Eric Thalken lives in the practical center of human energy and skill, machines, money and biological diversity, with the mission to produce food with the highest ecological benefit (not least impact).
Eric manages a system of cattle and crops intertwined on 2,250 acres of Southeast Nebraska. A herd of 150 head of cows is maintained on the farm, but as many as 1,000 head of cattle may rotationally stimulate the farm in any given year. Organic and transitional corn, soybeans, peas and forages are produced on the farm. Highest priority is given to synergy between cover crops, grazing and crop yield. Recently, a bumper crop of children and their kitten ranch has meshed into the circle of the farm.
To gain the experience required to manage a very complex biological and financial entity like a farm, Eric spent the last decade searching out the best in agricultural theories and practices across the United States. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska. Experiences include managing a herd of biodynamic dairy cows in Southern New Hampshire, producing organic vegetables for local markets in and around Philadelphia, living as a mentee on one of the fathers of biological farming’s organic dairy in Southeast Wisconsin, merchandising commodities for a large international grain merchant and visiting hundreds of farms as a sales agronomist for a forward-thinking fertility company in the Midwestern United States.