The joy I find in nurturing living things includes everything from a backyard garden and a hobby flock of chickens to vast cornfields and a beef cow/calf operation. While I’m the sixth generation to make my home on a farm, I’m always considering how our farm practices today create positive outcomes for the next six generations–and beyond. My husband and I are both full-time on the farm, where we grow crops and livestock. Over the years, we’ve primarily raised corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, alfalfa, and beef cattle. As we farm, soil health and water conservation are prioritized. To prevent erosion and improve the soil profile, we’ve used no-till practices since the 1990s. We also utilize cover crops, which provide further benefit to the soil and a source of nutritious grazing for our cattle. We recognize water as a key natural resource, and use irrigation water as efficiently as possible while achieving highly productive crop yields. Additionally, we use precision technology in managing resources to achieve our goal of growing more with less. We are proud to grow products for food, fiber, and fuel while minimizing our environmental footprint and doing our best to care for the livestock, land, air, and water. We have also raised a family. With four sons, we enjoy supporting them in their many activities and interests. We also believe it is important to give back to our local community and are involved as volunteers in multiple organizations such as our church, community foundation, youth activities, and agriculture.