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…
Every Wednesday, Iowa Learning Farms hosts a webinar at 12 pm. Find more information about this week’s topic at iowalearningfarms.org.
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…
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…
Every Wednesday, Iowa Learning Farms hosts a webinar at 12 pm. Find more information about this week’s topic at iowalearningfarms.org.
This virtual cover crop workshop offers an afternoon of sessions for farmers who are currently using cover crops in their farm practices, as well as those considering it. All are welcome to attend! You’ll hear about grazing cover crops and seasonal cover crop management. We’ll also share the basics of how to get started with…
Every Wednesday, Iowa Learning Farms hosts a webinar at 12 pm. Find more information about this week’s topic at iowalearningfarms.org.
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…