Heather Peterson is stepping down from her role as a board member on the Kittson Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Board of Supervisors. SWCD Board Members are elected for their positions and serve a four-year term. They are responsible for setting goals, policies, and priorities that guide the work of the Kittson SWCD staff.

She has been a member of the board since January of 2013 and was the first female elected to serve on the board. She served as Vice Chairman from 2013-2016 and Secretary from 2017-2020. Heather was the supervisor for District Two, which is comprised of North Red River, South Red River, Teien, Svea, Skane and Hallock Townships.  Heather and Noel Peterson farm in South Red River Township. They raise cattle, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, oats, and sunflowers.

Heather was approached by Joanne Quiner, a former SWCD employee, about joining the board. Heather said, “[at the time] I associated the SWCD with trees, like most people do. It seemed interesting and I wanted to learn more about it.” She believes it’s important for everyone to take their turn in local government, because you learn how decisions get made, it gives local people a voice at the state level, and it gives locals a chance to meet with policy makers.

Heather grew up off the farm but with a healthy respect for farmers. When she met her husband Noel, he had her out bailing hay within the first three dates. Heather has cultivated a love of agriculture through raising four children on the farm and as farm “support staff”.  

Through this love and respect for agriculture, Heather has developed a passion for educating the public about the realities of farming. Heather is concerned that “there are fewer family farms… less and less people are connected to the farm.” This disconnect leads to misinformation. She encourages farmers to engage with people who may not understand rather than shut down. It’s important to understand where others are coming from in order to communicate with them. Heather says we need to ask people to “Please look at this another way. We can’t just let the dialogue stop.” Heather has been involved in many ag education programs including hosting groups of preschool students from Kittson Central at their farm every year. She was also a club leader for the Kittson 4-H and still assists with their educational activities.

In addition, she advocates for outreach in the schools and SWCD programs that assist producers with conservation practices and opportunities. For new practices, it takes one farmer in an area trying it and sharing their success and failures to encourage others. It can be overwhelming to try something new over the whole farm. Heather says, “It would be like deciding to run a marathon when you’ve never run before.” Making one or two changes at a time allows people to try out new things and get comfortable with them before expanding implementation.

One of Heather’s favorite parts of serving on the board is the comradery of the board members and the gentle ribbing that occurs between them. The yearly brainstorming sessions in January are exciting. She enjoys seeing ideas discussed in board meetings, like the Cover Crop Program, come to life. Learning opportunities, like last year’s Soil Health Tour, are another benefit of the experience. She says, “it’s nice to see people who are very passionate about their jobs.”
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The Kittson SWCD and staff would like to thank Heather for her time as the District Two Supervisor. They are extremely grateful for her leadership and guidance.