The Toquams

The Toquam family’s history of on-farm conservation efforts started back in the 1930s, when Clifford Toquam planted a long line of arbor vitae trees to protect his fields from wind erosion. Today, Roger Toquam and his family are the fourth generation to carry on that farming and conservation tradition.

“There’s something bred in a farmer about knowing what’s the right thing to do,” Roger said. “It bothers us if we see soil erosion or runoff happening. It’s in our DNA.”

On his corn, soybean (sometimes vegetable) and hog farm near Blooming Prairie, Roger maintains a natural three-acre wildlife area, plants food plots for pheasants, worked with the county on a wetlands restoration project, and has practiced ridge-tilling to reduce soil erosion and runoff since 1980. He also uses buffer strips and smart manure management to fertilize the soil.