Farmer & Environmental Consultant
“When you see a turtle on top of a fence post, chances are he did not get there on his own.” We all have the privilege of working together to understand the narrative of Nature. And our problem solving will require interdisciplinary curiosity and, sometimes, uneasy collaborations. But just remember, you can see a far distance from the top of a fence post.
I have been an ecologist for over 30 years and developed two businesses with my daughter: Hayes Environmental LLC, a regulatory business established for the purpose of “bringing order to environmental chaos,” and Soybean Babes LLC, housing our farming operations. We also have the Roy Johnson Family Partnership, another farming business named after my grandfather. Dr. Tom Bragg and I also study fire and plant diversity, with research sites in the Sandhills of Nebraska and Western Australia.
My vision of land preservation/prairie restoration takes landscape form at both Bluestem Prairie (Omaha, NE) and Glacier Creek Preserve (Bennington, NE). The experience of the prairie is a culmination of the arts – a symphony, a poetry reading, and a vast watercolour mural, all in the same moment. My “love of all things local” communicates through MoonRise Gallery, my art gallery devoted to local artists, authors, and musicians. And also as an investor and founding member of Slow Money Nebraska, Local $$ for Local Food.
Life should always be a mosaic of ideas and interests, some you say “no” to, and others are drawn on the wind. But through the process of discovery a few stellar ones do emerge.
Affiliations:
Hayes Environmental LLC
Soybean Babes LLC
Roy Johnson Family Partnership
MoonRise Gallery
Glacier Creek Preserve
