Biography

Curt Arens and his wife Donna are raising their four children on Curt’s great-grandfather’s farm south of Crofton, Nebraska. Curt graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1986 and farmed his family’s land full-time on the home place where he grew up for 25 years. Now, he continues to live on the land, but also writes full-time as a field editor for Penton/Farm Progress publications, Nebraska Farmer and Dakota Farmer magazines, covering the wide breadth of farm families, agricultural production and rural life across the upper Great Plains. While he was farming full-time, Curt was also a free lance farm writer, working for local newspapers as well as regional and national farm publications. His first book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” was published by ACTA Publications and garnered a 2009 Catholic Press Association award for a first time author. The book chronicled Curt’s observations and reflections of the spirituality and closeness to God that comes from working the land. He followed with a second book, “A Year with Farm to Family: A Journal of Rural Life,” which consisted of several excerpts from Curt’s rural column in the Cedar County News called “Farm to Family.” Curt has also authored two books on farmers’ markets and direct farm marketing and he wrote a rural radio program called "Farm to Family" for two Yankton, SD-based radio stations. This program continues today, entering into its 10th year on the air. He has earned awards for his agriculture reporting from the Center for Rural Affairs, Nebraska Forest Service and Northeast Nebraska Experimental Farm Association.