When Amanda Egler sits on the porch swing at her Hamilton County home, she sometimes thinks about all the generations who have sat there before her. The swing overlooks the same farm where she spent much of her childhood. "There are pictures of me in the front yard as a little kid," Amanda said. "Now my grandkids are here, sitting on the porch swing that I sat on with my grandpa." For Amanda, farming is about much more than producing crops. It is about caring for a place that has shaped generations of her family and ensuring that the opportunities it provides continue long into the future.

​

As part of the fifth generation of her family to farm in Hamilton County, Amanda returned to the operation in 2018 after a successful career as a federal environmental scientist. Today, she helps manage W. Lee Egler Farms, a commercial grain operation producing corn and soybeans on approximately 1,800 acres.While returning to the farm may seem like a natural progression, it was never part of Amanda's original plan.

​

Like many farm families, the Eglers had to consider whether the operation could support multiple generations. Amanda's older brother was already positioned to return to the farm, so she pursued another path. She earned a degree in biology and built a career with the U.S. Geological Survey, working as a hydrologist and environmental scientist. Her work took her from Indiana to California, where she spent several years in water quality and quality assurance roles. Eventually, family drew her back home. As her daughter started a family of her own and her father began thinking about retirement, Amanda returned to the farm she had always loved.

​

Rather than starting over, she brought decades of experience with her. "A lot of farmers around here have ag degrees," she said. "I don't have that. I have a background in looking at data, looking at numbers, and figuring out what the data really says." That analytical mindset has become one of her greatest strengths as a farmer. Whether evaluating yields, making business decisions, or navigating changing agricultural programs, Amanda relies on the same skills she developed as a scientist. She also believes her years away from the farm made her a better farmer by giving her a broader perspective and exposing her to new ideas, people, and ways of thinking. That perspective is evident in how she approaches stewardship.

​

Conservation has been woven into the Egler family story for generations. Amanda's grandfather supported local conservation efforts during the early years of the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District. Her father later served on the SWCD board and helped guide the farm's transition from conventional tillage to reduced tillage and eventually no-till farming before those practices became commonplace. Today, Amanda continues that legacy through her own service on the Hamilton County SWCD board. The farm has utilized no-till practices since the 1990s and incorporates grass waterways, filter strips, and nutrient management practices that protect soil and water resources while supporting long-term productivity. Those practices have reduced erosion, improved water quality, and helped preserve yields over time. 

​

For Amanda, however, stewardship has never been limited to conservation practices alone. One of the most unique aspects of her story is the way she has used her family's land to create opportunities for other farmers. Amanda understands that access to land is one of the greatest barriers facing aspiring farmers. Unlike many beginning producers, she was fortunate enough to return to a farm that had been in her family for generations. "I was lucky enough to be born into it," she said. It is a simple statement, but one that reflects a deep awareness of the advantages that come with having access to farmland, equipment, and generations of agricultural knowledge. Amanda knows that many people with the same passion for farming never receive those opportunities.

That realization has shaped the way she thinks about the 100-acre homestead where she lives. "This farm is incredibly special to me," she said. "I can't take care of all of it. Why not share it a little bit and see it used to its potential?"

​

Several years ago, Amanda met Nick and Sarah Tilling of Tilling Family Pastures, a young couple looking for room to expand their pasture-raised poultry operation. They did not come from a farming background and were searching for access to land that would allow them to grow. Amanda had pasture ground that was largely unused. "I said, 'If you're looking for a place to put your chickens, come build a fence and put your chickens in it.'" What started as a simple offer has grown into a meaningful partnership. Amanda has watched the Tillings expand from processing around 100 birds annually at home to raising roughly 1,000 pasture-raised birds each year.

More recently, she opened additional space to Quinn Collar and Morgan Langlais of City Limit Microfarm. What began as a backyard vegetable operation now has room to grow on the Egler farm. Amanda provides access to land, equipment, and practical support while encouraging the couple as they build their business. She is quick to point out that she is not an expert in pasture-raised poultry or market gardening. What she offers is something just as valuable: space, encouragement, resources, and the willingness to help. She provides access to equipment when needed, shares ideas, and serves as a sounding board as these operations navigate the challenges of growth.

​

In many ways, Amanda has found a way to participate in the kinds of agricultural enterprises she admires without having to run them herself. She enjoys her small flock of chickens, but has no desire to raise meat birds commercially. She loves fresh vegetables, but after spending her days farming, she has little interest in managing a market garden herself. By creating space for others, she gets the satisfaction of seeing those enterprises thrive while helping beginning farmers build viable businesses.

​

The relationships have become much more than land-use agreements. Equipment gets shared. Advice gets exchanged. Families spend time together. Amanda jokes that everyone has become part of the same extended farm family. For her, helping these operations succeed is an easy decision. "It doesn't take anything away from me," she said. That perspective may be the clearest expression of Amanda's stewardship ethic. The same values that led previous generations of the Egler family to care for the land are now leading Amanda to invest in the people who represent part of agriculture's future.

​

When she watches her grandchildren show pigs, help with chores, and learn to drive the same tractor their great-great-great-grandfather purchased, she sees the continuation of a family legacy. But she also sees legacy in the success of the farmers who are building businesses on the same ground. For Amanda, stewardship is not about putting a fence around something and declaring it yours. It is about caring for what you have been given and using it to create opportunities for others. As Amanda puts it, "A small farmer is still a farmer, and a weekend conservationist is still a conservationist." For a woman who inherited a remarkable agricultural legacy, perhaps the most meaningful thing she is doing is helping others create one of their own.