Schaefers honored as 2021 Brown County Outstanding Conservationists
Battle erosion with land stewardship
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NEW ULM -- Diana and Don Schaefer received the 2021 Brown County Outstanding Conservationist Award Jan. 10 from the Brown Soil and Water Conservation District at a banquet at the Best Western Plus.
The Schaefers who farm corn, soybeans and hay and run a cow-calf operation a few miles south of New Ulm between the Minnesota and Little Cottonwood Rivers, were cited for land stewardship. They use rotational grazing on pasture and woodland.
The Schaefers incorporated many conservation practices and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to promote and protect their land.
Because of varied topography on their farm, they battled many different soil erosion problems including streambank sloughing, ravine and gully erosion.
They used a buffer strip of grasses and planted 2,600 trees, including willows, in low areas, oak, ash, and black walnut Trees along the Little Cottonwood River to reduce streambank erosion.
Grade stabilization structures, grass waterways and precisely-placed CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) land were used in multiple areas to battle ravine and gully erosion in highly erodible land.
Other BMPs used by the Schaefers were rotational grazing, minimal tillage, pollinator acres and no-till drilling soybeans.
The Schaefers installed 25 pollinator acres conducive to flowers, honey bees and butterflies. Pollinator grasses included bug bluestem, blue grama, Indiangrass, little bluestem, sideoats grama, switchgrass, slender and western wheatgrass.
Pollinator legumes included Canada milkvetch, large-leaved coreopsis, long-headed coneflower, wild bergamot, Joe Pye weed, Black-Eyed Susan, common milkweed, and purple prairie clover.
A large, gully control structure with a berm caused them to take farm land out of production.
The farm is historically significant because the original path down the bluff to the river bottom passed through it. Pioneers guided wagons down to the Little Cottonwood River crossing or up the hill to the original trail to Mankato (now TH 68). Part of the area has never been tilled and includes native prairie vegetation.
"We just try to do the best we can," Don Schaefer said.
Diana said Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District Technician Alan Gleisner did a great job in walking the Schaefers through conservation projects.
"It was very smooth. There were no headaches, nothing I didn't understand," she said.
Diana and her father implemented conservation practices through the Fox Lake Conservation Club. She sat on the CRP Land Selection Committee when it began in 1985 and with the Brown County Water Planning Committee. Diana was also involved with the League of Women Voters.