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| Learn how to write your novel...AND get it published in the privacy of your
own home with the "Writing For Love and Money" home-study program designed for
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The Bartling Brothers
The three blond, look-alike romance cover models - the Bartling brothers Jim, Kurt and
Kris - are also known as the most famous hog farmers in the world. They certainly put
Unadilla, Nebraska, on the map!
Sadly for their fans, they have been out of the limelight for the past two years, putting modeling
and TV appearances on hold in order to expand their family farm business.
But they haven't been forgotten. Bartling images on Hallmark Christmas and Halloween greeting
cards continue to be great sellers, and calendars showing them bare-chested, with muscles of steel,
adorn countless bedroom walls!
Fans cherish the Bartling posters and the numerous romance book covers showing them as
Vikings, cowboys and medieval knights. The brothers were discovered by Kathryn Falk during a book
tour in the midwest. When they accepted her invitation to the 1994 Nashville Booklovers' Convention,
they made their memorable debut.
Who will ever forget photos of the three brothers outfitted in white togas (courtesy of the hotel
bedroom linen department), dancing the night away with ecstatic readers? They were spotted at the
convention by "Hard Copy," "Extra," "CBS News" and even a German television company that sent
them to Europe for a round of shows and appearances.
Not long afterward, People Magazine featured the handsome, hardworking farm boys in a
spectacular color feature. Hollywood beckoned and movie parts came their way. But a vital business
decision had to be made: as the fourth generation to run an major farm, they had to make some
necessary expansions to increase their business. They felt it their responsibility to take a hiatus and
do the needed renovations. Goodbye, Hollywood - Hello, Unadilla!
After two years of hard work, the new barns are built, the stock expanded and more corn fields
planted. In addition, the family has just launched their long-time dream of starting a food line based
on their incredible pork products.
With the help of a butcher from Unadilla, the boys have developed a unique recipe for natural smoked
meat, made from their own quality pork and beef stock, fed on organic corn. The product is as
healthy and natural as the brothers themselves. It's called The Bartling Brothers Hickory Smoked
Meat and their images adorn the label.
Unlike typical models, who spend hours in the health club pumping iron, the Bartlings need only to
work out on the family spread to keep in shape. They rise with the sun, put in a daily 12-hour
workout doing construction, supervising the feeding, checking water lines, and maintaining the corn
fields. And each morning Mom Bartling still fixes breakfast for her brood of strapping sons.
Mom and Dad Bartling have raised five handsome children (an older son and one daughter add to
the famous trio), and now have two grandchildren (Jim's sons Nyle and Dylon, ages 5 and 7) ready to
carry on into the 21st century.
When the Bartlings' great-grandfather immigrated to Nebraska from Germany in the late 1800s,
he brought with him the knowledge which he had acquired from his father before him... how to
raise prime hogs for good, wholesome eating. That tradition lives on and the Bartlings are still known
today for their superior products.
The original farmstead was all of 160 acres, but a century later it has expanded to more than
1,000 acres. The enterprising third and fourth generations of Bartlings now raise nearly 18,000 pigs
and several hundred head of cattle.
The Bartlings' snack foods will soon be featured in two styles nationwide. The "Hot Stick Treat,"
available in packages of one or two, comes highly recommended, made with chopped beef and pork and
just a touch of spice. (For great appetizers, try slicing it on crackers with a touch of mustard.) For
those who like something to gnaw on, there are the flat, chewy, original "Beef Sticks."
The Bartling Brothers' next goal is to develop a formal meat line to market in the stores: pork
chops, hams and pork loins. But it's time now to promote their hickory smoked products. For those
who want a taste, please contact the Bartling Brothers c/o Hickory Hunks, PO Box 67, Unadilla, NE
68454
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