Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2021

Ag Bytes
Purina, Truterra partner with
local IAS office to support
farmer-led sustainability
A project to improve farm ground quality in
the Maquoketa Watershed by working with local
producers is the aim of a partnership between
Purina, Truterra and the Andrew office
of Innovative Ag Services.
“Purina has always been committed to
sustainability and how we procure a lot of our
dog and cat food.
You have to work
with the ones who
make the changes
you wish to see.
That’s the farming
and ranching community,”
said Jack
Scott, vice president
of sustainability and
responsible sourcing
for Nestlé Purina
Under the program,
which
launched in the fall
of 2019, Nestlé Purina
is supporting
conservation practices
on farms near
the company’s Clinton
and Davenport
production facilities.
Working with Skott
Gent, an agronomy
advisor with IAS,
farmers can use
the Truterra Insights
Engine, a computer
program that
benchmarks current
practices and environmental
impact on
a field-by-field and
acre-by-acre basis.
Jack Scott,
Vice President of
Sustainability and
Responsible Sourcing,
Nestlé Purina
Skott Gent,
Agronomy Advisor,
Innovative Ag Service
This information
helps farmers better
model both the potential
environmental
and economic
impacts of conservation
practices, said Matt Kruger, a precision
conservation specialist with Truterra, which is
operated by Land O’Lakes, Inc.
The three entities are identifying farmers to
enroll into the free program, with more than
100 already participating. The way it works is
a crop advisor visits the farm and develops
a baseline of information, Kruger said. They
work with farmers to get a handle on their soil
health, topography, etc. Then they work with
farmers to find ways to improve the land.
The move to engage at the local level, with
the people who are growing the raw materials,
was motivated by Purina deciding to start
at the beginning of the supply chain when
looking at how to meet consumer demand for
sustainably produced products. It didn’t like
the idea of pushing edicts onto their suppliers.
“What we did was flip it. We said let’s not
try to push things down to our supply chain,
but let’s begin with the ones who make the
changes we wish to see. That’s where it begins,”
Scott said.
Scott and Kruger both noted that the use of
technology is continuing to grow. Technology,
sustainability and community are connected.
“We’re trying to find ways to help support
farmers with technology. Of all the tools I’ve
seen, Truterra’s is one of the best. It’s great
for farmers and ranchers. It gives them additional
insights,” Scott said, adding that those
insights can help farmers make decisions
about how to improve their soil.
Kruger said right now they are targeting
50,000 acres in a 100-mile radius of Davenport
and Clinton to use the program.
“We will be backing up how growers are
operating with data to tell their story, make
them more profitable and track those changes
over time,” he said.
Gent is the local “boots-on-the-ground”
person for the program, which is open to all
farmers. They do not have to be a customer
of IAS. For more information, contact Gent
at the office at (800) 397-3228 or on his cell
phone at (563) 590-9232.
Mark Schroeder retires from
Clinton County Extension after
10 years wearing many hats
After10 years with the Iowa State Extension
and Outreach in Clinton County, Mark
Schroeder retired
in January. During
his time with the
Clinton County Extension
Office, he
wore many different
hats, though mainly
served in a role
related to community
and economic
development outreach.
“Mark was an
extremely valuable
asset to me when I
started in my position
back in 2019,”
said Sam Genson,
director of Clinton
Mark Schroeder,
Clinton County
Extension Office
County’s ISU Extension. “He did a lot for the
office in times of transition, including serving
as interim county director in the spring
of 2019. Mark has years of connections that
greatly benefited the mission of our office and
has certainly left some big shoes to fill.”
The extension office will forward cards
from people who would like to extend their
best wishes to Schroeder. They can be
mailed to Iowa State University Extension
and Outreach/Clinton County, 400 E. 11 th St.,
DeWitt, IA 52742.
AgArts offering classes,
podcasts to foster connections
with creativity and rural areas
AgArts, a nonprofit that fosters connections
between art and agriculture, is now offering
online classes. Topics include such things as
botanical drawing, designing a food forest,
writing poetry, making natural dyes, and producing
a short video. For more information,
visit agarts.org/events/
The group is also doing podcasts – “AgArts
from Horse and Buggy Land” – hosted by
Mary Swander, a
former Iowa poet
laureate who lives
in Kalona. In the
program, Swander,
a founder of AgArts,
explores life among
the Amish and the
arts and agriculture
in the wider rural
community. People
can listen in at
agarts.org/podcast/
The organization
continues to do
Farm-to-Artist residencies,
Swander AgArts Founder
Mary Swander,
said. AgArts is looking for farmers who would
be willing to open their homes to an artist for
a week or two during the year. It’s an immersion
experience that allows writers, painters,
sculptors, musicians etc. the chance to dig
deep into agriculture and learn about a rural
way of life.
“The artist gets to know the farmer and the
issues, and then creates art based on their
experience,” Swander said. Often performances
and workshops at other Iowa locations
are part of the program.
Any local farmers who would be interested
in hosting an artist can contact Swander. For
more information visit her website at maryswander.com
and click on “Contact Mary.”
For more information on AgArts visit agarts.
org.
eifarmer.com spring 2021 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 105