I was lucky enough to be raised on my family’s corn, soybean, and wheat farm in rural southeast North Dakota. You might find it “emusing” that we even raised emus for several years under the business name “Dutch Emu Acres” (“Wooden shoe like to see our emus?”). Growing up farming with family taught me patience, responsibility, respect for natural resources, a solid work ethic, and the value of perseverance. My parents still farm south of Litchville and I enjoy the opportunity to help cultivate and harvest when I am home.
Farm advocacy (we called it “agvocacy”) was an important part of my upbringing and shaped my choice to attend Drake University Law School, where I completed the Food and Agricultural Law Certificate program and graduated with highest honors. I bring my passion for farm “agvocacy” into my work representing farmers, landowners, and rural, local governments on litigation, regulatory and transactional matters primarily focused on water resources.