As we approach Thanksgiving, it is common to think about what we are grateful for. For me this year, that process began a bit earlier this fall when during a visit with our We All Live in a Watershed lesson, a student asked if I learned about this in fifth grade too, and that’s why I became interested in conservation and water quality.
The short answer at that moment was, “No, I didn’t learn about this in 5th grade, but I loved being outside and helping on the farm.”
That passion for the outdoors and the farm was passed down from generations of farmers on both sides of my family. My parents, and Iowa Learning Farms farmer partners, Rick and Jane Juchems, raise crops on land that has been in my mom’s family for over 100 years in northeast Butler County. While growing up, we raised corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and cared for hogs, cattle, sheep, and for a very short time, broiler chickens. There was always something to do on the farm, between chores and fieldwork. Today, there is much less tillage (and fewer rocks to pick up), the addition of cover crops to the corn and soybean rotation, beautiful prairie areas, two hog finishing buildings, and a solar array producing the majority of the farm’s energy.
One of my earliest memories of learning about the importance of our soil and water was while riding in the truck with my dad after a heavy rainstorm to see how our fields were holding up. I distinctly remember him pointing to areas of neighboring fields and shaking his head, saying, “they should have a waterway there.”
This phrase wasn’t limited to just the fields in our neighborhood. As we traveled to see friends or family across the state, he would point out areas where less tillage or seeding to perennial vegetation would have prevented that erosion and muddy water. Now he adds cover crops into the mix of what could be done to help the land and water.
So what am I grateful for?
That I have been able to cultivate a passion for conservation and agriculture that was first ignited by my parents’ stewardship actions on our family farm into a career where I can share information and best management practices with farmers and landowners one day at a field day, have a conversation about the importance of picking up pet waste with an urban resident at a farmers market the next and follow that up with a classroom visit talking about the importance of wetlands with 5th and 6th graders the next day.
I am grateful for the increasing number of cover crops, bioreactors, saturated buffers, wetlands, and more all working to help improve our water quality. While also recognizing there is still so far to go to meet the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals. Just like on the farm, there’s always more to be done!
I am grateful for our team and all the partners working to help improve water quality in Iowa and beyond. From our farmer partners and agency partners to the many other organizations working towards that shared goal.
Now it’s your turn! What are you grateful for?
Feel free to share yours in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Iowa Learning Farms 