Oak Harbor DECA Announces Entrepreneur of the Week
Mike Libben from Ottawa Soil & Water Conservation District is our third entrepreneur to be featured on our website. Read his biography below!
Soil and Water Conservation Districts came about after the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s and erosion was identified as an issue. The Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District was started in 1952 and at that time, Fred Grimm was responsible for organizing the board of supervisors. As part of the public sector, there are several regulations that must be followed. This office handles complaints about improper spreading of manure and fertilizer as well as erosion problems. Mr. Mike Libben always knew he wanted to work in agriculture. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy. He worked as sales manager for a seed company until he was recruited for an opening at the Ottawa Soil & Water Conservation District. Mr. Libben currently holds the position of District Program Administrator which has been both rewarding and challenging. According to Mr. Libben, technology has been extremely beneficial to this industry. GIS or geographical information systems allows us to survey farm fields from computers in our office. Ten years ago, farms were surveyed by physically walking in the fields after the crops were harvested. Communication is also easier due to smartphones, websites and social media sites such as Facebook. Crop prices are right now and business has increased as farmers and landowners are signing up for government funded programs for conservation efforts. Mr. Libben advises students to listen and learn from people regardless of the industry. Great advice can come from leaders in all kinds of industries. That knowledge can be applied in other careers or as an entrepreneur.
