Potato and grain farmers from the Carman area are finalists for the 2016 Manitoba Young Farmer Award.

Jason and Laura Kehler say they are quite humbled and honoured to be up for the recognition.

"There are a lot of good farmers in this day and age, I don't really like to compare because there are so many of us that do a good job, but at the same time it'll be fun to be recognized for what we do and it would be fun to win," explains Jason.

When asked what he thought pushed his family's nomination into to the top three, Kehler felt their goal of doing things right, being passionate about they do and maintaining an environmental consciousness were a few of the reasons.

"Being in the potato business these days, it's a pretty sharp business to be in, so there isn't a lot of room for error (and) it pushes you to make the right decisions."

In particular, when it comes to eco-friendliness.

"With drain tile, variable rate fertilizer application and proper water-use management. It's just a culmination of doing the very best you can do at everything you do...we work hard at it."

Because he's been farming for about twenty-years, we asked Kehler if time has given way to added pressure to improve his operation's eco-footprint.

Meantime, Kehler says the family in The Family Farm is everything to him. He explains that obviously he and his wife want to have a viable operation that makes money, but his dream is that his two kids will be interested in the family business one day.

"That's why I do what I do...I'm not doing this for somebody else, I really truly hope my kids want to farm, that means everything to me. Keeping the family farm is crucial, that's all I want."

The Kehlers are up against two other Manitoba farm families for the award. They are the Heides from Boissevain and Duecks from Kleefeld.

The winner will be announced Saturday at a banquet in Winnipeg.