We partner with farmers all around the state. Read their stories and find connections in your area by clicking on the regions below.
Like many in agriculture, Brian Wolken was born and raised on a farm. By age 10, he was helping anywhere he could with his family’s Jones County operation. But Brian’s path to farming wasn’t traditional. He spent many years abroad doing jobs ranging from working at a salmon hatchery in Ireland to growing hops in New Zealand. After some persuasion from his grandfather, Brian moved back to Monticello in 2012 to once again become a part of their third-generation farm.
Read MoreFor four generations, Lucas Debruin’s family has been farming in rural Mahaska County. Along with his father, Lucas works hard to build soil health and improve water quality on all their row crop acres. Their goal to preserve the land can be seen through their long-term use of no-till and cover crops on 100% of their ground. This push towards conservation came from the desire for the farm to be around for generations to come. In addition to growing corn and soybeans, Lucas has also worked to diversify their operation to include bison. Currently, Lucas hopes to move from large scale bison production to smaller herds that can be marketed on a more local level.
Read MoreWhile not your average Iowa farmer, Bill Buman has played a key role in helping conserve the state’s natural resources. While he does utilize practices such as no-tillage and cover crops on his row-crop land, Bill is also one of four Iowans producing native seed on a large scale. With greenhouses holding up to 100,000 plants, Bill harvests roughly 30 different species each year. In addition, Bill has also experimented with strip cropping and different nutrient application methods. His most recent trial was the use of a drone to apply herbicide.
Read MoreStarting at just 10 years old, Devin Davis began working on his family’s farm in rural Warren County. Leaving the operation to pursue degrees at the University of Northern Iowa, Drake, and the Culinary Institute of America, he eventually returned to the farm. Currently helping operate 2,000 acres, Devin hopes to boost soil health and reduce risk using no-tillage, cover crops, and buffer strips. In addition, Devin is working to expand his crop rotation by double cropping winter wheat with soybeans.
Read MoreFor Brandon McHugh, farming is much more than an occupation. A deep agricultural heritage has pushed him to utilize conservation practices in hopes of protect the state’s soil and water. His efforts to protect Iowa’s natural resources can further be seen through his role as a Master Conservationist for Harrison County. With both crops and livestock, Brandon understands the need to create a sustainable future and give back to the land.
Read MoreJustin and Beth Jordan, Warren County residents, started farming in 2000. Justin grew up farming and working in construction alongside his dad and grandpa, saving up the funds to buy his first farm right out of high school. Today the Jordans raise corn, soybeans, and hay and rent pasture ground to a neighbor. In addition to farming, Justin works as a city building inspector and is a Marion County Soil and Water District Commissioner.
Read MoreConservation has been a key part of Zachary Smith’s operation since he began farming 80 acres with his dad in 2010. Having expanded to 1,200 acres over the past several years, he sees the benefits of conservation on both soil quality and efficiency on his farm. In addition to management practices seen across the state such as strip-till and cover crops, Zack pushes towards further opportunities in agriculture. This is seen in his plots testing wide row gap corn, as well as his innovative Stock Cropper system.
Read MoreWhile her roots are in rural Iowa, Kristi Heffelmeier began her agricultural journey fairly recently in 2013. After several years teaching in San Antonio, Texas, Kristi chose to move back to the Midwest where she soon realized that her family’s fifth generation farm would someday be left to her. Knowing this, she began working her way into the farming operation with her father Chris Foss. Kristi soon decided to put full focus on the operation and now does everything from field work to bookkeeping. The opportunity to farm also opened doors to further implement conservation practices on the family operation.
Read MoreWhen Jacob Bolson was given the opportunity to rent 240 acres in Fall 2020, he and his wife jumped at the chance. In addition to 139 tillable acres, this piece of land has a 30-acre pasture, two wetlands, and Beaver Creek running through it. Knowing his newly acquired ground had been under continuous corn for 10 years and the pasture overgrazed, Jacob immediately implemented conservation management practices to help build up the land.
Read MoreJarad Weber farms amongst the hills in Lee County where he is a 5th generation farmer. He took over from his dad and uncle in 2004 and grew the family farm with the help of his brother Levi. Jarad worked in central Iowa for a few growing seasons and learned about the differences in farming a couple of hours can make. He took what he learned and implemented it on the family farm. In addition, he challenges himself by trying new practices and technologies like cover crops, planting green, grid sampling, and automatic shutoffs to preserve his soil and increase yield.
Read MoreTodd Coffelt grew up in Decatur County and now raises beef cattle with his two brothers, Chris and Paul, on their family farm. Todd classifies them all as weekend farmers and they have put in a lot of weekends over the years setting up a 21-28 day rotational grazing system across multiple pasture paddocks. They are passionate about keeping the farm they grew up on an active farm and take great pride in their cattle herd.
Read MoreJason Russell started farming 20 years ago on his family’s farm outside of Monticello, IA. His farming operation has changed over the years and today he raises corn, soybeans, cereal rye, and pigs. He also has a few cattle, timber, and custom farms for landowners in the area. He not only enjoys farming, but also enjoys sharing his knowledge with fellow farmers, students of all ages, and his own kids. His wife Sarah is a teacher, and they routinely have classes out to their farm to see and experience the crops and animals.
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