The Adam family has farmed their land near Harper, Iowa, since 1851. Eric and Madison Adam are trying to manage the ground with the next 175 years in mind. One of the tools they’re using is grazing land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program. Eric believes that CRP is an investment in soil health…
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…
The popular Fencing and Grazing Clinic will return on Aug. 11 in Marion. Beef producers are invited to the hands-on clinic, which addresses one of the biggest challenges in implementing any grazing system: infrastructure. Program schedule 8:30 a.m. – Welcome 9 a.m. – Breakout sessions: New Tools in Fencing/Building Your Paddocks Noon – Lunch…
In 2018, Selden Spencer purchased farmland along White Fox Creek in Hamilton County, Iowa. The 100-acre property, previously owned by Ray Fry, is a mixture of cropland, woodland, ravines and riparian corridors. Ray still manages the property today. Before he sold the land, Ray worked diligently alongside The Nature Conservancy to restore an oxbow along…
This is the second of a series of workshops to help equip ag retail professionals and others to address Iowa’s nitrogen challenge by scaling edge-of-field practices through batch and build delivery models. In coordination with INREC, the workshop is being hosted by Heartland Co-op and the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition. There is no registration cost…
Rosmann Family Farms is a 700-acre certified organic farm that supports three generations of the Rosmann family with a mixture of corn, soybeans, popcorn, small grains, forages and pasture as well as cattle, hogs and chickens. Across decades, the Rosmanns have established a patchwork of 47 different fields throughout their whole farm. They are strong…
Ross McCaw began planting cover crops in 2019 to try to reduce his nitrogen inputs. He’s taking part in a nitrogen reduction trial through PFI’s on-farm research program to document the results. In 2023, Ross started planting a three-crop rotation to raise more rye for seed and get all of the benefits of cover crops.…
Will Jones farms just under 3,000 acres of row crops outside of Sioux Rapids, Iowa. Data is central to how he makes management decisions for those acres. Will is in his third year of planting corn after corn on 90% of his acres based on the carbon scores in his soil. To sample soil, he pulls cores…
Jon Judson and his wife, Kay Neumann, own and operate Diversity Farms, a sprawling 300-acre property comprising woodlands, wetlands, prairie and a small pasture for grass-fed beef as well as a small orchard. Over time, Jon has reestablished prairie from remnant prairie, emphasizing strong genetics for robust reconstructions. His passion has led to him to…
Nicole Vernon grew up on Monck Farms, a 700-acre corn and soybean farm near Monticello, Iowa, where her parents emphasized sustainable farming and conservation practices. While at Iowa State University, Nicole bought her own 100-acre farm, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. She uses no-till and cover crops, and has restored prairie and wetlands. She has…