Audio Clip
An epic rainstorm in 2014 was a wakeup call to Shawn Feikema and his family. Watching precious topsoil wash off their southern Minnesota farm was the beginning of the family’s sustainability and ag advocacy journey, which includes starring in a documentary about agriculture and rural communities.
In this episode of the It Takes a Co-op™ podcast, Feikema discusses why abandoning conventional tillage and adopting strip-till, no-till and cover cropping was an agronomic and economic necessity on his family’s farm. He also talks about the importance of “From the Heartland,” a film documenting that process and the symbiotic relationship between farms and nearby towns.
“We saw an erosion problem and we saw a way to make our operation more economically sustainable and that is what led to where we are today,” says Feikema, a cooperative owner.
Ag advocacy
Feikema Farms near Luverne. Minn., grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa and small grains, including some raised for seed companies. The operation includes a 4,000-head beef feeding enterprise.
The Feikemas are passionate about soil health and feeding families. Too few consumers understand how food is produced, Feikema says.
That’s why the family hosts farm tours and participated in the documentary, “From the Heartland,” a film documenting their adoption of more sustainable farming practices and the symbiotic relationship between farms and nearby towns.
“At the heart of it for me and for our family is we love agriculture,” he says. “For us to be able to tell the story about what agriculture really is, that we are humans, and we are families farming the land (is important).”
Each month on It Takes a Co-op, we introduce you to people working in agriculture and energy, inside and outside of CHS, whose ideas and insights will help you, and your cooperative, succeed.
Follow and listen to the show on your preferred podcast app. And watch video versions on the CHS YouTube channel. Episodes are posted monthly.
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