Bassett Farms is a three-generation operation near Ames, Iowa, raising 1,500 acres of row crops alongside a 100-head cow-calf herd. Mike manages the grazing side and has spent the past seven years building an adaptive grazing system that increases productivity while fitting within the realities of a working family farm. This pasture walk will be…
Mark and Melissa Schleisman and their family raise popcorn, field corn, soybeans, rye, wheat, oats, cattle and hogs at M&M Farms in Calhoun County, Iowa. Soil and water conservation are a priority for the family. They use cover crops on all their fields, grazing the covers whenever possible. Over the past five years, they have…
About the Summit The Upper Mississippi River Watershed stands at a crossroads. Agricultural runoff, public health risks, and recurrent flooding are converging into one of the most pressing environmental and economic challenges of our time. Addressing these issues requires a new model of collaboration between agriculture, conservation, public health, and private sector leaders. Watershed26 is…
Ryan Tiefenthaler grew up helping on his family’s row crop and hog farm near Carroll, Iowa. After college, he returned to the farm to help his dad and started a custom application business for area farms. When an opportunity to raise fish fell through in 2016, Ryan quickly pivoted his plans for the large facility…
Derek Young is a fourth-generation farmer who began farming in 1993 with his father and grandfather, running a soybean, corn and cattle operation. He strip-tills over half of his corn acres and no-tills most of his soybean acres while also maintaining conventional fields. He has covers flown on in the fall on over 1,000 acres,…
Catherine Schut owns and operates Hive and Petal, a boutique flower farm in Prairie City, Iowa, focused on specialty blooms and honeybees. Catherine grows unique seasonal flowers, from winter tulips and spring peonies to dried florals, using thoughtful, organically inspired practices that prioritize soil health and pollinators. At this field day, Catherine will lead…
Mark and Brenda Kingland farm on 1,700 acres in Winnebago County, Iowa. Eight years ago, they began strip-tilling to change efficiency in their fertilizer program and improve soil health. In 2022, Mark added a drone on his farm to apply cover crops and do precision spraying. His goal is to have a cover crop mix flown on…
Central Iowa farmers Caleb Akin and Noah Wendt began farming together through their partnership, A & W Farms, in 2006. They began transitioning acres to organic in 2015, drawn by the higher prices of organic crops. As they have continued to transition more of their acres, Caleb and Noah have come to appreciate opportunities to…
Hear from Iowa farmers about what it takes to clean up Iowa’s water – including a panel Q&A. Registration starts at 9 AM…program begins at 9:30 AM with lunch at 12:00 PM with 2 PM wrap up. The agenda includes: Matt Helmers of Iowa State University talking about the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Live demos…
Will Cannon and his wife, Cassie, farm 1,000 acres of strip-till corn and no-till soybeans near Prairie City, Iowa. They use cover crops on a large scale and have reduced their applied commercial fertilizer rates. They also run a custom application and farming business, along with a trucking company. Recently, they started applying compost extract to their…