Buena Vista University partners with family farm for sustainable agriculture center

Buena Vista University and a family farm focused on conservation and environmental health are partnering to offer more hands-on learning opportunities to students in a variety of areas.

The Storm Lake university announced in a news release it has developed the Boettcher Raccoon River Sustainable Agriculture Center, located at the Boettcher family farm on the Raccoon River about 10 miles from campus. According to the release, the center will provide a space for experiential learning, research and more.

“This partnership creates an incredible outdoor laboratory for hands-on learning,” said Buena Vista University President Brian Lenzmeier during an event celebrating the new partnership in the fall. “The Boettcher family has stewarded this land with exceptional care across generations, and we are deeply grateful for their trust in BVU. By sharing this legacy with our students, they are helping shape meaningful educational experiences rooted in purpose, service, and stewardship.”

Programming at the center will start “as soon as spring weather permits,” said Buena Vista University Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Megan Ogren in an email.

Iris Boettcher, owner of the Boettcher family farm, also spoke during the event, according to the release, saying the partnership between her farm and Buena Vista University fits both with the work her family has done and the future of agriculture. The release stated the Boettcher family has “demonstrated a strong commitment to conservation and responsible land stewardship” over the years, focused on soil health, water quality and conservation.

The Boettcher family farm spans 160 acres, Ogren said in an email. It is enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, a voluntary program run by the federal Farm Service Agency that promotes planting vegetative cover over “environmentally sensitive” land.

“This farm has been in our family for over 150 years, and I have worked to honor the land and my ancestors through sustainable care of the soil and river,” Iris Boettcher said in remarks at the event. “I am inspired by BVU’s mission to learn through experience, and I hope this partnership provides an experimental lab for faculty and students to design innovative, sustainable, and regenerative agricultural practices.”

Lenzmeier added in his remarks that the work of the family farm “reflects the history, values, and future of agriculture in Northwest Iowa,” and he hopes the partnership and center inspire future “agricultural leaders and environmental stewards.”