Judy, my wife and I live on the farm that has been in our family since the mid thirties and is in the same section where my father was born and raised. We grow small grains and oilseeds. My father purchased our farm in 1957 and milked cows to make land payments. We have not had cattle since 1967. Judy and I have 5 children, aged 8 - 17. Our oldest 3 are girls followed by 2 boys. I graduated from NDSU in 1976 with an MS in agronomy. Like Jessie Ventura, I was a wrestler in high school and college.

I decided to get more involved in LAND thanks to the invitation of Chuck Damschen and also in response to complications I experienced when Judy and I purchased land with a coulee running through it. I have found the monthly board meetings to be a great education.

I read a statement in a book written by Charles Colson that epitomizes why I serve on the LAND board. I feel it pertains to U. S. farmers as well as the WWII German Culture in which it was written. The author died in a German concentration camp. The statement goes: First they came for the Jews and I didn't protest because I wasn't Jewish. Then they came for the lame but I didn't protest because I was of good health. Next they came for the labor unions but I didn't protest because I wasn't a union member. Then they came for the Catholics but I didn't protest because I wasn't Catholic. When they finally came for me, there was no one left to protest.

So what’s first on our agenda? At our January Board meeting, we’ll set goals for the upcoming year. We take seriously the comments you write on your membership renewal forms to help formulate those goals. There are a variety of issues impacting property rights and LAND will be there to guard the interests of landowners.