“If I don’t take care of the dirt, it won’t take care of me.” For Shawn Feikema, agriculture isn’t just a way of life — it is life itself. “Soil is far more complex than we realize, and its ability to grow the food that feeds the world is truly remarkable.”
Feikema is a third-generation farmer and producer board member at the CHS ag retail business unit based in Brandon, S.D. His family farm near Luverne, Minn., faced a turning point in 2014 when torrential rains led to severe soil erosion, crop loss and financial hardship. Seizing the moment, the Feikema family transformed their farming practices, embracing strip-till, no-till and cover crops.
Their efforts paid off. In 2024, their journey was featured in “From the Heartland,” a documentary available on YouTube. The film captures the family’s history and the transformative power of regenerative agriculture.
For Feikema, the film was a chance to educate viewers unfamiliar with farm life.
“I want people to see that while farming has become more sophisticated, it’s still about family,” he says. “My kids work alongside us; our livelihood and family are sustained by the land. When we improve the land, we uplift our family farm and our community.”
Hear more about Shawn Feikema’s experiences with advocacy in an episode of It Takes a Co-op™ podcast.
