Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) has received a $7,000 donation from Blue Diamond Farming Company, in Partnership with Pioneer-DuPont. Farm owners, Benjamin and Lisa Riensche formally presented a check to SSNHA Chairman Troy Louwagie and President Don Short during Silos & Smokestacks’ Board of Trustees meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 15. The funds from their donation will be used to improve and expand Heritage Area programs dedicated to preserving and sharing America’s agricultural story.

Farm owners Benjamin and Lisa Riensche formally presented a check to SSNHA Chairman Troy Louwagie and President Don Short.

From working farms and museums to historic sites and tractor assembly tours, more than 100 designated Partner Sites within this federally designated 37-county region of Northeast Iowa are actively sharing their own unique part of America’s agricultural legacy with over 3.4 million visitors each year. Additionally, Heritage Area education programs connect more than 300,000 youth and educators annually with agriculture and where their food comes from.

“We would like to thank the Riensche family for their generous donation. Through their support, we’ll be able to continue important programs for educating youth on Iowa’s agricultural heritage,” commented Don Short, SSNHA President.

Benjamin Riensche on his farm in Jubilee, Iowa.

Blue Diamond Farming Company is a large family farm, owned and operated by Benjamin and Lisa Riensche. With primary operations in Northeast Iowa, the farm is headquartered in Jubilee, Iowa, on the farmstead where Ben’s great-great grandparents settled after emigrating from Germany. Today the farm focuses on producing corn, soybeans and seed soybeans. Avid “Do-it-Yourselfers,” the family is involved in ever function, from soil fertilization on through production, processing and delivery of every bushel grown.

SSNHA is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. The Heritage Area covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. Interstate 80 borders it on the south and Interstate 35 borders it on the west. Through a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA interprets farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities—past and present. To learn more about Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, please visit www.silosandsmokestacks .org.

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