Margaret Hogan

Margaret Hogan lives in Delaware County with her husband John and together they have been farming for over 50 years. She is a science teacher in Dyersville and is an Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner. The Hogan’s grow corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and raise beef cattle. For many years they had dairy cows and are still active with Delaware County Dairy Producers.

Both Margaret and her husband grew up on farms in Jones County. Later they moved, bought their first 50 acres, and started raising their six kids. Their farm utilizes many conservation practices including no-till, cover crops, buffer strips, contour strips, an extended crop rotation, and pollinator habitat. Margaret attended Iowa State University and received a biology degree. Later she obtained a teaching license and has been teaching for over twenty years. In her science classes Margaret talks about soil erosion, water quality, and the importance of pollinators.

Students have helped Margaret plant and maintain four prairie pollinator habitats, the largest being 2 acres since she started teaching. Margaret learned how to best plant a prairie at various conservation events and has passed that knowledge onto her students. First, they practice spreading sand between two flags with an ice cream pail, then once Margaret deems them sufficient, she gives them a mixture of seeds and sand and the students head out to the prairie. For Margaret, planting the prairie isn’t just about adding pollinator habitat, but also about ease on the farm. “The biggest plot is two acres because of increasing equipment size,” explained Margaret, “it was going to be difficult to get the new 24 row planter into that small area, so we saved ourselves the stress and made it permanent prairie.”

Building a Culture of Conservation:

“Getting the message about the importance and benefits of these practices to farmers and future generations about water quality and feeding the world will lead to change for conservation practice adoption.”

Contact Information

Margaret Hogan
2067 260th Ave
Earlville, IA 52041
563-580-2949
mhogan@beckman.pvt.k12.ia.us