The Blumes

Dana Blume is proud of his family farm near Elbow Lake, where he, wife Katy, and their four children grow corn, soybeans and sugar beets. The list of conservation practices Dana uses on his farm is long, but worth it. “My kids swim in nearby lakes. We drink the water,” Dana said. “We do as much as we can to protect our health and the health of people on down the line.”

His “can-do” list includes setting aside land sections through USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program to increase natural areas; planting perennial vegetation along waterways for buffers; variable rate fertilizer application; managing drainage outlets and inlets to significantly reduce soil sediment and nutrients from entering waterways, and conservation tillage techniques.

“It’s important that we preserve this land and everything around it for the next generation.”