For James and Miriam Nelson — or Jim and Mim as they prefer to known — the best thing about learning new practices and being early adopters of new technology is being able to share what they’ve learned with their friends and neighbors.

The McPherson County couple say they recognize soil as a critical asset of the farm, and they have worked diligently to build soil quality. They are active conservationists and have hosted many tours through Farm Bureau, Extension and seed dealers.

The Nelsons are avid no-till operators, and Jim has attended national No-till on the Plains conferences and made field trips to Dakota Lakes Research Farm in South Dakota. He also participated in a three-week agricultural tour to Brazil in 2011 with No-till on the Plains, where he attended Expodierecto Cotrijal in Rio Grande do Sul, one of the largest trade shows in southern Brazil.

Both Mim and Jim have been deeply involved in Andover Lutheran Church in rural Windom.  

Jim  returned to the farm after preparing for the military and National Guard. He worked as an ag loan officer at 1st National Bank in Manhattan and as a vice president of Farmers National Bank in Agra, and Mim left her position as a county Extension agent. They expanded the operation to include a cow-calf operation and then moved into backgrounding feeder calves. The farm grew strong through establishing a farrow-to-finish hog operation that lasted 20 years. They have since scaled back on livestock, concentrating on growing no-till crops.

They have a son, Darren, and a daughter, Lori. Darren is a partner in the farming operation, as is Lori’s husband, Derek. Lori owns her own marketing business and is a consultant for the Kansas State Fair, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Hutchinson Community Foundation and Western Kansas Community Foundation.

Darren also puts his engineering education to work as a member of the team bringing the brand-new concept combine, the Tribine, to market.

The Nelsons are one of five Kansas farm families who will be honored at the annual Master Farmer banquet in Manhattan on March 8.

For an in-depth profile on the Nelsons, check out Sharing is part of joy of learning for Nelson family.