American farmers have been unfairly stereotyped as not caring about the environment or being green. There have been accusations that they use too much fertilizer and pesticides or inject their animals with growth hormones to produce more products. Well, Ervin Zubic is one farmer who is pushing to squash those stereotypes and promote the family farm.

Ervin Zubic and other family farmers go to great lengths to ensure that they are environmentally conscious. They love the land they work on and the livestock they raise. Ervin Zubic would do nothing to bring harm to any of it.

“As a farmer, I am a caretaker of my land,” says Ervin Zubic, “I know that I need to do everything I can to make sure this land will be in good condition well after I am gone.”

It is important to Ervin Zubic to maintain the productivity and value of the earth’s resources because future generations will need it as much as we do now. So, as most family farmers do, Ervin Zubic practices conservation. He has integrated several techniques to make sure his land will always thrive.

“I want to maintain the vitality and fertility of my land,” says Ervin Zubic. “It is important to stop soil erosion and prevent water loss.”

Ervin Zubic does this through conservation tillage. By plowing less, Ervin Zubic is able to keep his soil strong and maintain good water levels even in times of drought. It is also better for the environment because it keeps pollutants out of the air and water. It is also important to Ervin Zubic to never use antibiotics or growth hormones on his animals. What his animals excrete is as important as what they eat.

“Manure helps to keep my land healthy,” says Ervin Zubic, “What goes into my animals is what comes out of them and back in to the soil. I do not want to compromise the quality of my livestock, food, or land.”

Ervin Zubic believes that most of the negative hype about farming is related to big industrial farms. The large, commercial farms over-apply manure, damaging the soil quality and causing erosion. They also have a larger quantity of livestock and use unnatural ways to pump out more products, something Ervin Zubic would never do.