Joe Rowe returned to farming in 2008 after growing up on a row crop farm but stepping away for a decade of schooling and other pursuits. Since then, he has farmed with a dedication to being curious and continually improving. He started strip-tilling and cover cropping in 2015 and has since adapted his fertilizer program…
Chad and Wendy Petersen raise corn, soybeans and cattle near Bennett, Iowa. They practice minimum tillage and use cover crops on their own farm, and they appreciate seeing more farmers integrating soil health practices. Chad and Wendy are passionate about expanding cover crops on the landscape: In addition to using cover crops on their own…
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,…
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…
Join the Iowa Soybean Association Research Center for Farming Innovation, Ross McCaw and Amana Farms for a conversation on making cover crops work in your operation. Discussion topics will include seeding methods, stand establishment, equipment considerations, livestock grazing, in-season management and termination approaches. Hear practical experiences from the field, connect with fellow farmers and pick up…
Ken Fawcett has been part of Fawcett Family Farms for decades. The operation, in Cedar County, Iowa, is now run by Ken’s son, Thomas, and nephew, Kent Stuart. But though retired, Ken is still passionate about the legacy and stewardship of the family ground. Over the last 50 years, Ken and his family have adopted…
Eric Fara grew up in Shelby County, Iowa, where his family raised crops for seed and his grandpa ran a grain elevator through which he sold the seed. About 25 years ago, they started raising wagyu cattle and grazing them on cover crops when possible. Eric felt a strong pull back to the farm after…
Karl Palmberg’s Larchwood, Iowa, farm has been in his family since 1938. But when he left for college, the operation was mothballed and put into hibernation. After retiring from the military, Karl returned to the farm and is building it back from scratch. He has been reevaluating the fundamentals and pivoting what he does to…
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…
Jim O’Connell and his son, Casey, specialize in corn and soybeans at O’Connell Farms in Linn County, Iowa. For the past 17 years, Jim has planted cover crops green into both corn and beans on all his acres. His farming practices are focused on reducing nitrates from water that leaves his land. He uses a…