The result was a grain with larger kernels that is high in protein. Ileen named it Svendel. It is the standard barley grown in the Tanana Valley. Barley wasn't the only import at the Hollembaek farm. Two female and one male wild boar from East Germany were the beginning of a specialty meat production.
Wild boar produce a red meat that is virtually fat free.
Meanwhile, son Scott was setting up 1,000 acres as a wild game farm. There he raises bison and elk. All of the specialty meat finds ready markets in Alaska and elsewhere. With Scott in charge of the family farming operation, there is more emphasis on the wild game. He said wild game is easier to care for and hardier than most domestic stock.