family farms

Many Practices with One Goal

Getting a start in agriculture at ten years old, Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner Devin Davis understands the importance of preserving the land. When he became a key decision maker on his family’s Warren County farm in 2019, Devin pushed to implement practices such as no-tillage, cover crops, and buffer strips. With a goal of expanding conservation practices on his family’s 2,000 acres, Devin does all he can to benefit his land while remaining profitable.

Devin Davis on his farm in Warren County

While his immediate family started farming in 2000, Devin has an agricultural heritage that runs eight generations deep. As a child, and throughout his teenage years, he helped where he could. Following his graduation from high school, Devin earned his degree in political science from the University of Northern Iowa and went on to Drake Law School. After passing the Bar Exam in 2015 and receiving his associate degree at the Culinary Institute of America in 2019, Devin returned to Warren County. Upon his return in 2019, Devin took on a leadership role on his family’s farm. Currently, he farms full time in addition to being a part time lawyer in Des Moines. 

Overlooking Devin’s farm

Conservation can be seen in many forms across Devin’s land. As a farmer and a lawyer, he understands the value of time. Because of this, nearly all his acres are no-till. This reduces the time spent making multiple passes in each field. In addition, Devin currently plants roughly 300 acres of cover crops. His hope is to increase the number of acres planted into cover crops through the Conservation Stewardship Program. Nutrient management is another important issue for Devin. By only applying nitrogen in the spring, he hopes to reduce losses and improve the effectiveness of his application. This year, Devin also attempted to double crop winter wheat and soybeans. The wheat was harvested in July and sold as grain, and soybeans were planted immediately after. Due to the lack of rain, he is unsure how well the soybean crop will yield but he hopes this experiment could lead to opportunities in the future. Other practices on Devin’s farm include buffer strips on field edges and controlled traffic patterns to reduce compaction. 

Devin talks about his experiences at a field day

Conservation practices don’t come without their challenges. One challenge Devin noted is the tradeoff of short-term and long-term gains. It’s common to focus on the short-term goals such as reaching record yields. In addition to increased yields, Devin’s larger goal is to gain the long-term benefits of his conservation practices through improved soil health and water quality. As time goes on, he hopes to see people hold the idea of maintaining the health of the land as high as maintaining crop production. 

Despite challenges, Devin takes great pride in all the pieces that go into being an Iowa farmer. “I don’t think there’s any other job in the world that requires such a broad, diverse set of skills and abilities.” Devin notes a farmer has to be a mechanic, agronomist, weatherman, and a salesman all in one. Being able to constantly learn has motivated Devin to keep looking forward to new opportunities and continue, “to do right by our families, right by our communities, and right by our land.”

–Mitch Harting

Farmers’ Perceptions of Edge-of-Field Practices and Strategies to Improve Understanding

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, May 8, featuring Wendong Zhang, Ph.D., extension economist and assistant professor in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Zhang’s research focuses on issues related to the interplay between agriculture and the environment, the U.S. farmland market, as well as the global trade implications of Chinese food and agricultural demand.

In the webinar, “Decoding Iowa Farmers’ Understanding of Edge-of-Field Practices,” Zhang will share data and results from a recent study report highlighting perceptions among farmers and landowners that influence adoption of edge-of-field (EOF) practices. He will draw on this study to illustrate current EOF practice adoption rates and adoption willingness, perceived environmental benefits, and barriers to adoption among Iowa farmers. He will also offer suggestions on effective education strategies which were shown to be embraced by landowners and farmers—and improved effectiveness of communication and message comprehension.

“When educators and advocates first understand the barriers and benefits of environmental practice adoption, it allows better formation of materials, resources and messages that will be best received and acted upon by farmers—who are not only cultivators of our food, but also stewards of our land,” said Zhang. “Gaining insights into landowners’ and farmers’ perceptions of EOF practices, understanding their perceived environmental benefits and identifying obstacles hindering adoption, should help inform strategic and tactical actions to increase EOF practice effects.”

Webinar participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.

Webinar Access Instructions

To participate in the live webinar, shortly before noon CDT May 8:

Click this URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xtAwWXycQZW8iwtNLz34GA#/registration

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter webinar ID: 999 3709 5398

Or join from a dial-in phone line:

Dial: +1 646 876 9923

Meeting ID: 999 3709 5398

The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, so that it can be watched at any time. Archived webinars are available at https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/webinars For a list of upcoming webinars visit https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/events-1

A Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) has been applied for. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.

Iowa Farms Changing Through the Generations

Dr. Matt Helmers, Director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, grew up in Osceola County where his family has been farming for over 100 years. A lot has changed in this time including cropping rotation, equipment, and fertilizer application. Tune into the most recent ILF webinar, Impact of 100 Years of Agricultural Practice Changes on Sediment and Nutrient Loss from One Farm in Osceola County, IA, to see the history, find out progress that has been made, and Dr. Helmers’ recommendations for further progress.

Images from the family farm in 1923, 1958, and the 1980s.

Land use in the 1930s in Osceola County was a diverse cropping system with row crops, small grains, pasture, and hay. Today, over 80% of the land is used in a corn-soybean rotation. In the 1950s-70s tillage increased with the field cultivator and chisel plow, but now most of the county uses conservation tillage (30% of residue is left on the field). These changes have resulted in sediment loss increases and then decreases.

The area is seeing higher amounts of precipitation, especially in the spring with an average 3-inch increase, a yearly 4 to 5-inch increase. This in turn has resulted in the need for more drainage. As a result, runoff amounts have increased.  Nitrate-N losses and concentration have also increased in the past 100 years.

There are solutions (shown in image above) and I encourage you all to tune into the webinar to hear Dr. Helmers explain them more in depth and to keep listening during the Q & A. Tune in to any previous webinars found in our archives.

–Alena Whitaker

100 Years of Farming: Sediment and Nutrient Loss Impacts

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 22, featuring Matt Helmers, professor and extension agricultural engineer, Iowa State University.  Helmers conducts research and extension outreach programs concerning nutrient management, cropping practices, drainage design and management, and strategic placement of buffer systems to reduce nutrient export from agricultural landscapes.

Matt Helmers (lower right), his father (upper right), and grandfather on the family farm near Sibley, Iowa.

In the webinar, “Impact of 100 Years of Agricultural Practice Changes on Sediment and Nutrient Loss from One Farm in Osceola County, Iowa,” Helmers will discuss various land management approaches utilized on his family’s farm during the past century. He will draw insights from his experiences to provide an overview of the evolution of farming practices over time and examine some of the potential impacts of different practices on sediment and nutrient losses.

“Looking at the ways in which farmers utilize the land and how land management practices have changed over the last 100 years provides an excellent opportunity to increase understanding of how these practices have impacted sediment and nutrient loss,” said Helmers. “Over time, the outcomes of adopted practices were not always predictable or entirely beneficial. It may surprise some people that while some practices may have reduced sediment loss, they also increased nitrate losses. Taking the good with the bad, seeing impacts over a 100-year span provides an excellent backdrop for learning and discussion.”

Webinar participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.

Webinar Access Instructions

To participate in the live webinar, shortly before noon CST Nov. 22:

Click this URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xtAwWXycQZW8iwtNLz34GA#/registration

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter webinar ID: 999 3709 5398

Or join from a dial-in phone line:

Dial: +1 646 876 9923

Meeting ID: 999 3709 5398

The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, so that it can be watched at any time. Archived webinars are available at https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/webinars For a list of upcoming webinars visit https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/events-1

A Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) has been applied for. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.

Carrying on with Conservation

While a career in agriculture wasn’t her original plan, Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner Kristi Heffelmeier is now the fifth generation working her family’s land near Buckingham. As a commissioner for the Black Hawk County Soil and Water Conservation District, Kristi understands the importance of conservation practices to Iowa’s natural resources. She also finds protecting the land and water important to the continuation of her family’s agricultural legacy.

Kristi Heffelmeier (right) and her father Chris Foss (left)

Kristi’s farming story began in 2013. After the loss of her grandfather, Kristi decided to move back to the Midwest from San Antonio, Texas, where she had been a teacher. Realizing she would be the person who would someday inherit the family farm, she decided to work into the day-to-day operations with her father Chris Foss. Despite some skeptics, Kristi became an important asset and now does everything from operating equipment to managing the conservation practices in which they are involved. Along with her father, Kristi is integral to maintaining the land they own and rent.

Conservation has been a crucial part of Kristi’s family’s farm long before her return 10 years ago. Her father Chris has been doing no-tillage and strip-tillage since the late 1990s. In addition, cover crops became an important part of their operation beginning in 2011. After planting seed corn, Chris worried about crop residue being removed by the seed company. With hopes of preventing soil loss on the 140 sloping acres, Chris planted a cereal rye cover crop without any financial assistance. Since then, Chris and Kristi have found the overwinter cover to be beneficial and used cover crops on 78% of their ground last year. Some more recent practices put into place have been a woodchip bioreactor, windbreaks, and streambank reconstruction. Kristi notes the assistance they have received from the Iowa Soybean Association, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Miller Creek Watershed Initiative, and friends in the industry have helped them expand conservation on their farm. Kristi’s family’s operation also utilizes renewable energy in the form of solar panels. These solar panels provide power which can be banked through their energy company and used in the fall to dry grain. This not only reduces the farm’s reliance on fossil fuels, but also results in lower energy costs.

Solar panels collecting energy for use in the fall

While Kristi and Chris have seen the benefits of conservation practices over time, some farmers are still hesitant. Both agree that long standing practices, like conventional tillage, are hard to change. As a substitute teacher, Kristi heard students talk about the need for tillage to grow good crops. She noted that farmers often do what those before them had done, which is not always a bad thing. After seeing the conservation practices her father had been implementing, Kristi was motivated to do the same.

Not only is Kristi doing what she can to increase the conservation on her farm, she is reaching out to neighbors to encourage them to do the same. Kristi recognized that the paperwork required for conservation costshare can overwhelm and discourage farmers from doing it. So, Kristi has offered to help her friends in agriculture navigate the paperwork associated with new practices.

Near the head of the Miller Creek Watershed

Despite the challenges faced in agriculture, Kristi and her father do find many benefits to their lifestyle. “You always have something to show for your day here,” said Kristi. This feeling of accomplishment is joined by Kristi’s chance to carry on her family’s legacy. As a fifth-generation farmer, she enjoys the opportunity to raise her son in rural Iowa and the prospect of him taking over the farm someday.

-Mitch Harting

What Binds Us Together


Sometimes a word just sticks to me. Does that happen to you? You hear a word, and you start thinking about what it means, how it is used and if somehow the concept has lost its importance? Sounds crazy. But anyone who knows me knows that sometimes a word sticks to me and I just can’t stop thinking about it. That is where I am at right now with the word obligation, and I think it is significant to the conservation work we do.

The word came to mind back in November after I interviewed ILF Farmer Partner Mike Paustian for a virtual field day on the blind tile inlet he was installing on his property as part of a research project (watch the recording of the Modified Blind Inlets Virtual Field Day to learn more). Mike said that his kids would be the seventh generation to work the farm and that his biggest job was to make certain that the farm was in better shape for his children if they wanted to farm than it was when he inherited it.


It was clear that Mike felt a huge responsibility to farm in ways that made sense both environmentally and economically and he knew that the long-term success of the farm rests in connecting these two goals. In other words, Mike felt an obligation even though he didn’t use that word.

You don’t hear the word obligation used much anymore. When it is used, it is often seen as something that is less desirable. Obligation feels like we must do something rather than we want to do something. What are we missing about the concept of obligation?

The word obligation traces its roots all the way back to the Proto-Indo-European word *leyǵ- which means to bind, tie. This becomes the Latin word obligātiō, which also means to bind. Today, the word obligation has come to be understood as “binding oneself by a social, legal or moral tie to someone else” (Wikipedia) or “something one is bound to do, a duty or a responsibility” (Merriam Webster).

The anthropologist in me figures that the concept of obligation arose as humans started to form more permanent settlements. Small nomadic tribes had no need for institutional ties because they were all bonded to a common goal: survival. As humans started to form larger groups that weren’t necessarily bonded via genetics or marriage, they had to find other ways to bind themselves to each other for the good of society. Somewhere in our development, humans also began to feel obligations toward things not human (dogs and other animals, water, the overall environment, etc.).

Right now, it feels like we have conflicts between the obligations we feel toward economic issues, values and the obligations we have to the natural world. How do we decide how to act when one obligation conflicts with another obligation? (If this is something that interests you, check out this excellent article, The moral psychology of obligation, by Michael Tomasello.)

The philosopher Harry Frankfort asserts that our behavior is shaped not so much by our obligations but by our attitudes toward our obligations – i.e. how much we care about our obligations and how important it is for us to act on them.


It seems it is a part of what makes us human to act out of obligation and to come up with unique ways to tie ourselves to others (human and nonhuman). Obligation goes well beyond feeling like you owe someone something. Americans seem very resistant to this idea. We like to think that we make our own opportunities and drive our own successes. We don’t like to think we owe anyone anything. So, I can see why in American culture, the idea of obligation has gone out of fashion.

However, it feels like we are at a juncture in human existence where we need to more fully restore our sense of obligation to each other and to the world if we hope to leave a habitable planet, not just to our children and grandchildren but to seven generations after that.

As Wendell Berry writes: “The old have an obligation to be exemplary, if they can—and since nobody can be completely exemplary, they also have an obligation to be intelligent about their failings. They’re going to be remembered in one way or another, so they have an obligation to see that they’re remembered not as a liability or a great burden, but as a help. And of course the young, the inheritors, have an obligation to remember these people and live up to them—be worthy of them. So it’s an obligation that goes both ways, and it’s inescapable. Once you become involved in this sequence of lives, there is no way to escape the responsibility. You inherit, and in turn you bequeath an inheritance of some kind.”


Listening to Mike Paustian made me think of this Berry quote. It is clear that he not only feels an obligation to his children, but perhaps to the thought of seven more generations of his family farming the land. As Mike said in his interview, “We are always tweaking things and trying to get better…whether we are talking about soil and water conservation, whether we are talking about crop production, whether we are talking about our hogs, it is always about what we can do to get better every year. We are trying to do things every year to make those incremental steps forward.”

It is my hope that not only Mike’s children and grandchildren will model their behavior after his example but so will others in the state. You can’t help but listen to Mike and ponder how you can take some incremental step today that will make the world a better place tomorrow. That is the kind of obligation we all have to the world.

–Jacqueline Comito

Citations for those that would like to dig deeper:

  • Frankfurt, H. G. (1982) The importance of what we care about. Synthese 53:257–90 (reprinted in Frankfurt 1988, pp. 80–94).
  • Frankfurt, H. G. (1988) The importance of what we care about. Cambridge University Press.
  • Fisher-Smith, Jordon (1993) Field Observations: An Interview with Wendell Berry. Orion Autumn.
  • Tomasello, M. (2020) The moral psychology of obligation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43, E56 1-58. Doi:10.1017/S0140525X19001742.

How Full is Your Plate?

Do you work with farmers in your job or are you related to one? How do you talk to them about their stress? 

In the most recent webinar, Sometimes the Shield is Not Enough, Sarah Noggle, from The Ohio State University talked about mental health for farmers. Stress for farmers looks different from stress in other professions for many reasons. There is little separation between work and family, rural mental health resources can be lacking or absent, and farmers can feel a need to hold onto the family land and legacy.

 

Stress can be good; we need to have enough on our plates to maintain peak performance. But much like a paper plate at a potluck, there is a breaking point. Noggle asks that you all think about your own plates. What is causing you stress? How much of that do you actually have control over?  

I think this webinar has great tips for anyone dealing with stress and wants some great tips. Noggle included many resources in her webinar including links to mental health trainings. Below are some additional resources from Iowa State University. The Mental Health and Addiction Crisis phone number is now 988.  

–Alena Whitaker

Taking Time for Gratitude

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.

2022 The Way We Live recipients at the Iowa State Fair

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.  

–Liz Ripley

Continuing the Family Farm Legacy Through Diversification

When new Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner Wendy Johnson left Iowa as a young adult, she knew that her fate rested outside of an agricultural career. No one was more surprised than her that she was wrong. Today she is 12 years back on the farm and a leading voice on regenerative agriculture which she demonstrates on her diverse organic farm in Northeast Iowa.

Wendy grew up outside of Charles City with parents and grandparents that farmed. When she left Iowa she was looking for new experiences that were far removed from her farm upbringing. In 2010, she returned to Iowa with a goal of reconnecting with her agricultural heritage. Wendy and her husband John started Jóia Food Farm where they farm holistically and implement new conservation ideas. In addition, Wendy co-manages the family’s farm, Center View Farms Co, with her father.

Wendy and her husband John in front of a field filled with native grasses and flowers.

It is an interest in the food system, how food is produced and grown, and its impact on the environment that motivated Wendy’s return to the farm. “I felt like I needed to be a part of it. Not just an outside person watching it. I could have some impact and be part of the food system and its potential change,” commented Wendy.

Grass-fed sheep and lambs enjoying their meal out in the pasture.

When she moved back to the farm, it was difficult to find other farmers that were thinking like she was. She joined Practical Farmers of Iowa and found a community with farmers across Iowa implementing conservation practices, focusing on local food and being resources for new farmers like her. She originally farmed organic row crops but decided to rotate the land to pasture for soil health and water quality and drainage concerns. Wendy has also helped to expand conservation practices on her family’s farm, a much larger traditional row-crop farm, to become more sustainable and regenerative by implementing 100% no-till, adding cover crops, and reducing costly inputs.

Jóia Food Farm is now certified organic and certified Animal Welfare Approved with grass-fed sheep and lamb, pigs, broiler chickens, turkeys, and a few goats and cattle. Products are sold direct to consumers. Wendy also custom grazes other people’s cattle to help regenerate the land and build organic matter. With a lot of emphasis placed on agroforestry, Wendy is developing silvopasture on her land through the integration of trees and grazing livestock on the same landscape. The pastures have a wide variety of grasses for the animals as well as a diversity of trees and shrubs including fruit and nut types. Practicing adaptive management grazing by moving the sheep and cattle daily, Wendy is able to maintain a vibrant and species diverse pasture. The pasture paddock size changes depending on the time of year, rain, and flora type.

Jóia Food Farms’ perimeter is entirely fenced to keep animals in from neighboring fields.

Wendy describes herself as a beginner farmer always learning and enjoys the physical and mental challenges of farming. Wendy hopes for more diverse markets to grow in Iowa, which in turn would lead to more diversity in the landscape. “There are always problems to solve and you’re constantly learning, so your mind is just always being used in different ways,” said Wendy, “Farming, and agriculture in general, is an ongoing learning occupation in which one can never be stagnant.”

A riparian buffer being restored. Wendy has planted 2,500 trees and bushes so far.

Protecting Iowa’s rich soil and educating others on its value as a natural resource is her privilege as a farmland owner but also her responsibility. A fate she wholeheartedly embraces. Young Wendy probably would be shocked by the answer she recently gave to a question of what she would want to do if she could do one thing every day for the rest of her life. Wendy responded, “I want and hope to continue caring for the land and the valuable natural resources we have in Iowa like our soil and water.”

–Alena Whitaker

The Risk and Benefits of Improving Your Management

Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner Mike Paustian has to remind himself to “trust in the process” when he goes to plant green in the spring. Mike is a sixth generation farmer and a scientist from Walcott, Iowa. He spent his early career obtaining a PhD and then working at the National Animal Disease Center before moving back to his family farm to operate the farm with his parents, wife, and kids. The farm consists of corn, soybeans, and farrow-to-finish hogs.

“I really enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how things work and how we can do better—that’s what drives me,” says Mike Paustian, ILF farmer partner.

Mike enjoys the challenge of farming. He likes to see what adjustments the farm can make to maintain current productivity and increase that long-term. Most of the farm’s conservation practices started as trials and then grew. For the last seven years, Mike has used cover crops and no-till on every acre. He trusts in the process, though he still admittedly gets nervous every spring planting green. Planting green means planting corn and soybeans in the field while the cover crop is still alive and green. The cover crop is terminated after planting using herbicide. This year Mike tried a roller out in front of the planter on 50 acres to terminate the cover crop to reduce the amount of times herbicide is being applied. With any new practice or management approach, he likes to start small to give time to adjust to the learning curve.

Cover crop residue in-between corn rows in August 2022.

Mike stated they are not just doing conservation practices for the sake of doing them. They are constantly asking, “Is this better than what we did before?” He is routinely experimenting and making changes based on results to maintain or increase productivity. Currently, their seedbed is the best they’ve ever had and the yields are better now than before cover crops. “We don’t mind making an investment for the future, but it’s nice if we can make it pay on a year-to-year basis, too,” said Mike.

It makes Mike proud to be an Iowa farmer, and to be a part of a globally recognized group of great producers. According to Mike, “People in Iowa have been working hard for many years and have a commitment to an excellence of row crop production. He added, “The job is also stressful. Farmers have to navigate the volatility, weather, and prices to figure out how to survive another year. That makes it hard to try new ideas or practices because they could affect the survival of the family farm.”

Mike emphasized the need of a support network when trying new ideas. Because of that, he is willing to connect with other farmers to help shorten their learning curve and benefit from his mistakes. Producers in Iowa and across the Midwest have options to choose what will work best with their conservation goals and landscapes. He emphasized, “Not everyone needs to learn lessons the hard way. I hope producers have enough foresight to take advantage of the time we have now to start trying to figure things out. We all need to have a sense of urgency.”

Mike is doing his part. He plans to continue to try new things on his farm to increase sustainable productivity as well as help guide other farmers to do likewise and above all else “trust the process.”

View of Paustian’s hog buildings and the solar panels that power them.

–Alena Whitaker