Craig Fleishman

Craig Fleishman is the fifth generation to farm his family’s land in Dallas County, which he has done full-time since the early 70s. His operation is founded both on preserving long-standing traditions of crop diversity and embracing new practices that improve soil health and water quality. As such, Craig has kept oats in his three-year rotation and continually strives to reduce inputs and increase his organic matter by refraining from tillage.

Through his unique practices, which includes alternating crops in 12-row strips, Craig reports that his organic matter has risen half a percent over the last four years. He stated that the organic matter “isn’t going to return to the levels of the prairie, but once you get over the damage of tillage, the soil aggregates reestablish and get rebuilt.”

In addition to farming and preserving the areas of wetland and prairie on his land, Craig enjoys writing and is currently working on a nonfiction book which tells his conservation story. The book, which is tentatively titled The Lost Art of Ridge-till, leads readers through Craig’s formative experiences to becoming a leader in conservation and active participant in ILF’s farmer network.

Building a Culture of Conservation: 

“I’ve never been one to go out and preach, but there is a spiritual side to it. The good lord simply doesn’t intend for us to mistreat the soil. And that’s my sermon.

Contact Information

Craig Fleishman
17794 Quinlan Avenue
Minburn, IA 50167
515/677-2325
cardfarm@netins.net