Jarad Weber
Jarad 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.
Corn, soybeans, alfalfa, cows, and a recently added wheat rotation keep the farm busy. Jarad was an early adopter to cover crops, trying them for the first time in 2008. He has learned over the years, the most important part of adding them to the system is having a plan. As a result, Jarad doesn’t commit to using cover crops on all his acres but puts them on a quarter of what he farms. This ensures he is producing the best crop while reducing soil erosion and picking up extra nutrients from the soil.
Cover crops provide an additional benefit for Jarad in the fall as a food source for his cattle herd and calving ground in the spring. During the warmer months the cattle are rotationally grazed with a 5-7 day paddock rotation in the pasture and timber.
Building a Culture of Conservation:
“Technology is extremely important in regard to conservation and finances. From a pollution side, why over apply? From a financial side, why over apply?”