Dennis Lutteke began organic farming practices in the early 1980s because he and his wife were concerned for the health of their children.

He bought the farm just outside of Wells in 1972. As he worked out in the fields when his kids were young, they would follow around after him as he did his work and even helped out themselves.

Lutteke said he was concerned when his kids were around the chemicals he sprayed on his fields, so he started organic practices in 1982. The Lutteke farm became certified in 1995, and he began selling milk to Organic Valley in 1997.

“We strive for quality,” Lutteke said. “We want people to have good food.”

Saturday morning, he and Ray Yokiel, in conjunction with the south central chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association, hosted a few hundred farmers interested in organic and sustainable farming practices. Farmers from all over the Midwest showed up for the Organic Farming Field Day.

The Sustainable Farming Association has been hosting field days in the area about sustainable farming since 1989, said Jim Tjepkema, board president of the south central chapter. It’s a way for farmers and the public to see what’s going on at local farms, share information and visit.

“They just want to come and listen and watch and share information with each other,” Lutteke said. “It’s fun. It’s exciting.”

There is not a large university program in the area that focuses on organic or sustainable farming, Tjepkema said, so this is a way for farmers to learn.

“They always need to share information,” he said. “These guys have to figure out how to do it on their farm, and it takes a lot of information and sharing with each other, which they all do.”

According to Tjepkema, there are roughly a dozen organic farmers in the county.

Between Lutteke, his son and his daughter, the Luttekes farm more than 900 acres and have 250 head of cattle. There are 70 to 80 cows milking all the time, he said. Lutteke raises all his own feed and animals. He doesn’t buy from outside the farm if he doesn’t have to, he said.

His family even eats organically as much as possible, and mostly from their own farm. They do their own butchering, have a variety of food in their garden and even have organic eggs, Lutteke said.

Organic farming is not as difficult to break into as many people, think, Lutteke and Tjepkema said.

“There’s a significant market for organic processes, and there’s a certification program,” Tjepkema said.

There is a transitional period, and it takes a while to learn organic farming and become certified, he said, but the benefits are worth it.

Organic practices have been around before the idea to become sustainable. But because of the significant interest in organics, there are stricter standards.

Sustainable farming is an environmental approach and generally doesn’t use pesticides. To become certified organic, all of the processes and applications are monitored. Tjepkema said it takes a few years of being certified to sell organic products.

Lutteke said there is no major sacrifice in switching to organic farming. It’s better for the animal and the person, he said.

“We think there is a lot of room for improvement in farming generally,” Tjepkema said.

Lutteke said he isn’t discounting conventional farming practices.

“It’s supposedly safe, but I just don’t agree with it,” he said.

Now when Lutteke’s grandchildren run around the farm in their bare feet, he said he doesn’t have to worry about them becoming exposed to dangerous chemicals.