December 11, 2025 by Jacob Nelson
Every year, Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Minnesota recognize a local individual or group for their outstanding conservation efforts. This year, the West Otter Tail SWCD has chosen siblings Marshall Ohe, Landon Ohe, and Allie Berg of Rothsay as the Conservationists of the Year. They farm corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and annual forages. Additionally, they rotationally graze roughly 45 cow/calf pairs and recently added 100 chickens for egg production.
The recognition should come as no surprise, as their family has a history of outstanding land stewardship on the farm. In fact, their father Orland Ohe won the same award back in 1993. After the siblings took over the day-to-day operations of the farm, they noticed a few neighbors had been implementing cover crops and strip-till practices on their fields. Their curiosity led them to attend several soil health meetings, and in 2017 they decided to try their hand at planting cover crops on their wheat fields after harvest.
After realizing the potential value the cover crops had for cattle feed, they started planting wide row corn, inter-seeding cover crops and integrating livestock on their fields. They have also converted to strip-till and no-till practices. Some of their tillable acres have been seeded into perennial pastures and the use of full season annual forage mixes help extend the grazing season. The stockpiled forages and the use of bale grazing have helped reduce winter feed costs.
Over the years, the siblings have enrolled in both State and Federal Programs through the NRCS and SWCD offices. Ultimately, the siblings’ decision to implement these practices has helped them increase yields, improve soil health, and reduce labor and input costs. The West Otter Tail SWCD would like to congratulate the Ohe and Berg Families for their contributions to conservation.
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