Ed and Leta Olson Farm in Nebraska: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Ed and Leta Olson Farm in Craig, Burt County, is an 815-acre corn and soybean farm that won the 2020 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award. The couple have farmed no-till for more than 20 years, planted about 4,000 trees and shrubs and built wildlife habitat into the working farm.
| Location | Craig, Burt County, eastern Nebraska |
|---|---|
| Founded | Not published in the sources reviewed |
| Sectors | Corn; soybeans; wildlife habitat |
| Scale | 815 acres, of which 115 are enrolled in conservation programs (Sand County Foundation) |
| Why it is elite | 2020 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award; 2015 Legacy Award from Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever and USDA |
| Ownership | Ed and Leta Olson |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation page on Ed and Leta Olson (award announcement, not an operation website) |
History of Ed and Leta Olson Farm
Ed and Leta Olson farm 815 acres near Craig in Burt County in eastern Nebraska. Before the Leopold honor they received a Legacy Award in 2015 from Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever and USDA.
Ed co-founded the Burt County Pheasants Forever chapter, teaches firearm safety and outdoor ethics as a Nebraska Game and Parks hunter education instructor, and has volunteered with youth mentor hunts. He also owns Olson Pearson Auctions and Realty, donating auctioneering services to conservation events. The 2020 award was announced April 21, 2020, with a $10,000 prize.
What Ed and Leta Olson Farm Grows and Raises
The Olsons grow corn and soybeans, and they have farmed without tillage for more than 20 years. Off-season cover crops of grasses, small grains and legumes protect the soil, and terraces help control erosion on sloped fields.
Conservation features include filter strips, shelterbelts and pollinator habitat. About 4,000 trees and shrubs form windbreaks and wildlife corridors, and in 2017 they joined Nebraska's Corners for Wildlife program, planting pollinator plots at the corners of rural intersections. Of the 815 acres, 115 are in conservation programs.
How Ed and Leta Olson Farm Makes Money
Corn and soybeans
Row crops are the main income. No-till and cover crops are practices aimed at keeping yields while cutting erosion and field passes.
Conservation program enrollment
The farm enrolls 115 acres in conservation programs. The sources do not state payments, but program acres turn less productive ground into steady use.
Auction and real estate services
Ed owns Olson Pearson Auctions and Realty, which the award announcement describes. This is a separate business that complements farm and land knowledge.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Ed and Leta Olson Farm
The first lesson is that conservation on a crop farm can be layered: terraces, cover crops, filter strips and shelterbelts each address a different loss path.
The second lesson is to put the poorest ground into habitat or programs and farm the rest well. The third is community: mentoring young hunters and donating services builds the relationships that keep landowner conservation going.
A farm that plants pollinator plots at the corners of intersections gives farm.FM a lot of respect for the humble field corner, which every farmer has cursed at least once. Burt County probably has farm satire in every elevator, and between farm humor about terraces, ranch humor from neighboring pastures and farm jokes about the pheasants that never read the hunting schedule, the Olsons would fit right in.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
How to Contact Ed and Leta Olson Farm
No separate operation website was found in this research, so the link is the best verified public page about the operation (November 2026). Confirm details with the family or the award sponsors before traveling.
Ed and Leta Olson Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation award announcement - 2020 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award details
- 1011 Now coverage - local news on the Olsons' conservation focus
- Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska - AFAN, a presenting partner of the Leopold award, listed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
- USDA NRCS in Nebraska - federal conservation program contact listed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
- USDA Census of Agriculture - national and state farm statistics from NASS
Ed and Leta Olson Farm FAQ
Where is the Olson farm?
In Craig, Burt County, eastern Nebraska.
How big is it?
815 acres, with 115 acres enrolled in conservation programs.
What did the Olsons win?
The 2020 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award.
What do they grow?
Corn and soybeans under no-till with cover crops.
Ed and Leta Olson Farm shows that a working row-crop farm can also be a wildlife and soil conservation model. See the Nebraska farms guide for the wider state context.