Conservation a credo for OTC’s Farm Family of Year

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 12:00 p.m., July 26, 2007

Steve and Marilyn Inwards, who farm near Parkers Prairie, feel honored to be part of Otter Tail County’s Farm Family of the Year. More important than that, they said, is the opportunity to help encourage farm conservation and community involvement.

“Being honored is very nice — as Marilyn and our three children agree — but we also feel that with this honor goes the responsibility of promoting farm conservation practices and involvement in one’s local community,” said Steve Tuesday of this week at their farm four miles east of Parkers Prairie.

The Inwards farm fields include mostly corn and soybeans, common throughout most of Otter Tail County.

In light of the current heat wave and lack of rainfall, irrigation has been used extensively in this part of Otter Tail County and throughout west central Minnesota. That’s also the case on the Inwards farm.

That being said, Inwards uses updated irrigation equipment with use of low pressure.

“This method (low pressure) is a irrigation conservation effort in two ways,” he said. “First, less energy is needed to pump the water. Second is the conservation of water itself.”

Conservation tillage is another practice of Steve and Marilyn Inwards.

“The goal is to protect soil from blowing away during the winter months, and also prevent soil from washing into surface water during heavy rainfall,” Steve said. “We’re also into buffering with grasses preventing soil erosion.”

Steve and Marilyn use what’s commonly referred to as nutrient management — using fertilizers in a timely manner and managing the amounts used. This, in turn, allows for the fertilizer to be taken up solely by the plant and not go into surface waters.

About 68 families from different counties throughout Minnesota will be honored at FarmFest 2007. Each farm family — including the Inwards — were nominated by Extension Service personnel in their individual counties for their commitment to enhance agriculture and be active in community-related activities.

“The Lord allows us to be stewards of the land, and with that comes certain responsibilities for its care,” said Steve, whose education includes two years at a Bible College. “I was fortunate that, while growing up in a farm family, I learned the values related to agriculture and to be progressive in conservation practices.”

Both Steve and Marilyn appreciate the commitment of their children to agriculture and community service over the years. Daughter Ruth, 15, will be a freshman this fall at Parkers Prairie High School. Daughter Janell is a graphic artist at a newspaper in Idaho and son Jeremiah is a mechanical engineer for John Deere in Iowa. The Inwards have one grandchild.

The home farm near Parkers Prairie has been in the Inwards family for four generations.

“We feel blessed,” Marilyn said. “Life has been good to us here in Otter Tail County.”

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