County Farm Advisory Task Force members each took one of the pennies passed around by Laura Kieser of the local University of Minnesota Extension Office.

They told one thing about themselves and one thing related to agriculture from the year on their penny. Here what some of the task force members said during the icebreaker game:

- Scott County Commissioner and Sand Creek Township resident Joe Wagner's penny had been minted in 1990. That was the year he got into the funeral home business, he said.

- Fellow Commissioner Tom Wolf of Savage's penny had been minted in 2008. At that time, he had a lot of political signs out, he said.

- New Market Township farmer Emily Zweber's penny had been minted in 2006, the year she and her husband, Tim, got married, she said.

- Helena Township farmer Arnie Simon's penny had been minted in 1984, the year his daughter was born, he said.

- Helena Township farmer Jim Prokes' penny had been minted in 1973, when he was 13 years old, he said.

- Helena Township farmer Dave Minar's penny had been minted in 2003. That was his first of four years participating in the St. Paul Farmers Market, he said.

- Helena Township farmer Florence Minar's penny had been minted in 1997, the year "we decided what to do with our farm," she said.

- St. Lawrence Township farmer Jim Schwingle's penny had been minted in the 1990s, while he was in ag school, he said.

- Scott County Planning Manager and task force facilitator Brad Davis' penny had been minted in 2004. That year, he said, his daughter was born, he moved to Shakopee, and agricultural zones A-1, A-2, and A-3 were first used.

- Cedar Lake Township farmer William Busacker's penny had been minted in 1995, while he was a junior in high school. That was the first year he played on the varsity football team and the year "we bought our first 7050," he said.

- Belle Plaine Township farmer Heidi Morlock's penny had been minted in 1996. At that time, she'd been married for a year and moved to Duluth. Both of her grandparents died that year, she said, and her mom inherited the farm.

- Helena Township farmer Ann Houghton's penny had been minted in 1980. She was living in Michigan then, she said. Houghton moved to Minnesota in 1983 and her farm in 1987, she said.

- Cedar Lake Township farmer Gerald Williams' penny had been minted in 1998. "'98 was the year we sold the cows," he said. "That was kind of a tough thing for me to do, but my son didn't want to milk them anymore." Williams said he grew up in Carver County and "transplanted" to Scott County in 1964.

- Kieser's penny had been minted in 1977. She was 1 year old, at that time, she said. Her family was milking cows and constantly going to the hospital. The family took out a second mortgage on its farm, because of her, she said. Kieser is an only child.

- St. Lawrence Township farmer Ted Kornder's penny had been minted in 1969, the year he graduated from high school, he said. Eventually, his farm was pushed out of Belle Plaine under the guise of urban expansion, and he went into truck farming produce, he said. The heyday of Kornder's business was in 1984, when the family was selling to Rainbow Foods. Then, he added, "pick-you-own kind of went by the wayside."

- Cedar Lake and Helena townships farmer John Bisek said he is a third-generation farmer and he'll keep on doing it "as long as we can hang on."

- Sand Creek Township farmer Jennifer Jensen's penny had been minted in 1990. She was taking marketing classes at Minnesota State University in Morehead. "I probably wasn't paying attention to ag at that time," Jensen said.

- Spring Lake Township farmer Don Crofut's penny had been minted in 1964, but he chose another penny, which had been minted in 1999. "The year I bought the farm -- how 'bout that?" he said. That, Crofut added, was also the year his dad died.