Four North Dakota Drift Prairie farmers and their farm operations participated in the demonstration project which proved that farmers are willing to make changes to protect the environment when those options are economically feasible. Stewards of the Land is their story.

Video Clips

For a look at the documentary, view these three streaming video excerpts from Stewards of the Land.

	"Our slogan is farm the best, alternatives on the rest" Project Coordinators Sharon Clancy and the four participating farmers explain the principles which were tested during the five year study.
	"I thought, you just can't keep fighting, you should work with them " Bruce Tuebner turned down the project several times before agreeing to participate. Although he started out with serious reservations, he found he had learned new ideas that help his operation become more sustainable.
	"It was an ongoing incremental process but we're different farmers than we were five years ago" Tom Langemo found that the practices tested in the project has not only improved his farm operation but improved the health of the wetlands on his property as well.

 

Video Profiles

Sharon Clancy
Project Coordinator
ND Natural Resources Trust
Valley City, ND

Britt Jacobson
Evaluation Consultant
ND Natural Resources Trust
Valley City, ND

Sharon and Britt were the point people on the Conservation Agriculture Program. They met with all four farm families frequently to discuss how the program was going and what things they could do to make life easier for them on the farm. One of the things Britt is most proud of is how the relationships between the farmers and the Natural Resources Trust staff evolved from one of mistrust at the beginning to respect throughout and at the end of the program. Sharon says that any things the farmers wanted to try the Trust tried to implement if funding was available. Sharon and Britt also note that because of their respect for the farmers and their operations, the farmers didn't view them as wild-eyed environmentalists. It was a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Tom and Kathy Langemo
Fingal, ND

Tom Langemo is one of the most articulate of the farmers in the documentary. He articulates his initial concerns about signing up for this program which evolved to a new way of thinking regarding conservation agriculture. The Langemos farm mostly small grains. Tom is trying to decide when to step away from farming, as he recently turned 60 years of age. He has brought a new partner into the operation, Matt Buttke, who is a cousin of Tom's. Matt shares Tom's love of the land. One of the big benefits for the Langemos during the five year study was the instillation of an ENDON weather system and tracking device which measures soil temperatures, rainfall totals and other crucial things necessary to farming. The weather network was paid for by the Natural Resources Trust. Tom has also switched much of his acreage to No Till farming through the study and like all the farmers, took land near wetlands out of. Tom enjoys the more frequent sounds of birds living near the wetlands and continues to maintain the grass buffer strips that he seeded around the wetlands rather than returning the acreage to crop land.

Clark and Susan Lemley
Hope, ND

The Lemleys have been in farming for many years. Clark was initially reluctant to sign up as one of the test farms in the Conservation Agriculture Program (CAP), but is now very glad he did. Clark has gone principally to an all No Till operation. Of the four test farms, the Lemley's have more No-Till land than any other operation. The Natural Resources Trust also administered an Inter-Cropping Testing method on the Lemley farm designed to test for increased soil residue and healthier soil levels. The health of Clark's soil did improve during the five year study, as did his yields. Clark currently farms with his son-in-law who plans someday to take over the full farming operation. Clark also seeded former crop land into grass buffer strips to allow for more wildlife to nest and live near his wetlands.

Bruce and Sandy Teubner
Cando, ND

The Teubner's have an impressive 7,000 acre operation and farm a wide assortment of small grain crops. They are the only one of the four test farm families still to have children at home. Kelsey, 12, and Bryce, 9, love the farm life. You will see them take lunch out to their Dad on a hot spring planting day in May 2007. The Teubners juggle two careers as Sandy is a Hospital Administrator in nearby Harvey, ND. Bruce was among the most reluctant of the four farmers to signup for the five year study and couldn't understand why anyone would be interested in studying such things. Now, he is a member of the Soil Conservation Board around the Devils Lake area and wants to study a conservation program to deal with old shelter-belts in the area. Bruce's father still helps out on the farm. Bruce has the usual buffer strips planted near his wetter areas, and has gone to No Till on certain parts of his land.

Darrell and Deborah Odegaard
Egeland, ND

The Odegaards farm primarily small grain crops, but they do have one thing the other three test farms don't have...cattle. Because of their livestock, Darrell and Deborah, with help from Sharon and Britt, came up with a new livestock pen and grazing plan. Darrell's cattle tended to congregate in one specific area of his land, eating the grasses down to next to nothing. Through the grazing plan, and funding from the Natural Resources Trust, he was able to establish new grazing patterns by moving them to other areas. The result increased the vigor and production from his herd. Darrell and Deborah went principally to a No Till operation with their peas, beans and flax crops. Viewers will enjoy Darrell's comments in their segment along with Deborah's witty musings on farm life.

The Podoll Organic Farm
LaMoure, ND

Though not one of the test farms in the program, Prairie Public profiled this Organic Farm to show how the Podoll's have been implementing Conservation Agriculture practices for over 20 years. In the segment, viewers will see their garden which provides food for two families. David Podoll and his sister-in-law Theresa Podoll are interviewed in the piece.They are committed to a way of life devoid of farm chemicals and the usual high tech toys associated with big time farming. Theresa has long been a member of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society and is outspoken about how chemicals affect our everyday life and our health. The Podoll's have a small acreage operation compared to other farms profiled in the documentary, but theywouldn't have it any other way.