Lauryn Dunklau
Keeping it in the family
Dan Janke, Nebraska
Dan Janke’s family has run their farm in Winside, Nebraska for generations. Dan hosts Ørsted wind turbines, which help sustain the farm financially and benefit the local community. Watch his video and learn about Dan’s experience partnering with Ørsted
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All through school, my sisters and I grew up working the farm with my parents. We raised hogs, cattle, corn and soybeans, primarily. It’s a good life, but one that puts you to the test every year. You can work from daybreak to dusk, become an agronomy expert, learn the ins and outs of cattle herding and soil science. But at the end of the day, you take your product to market, and you hope you earn enough money to pay for next year’s seed, or to make tax payments on your land.
My dad was the toughest man I ever knew. He endured a lot in his life – battles with cancer, a bad accident while checking on the cattle... he probably shouldn’t have survived, really. But he beat cancer. He worked for 20 years with a rod in his leg after the cattle accident. And why? Because he had to. You can’t stop farming. You can’t take a few days off. You stop farming, and immediately, you’ll have to sell your land. And my dad wanted to leave this land to his children and future generations.
In 2020, Ørsted contacted us about installing wind turbines on portions of our property. We’d been contacted by other companies, but Ørsted’s contract was fair, and the Ørsted team listened to our concerns so we could arrive at a deal that was really beneficial to all of us.
It's been a huge benefit to us as a family. It brings in enough additional income that my dad was able to retire in 2021, knowing he could keep the land for his children and grandchildren. He even got to take a long vacation for the first time in his life, and he and I had time to work together on an old Dodge pickup truck, which we then drove around to local auto shows.
As for our community, the wind farm installation put to work a lot of locals from the state, and we saw an increase in economic activity thanks to all the work going on. Wind turbines and agriculture, of course, have a long history together. I actually visited some in Europe, where they’ve been functioning for centuries. I think they add to the beauty of the land.
Speaking of the land, my dad always said that the one thing about land is, “They’re not making any more of it.” If you have land, he’d say, you can always have food, always have a job. You can always care for your family if you have land. And he did what he needed to do to keep ours, and give our descendants those opportunities that we’ve had.
Speaking of the land, my dad always said that the one thing about land is, “They’re not making any more of it.” If you have land, he’d say, you can always have food, always have a job. You can always care for your family if you have land. And he did what he needed to do to keep ours, and give our descendants those opportunities that we’ve had.
Hear from local community members
We are investing in wind and solar projects across the U.S., partnering with communities from development to decommissioning. Our goal as good neighbors is to build long-lasting relationships with local people and businesses wherever we are. These community voices highlight some of those relationships and projects across America.
