Stan’s Steps to Stewardship

Like many farmers and ranchers, Stan Oller sees himself as a careful steward of his land. When he first bought his farm near Lincoln, he pulled over 250 tires and 30 old TV’s out of the woods and ravines on his place. By participating in IRWP’s Riparian Restoration Program, the Oller family was able to jumpstart their rotational grazing operation and begin transforming a neglected property into a productive farm. IRWP funding helped provide abundant, off-stream watering sources for their livestock, and replaced their old, failing septic system. 

A combination of permanent hi-tensile and temporary electric fences installed on the Oller property control livestock access to over 4,900 linear feet of stream,, reducing the chance of bacterial contamination in Moore’s Creek, which already exceeds state standards for E. Coli. The kind of rotational grazing that the Oller family practices on their Lincoln farm has been shown to increase the soil’s capacity to absorb rainfall, and decrease the amount of stormwater runoff from pastures. Stan and Coral Oller look forward to watching their children grow up on this farm, and seeing the land continue to improve.