EasternIowaFarmer_Fall2023
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Eastern Iowa Fall 2023<br />
Farmer<br />
®<br />
CLINTON | JACKSON | JONES<br />
A Publication of Sycamore Media<br />
THE<br />
ENERGY<br />
ISSUE<br />
Eastern Iowa corn growers are fueling the<br />
expansion of ethanol as efforts to lower carbon<br />
emissions gain steam. Producers are also<br />
wrestling with questions surrounding land use<br />
involving wind, solar and pipeline proposals.<br />
Hobby Farms: From horses and goats to ducks and<br />
rabbits to more exotic species, hobby farms are a source of<br />
education and entertainment – in your own backyard.<br />
A ‘Watershed’ Moment: Private/public<br />
partnerships move two creeks off impaired list.<br />
Growing and cooking: A local woman promotes<br />
self-sustaining lifestyle with garden-to-table practices.<br />
Smile! You’re on camera: Show featuring<br />
photographs from Eastern Iowa Farmer to open this winter.<br />
HERE’S TO YOU:<br />
See photos of your<br />
friends and neighbors!
Some back down<br />
from a challenge.<br />
Others RISE to it.<br />
The world of agriculture is rapidly changing. But with a deeper<br />
seed portfolio, more agronomic support and local field teams<br />
that know your goals, the enhanced Channel ® seed brand can<br />
help you take on tomorrow with confidence.<br />
Rise to the Challenge.<br />
channel.com/rise<br />
Channel ® and the Channel logo is a trademark of Channel Bio, LLC. ©2023 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. 46996 ED 8.30.23
GEOFF APER<br />
Field Sales Representative<br />
309-945-5222<br />
BOB NEYEN<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Worthington, IA<br />
563-543-3855<br />
DEALER<br />
MATT NELSON<br />
Agronomist<br />
712-540-8419<br />
JANELL SLATTERY<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
563-357-4057<br />
DEALER<br />
TODD HUSMANN<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Center Junction, IA<br />
319-480-6331<br />
DEALER<br />
MAX MCNEIL<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Preston, IA<br />
563-357-2381<br />
DEALER
Your dreams.<br />
Our building expertise.<br />
TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD SOMETHING SPECIAL.<br />
1954<br />
› COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSING<br />
› RETAIL SALES/ SHOW ROOMS<br />
› MINI-WAREHOUSES<br />
› MUNICIPAL GARAGES/SHOPS<br />
› OFFICES<br />
› AIRPLANE HANGARS<br />
› FAIRGROUND BUILDINGS<br />
› APT./GARAGES<br />
› DAIRY BARNS<br />
› CALF HOUSING<br />
› CATTLE SHEDS<br />
› CHURCHES<br />
› MANUFACTURING FACILITIES<br />
› MACHINE STORAGE<br />
› INSULATED SHOPS<br />
› HORSE BARNS/RIDING ARENAS<br />
› UTILITY BUILDINGS<br />
› GARAGES<br />
TRI-STATE<br />
BUILDING<br />
CORP.<br />
Frank Reisen, owner<br />
25584 Bellevue-Cascade Rd,<br />
Bellevue, IA 52031<br />
563-542-1681<br />
Tri.statebldgs@gmail.com<br />
wickbuildings.com
The Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer®<br />
DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS<br />
AgVantage.............................................18<br />
AgWest Commodities............................88<br />
Altorfer...................................................99<br />
Amhof Trucking....................................104<br />
American Family Insurance<br />
- Sandy Kloos................................. 113<br />
Andresen Landscaping & Nursery.........74<br />
Appliance Solutions...............................42<br />
Arensdorf Trucking, Rock Quarry<br />
& Ag Lime Application.......................64<br />
Beck’s....................................................20<br />
Bellevue Sand & Gravel........................74<br />
Bellevue Veterinary Clinic......................14<br />
Ben Schueller Auction Co......................24<br />
Big Iron Auctions..................................105<br />
Brandenburg Drainage........................107<br />
Breeden’s Vermeer................................40<br />
Buchanan House Winery & Vineyard.... 114<br />
Bullocks Inc...........................................29<br />
Burger Chiropractic................................47<br />
Burger Shoe Repair...............................47<br />
Cascade Livestock Auction LLC.......... 112<br />
Cascade Lumber Co..............................85<br />
Channel Seed..........................................2<br />
Charlotte Locker....................................31<br />
Citizens First Bank.................................63<br />
Citizens State Bank...............................56<br />
Clinton National Bank............................48<br />
Clover Ridge Place................................53<br />
Community Foundation<br />
of Greater Dubuque..........................70<br />
Community Foundation<br />
of Jackson County............................49<br />
Cornelius Seed......................................17<br />
Cove Equipment....................................33<br />
Custom Dozing and Crane Service, Inc....97<br />
Deep Creek Applicators.........................67<br />
Delaney Ag Service...............................77<br />
Delmar Grain Services Inc.....................34<br />
DeWitt Bank & Trust............................128<br />
Dr. Appliance Sales & Service...............46<br />
Duane Headings....................................62<br />
East Iowa Real Estate...........................73<br />
Eberhart Farm Center............................61<br />
Ed Morse...............................................93<br />
Farm Bureau..........................................80<br />
Farm Bureau Financial Services<br />
- Megan Fulgsang.............................23<br />
Farm Bureau Financial Services<br />
- Megan Graves................................55<br />
Farm Credit Services of America...........90<br />
First Central State Bank...................... 112<br />
First Trust & Savings Bank.................. 119<br />
Heritage Mutual Insurance....................27<br />
Hertz Land Management.......................96<br />
Hostetler Precision Ag Solutions...........59<br />
Insurance Planning Services, Corp.......51<br />
Iowa Concrete Products........................87<br />
Iowa State University Extension............69<br />
Iron Creek Cattle Co..............................16<br />
J & S Auto Specialists.......................... 117<br />
J.J. Scheckel Performance Angus<br />
Genetics............................................89<br />
Ken Kruger............................................83<br />
Kleinschmidt Excavating......................109<br />
Kunau Implement..................................86<br />
Legacy Insurance Group.......................98<br />
Liberty Ag & Excavating.........................60<br />
LincolnWay Community Foundation......91<br />
Liqui-Grow.............................................41<br />
Maggie’s House Assisted Living..............9<br />
Maquoketa Livestock Exchange............72<br />
Maquoketa State Bank..........................81<br />
Martens Angus Farms...........................65<br />
Matthiesen’s..........................................14<br />
Meant To Be with Flowers.....................28<br />
MidWest Metal & Supply.......................35<br />
Mississippi Valley Metals.......................15<br />
Moore Local / Moore Family Farms<br />
Creamery..........................................21<br />
Nissen-Caven Agency.........................100<br />
Nutrien Ag Solutions..............................83<br />
Ohnward Farm Management.................52<br />
Ohnward Insurance Group....................95<br />
Ohnward Wealth & Retirement..............12<br />
Osterhaus Pharmacy.............................75<br />
P&K Midwest.........................................37<br />
Padgett..................................................68<br />
Peoples Company...............................126<br />
Pioneer..................................................71<br />
Preston Locker & Grocery.....................39<br />
Preston Veterinary Clinic.......................14<br />
Reiser, Jennings & Co, P.C...................72<br />
ReMax - Abby Scheuller...................... 118<br />
River Bluff Community Foundation...... 110<br />
River Ridge ATV Trails...........................38<br />
River Valley Cooperative.......................58<br />
Rockdale Locker.................................. 115<br />
Roeder Bros........................................ 111<br />
RPJ Repair & Warehouse.....................92<br />
RPM Revival..........................................25<br />
Scherrman’s Implement.........................84<br />
Schlecht Farm & Hatchery...................103<br />
Schoenthaler, Kahler,<br />
Reicks & Petersen............................94<br />
Schueller & Sons Reconstruction..........43<br />
Schuster & Meinsma PC.....................108<br />
Shearer Septic Service..........................13<br />
Sheets General Construction................54<br />
Spain Ag Service...................................69<br />
Star Moving Service..............................24<br />
Stickley Electric.....................................65<br />
Swanton Ag Service..............................32<br />
TADA Meats...........................................66<br />
The Feed & Grain Store........................26<br />
Titan Pro................................................50<br />
Tri-State Building Corp............................4<br />
United Country Real Estate /<br />
Barner Realty & Auction..................101<br />
Veach Septic & Sewer...........................82<br />
Weaver’s Pipeline Specialists................76<br />
Welter Seed & Honey Co......................36<br />
Wheatland Manor................................106<br />
Whispering Meadows Resort.................38<br />
White Front..........................................102<br />
Wyffels Hybrids......................................30<br />
Zirkelbach Home Appliance................. 116<br />
6 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
EDITORIAL INDEX<br />
The Energy Issue<br />
44<br />
Eastern Iowa corn growers are fueling the expansion of<br />
ethanol as efforts to lower carbon emissions gain steam.<br />
Producers are also wrestling with questions surrounding<br />
land use involving wind, solar and pipeline proposals.<br />
—— ALSO IN THIS ISSUE ——<br />
PAGE 10<br />
Grazing, Galloping,<br />
Strutting...<br />
Hobby farms are a slice of rural<br />
life that provide their caretakers<br />
with everything from stress<br />
relief to fresh eggs, plus<br />
interaction with a variety of<br />
‘personalities’<br />
PAGE 19<br />
From the FSA<br />
Save money on fuel with no-till<br />
farming<br />
PAGE 22<br />
Learning to be<br />
Self Sustaining<br />
Calamus-Wheatland teacher<br />
reaching the masses with<br />
YouTube channel<br />
PAGE 33<br />
Makin’ Hay<br />
Springbrook operation takes<br />
alfalfa to the next level as<br />
producer aims for a top quality<br />
product backed by lab test results<br />
PAGE 38<br />
Ag in the<br />
Classroom<br />
Next generation of ag<br />
professionals has opportunities<br />
for study and experience<br />
PAGE 78<br />
Turning a lens on<br />
our rural community<br />
Show featuring photographs<br />
from The Eastern Iowa Farmer<br />
on display at MAE; readers<br />
invited to opening reception.<br />
PAGE 82<br />
Landowners should<br />
consider general legal<br />
issues for hunting<br />
‘leases’<br />
PAGE 87<br />
A ‘watershed’<br />
moment<br />
Two small creeks in Eastern<br />
Iowa taken off impaired<br />
list thanks to private/public<br />
partnerships between<br />
landowners and government<br />
PAGE 94<br />
Foundation helps<br />
build community<br />
with gifts of grain,<br />
livestock, land<br />
PAGE 97<br />
Visits to state fair<br />
offers experiences<br />
beyond the show<br />
PAGE 100<br />
Jones County<br />
Ag Day<br />
Annual ag breakfast spotlights<br />
local commodities for some<br />
family fun.<br />
PAGE 102<br />
Ag Bytes<br />
From local students winning<br />
awards to Heritage and Century<br />
farms, read tidbits about<br />
Eastern Iowa agriculture life.<br />
Plus, some information on<br />
other rural issues.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 7
Farmer<br />
The Eastern Iowa Fall 2023<br />
A Publication of Sycamore Media<br />
®<br />
CLINTON | JACKSON | JONES<br />
MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER<br />
THE<br />
ENERGY<br />
ISSUE<br />
Eastern Iowa corn growers are fueling the<br />
expansion of ethanol as efforts to lower carbon<br />
emissions gain steam. Producers are also<br />
wrestling with questions surrounding land use<br />
involving wind, solar and pipeline proposals.<br />
Land Values: The price o farm ground has leveled<br />
off after three years of massive gains.<br />
Hobby Farms: From horses and goats to ducks and<br />
rabbits to more exotic species, hobby farms are a source<br />
of education and entertainment – in your own backyard.<br />
Savory Soups: When the temperatures star to cool,<br />
a warm bowl of hearty goodness keeps the chill at bay.<br />
Genetic Preservation: A Calamus couple<br />
works to preserve a variety of seeds and poultry a the<br />
Sandhill Preservation Center.<br />
The Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer<br />
®<br />
Sycamore Media President:<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
Advertising: Faith Jones,<br />
Trevis Mayfield, Wendy McCartt,<br />
Connie Myers, and Dean Upmann<br />
Creative: Brooke Till, Erica Mohr,<br />
Elizabeth Goodman, Tate Huckstadt<br />
Editorial Content: Delaney Barber,<br />
Lowell Carlson, Lauren Dema, Kelly<br />
Gerlach, Jennifer Harrington Kris Koth,<br />
Nancy Mayfield, Trevis Mayfield, Sara<br />
Millhouse, Jenna Stevens, Kristine<br />
Tidgren, Sheila Kramer Tjaden<br />
Photography Content: Lowell Carlson,<br />
Kelly Gerlach, Nancy Mayfield, Trevis<br />
Mayfield, Jackie Miller, Erica Mohr,<br />
Brooke Till<br />
Editors: Kelly Gerlach, Nancy Mayfield,<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
Published by: Sycamore Media<br />
108 W. Quarry St., Maquoketa, IA<br />
563-652-2441<br />
Cover: Brooke Till<br />
HERE’S TO YOU:<br />
See photos of your<br />
friends and neighbors!<br />
y o u a r e c o r d i a l l y i n v i t e d<br />
To all the folks who have enjoyed this magazine for<br />
the past eight years, please consider this a personal<br />
invitation.<br />
The date to put in your calendar is December 3.<br />
The time is 4 p.m. The place is the Maquoketa Art<br />
Experience.<br />
The event is the opening reception for a photographic celebration<br />
of agriculture and rural life in Eastern Iowa captured<br />
by the Eastern Iowa Farmer’s creative<br />
director, Brooke Till, and yours truly.<br />
The images that will make up the<br />
exhibit will feature many of you, your<br />
farms, your children, and in some<br />
cases, your pets. Some of the images<br />
have appeared in this magazine while<br />
others have not been seen before.<br />
Brooke and I have enjoyed the<br />
hours we have spent with cameras<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
President,<br />
Sycamore Media Corp.<br />
in our hands wading through cow<br />
lots, trudging through freezing fields<br />
and riding scissor lifts to frightening<br />
heights to fill this magazine with the<br />
images that show what farming in Eastern Iowa is all about.<br />
I would also like to thank all the advertisers who have<br />
supported this magazine for the past 16 issues. Without your<br />
support, none of this would be possible.<br />
While the exhibit will remain open to the public through<br />
January 31, we hope to see you at the opening. Local pork and<br />
a brew will be on us.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
The Eastern Iowa Farmer is a specialty publication<br />
of Sycamore Media Corp., 108 W. Quarry Street,<br />
Maquoketa, Iowa 52060, 563-652-2441. No<br />
portion of this publication may be reproduced<br />
without the written consent of the publisher. Ad<br />
content is not the responsibility of Sycamore<br />
Media Corp. The information in this magazine<br />
is believed to be accurate; however, Sycamore<br />
Media Corp. cannot and does not guarantee its<br />
accuracy. Sycamore Media Corp. cannot and will<br />
not be held liable for the quality or performance of<br />
goods and services provided by advertisers listed<br />
in any portion of this magazine.<br />
VIEW THE ENTIRE<br />
MAGAZINE ONLINE<br />
EIFARMER.COM<br />
Trevis Mayfield,<br />
Sycamore Media president<br />
(Above) Brooke Till braves<br />
subzero temperatures during an<br />
advertising photo shoot for Iowa<br />
Concrete. (Left) Trevis Mayfield<br />
waits for DeWitt Bank & Trust<br />
employees to get cattle in position<br />
before snapping an image.<br />
8 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
JOIN YOUR FRIENDS<br />
107 East 2nd Street<br />
DeWitt, Iowa 52742<br />
and live at Maggie’s House Assisted Living!<br />
FEATURING ONE AND TWO BEDROOM<br />
PRIVATE APARTMENTS!<br />
Care, Compassion, Personal Service<br />
Daily Activities and Exercise<br />
Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Bus Outings<br />
Friendly Staff That Cares For You<br />
Home-Cooked Meals<br />
Beauty / Barber Shop<br />
Health & Wellness Checks<br />
Take A Tour of the Facility<br />
WE OFFER OPTIONS<br />
NEEDED TO ENJOY LIFE<br />
IN OUR ASSISTED LIVING<br />
APARTMENTS.<br />
• Care, Compassion, Personal Service<br />
• Daily Activities and Exercise<br />
• Arts & Crafts, Entertainment,<br />
Bus Outings<br />
• Friendly Staff That Cares For You<br />
• Home-Cooked Meals<br />
• Beauty / Barber Shop<br />
• Health & Wellness Checks<br />
• Take A Tour of the Facility<br />
Join Your Friends And Live At Maggie’s House Assisted Livin<br />
Featuring one and two bedroom private apartments<br />
We offer options needed to enjoy life in our<br />
assisted living apartments.<br />
Contact us for a tour of our facility.<br />
Phone: 563-659-1678<br />
Email: joconnell@maggieshouse.com<br />
www.maggieshouse.com<br />
“LIKE” Us on Facebook<br />
107 East 2nd Street<br />
DeWitt, Iowa 52742<br />
Join Your Friends And Live<br />
Featuring one and tw<br />
We offer options need<br />
assisted living<br />
Care, Compassion, Personal Service<br />
Daily Activities and Exercise<br />
Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Bus Outings<br />
Friendly Staff That Cares For You<br />
Home-Cooked Meals<br />
Beauty / Barber Shop<br />
Health & Wellness Checks<br />
Take A Tour of the Facility<br />
Contact us for a tour of our facility<br />
Phone: 563-659-1678<br />
Email: joconnell@maggieshouse.co<br />
www.maggieshouse.com<br />
“LIKE” Us on Facebook<br />
Contact us for a tour of our facility<br />
(563) 659-1678<br />
107 East 2nd Street DeWitt<br />
joconnell@maggieshouse.com<br />
www.maggieshouse.com<br />
Find us on Facebook
Bruce and Sherry Ruchotzke are surrounded by just a few of their<br />
menagerie of pets on their Jackson County farm. The Ruchotzkes raise<br />
chickens, ducks, geese, goats, sheep, rabbits, and more on their hobby<br />
farm, which provides a source of relaxation and enjoyment.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Hobby farms are a slice of rural life<br />
that provide their caretakers<br />
with everything from stress relief<br />
to fresh eggs, plus interaction<br />
with a variety of ‘personalities’<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
If the goose bangs her head on the front door, she<br />
wants to be picked up.<br />
The miniature donkey is very jealous.<br />
And Winnie and Wanda, the goats, have a love/hate<br />
relationship.<br />
These are among the nuances Sherry and Bruce Ruchotzke<br />
reveal about the menagerie of pets on their small slice<br />
10 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
GRAZING,<br />
GALLOPING,<br />
STRUTTING...<br />
of paradise in rural Jackson County animals on a small-scale provides<br />
as they walk with visitors through some stress relief and is a satisfying<br />
a fenced-in area where creatures way to spend their leisure time.<br />
graze, gallop and strut.<br />
“It’s calming,” Sherry said of<br />
The couple are among many people<br />
their pets, which also include sheep,<br />
in Eastern Iowa who have “hob-<br />
alpacas, chickens, ducks and a<br />
by” farms, raising everything from miniature horse. “They’re no different<br />
egg-producing chickens and cuddly<br />
from a dog or cat in that way.<br />
rabbits to miniature horses and<br />
sheep. For many people, caring for<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 11
HOBBY FARMS<br />
They’re just big pets that<br />
need petting, too.”<br />
When the Ruchotzkes aren’t<br />
busy doing such chores<br />
as feeding and watering or<br />
cleaning pens, they often pull<br />
up a lawn chair to watch the<br />
animals’ amusing antics or<br />
enjoy their peaceful rest. Their<br />
grandchildren join in, too.<br />
A self-described “farm kid,”<br />
Bruce had all kinds of pets<br />
growing up, and his family<br />
raised dairy cattle and hogs<br />
in Delmar. They moved to town<br />
when he was 18, but he dreamed<br />
of living in the country again. That<br />
dream came true eight years ago,<br />
when he and Sherry, who also own<br />
a photography business, moved<br />
into their current home and welcomed<br />
their array of pets.<br />
Their farm welcomed its first<br />
tenants when the couple took<br />
some pictures for another local<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / BROOKE TILL<br />
Many residents of Eastern Iowa raise<br />
a variety of animals on their hobby<br />
farms, including donkeys, alpacas,<br />
and chickens, some of whom visit area<br />
school children in cheerful hats to help<br />
educate kids.<br />
hobby farmer. In return for the<br />
photos, they were going to get four<br />
sheep. Sherry laughed and shook<br />
her head as she described what<br />
happened.<br />
“We ended up with four sheep –<br />
eight with their babies — an alpaca<br />
and a horse,” she said.<br />
Recessions are painful.<br />
Expansions are powerful!<br />
Your monthly habits are<br />
building wealth.<br />
Work with a financial pro and<br />
understand your time horizon<br />
and risk tolerance. Saving for<br />
retirement or simply building<br />
emergency funds are habits<br />
needing encouragement.<br />
Our Greatest Honor is<br />
Learning Your Story.<br />
Kerry Schepers-ChFC, Shirley Driscoll, and Amber Knickrehm<br />
Kerry Schepers and Amber Knickrehm are Registered Representatives. Shirley Driscoll is an office team member and not a registered representative.<br />
Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA / SIPC. Investment Advisor<br />
Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., A registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Ohnward Wealth and Retirement are not<br />
Affiliated. Products sold are Not FDIC insured, No bank guarantee, are not a deposit, are not insured by any federal government agency and may lose value.<br />
Come see us at the Ohnward<br />
Bancshares headquarters:<br />
107 E. Quarry Street, Maquoketa<br />
Phone: 563-652-2491<br />
12 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
HOBBY FARMS<br />
Bruce is up early in the<br />
morning, about 4 a.m., to<br />
scrub out pans, freshen up<br />
water supplies and feed<br />
everyone. In the winter,<br />
he makes sure each day to<br />
break any ice that forms<br />
in the watering troughs.<br />
He and Sherry gather the<br />
eggs at night, check on any<br />
new babies and make sure<br />
that everyone is locked in a<br />
secure area.<br />
“My favorite time is when we have<br />
babies,” Bruce said, adding that taking<br />
care of the animals doesn’t feel<br />
like work for him. “I just love it.”<br />
For the Hauser family, who live in<br />
rural Welton, the foray into hobby<br />
farming began when they noticed the<br />
high price for eggs – a staple of their<br />
diet – while grocery shopping earlier<br />
this year, said Lisa Hauser.<br />
Her husband, Kris, began building<br />
a coop as soon as they got home.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / BROOKE TILL<br />
Wyatt Hauser holds one of the geese at<br />
his family’s homestead in rural Welton.<br />
Among the daily chores Wyatt and his<br />
sister, Taylor, do is make sure the poultry<br />
has plenty of fresh water for drinking and<br />
splashing around.<br />
Originally from Davenport, the<br />
Hausers didn’t have any experience<br />
in raising animals, Lisa said, but they<br />
dove into it full steam ahead.<br />
“If we’re gonna do this, we’re<br />
You call. We Haul.<br />
Pictured: Ben, Evan,<br />
Mia, and Sara Shearer<br />
Shearer<br />
Septic Service<br />
563-349-9451 | Maquoketa,Iowa<br />
➤ Septic tank pumping/service<br />
Shearer<br />
➤ New system installs<br />
➤ Iowa Time of Transfer licensed inspector<br />
➤ Still offering trucking, excavations and dozing<br />
➤ In business 23 years<br />
Septic Service<br />
➤ Serving Jackson and surrounding counties<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 13
HOBBY FARMS<br />
gonna do this,” she said of<br />
the attitude they took when<br />
planning the project.<br />
Along with their two<br />
children – son, Wyatt, 18,<br />
and daughter, Taylor, 15 – the<br />
Hausers did some research on<br />
how to care for poultry and<br />
bought chickens and ducks.<br />
“If you have the ability<br />
and space, I think it’s<br />
a great thing go try.<br />
It helps your kids to<br />
realize where food<br />
comes from, and they<br />
learn responsibility.”<br />
— LISA HAUSER<br />
Now they have fresh eggs<br />
daily and a hobby that they<br />
can do as a family.<br />
Members of their flock are<br />
named based on their personalities<br />
and sometimes tied to<br />
characters from movies or TV<br />
shows, like Rory from Gilmore<br />
Girls, Taylor explained.<br />
Then there’s Colonel Socks,<br />
QUALITY<br />
HAS NO<br />
SUBSTITUTE!<br />
MATTHIESEN’S<br />
Meat &<br />
Sausage<br />
Processing<br />
• Pork<br />
• Beef<br />
Venison<br />
(563) 659-8409 | 3357 252nd St., DeWitt, IA•<br />
IA<br />
Front Row L to R: Rebekah Pulley, Jack Wilken, Nick Wilken, Rose Gile, Mikkie Navin,<br />
Cody Matthiesen, Chuck Matthiesen, Sandra Matthiesen, and Mackenzie Roberts<br />
Bellevue/Preston<br />
Veterinary Clinic<br />
563.872.4710<br />
563.689.3121<br />
Sandy Curran of rural<br />
Jones County holds one<br />
of the two rabbits housed<br />
on her hobby farm, which<br />
includes goats, chickens<br />
and geese.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
PHOTOS / NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
We’ll be there!<br />
Dr. Chris Paulsen<br />
Dr. Susan Pond<br />
Dr. Paul Bulman<br />
14 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
HOBBY FARMS<br />
Nugget and No-Nugget. Pablo likes<br />
to be held.<br />
Wyatt pointed out the coop’s<br />
design of three buildings – the<br />
major coop, one for older birds,<br />
and one for younger birds.<br />
They have a triage area, and a<br />
first aid kit, with Epson salts,<br />
to soothe the skin when feathers<br />
get pulled out.<br />
Among the chores he and<br />
Taylor share are refilling the<br />
pool with water and making<br />
sure the flock gets fed, including<br />
some of their favorite<br />
snacks of greens, peppers,<br />
radishes and cucumbers. Kris<br />
grows sprouted oats for them<br />
in the garage to add nutrients<br />
to their diet.<br />
The Hausers plan to add a<br />
dozen new chicks each year, said<br />
Lisa, who also takes the chickens<br />
to community events, such as<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / BROOKE TILL<br />
(Left) Taylor Hauser talks about what she’s<br />
learned from her family’s poultry project, while<br />
holding one of the flock. (Above) Ducks gather<br />
for dinner. (Top) An alpaca at the Ruchotzke<br />
farm makes friends with visitors.<br />
YOUR LAST ROOF<br />
WE ARE A COMPLETE METAL<br />
MANUFACTURING COMPANY THAT CAN<br />
ACCOMMODATE ANY OF YOUR METAL<br />
ROOFING OR STRUCTURAL NEEDS.<br />
mississippivalleymetals.com<br />
(563) -659-7999<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 15
HOBBY FARMS<br />
DeWitt’s Night Out this past summer, and to<br />
schools to teach children about the animals<br />
and let them get a close-up look.<br />
While they may expand their little operation<br />
to include rabbits, Lisa said raising the<br />
ducks and chickens is rewarding in several<br />
ways.<br />
“If you have the ability and space, I think<br />
it’s a great thing to try,” Lisa said. “It helps<br />
your kids to realize where food comes from,<br />
and they learn responsibility.”<br />
In rural Jones County, Sandy Curran was<br />
used to having animals around for her kids’<br />
4-H projects. Even though her kids are now<br />
grown, she still has a barn full of goats, two<br />
rabbits, geese and chickens.<br />
Despite a full-time job outside the home,<br />
she said she enjoys taking care of the animals.<br />
“I just decided I didn’t want to<br />
get rid of them,” she said, standing next to<br />
her goat pen as eight kids jostled with each<br />
other at the food trough.<br />
“They all have such different characteristics,”<br />
said Curran, who grew up on a farm. n<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Part of the fun of having a hobby farm is watching sheep like these frolic with each other.<br />
Iron Creek bulls available from two locations in 2024:<br />
1. ANNUAL BULL & FEMALE SALE WITH DRAKE SIMMENTAL<br />
January 26, 2024<br />
Iron Creek Sale Facility<br />
Centerville, Iowa<br />
2. PRIVATE TREATY SALES AT ST. DONATUS, IOWA<br />
An elite group of Simental, Angus and SimAngus growth bulls for sale private treaty<br />
beginning January 1, 2024<br />
BULLS AVAILABLE INCLUDE:<br />
Iron Creek Nothing Ventured, a Deadwood son of Pine View Blackcap G07 6in the top<br />
20% calving ease, 5% Average Daily Gain, 1% $B and a 376 $C, top 1%<br />
Iron Creek American Kid, a half-blood Simmental x Angus Deadwood son of Matron F202<br />
in the top 15% calving ease, 10% Weaning and Yearling, 1% Marbling , 1% All Purpose<br />
Index and 1% Terminal Index<br />
Iron Creek Industry 1056K, an Eagle son of Blackbird in the top 20% for Calving ease,<br />
10% weaning and yearling,, 15% marbling, 10% All Purpose Index and 5% Terminal Index<br />
Iron Creek Growthland 31K, a beast of a Growth Fund son out of RB Lady Blaster that is in<br />
the top 3% of the Angus breed for weaning weight, 2% yearling weight and 3% average<br />
daily gain with a top 15% $C<br />
CALL, TEXT OR EMAIL FLINT FOR INFORMATION<br />
Flint Drake<br />
(563) 580-1053 • Flint@ironcreekcattle.com<br />
BULLS FROM THESE DONORS AND MORE:<br />
MONTANA BLACKBIRD<br />
RB LADY BLASTER<br />
MATRON F202<br />
16 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Pivot Bio PROVEN® 40 On-Seed is now<br />
available in the quantity your fields need. *<br />
For a limited time, you can order PROVEN® 40 On-Seed<br />
in quantities to match your field in one of two ways.<br />
Cornelius Seed is offering PROVEN 40 OS on 80,000<br />
kernel units or in our customized bulk boxes, giving<br />
you the flexibility to order the amount of seed you need<br />
for a field (30+ units).<br />
This convenient nitrogen on-seed application eliminates<br />
extra equipment, additional field passes, and the<br />
hassle of dealing with synthetic nitrogen. Plus, it’s<br />
weatherproof, with no loss to leaching, denitrification,<br />
or volatilization.<br />
FIND OUT MORE<br />
Visit CorneliusSeed.com<br />
or call 800.218.1862<br />
to place an order.<br />
Plant the exact product on the exact acre with a<br />
predictable nitrogen that stays put—weather or not.<br />
* Pivot Bio PROVEN 40 OS minimum total<br />
order size might apply.
Customer’s<br />
first choice<br />
by providing<br />
UNSURPASSED<br />
EXPERIENCES!<br />
Fuels Lubricants Propane<br />
Other Petroleum Products<br />
Serving you all across Eastern Iowa!<br />
www.agvantagefs.com<br />
AgVantage FS constantly<br />
strives to bring our<br />
customers the energy<br />
products and services<br />
they need which includes<br />
fuels, lubricants, propane<br />
and more!<br />
Since 1931, AgVantage<br />
FS has supported local<br />
Iowans and continues to<br />
build strong relationships<br />
for a successful<br />
agriculture industry.
By KRIS KOTH<br />
Clinton County Executive Director<br />
Cedar County Acting Executive Director<br />
Farm Service Agency<br />
kris.koth@usda.gov<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
How much fuel can farmers save<br />
each year by transitioning from<br />
conventional tillage to continuous<br />
no-till? According to a new<br />
report from USDA’s Conservation<br />
Effects Assessment Project (CEAP),<br />
3.6 gallons per acre is a reasonable estimate.<br />
With current off-road diesel fuel prices, this<br />
could translate into approximately $17 per<br />
acre saved annually.<br />
Nearly 87% of all cropland acres nationwide<br />
are farmed using some form of conservation<br />
tillage, where tillage is reduced for at<br />
least one crop within a given field. Continuous<br />
no-till accounts for 33 percent of this<br />
total.<br />
Improving soil health is one known benefit<br />
of limiting disturbance. Farmers who minimize<br />
tillage across their operation may<br />
reduce soil erosion, maximize water infiltration,<br />
improve nutrient cycling, build organic<br />
matter, and strengthen resilience to disaster<br />
events or challenging growing conditions.<br />
Based on the latest data, they may also use<br />
significantly less fuel than with conventional<br />
tillage and reduce their associated carbon<br />
dioxide emissions.<br />
According to CEAP, farmers who implement<br />
conservation tillage practices instead of<br />
continuous conventional tillage:<br />
n Reduce potential nationwide fuel use<br />
by 763 million gallons of diesel equivalents<br />
Save money<br />
on fuel with<br />
no-till farming<br />
each year, roughly the amount of energy<br />
used by 2.8 million households.<br />
n Reduce potential associated emissions<br />
by 8.5 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO 2<br />
)<br />
equivalents each year, equivalent to removing<br />
nearly 1.7 million gasoline-powered<br />
passenger vehicles from the road.<br />
How is this possible? Annually, farmers<br />
who practice continuous no-till use approximately<br />
3.6 fewer gallons of fuel per acre<br />
than if they practiced continuous conventional<br />
tillage. Farmers who practice seasonal notill<br />
– farming without tilling for at least one<br />
crop – use approximately 3 fewer gallons of<br />
fuel per acre than they would with conventional<br />
tillage year-round.<br />
Acre by acre, fuel saved is money saved.<br />
Let’s assume an average off-road diesel fuel<br />
price of $4.75 per gallon. By transitioning<br />
from continuous conventional tillage to continuous<br />
no-till, a farmer can save just over<br />
$17 per acre each year in fuel costs. A farmer<br />
who transitions from continuous conventional<br />
tillage to seasonal no-till can save more<br />
than $14 per acre on fuel annually. These<br />
potential savings are significantly larger than<br />
with CEAP’s first fuel savings report, primarily<br />
due to the current price of diesel fuel.<br />
The bottom line for farmers: Reducing<br />
tillage leads to fuel savings that deliver<br />
significant financial benefits while building<br />
healthier soils for a more resilient operation.<br />
USDA Can Help<br />
If you’re a farmer interested in reducing<br />
tillage or pursuing other conservation efforts<br />
across your operation, the USDA can help.<br />
Please visit www.farmers.gov or contact<br />
your local USDA Service Center. n<br />
If you have<br />
any questions,<br />
please contact<br />
your local<br />
FSA Office.<br />
Cedar County<br />
205 W. South St.,<br />
Ste. 3, Tipton, IA<br />
52772<br />
(563) 886-6061<br />
Clinton County<br />
1212 17th Ave.,<br />
DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
(563) 659-3456<br />
Dubuque County<br />
210 Bierman<br />
Road, Epworth, IA<br />
52045<br />
(563) 876-3328<br />
Jackson County<br />
601 E. Platt St.,<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
52060<br />
(563) 652-3237<br />
Jones County<br />
300 Chamber Dr.,<br />
Anamosa, IA<br />
52205<br />
(563) 462-3517<br />
eifarmer.com
FOUNDED IN FAITH<br />
FORGED IN AMERICA<br />
OUR CULTURE IS WHAT SETS US APART.<br />
Our employees and local dealers are the heartbeat of our company.<br />
BECK’S SEED ADVISOR<br />
MATT GERLACH<br />
563.249.4871<br />
SCHMIDT AG SERVICES<br />
MIKE SCHMIDT<br />
563.522.2300<br />
SCHMIDT AG SERVICES<br />
JOSH SPAIN<br />
563.522.2300<br />
SCHMIDT AG SERVICES<br />
BRITTNI HAHN<br />
563.370.934<br />
MAQUOKETA FEEDS<br />
CAITLIN DENGER<br />
563.652.4981<br />
KRMAER SEEDS<br />
MARTY KRAMER<br />
563.542.4410<br />
IMPACT AGRONOMY<br />
TYLLER BRASWELL<br />
563.723.2403<br />
KRAY SEED LLC<br />
PARKER KRAY<br />
319.480.8222
A place to come<br />
together...<br />
Whether it’s a coffee, some cheese curds, or good conversation,<br />
Moore Local is honored to be in your community. We strive to bring you the<br />
freshest, most local products we can — sometimes straight from our farm!<br />
So gather your friends and stop by for a visit.<br />
Special thank you to all of our employees — past and present — and their families who<br />
have helped and supported our dream to bring local products to our community.<br />
We couldn’t do it without all of you!<br />
MAQUOKETA<br />
605 Birch Street<br />
BELLEVUE<br />
100 N Riverview Street
LEARNING TO BE<br />
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
Calamus-Wheatland<br />
teacher reaching<br />
the masses with<br />
YouTube channel<br />
BY KATE HOWES<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
It has been just over a year since<br />
Calamus-Wheatland Family and<br />
Consumer Science teacher Savanna<br />
Bachus launched her own YouTube<br />
channel.<br />
The idea to start such an endeavor was<br />
pitched to her by her fiancé, Austin Coobs,<br />
who thought she would do a good job with<br />
it.<br />
Bachus admitted she had been considering<br />
the idea of doing something to help occupy<br />
her time during the summer months.<br />
“I stay so busy during the school year,”<br />
said the educator, who graduated from<br />
Calamus-Wheatland in 2012 and now lives<br />
in Donahue.<br />
“But I like structure, and (the YouTube<br />
channel) gives me structure … a weekly<br />
goal.”<br />
However, it wasn’t until she learned her<br />
good friend and neighbor, Bree Tyler, had<br />
given some thought to starting a channel as<br />
well that Bachus felt confident enough to<br />
see the idea through.<br />
YouTube.com, a website that provides<br />
anyone with an avenue to create and post<br />
videos of their choosing, is free to watch.<br />
Both Tyler and Bachus— each with<br />
their own channel — decided if they<br />
had each other to lean on for advice and<br />
support, they would embark on their new<br />
22 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
adventures together.<br />
Bachus said she knew right away<br />
she wanted her subject matter to center<br />
around homesteading. It’s a subject<br />
she knows can mean different things to<br />
different people.<br />
“For me, it’s about building more of<br />
a self-sustainable lifestyle,” she explained.<br />
“Growing your own food, gardening,<br />
getting away from convenience<br />
items … I’d also like to do something<br />
about all-natural cleaners. I talk about<br />
different recipes and (canning).”<br />
Bachus said when it came to coming<br />
up with a name for her YouTube channel,<br />
Coobs was the inspiration behind<br />
that as well.<br />
The couple lives on an acreage on<br />
Allens Grove Road, in Donahue, which<br />
also happens to be in Allens Grove<br />
Township.<br />
So, when Coobs suggested calling the<br />
channel “Allens Grove Acres” it only<br />
seemed fitting.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Sprouting seedlings is one of the how-to segments on Calamus-Wheatland teacher Savanna<br />
Bachus’ YouTube channel.<br />
Jennifer Marlowe<br />
Sales Associate<br />
Jenny Gordon<br />
Sales Associate<br />
Megan Fuglsang<br />
Agent<br />
Amy Schroeder<br />
Service Associate<br />
At Farm Bureau we believe strong working relationships should be rewarded. That’s why, when you switch to<br />
our coverage, you could be eligible for the Ag Advantage and Ag + Rewards discounts that can continue to grow<br />
over time.<br />
Contact us today to get started on a customized plan for your ag operation.<br />
563.659.5135 | AgentMegan.com<br />
Securities & services offered through FBL Marketing Services, LLC, + 5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, IA 50266, 877/860-2904, Member SIPC. Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company, + * Western Agricultural<br />
Insurance Company, + * Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company + */West Des Moines, IA. Individual must be a registered representative of FBL Marketing Services, LLC to discuss securities products. Individual must be licensed with issuing<br />
company to offer insurance products. + Affiliates. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services. PR-AG-A (8-21)<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 23
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
“(Gardening) was<br />
something we always did<br />
and was always fun. It was<br />
the same with cooking;<br />
we were expected to cook<br />
as a family, but it never<br />
seemed like a chore.<br />
We always did it together<br />
and it was fun.”<br />
— SAVANNA BACHUS<br />
Bachus said she still endeavors to finetune<br />
her content and has learned talking to<br />
a camera isn’t as easy as it looks.<br />
However, she always can lean on her<br />
upbringing on a farm outside of Wheatland<br />
to help convey her fondness for and<br />
interest in gardening and cooking to her<br />
audience.<br />
Growing up growing things<br />
The person to whom Bachus attributes<br />
her knowledge of cooking and gardening<br />
is her mom, Jill.<br />
“We always cooked and gardened<br />
together,” Bachus shared. “From a young<br />
age, she would put me in the wagon while<br />
she was gardening. I learned to like the<br />
garden. I’m not all that great at it, but I<br />
enjoy it. It was something we always did<br />
and was always fun. It was the same with<br />
cooking; we were expected to cook as a<br />
family, but it never seemed like a chore.<br />
We always did it together and it was fun.”<br />
Bachus by no means considers herself<br />
an expert on the subject matter she discusses<br />
on Allens Grove Acres.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
Savannah Bacus chops green onions in her<br />
kitchen as she prepares her cole slaw dish.<br />
One point she wants to get across to<br />
her viewers is no one else is expected to<br />
become an expert, either.<br />
“I’m very transparent that I don’t know<br />
what I’m doing all the time,” Bachus<br />
related. “I just think it’s so important to<br />
grow your own food. Maybe some people<br />
just need to see someone else show them<br />
how, and they’ll start doing it, too. You<br />
• Residential or Commercial<br />
• Insured and Professional<br />
• Large or Small Moves<br />
• Packing and Unpacking<br />
• Home Staging<br />
• Junk Removal<br />
• Competitive Pricing<br />
• Serving Lower 48 States<br />
• Fully Licensed<br />
MOVING OR<br />
DOWNSIZING?<br />
Let us be apart<br />
of your<br />
Journey!<br />
Storage or Auction Services Also Available<br />
Across Town, Cross Country,<br />
Weʻll get you Packed and Moved<br />
A FULL-SERVICE MOVING COMPANY WITH SMALL TOWN FAMILY VALUES<br />
123 McKinsey Drive, Maquoketa, IA<br />
• Office: 563-652-0661 • Direct: 563-357-9901<br />
www. starmovingservices.com<br />
24 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
don’t need to be a genius; we<br />
can succeed together, and we<br />
can fail together. My mom<br />
taught me a lot, but I’ve had to<br />
figure stuff out from scratch,<br />
too.”<br />
Bachus also is figuring out<br />
things like what kind of equipment<br />
she needs to record her<br />
videos, which run about once<br />
per week, and how to be more<br />
interactive with her audience.<br />
Even talking to the camera<br />
has proven more challenging<br />
than she expected. As a teacher,<br />
she is used to addressing<br />
people face-to-face; however,<br />
when you can’t see who<br />
you’re talking to, she said it<br />
isn’t quite the same.<br />
“It’s a different kind of public<br />
speaking for sure,” Bachus<br />
explained. “I’m pretty good at<br />
talking to people, but it’s very<br />
different learning how to talk<br />
to a camera.”<br />
She said she also is working<br />
on creating outlines before<br />
recording her videos, so she<br />
can present her information<br />
in a more organized manner.<br />
After all, teachers can improvise<br />
on the spot; Bachus is<br />
having to learn to re-record<br />
different video portions when<br />
necessary.<br />
“I’m gaining more confidence,”<br />
she related. “I just set<br />
up my (cell) phone on a tripod.<br />
The equipment part of it<br />
has been a learning process.”<br />
Gardening<br />
gratification<br />
Bachus said eventually, she<br />
would like to do more canning<br />
and cooking. However, in<br />
the spring, summer and fall<br />
gardening will be a main focus<br />
on her channel.<br />
She has 10 raised beds at<br />
home and the supplies to construct<br />
six more.<br />
“That will be a big<br />
game-changer,” she said of<br />
expanding the number of her<br />
gardens. “Some will have<br />
trellises, so I can start growing<br />
some vining plants like<br />
cucumbers and peas.”<br />
Some of the plants she has<br />
discussed growing with her<br />
viewers include tomatoes,<br />
strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower<br />
and cabbage.<br />
Bachus said she is thankful<br />
to her mom and Tyler (who’s<br />
channel is called That Iowa<br />
Homestead) for their support,<br />
and to anyone who has<br />
taken the time to tune in to her<br />
channel.<br />
JOBS LARGE OR SMALL - WE DO IT ALL!<br />
• HEAVY DUTY TRUCK REPAIR<br />
• TRAILER REPAIR<br />
• DOT INSPECTION<br />
• WELDING<br />
• BODYWORK<br />
• SANDBLASTING<br />
• WET BLASTING<br />
• PAINTING - HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS,<br />
SEMI TRACTOR TRAILERS,<br />
INDUSTRIAL, AG & MORE<br />
36 Spruce St., Tipton<br />
563-886-4961<br />
For more<br />
information, visit<br />
our website:<br />
rpmrevival.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 25
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
Her advice to anyone who is considering<br />
starting their own YouTube channel, basically,<br />
is to “fake it until you make it.”<br />
“Go in pretending like you’re confident,<br />
even if you’re not,” Bachus said with a smile.<br />
“You will be, eventually. Just go in, ready to<br />
do it.”<br />
As for the responses she has received from<br />
her audience, Bachus said she is happy with<br />
how receptive people have been so far. She<br />
feels like she has learned a lot so far, yet still<br />
has more learning to do.<br />
Regardless, Bachus is happy to have a<br />
platform where she can share the things she<br />
loves and maybe help a few people along the<br />
way.<br />
“I get my gratification (from growing food)<br />
when I don’t have to write things down on<br />
a grocery list,” Bachus shared. “The idea of<br />
going to the shelf at home and grabbing what<br />
I need … that’s where I get my gratification.”<br />
For anyone who would like to tune in to<br />
Bachus’ YouTube channel, visit https://www.<br />
youtube.com/@allensgroveacres5031/featured.<br />
n<br />
RECIPES TO TRY<br />
Bathtub Pancake –<br />
Moms Recipe<br />
(Also known as a German Pancake )<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
6 eggs<br />
6 Tablespoons melted butter<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees<br />
2. Melt the butter in a (preferably<br />
glass) 9x13 pan in the oven<br />
3. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing<br />
bowl until smooth<br />
4. Pour batter into hot butter<br />
5. Bake 20-25 minutes<br />
6. You will see the sides creep up<br />
the sides and get very tall, with a<br />
shallow middle, giving it its name,<br />
Bathtub Pancake!<br />
Taco Seasoning<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
2 Tablespoons chili powder<br />
1 Tablespoon cumin<br />
1 teaspoon garlic powder<br />
1 teaspoon paprika<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon black pepper<br />
1/2 teaspoon crushed<br />
red pepper flakes<br />
1/2 teaspoon oregano<br />
Mix all ingredients together. Recipe<br />
makes<br />
enough for<br />
2 pounds of<br />
meat (works<br />
for all kinds<br />
of meat).<br />
Recipe can be<br />
multiplied and made ahead of time to<br />
have on hand and ready to go.<br />
THE FEED AND GRAIN STORE<br />
GRAIN HAULING<br />
LIVESTOCK FEED<br />
WE DELIVER<br />
FOR YOU<br />
415 1st St, DeWitt, IA • (563) 659-9236<br />
26 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
Cole Slaw<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
1/2 cup mayo<br />
2 Tablespoons white sugar<br />
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice<br />
1 Tablespoon vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon dried dill<br />
1/2 teaspoon black pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
Cole slaw mix OR 3 cups sliced<br />
cabbage and 1/2 cup shredded<br />
carrots<br />
2 green onions<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
1. Mix the mayo, white sugar, lemon<br />
juice, vinegar, dill, black pepper and<br />
salt.<br />
2. Add the cole slaw mix OR the<br />
cabbage and carrots, as well as the<br />
green onions.<br />
3. For best quality, refrigerate for at least<br />
2 hours before serving.<br />
Makes about 4 servings.<br />
Italian Minute Steak<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
2 Tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
1 Tablespoon garlic, diced<br />
3 minute steaks<br />
4 cups crushed tomatoes<br />
Fresh mozzarella cheese slices<br />
ITALIAN SEASONING<br />
1/4 teaspoon sage<br />
1/2 teaspoon parsley<br />
1/2 teaspoon rosemary<br />
1 teaspoon oregano<br />
2 teaspoons basil<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper<br />
1 cube beef bullion<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees<br />
2. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven, heat<br />
on medium heat until shimmering.<br />
Add the diced onion and sauté until<br />
just translucent, add the garlic. After<br />
about a minute, add the minute<br />
steaks. Cook most of the way through<br />
on both sides.<br />
LET US HELP YOU WEATHER ANY STORM<br />
We’re a local Iowa company that’s helped protect homes and farms since 1874.<br />
If the worst happens, we’re here for you. Trust in Tomorrow. ®<br />
Visit heritagemutual.net to<br />
find an agent near you.<br />
“Trust in Tomorrow.” and “Grinnell Mutual” are registered trademarks of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. © Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, 2021.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 27
SELF SUSTAINING<br />
3. While minute steaks are cooking<br />
prepare the Italian seasoning.<br />
4. Add the quart of tomatoes, as well as<br />
the Italian seasoning.<br />
5. Simmer for 30 minutes.<br />
6. Add the sliced fresh mozzarella<br />
cheese on top of the steaks, transfer<br />
to the preheated oven, bake until<br />
cheese is melted and bubbly.<br />
Rhubarb Custard Pie<br />
INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST:<br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon sugar<br />
1/2 cup lard<br />
3 or 4 Tablespoons ice water<br />
INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:<br />
2 cups rhubarb, cut fine<br />
1cup sugar<br />
2 Tablespoons flour<br />
Cinnamon<br />
Pie crust<br />
2 eggs, beaten<br />
1/2 cup half-and-half<br />
Butter<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
1. In a medium mixing bowl mix together<br />
sugar, flour and rhubarb. Set to the<br />
side and let sit.<br />
2. Make the crust by mixing flour, salt,<br />
sugar, and lard together with a pastry<br />
blender. Slowly add in the water while<br />
Savanna Bachus<br />
uses freshly grown<br />
herbs from her<br />
garden for many of<br />
her dishes.<br />
EASTERN IOWA<br />
FARMER PHOTO /<br />
CONTRIBUTED<br />
mixing with a pastry blender until you<br />
get the right consistency. Roll out and<br />
make a single bottom crust.<br />
3. Put the rhubarb mixture into the crust<br />
4. To a small mixing bowl, add the eggs<br />
and half and half. Mix well. Pour on<br />
top of the rhubarb mixture in the<br />
crust.<br />
5. Top with butter and cinnamon<br />
6. Bake at 350 degrees 40-50 minutes<br />
Looking to spruce up your home decor?<br />
Enjoy chocolates? Buy some flowers?<br />
WE’VE GOT IT ALL!<br />
Store owner Lisa Duffy<br />
meanttobewithflowers.com<br />
810 6th Ave.,<br />
DeWitt, IA<br />
563-659-1429<br />
28 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
AS THE sun sets ON<br />
ANOTHER HARVEST<br />
Bullocks...<br />
is proud to be a part<br />
of your farming<br />
experience!<br />
It started in 1938 with one truck,<br />
3 generations later we have grown<br />
to the capacity of almost<br />
1 million bushels on site!<br />
Bullocks, Inc.<br />
113 E Monroe St, Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
(563) 652-3819<br />
OUR SERVICES:<br />
• Grain Buying and Storage<br />
• Instant Board of Trade<br />
Grain Quotes<br />
• Wet and Dry Gluten and Distillers Feed<br />
• Kruger Seed<br />
• Purina Livestock, Pet Food,<br />
and Show Feeds<br />
•Horse Feed<br />
• Guardrail, Composite Ties,<br />
and H-Beams<br />
• Farmstar Feeders<br />
• Applegate Gates<br />
• Ritchie Waterers and Parts<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 29
Contact your<br />
local Wyffels<br />
Hybrids<br />
dealer to<br />
hear more<br />
about our<br />
line of<br />
products.<br />
Loren<br />
Truelsen, DSM<br />
563-221-3421<br />
DeWitt<br />
OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />
PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLE:<br />
GIVE A CARE.<br />
Mark<br />
Miller<br />
563-590-6845<br />
Maquoketa<br />
Landon<br />
Goettsch<br />
563-370-6360<br />
Calamus<br />
Chris<br />
Matthiesen<br />
563-357-8303<br />
Clinton<br />
Dave<br />
Boeding<br />
563-343-1460<br />
Princeton<br />
“I They’re personable, professional<br />
like that Wyffles is a family-owned<br />
business — it has a very nice feel.<br />
and knowledgeable. They instill confidence<br />
to go out and sell their quality product.<br />
— Roger Friederichs, 563-349-1971<br />
Jim<br />
Holtz<br />
563-593-1150<br />
Lost Nation<br />
Roger<br />
Friederichs<br />
563-349-1971<br />
Maysville<br />
TO OUR CUSTOMERS, SERVICE MEANS<br />
Small, localized districts with more seed reps in the field for more customer contact.<br />
More visits to your farm every year, not just at the point of sale. Making “customer-first”<br />
decisions and treating our customers the way we would want to be treated.
BEFORE<br />
AFTER<br />
BIGGER SPACE,<br />
MORE OPTIONS!<br />
Stop by our newly renovated space<br />
in Charlotte where we have a variety<br />
of regionally sourced meat, egg and<br />
cheese options to choose from!<br />
NEWLY EXPANDED<br />
CUSTOM PROCESSING<br />
IMMEDIATE LOCKER OPENINGS<br />
FOR BEEF AND HOGS!<br />
Pictured, left to right: Sally Fier,<br />
Tara Wilden, Jordan Bauer,<br />
Justin Butt (owner), Max Cousins,<br />
Matt Rehr, and Trisha Costello.<br />
Not pictured: Linda Schmidt<br />
563-677-2342<br />
Charlotte<br />
Locker<br />
104 Broadway St. Charlotte, IA 52731
PLANT More<br />
PREDICTABILITY<br />
Pivot Bio provides you with a more reliable, more powerful method for delivering plant<br />
nutrition. Our microbes adhere directly to the plant’s roots without loss to leaching,<br />
denitrification or volatilization, even during weather events. Nitrogen is then taken<br />
from the air and creates the ammonia plants need to grow and thrive.<br />
Turn to a more predictable nitrogen. Turn to a better nitrogen. Turn to Pivot Bio.<br />
pivotbio.com<br />
SWANTON AG SERVICE<br />
Collin Swanton • (563) 219-6560 | Don Swanton • (563) 249-5645 | swantonag@icloud.com<br />
32 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
HAYMAKERS<br />
‘Making Hay’<br />
Springbrook operation takes alfalfa to the<br />
next level as producer aims for a top quality<br />
product backed by lab test results<br />
BY LOWELL CARLSON<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Duane Heading wants to be<br />
in the top 10 percent of hay<br />
producers when it comes to<br />
the quality of his organic<br />
alfalfa operation. So far his<br />
efforts are yielding that very product.<br />
Heading, of rural Springbrook, is a hay<br />
and forage producer who sells hay, lots<br />
of hay, with his markets as far away as<br />
Syracuse, New York.<br />
“I like making hay. A good bale of hay<br />
will always have a market,” he said.<br />
Organic alfalfa is a specialized market<br />
to be sure, but one the Headings feel<br />
confident to compete in. They also rent<br />
another farm west of Andrew that has<br />
been converted from row crop rental use<br />
to organic alfalfa as well.<br />
On land that was recently row cropped<br />
with corn and soybeans, Heading now<br />
takes four to five cuttings of alfalfa<br />
annually from seedlings that can remain<br />
profitable for multiple years before it’s<br />
necessary to re-establish a stand.<br />
Their haying operation is hemmed in<br />
by corn and soybeans, but Heading says<br />
coveequip.com<br />
READY TO<br />
SERVE YOU!<br />
LET OUR TEAM HELP YOU STAY<br />
ON TOP OF YOUR FALL HARVEST!<br />
New/Used Farm Equipment • Lawn & Garden<br />
Construction • Parts • Service<br />
1288 307TH ST. | MOSCOW, IA | (563) 946-2112<br />
2506 COLUMBUS ST. | COLUMBUS CITY, IA | (319) 728-2424<br />
1991 O'DONNELL RD. | SUITE 103 | WILLIAMSBURG, IA | (319) 668-9303<br />
Pictured, from left to right: Gary Kelting, Seth Kaufmann, Paxton Timm, Michele Dekeyrel, Tracy Pelzer-Timm, Eric Semsch,<br />
Brent Kistenmacher, Dave Geers, Clay Kelly, Brent Frey, Randy Cornbaugh, Steve Boedeker, Keaton Pedersen and Jill Hansen.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 33
HAYMAKERS<br />
“I like making<br />
hay. A good bale<br />
of hay will always<br />
have a market.”<br />
— DUANE HEADING<br />
he likes producing top quality alfalfa and other<br />
forage crops. The family made the decision to<br />
go organic back in 2016 and haven’t looked<br />
back since.<br />
They directly seeded the initial crop using<br />
Dairyland and Byron Seeds varieties, and<br />
Heading readily admits that first cutting was<br />
awfully weedy. That problem resolved itself as<br />
the alfalfa stand grew in vigor and density. Today,<br />
you walk those same fields and the stand<br />
is dense, uniform and healthy.<br />
Alfalfa is to forage acreage in Eastern Iowa<br />
what corn is to grain production. It dominates<br />
as a hay crop because of a protein content that<br />
exceeds 30 percent when conditions are right.<br />
The crop is literally as old as time, first appearing<br />
in written records in Iran.<br />
It’s known as lucerne in Europe and given a<br />
major role in dairy rations there as well. Producing<br />
a premium big round bale of organic<br />
alfalfa is Duane’s driving vision, and he says<br />
timeliness is everything.<br />
Taking cuttings through the growing season,<br />
and wrapping them for infield storage is an all<br />
hands on deck operation. The Headings try to<br />
limit traffic on the seeding by moving the bales<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / LOWELL CARLSON<br />
SERVING EASTERN IOWA FARMERS AT 2 LOCATIONS!<br />
Give us a<br />
call today.<br />
We’ll be<br />
glad to help!<br />
Delmar Location<br />
502 1/2 Main Street,<br />
Delmar, Iowa<br />
Preston Location<br />
23 N. Mitchell St.,<br />
Preston, Iowa<br />
Nathan Kloft<br />
563-357-4736<br />
Allen Kloft<br />
563-221-3438<br />
Rich Thola<br />
563-357-8586<br />
SERVICES:<br />
• Contracting of<br />
Corn, Beans,<br />
Wheat, Oats<br />
• Cash and<br />
Forward Price<br />
• Target Offer<br />
• HTAs, Basis<br />
• Price Later, NPE<br />
• Minimum Price<br />
• Average Price<br />
• Deferred Payment<br />
• Storage<br />
• Trucking<br />
Main Number:<br />
563-674-4261<br />
www.delmargrain.com<br />
Your friend in the field. ®<br />
WELTER SEED<br />
& HONEY CO.<br />
319-837-6111 • 800-848-7333<br />
West Point, IA<br />
34 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023<br />
www.merschmanseeds.com<br />
eifarmer.com
HAYMAKERS<br />
quickly to a bale yard location to wrap<br />
them.<br />
The goal of course is to produce a bale<br />
with maximum leaf content. That is the<br />
baseline requirement Heading operates<br />
from in the equipment he uses. To lay<br />
the crop on the ground they use a 13-foot<br />
New Holland Haybine with a pivot hitch<br />
for fast turns. From then on Heading has<br />
a Krone double fold tedder, an Amishbuilt<br />
windrow fluffer that will gently<br />
lift the swath to allow air to circulate<br />
through the hay. A Claas rotary rake<br />
makes quick work of long swaths.<br />
Timing operations like tedding and<br />
raking have a dramatic impact on retention<br />
of leaf matter. In an experiment<br />
Heading conducted, timing raking later<br />
rather than earlier in the day. The result,<br />
a loss of as much as four tenths of a bale<br />
every acre in lost leaf matter, the whole<br />
point of a bale of alfalfa.<br />
It’s timing those operations that makes<br />
a premium bale. To help achieve that,<br />
Commercial • Agricultural • Re-Skin • Residential<br />
Serving the metal & supply<br />
needs of the Tri-State Area!<br />
Midwest Metal Supply offers complete building packages, whether you are looking for a shouse,<br />
livestock building, shop, or to update a current building, we can fulfill your needs.<br />
We will help you find the perfect solution that will<br />
make your building the envy<br />
of neighboring farms!<br />
148 Industrial Street SE • Cascade, IA 52033 • 844.862.7626 or 563.852.7626 • office@midwestmetalandsupply.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 35
HAYMAKERS<br />
Heading relies heavily on weather advice<br />
from the National Weather Service in the<br />
Quad Cities.<br />
“They’re happy to help call ins. We can<br />
make decisions on baling pretty accurately<br />
with their information and anyone can<br />
call them,” he said.<br />
Certification, on-farm inspection by<br />
a third party hired to verify organic<br />
standards are being met, is done for an<br />
Ohio-based organic agency.<br />
The farm west of Andrew is now in<br />
the second year of a three-year certification<br />
process. The home farm has been<br />
certified since 2018. The issue of quality<br />
is dear to Heading’s idea of producing<br />
a premium bale of hay. Every cutting is<br />
tested at a regional lab and both seller<br />
and buyer have access to the results.<br />
Heading points to the exhaustive testing<br />
– 30,000 tests by the Fulton, Illinois-firm<br />
Analab – to establish benchmarks of<br />
quality verification accessible to all. Of<br />
the numbers important to staying at the<br />
top of the heap in quality Heading pays<br />
special attention to the RFQ (Relative<br />
Feed Quality), crude protein, RDN (total<br />
digestibl nutrients).<br />
Heading is geared for sales of hay in<br />
semi loads. The hay is stored in the field<br />
and that means wrapping. A linear bale<br />
carrier works well with the wrapper.<br />
The heart of the operation is a McHale<br />
big round baler. The Irish-built baler<br />
has performed well. To power the baler<br />
Heading uses a Massey-Ferguson 140<br />
tractor.<br />
In a region characterized by corn and<br />
soybeans the Heading family has found a<br />
niche for a product they can produce and<br />
do so with value added beyond being a<br />
commodity item. The prospect for forage<br />
production is problematic. In recent<br />
years corn and soybeans have become<br />
the focus of production as pasture and<br />
hay acreage have stagnated. The Heading<br />
family has shown there is a bright future<br />
for well managed hay acres. n<br />
OFFERING THE WIDEST<br />
SELECTION OF SEED IN THE<br />
TRI-STATE AREA<br />
• Alfalfa<br />
• Pasture Mixes<br />
• Corn<br />
• Soybeans<br />
• Small Grains<br />
• Lawn Seed<br />
• Cover Crops<br />
• Custom Mixes<br />
• Seed for CRP<br />
• Pollinator Mixes<br />
17724 Hwy. 136 • Onslow, IA • (800) 470-3325<br />
WWW.WELTERSEED.COM<br />
36 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
QUALITY SOLUTIONS. QUALITY SERVICE.<br />
VISIT US ONLINE:<br />
PKMIDWEST.COM<br />
P&K MIDWEST IS PROUD TO SERVE THE FARMERS OF EASTERN IOWA.
BY JENNA STEVENS<br />
Ag in the Classroom<br />
Coordinator<br />
Clinton County Farm Bureau<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Looking around on the internet for<br />
inspiration for this piece led me<br />
to do a quick Google search on ag<br />
career topics. Website after website<br />
popped up with lists of ag jobs from<br />
farm workers to hydrologists. I admit, I<br />
had to look that one up. It is someone who<br />
helps protect the water supply and water<br />
sources.<br />
Relax, Refresh,<br />
Recharge & Explore<br />
Next generation of ag<br />
professionals has opportunities<br />
for study and experience<br />
Anyway, Google listed these careers in<br />
alphabetical order with rows and rows of<br />
clickable links complete with the degree<br />
requirements and starting salaries. The<br />
opportunities seemed almost endless,<br />
which, when you think about it, they are.<br />
Especially considering the pace of change<br />
happening in the ag sector.<br />
As the current class of freshmen settles<br />
into their cozy dorm rooms on college<br />
campuses across the state, their majors will<br />
include things that those of us over the age<br />
of 30 may have never heard of. Yes, that<br />
means we are getting old, but it also means<br />
that the next generation has more opportunities<br />
in front of them than ever before.<br />
One example of this is the newly minted<br />
ag communications program at Iowa State<br />
University. Before, any student wanting<br />
to major in ag communications had to get<br />
a degree in agricultural education with<br />
communications tacked on as a sort of afterthought.<br />
Now students can major in this<br />
field and learn skills in journalism, social<br />
media, and policy.<br />
The other opportunity that students<br />
today have more of is the chance to do<br />
internships. For college kids, especially<br />
Finger Food & Beverages<br />
included along with the UTV<br />
guided tour!<br />
River Ridge Trails covers miles of scenic road trails and connects to state authorized roads for you to explore our many attractions in beautiful<br />
Jackson County. Our trails and roads are a great way to connect to surrounding communities and live the Jackson County way of life!<br />
After your a long day on the trails make sure to schedule an overnight stay at our rustic resort, Whispering Meadows, where you will find<br />
unique amenities awaiting such as a fishing pond and 6 hole golf course that are sure to recharge you!<br />
River Ridge<br />
ATV Trails<br />
Trails open till first hard freeze<br />
34580 100th St. • Spragueville, Iowa • (563) 357-3784<br />
whisperingmeadows@yahoo.com<br />
whisperingmeadowsresortia.com<br />
Schedule NOW to book your<br />
holiday lights tractor ride<br />
starting November 18th!<br />
$5 per person suggestion<br />
38 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
141 W. GILLET STREET,<br />
PRESTON, IA<br />
(563) 689-5311<br />
Welcome!<br />
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU<br />
OWNERS MEGAN & MARSHALL DRISCOLL<br />
We will help<br />
you feed your family<br />
with our fresh meat,<br />
cheese, produce, &<br />
grocery items.<br />
Shop your way...<br />
Shop Local!<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 39
AG IN THE CLASSROOM<br />
those majoring in agriculture at Iowa<br />
State, internships are at the center of their<br />
academic programs.<br />
It is expected that you start doing internships<br />
as early as your freshman year, and<br />
if you find a company that you like, maybe<br />
extend that internship into a second or even<br />
third summer.<br />
Once you graduate, there is a good<br />
chance that you already have a job waiting<br />
for you and because you spent time<br />
interning, you are already acquainted with<br />
the location and surrounding community,<br />
making the transition easier.<br />
If you are the parent of a high school<br />
student and are looking to give them an<br />
advantage, a job shadow can be a valuable<br />
tool in helping them figure out college<br />
majors. Most businesses in agriculture are<br />
willing to open their doors to any student<br />
who is curious about a future career, offering<br />
them the chance to try the job before<br />
they “buy it” with college tuition money.<br />
These job shadows are also an opportunity<br />
to ask questions about the type of<br />
work performed, the hours expected, and<br />
both the positive and negative aspects of<br />
the position.<br />
Job shadows are especially helpful for<br />
students who are struggling to pin down<br />
what they are good at or may enjoy. As<br />
an educator, the questions “What are you<br />
good at?” and “What do you like to do?”<br />
are often met with “IDK” or “I don’t<br />
know” if they are feeling particularly talkative.<br />
While this is a frustrating response,<br />
it is the perfect interlude to talking about<br />
job shadows. Once you make a job shadow<br />
suggestion that they don’t like, they tend<br />
to become more vocal about what they do<br />
like or might be interested in. A win for<br />
both parties.<br />
When looking for opportunities in the<br />
community, don’t forget to point kids<br />
toward small businesses and entrepreneurs.<br />
Students could find a summer job opportunity<br />
that gives them the chance to play<br />
a larger role in decision-making. That role<br />
may be appealing, and their help can be<br />
valuable in limited-staffed situations.<br />
It is also worth having a conversation<br />
about your own careers in agriculture or<br />
the careers of close friends and family<br />
members. While your child may know in<br />
a vague sense what you do, they may not<br />
have an in-depth understanding of your<br />
roles and responsibilities. Chances are you<br />
also know people in agriculture already<br />
who have careers your child may like. A<br />
quick email or text message is sometimes<br />
all it takes to get them real-world experience<br />
in agriculture.<br />
A final note on the topic: If you are a<br />
business professional reading this, do not<br />
hesitate to market internships or job shadow<br />
opportunities directly to students; or,<br />
if that is not possible, create a “Day in the<br />
Life Of…” video that could be easily accessed<br />
from your social media or YouTube<br />
accounts. Students think about their futures<br />
more than we adults often give them credit<br />
for, and if businesses take steps to make<br />
themselves appealing to students, they<br />
just might find their next dedicated employee.<br />
n<br />
Since 1972, the Breedens<br />
have been selling Iowa’s<br />
leading hay equipment<br />
Let Bob and Calvin<br />
help you with all<br />
your baling needs.<br />
Bob Breeden<br />
Josh Breeden<br />
Jordan Breeden<br />
Calvin Breeden<br />
Register for the L.E.A.D. 563-686-4242 Academy to grow<br />
breedensales.com • email: c4balers@netins.net<br />
your network and agronomic knowledge today!<br />
17047 167th Ave.<br />
Maquoketa, Iowa 52060<br />
40 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com<br />
Scan this QR code to see when our next L.E.A.D. Academy event takes place.
YOUR PARTNER IN THE FIELD.<br />
ALL. SEASON. LONG.<br />
Receive direct, timely, balanced<br />
liquid fertilizer applications<br />
every time with Liqui-Grow.<br />
Our liquid fertilizers provide coverage<br />
on every inch of your crop to ensure<br />
an accurate application with each<br />
pass. Plus, we’re able to create<br />
custom blends specific to<br />
your operation’s needs.<br />
Register for the<br />
L.E.A.D. Academy to<br />
grow your network<br />
and agronomic<br />
knowledge today!<br />
Scan this QR code with your phone’s camera to see<br />
when our next L.E.A.D. Academy event takes place.<br />
FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU<br />
23 locations serving Iowa, Illinois<br />
and Wisconsin since 1958.<br />
liqui-grow.com<br />
stay in the loop<br />
Join<br />
By texting JOIN to 844-843-9247 you consent to receive recurring text message updates from Liqui-Grow at<br />
the mobile number used when signing up. Msg&DataRatesMayApply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel.<br />
Liqui-Grow Loop<br />
to start receiving text<br />
messages with real-time<br />
agronomy videos, as<br />
well as insights from<br />
Dr. Jake Vossenkemper.<br />
scan here!<br />
OR TEXT ‘JOIN’<br />
TO 844-843-9247
Sales and Service<br />
www.ApplianceSolutionsUSA.com<br />
Apple Scones<br />
WITH MAPLE DRIZZLE<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar<br />
• 1/3 cup white sugar<br />
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon<br />
• 1 tablespoon baking powder<br />
• 1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
• 8 tablespoons (really cold) butter grated on cheese grater<br />
• 1 egg<br />
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream + more for brushing<br />
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />
• 1 large Granny Smith apple chopped small<br />
509 East Platt St .<br />
Maquoketa<br />
563-652-6577<br />
DRIZZLE<br />
• 1 cup powdered sugar<br />
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup<br />
• 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream<br />
• 1-2 shakes of cinnamon<br />
INSTRUCTIONS<br />
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with<br />
parchment paper.<br />
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder,<br />
cinnamon and salt. Add the grated butter and stir into flour mixture with<br />
a fork. In a small bowl add the egg, heavy whipping cream and vanilla and<br />
mix together with fork. Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Mix<br />
until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the chopped<br />
apples. It will look dry. Turn the dough onto a floured counter or on<br />
parchment paper and then pat into a 1-inch-thick circle. Cut the dough<br />
into 8 wedges. Place pieces on the baking sheet. Brush each piece with<br />
heavy cream.<br />
3. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.<br />
Take out and put scones on a cooling rack.<br />
4. For the drizzle, whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup and<br />
heavy whipping cream until smooth and creamy.<br />
5. Let the scones cool down and then drizzle!<br />
Brayden Campbell, Ryan Prull,<br />
Ashley Prull, Chelsie Jansen
Your trusted partner!<br />
WE ARE<br />
ACCEPTING<br />
NEW PROJECTS!<br />
Whether you’re looking for<br />
an outdoor deck to enjoy the<br />
beautiful eastern Iowa landscape,<br />
have a kitchen or bathroom<br />
remodel, want new siding or<br />
windows installed for your home,<br />
or anything in between, you can<br />
count on our professionals<br />
to get the job done right!<br />
RENOVATION<br />
REMODELING<br />
NEW HOMES<br />
GENERAL CONTRACTOR<br />
407 E. PLATT, MAQUOKETA, IOWA<br />
563-652-2926<br />
MEET THE CREW:<br />
Paul Geerts, Russell Stoltenburg, Dylan Hintz, Logan Skladzien,<br />
Mike Beyer, Payton Schueller, and Pete Schueller.<br />
schuellerandsonsllc.com
44 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE<br />
ENERGY<br />
ISSUE<br />
Eastern Iowa corn growers are fueling the expansion of<br />
ethanol as efforts to lower carbon emissions gain steam.<br />
Producers are also wrestling with questions surrounding<br />
land use involving wind, solar and pipeline proposals.<br />
Officials, residents<br />
navigate uncharted<br />
territory for land use<br />
As the national push for<br />
renewable energy heats up,<br />
Clinton County finds itself<br />
on the front lines for solar,<br />
wind and pipeline projects<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
The lines were clearly drawn<br />
when more than 100 people<br />
gathered at the Grand Mound<br />
Community Center in February<br />
2022 at a fiery public hearing for<br />
the zoning board to consider a 1,500-acre<br />
industrial solar farm.<br />
On one side were<br />
farmers and landowners<br />
who signed<br />
lease agreements<br />
with Ranger Power,<br />
the Chicago firm<br />
spearheading the<br />
venture. Speaking<br />
in favor of the project<br />
that night, they<br />
cited landowner<br />
rights, an opportunity<br />
to bolster their<br />
Jim Irwin<br />
Clinton County<br />
Supervisor<br />
balance sheets with steady, reliable income,<br />
and a chance to let ground that usually<br />
grows corn or soybeans rest and regenerate.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 45
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
David Whitman was one of more than a dozen people who spoke against solar<br />
projects in the Grand Mound area in February 2022 during a public meeting at the<br />
town’s community center. Whitman’s family farms near the area where an industrial<br />
solar installation is planned.<br />
On the other side were those who were concerned<br />
about the loss of high-quality crop ground and the<br />
impact on young farmers, as well as those with<br />
concerns about traditional agriculture vistas being<br />
interrupted by rows of solar panels, what happens<br />
when the project is de-commissioned, and any<br />
potential hazards to the community.<br />
As the county’s board of supervisors grappled<br />
with the decision – they would ultimately approve<br />
the project, as well as an expansion the following<br />
year – they were guided by a county master plan<br />
crafted in the late 1990s.<br />
“At that time, wind turbines were just getting<br />
started,” said Jim Irwin, the current chairman of the<br />
Clinton County Board of Supervisors, reflecting<br />
recently on the issue. “Large-scale solar wasn’t even<br />
being thought about in the Midwest.”<br />
The Grand Mound solar installation is just the tip<br />
of the iceberg in Eastern Iowa as the national push<br />
for renewable energy picks up steam, and Clinton<br />
County seems to be the epi-center.<br />
Florida-based NextEra Energy is laying the<br />
groundwork for solar and wind operations in the<br />
county, and last year ADM announced plans for a<br />
partnership with Wolf Carbon Solutions to build<br />
Building relationships, one appliance at a time!<br />
When looking for appliances, keep service in mind...<br />
No one wants a breakdown, but when one happens, we provide you with the service<br />
you deserve! Our service technicians have over 25 years of combined service<br />
The team, left to right: Brady Doney, Riley Anderson,<br />
Steve Anderson,Laura Anderson, and Dave Doney.<br />
606 Main St, Delmar IA<br />
Call or Text: (563) 599-0416<br />
Hours: Mon-Fri 8-4, Sat 9-12<br />
www.drappliancellc.com<br />
Making house<br />
calls since 2016<br />
LIKE US ON<br />
FACEBOOK<br />
46 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
a pipeline to transport carbon dioxide<br />
produced at its Clinton and Cedar Raids<br />
ethanol plants to be sequestered underground<br />
in Decatur, Illinois. Part of that<br />
350-mile steel pipeline would run through<br />
the county from the corn wet-milling plant<br />
on the Mississippi River.<br />
While the power to greenlight all of<br />
these projects ultimately rests with the<br />
Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), the first<br />
glimpse the public gets into them starts<br />
at the county level, putting zoning board<br />
members, supervisors and the public on<br />
the front lines of dissecting the volumes of<br />
data and the pros and cons of such projects.<br />
‘Emotional’ issues;<br />
legislative questions<br />
For people who own or rent farm<br />
ground in the footprint of the Grand<br />
Mound project, the Hawkeye Solar and<br />
Hawkeye Solar II projects have put friends,<br />
family and neighbors at odds.<br />
“It was emotional for all of us,” Irwin<br />
said of himself and the other supervisors<br />
who unanimously approved the projects.<br />
Ajay Najir<br />
Iowa State<br />
University<br />
He acknowledged<br />
the angst it has<br />
caused those<br />
opposed to them.<br />
He has a family<br />
member staunchly<br />
against the<br />
development, and<br />
a long-time friend<br />
no longer speaks to<br />
him because of his<br />
vote.<br />
The pushback<br />
comes with the territory of being an elected<br />
official, Irwin said, and when he ran for<br />
re-election last year, his vote tally in the<br />
Grand Mound area was down. But from<br />
his standpoint, the county has a renewable<br />
energy ordinance (it was passed about a<br />
decade ago before he was on the board),<br />
and Ranger Power met or exceeded the<br />
terms of that ordinance. And, as he said<br />
during the public hearings, he believes the<br />
supervisors have an obligation to make<br />
decisions based on data and facts, not<br />
emotion.<br />
Supervisor Dan Srp has said the solar<br />
project is one of the most divisive issues<br />
he’s dealt with in his nine years on the job,<br />
and Supervisor Erin George, who is new to<br />
the board this year, said before approving<br />
the expansion project that she’d lost sleep<br />
over the decision.<br />
In her comments before the vote, she<br />
said, “One of my fundamental beliefs is<br />
property owner rights. I wouldn’t tell a<br />
farmer what crop to plant on their land. I<br />
wouldn’t say you have to plant beans; I<br />
don’t want you to plant corn. I want you to<br />
raise cows; I don’t want you to raise pigs.<br />
No one property owner’s rights trumps<br />
another’s”<br />
For the farmer Lydia Whitman, at the<br />
core of the issue is taking high-quality land<br />
out of production. She was among members<br />
of the extended Whitman family who<br />
spoke against the project.<br />
She said last year that she was concerned<br />
about the impact the solar installation<br />
Head<br />
From<br />
To Toe,<br />
Dr. randy Burger has you covered.<br />
Burger Chiropractic<br />
If you have aches and pains from climbing on tractors or<br />
a back out of whack from hauling seed bags, I can help you.<br />
I also do sports physicals.<br />
Burger Shoe Repair<br />
While you’re here, leave that favorite pair of worn out<br />
work boots for me to resole and bring back to life. I am<br />
continuing a 35-year family legacy with my shoe, boot,<br />
and leather repair business. I also do medical inserts.<br />
Call 563-582-1188<br />
Both businesses are located at 1340 Delhi Street, Dubuque — just down the<br />
road from Finley Hospital and across from The American Legion.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 47
Farming is Your Tradition.<br />
Providing Financial Strength is Ours.<br />
Our Ag team is here to help you and your<br />
operation with financial strength for success.<br />
• JOHN MIELK<br />
• MARK MILDER<br />
• JOEL KACZINSKI<br />
Clinton National Bank<br />
clintonnational.com • 563-243-1243
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
would have on small family<br />
farms and ag-related businesses<br />
in rural communities.<br />
“The big question is why<br />
here?” she said, adding that she<br />
believed utility scale projects<br />
should look at locations that<br />
aren’t well-suited for grain<br />
products.<br />
In September 2022, the Scott<br />
County Board of Supervisors<br />
passed an ordinance that<br />
limits where solar farms can be<br />
placed based on the quality of<br />
soil and whether or not the land<br />
can be used for food, fiber and<br />
fuel. But it remains to be seen<br />
whether that can usurp landowners’<br />
right to decide how to<br />
use their property, and no state<br />
laws are on the books regarding<br />
the issue. A bill proposed in the<br />
2021-22 Iowa legislative session<br />
to place stricter guidelines<br />
on solar panel field projects<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
Sam O’Keefe, the project developer for Chicago-based Ranger Power,<br />
gives an opening presentation before taking questions at a public<br />
hearing about the company’s two proposed solar projects that are<br />
expected to begin construction late next year.<br />
did not get beyond the Senate<br />
Agriculture Committee.<br />
Financial impacts<br />
If all goes according to<br />
plan, Ranger Power expects its<br />
facilities to be operational in<br />
2026. NextEra’s Rock Creek<br />
Solar Project and its Clinton<br />
County Wind Project are slated<br />
to be up and running by the end<br />
of 2026.<br />
Such large-scale solar<br />
and wind projects in Eastern<br />
Iowa are forecasted to bring<br />
hundreds of jobs during the<br />
construction phase that will<br />
likely last more than a year per<br />
project, both Ranger Power and<br />
NextEra have said.<br />
Ranger Power representatives<br />
said during public hearings<br />
that they would commit to<br />
hiring local people for the job<br />
as long as the work force was<br />
available. During the course of<br />
the hearings, representatives<br />
from trade unions spoke regularly,<br />
urging that consideration.<br />
After the facilities are operational,<br />
two to four permanent<br />
jobs will be created, Ranger<br />
Power said of its Grand Mound<br />
project. Those workers would<br />
be tasked with upkeep of the<br />
panels and the aesthetics of the<br />
land they occupy.<br />
Millions of dollars in tax<br />
revenues are also expected<br />
from such projects, organizers<br />
said. Over the 30-plus year life<br />
of its solar installation, Ranger<br />
Power predicts a potential $12<br />
Your Legacy<br />
Begins Now.<br />
In Jackson County, $3.2 billion is expected to transfer<br />
from one generation to the next through 2049.<br />
If we each commit to investing just 5% of our estates<br />
in a community endowment, $6.8 million could<br />
be available annually for community projects and<br />
nonprofits.* Turn to pages 94 and 95 to learn more.<br />
*Based on a 4.25% annual payout<br />
An affiliate of the Community Foundation<br />
of Greater Dubuque<br />
Let’s Build Your Legacy. Together.<br />
Lori Loch<br />
Executive Director, Community Foundation of Jackson County<br />
563.588.2700 | lori@dbqfoundation.org | dbqfoundation.org/cfjc<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 49
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
million, while NextEra’s proposed wind<br />
project would generate $25 million over its<br />
similar lifespan.<br />
When the Grand Mound project was first<br />
being discussed, Clinton County Treasure<br />
Dustin Johnson noted the importance of<br />
caution when applying numbers to this<br />
type of project because the tax revenue<br />
correlates directly to the installation’s output,<br />
which hinges on a variety of variables<br />
including weather.<br />
“It’s a production excise tax,” Johnson<br />
said. “They won’t pay any direct property<br />
tax like the parcels are generating now, but<br />
the excise tax is attached to the parcels as<br />
if it was property tax.”<br />
The landowners on whose land the panels<br />
are housed would not pay property tax<br />
on the land, Johnson said.<br />
“It’s not quite the economic boon that<br />
some are wanting it to be, but that doesn’t<br />
mean it’s bad either,” Johnson said at the<br />
time. “I think there are a lot of positives to<br />
the immediate economic development, and<br />
we have the opportunity to improve some<br />
Gene Takle<br />
Iowa State<br />
University<br />
roads and landowners<br />
will get higher<br />
revenues (than<br />
farming or renting<br />
the land).”<br />
Farmer Curtis<br />
Dosland, whose<br />
family is leasing<br />
land to the project,<br />
said at a public<br />
hearing last year<br />
that his family has<br />
been long-time<br />
stewards of the land and see benefits of the<br />
project.<br />
“The way we looked at it when we<br />
decided to partner was a diversification of<br />
income when it comes to family farms,”<br />
he said, adding that some people choose<br />
livestock confinements, different crops or<br />
rent or lease their ground. This allows us<br />
to retain ownership,” he said. “We believe<br />
deeply this would leave the ground in a<br />
better place at the end of it.”<br />
Gene Takle, a professor emeritus of<br />
agricultural meteorology in the Department<br />
of Agronomy at Iowa State University,<br />
studies the efficiency of utility-scale wind<br />
farms and their interaction with agriculture.<br />
While there isn’t anything in the way<br />
of comparison in Eastern Iowa as it hasn’t<br />
seen much in the way of commercial wind<br />
turbine activity, other places in the state<br />
have benefited from such developments,<br />
Takle said.<br />
“It helps communities in terms of the tax<br />
base and improvements,” he said, adding<br />
that he’s seen swimming pools go into little<br />
towns and main streets spruced up as a<br />
result of additional income.<br />
“It resonates with farmers who want to<br />
provide societal good,” he said. “Feeding<br />
the world has always been a time-honored<br />
goal. Now we can broaden that. We need<br />
clean energy. With wind energy, there’s no<br />
fuel needed.”<br />
Researchers look for benefits<br />
In the meantime, renewable energy is a<br />
hot topic for research.<br />
Takle has been studying turbines and<br />
Clean Fields. Big Yields.<br />
SEED | CROP PROTECTION | PLANT PERFORMANCE | AERIAL APPLICATION<br />
Our mission is to provide the highest<br />
quality products and value-added<br />
solutions that enable our dealers and<br />
customers to succeed.<br />
BRIAN BRADLEY | DEALER<br />
563-599-2515<br />
50 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
their interaction with crops for about<br />
eight years at ISU. Among the benefits he<br />
notes are that leases for renewable energy<br />
provide farmers and landowners reliable,<br />
knowable income that’s not beholden to<br />
commodity price fluctuations and weather.<br />
“The adoption of wind by farmers has<br />
been cautious but good. They recognize it<br />
pays very well to get reliable income from<br />
turbines,” Takle said.<br />
“They also can get a double use of<br />
the landscape,” Takle said. “There’s two<br />
different crops. Wind energy that you are<br />
selling and the grain.”<br />
Farmers who have turbines on their<br />
ground tend to like the access roads that<br />
connect the base of the turbines to public<br />
roads, he said.<br />
“Farmers have found them highly valuable<br />
during harvest when getting trucks<br />
and wagons into the field. The surface<br />
put down by power companies is highly<br />
adequate for farming,” he said.<br />
An Iowa State Research project is studying<br />
how to grow crops amid an array of<br />
solar panels. Funded by a $1.8 million,<br />
four-year grant from the U.S. Department<br />
of Energy, most of the research is being<br />
conducted a few miles south of Ames.<br />
The project focuses on agrovoltaics –<br />
using solar power sites for agricultural<br />
purposes to make more efficient use of the<br />
land and create value for the communities<br />
where solar panels are located.<br />
It’s a practice Ranger Power uses at<br />
existing solar installations, where sheep<br />
graze as an alternative to mowing and<br />
beehives produce honey, and one that they<br />
plan to institute for the Grand Mound<br />
installation.<br />
In April, Alliant Energy began construction<br />
there on a 1.35 megawatt solar farm,<br />
said Ajay Nair, a member of the multi-disciplinary<br />
team of researchers who will<br />
raise bees and plant vegetables, fruits and<br />
pollinator habitat within the 10-acre solar<br />
energy farm.<br />
They’ll study using solar power sites<br />
for agricultural purposes to make more<br />
efficient use of the land and create value<br />
where solar panels are located.<br />
Construction on the site is expected to<br />
be done this fall and the horticulture research<br />
will begin in full force next spring.<br />
Little data exists on what plants will<br />
thrive growing between solar panels, said<br />
Nair, who is an associate professor of horticulture.<br />
There are also practical considerations,<br />
such as the fact that the equipment<br />
used for food crop operation has to fit<br />
between rows of panels.<br />
“Growing these types of crops under<br />
and around a solar farm on a scalable<br />
basis is different than just growing them,”<br />
Nair said. “We want to demonstrate that’s<br />
possible.”<br />
Carbon capture linked<br />
to ethanol production<br />
One of the most controversial energy-related<br />
issues is carbon capture pipelines.<br />
Currently three companies have proposals<br />
to run such structures across Iowa<br />
to transport carbon dioxide from ethanol,<br />
nsurance<br />
lanning<br />
ervices<br />
Corp<br />
Contact<br />
Paul Miller<br />
at 563-652-3513<br />
Ext: 407<br />
146 S. MAIN ST. MAQUOKETA IA.<br />
WE WORK AS A TEAM WITH OTHER<br />
PROFESSIONALS TO MAKE SURE EACH PLAN<br />
MEETS YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES!<br />
• Financial Planning for you, your family and your business<br />
• Life Insurance • Health Insurance • Disability Insurance<br />
• Long term care Insurance • Securities • Retirement Strategies<br />
I CAN BE YOUR<br />
FINANCIAL<br />
QUARTERBACK!<br />
Paul Miller is an Investment Advisor Representative offering Securities and Investment Advisory Services Through Osaic<br />
Wealth member FINRA/SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Non Securities Products and Services are not Of-<br />
fered Through Osaic Wealth. Insurance Planning Services Corp is not affiliated with Osaic Wealth. 199-20170905-396847<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 51
GREG BOPES<br />
AFM<br />
gbopes@ohnward.com<br />
563-652-2491 • 866-320-6327 (toll-free)<br />
➤ Farm management plans<br />
tailored to your specific needs<br />
➤ Ongoing communication<br />
and reporting<br />
➤ Strong commitment<br />
to client satisfaction<br />
➤ Cash rent expertise<br />
➤ Hourly consulting<br />
➤ Strong commitment to<br />
customer satisfaction<br />
➤ Farm visits/assessments
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
fertilizer and other industrial agriculture plants.<br />
Hearings before the Iowa Utilities Board for<br />
one of the companies, Summit Carbon Solutions,<br />
began in late August and are expected to last<br />
for weeks if not months. At stake is whether the<br />
company will receive a permit for its project.<br />
In addition to safety concerns about possible<br />
leaks and the disruption of farm ground, opponents<br />
feel strongly about the use of eminent<br />
domain by some of the proposed projects. In<br />
the case of Ranger Power, the company did not<br />
use eminent domain with its solar project. Its<br />
participants are all voluntary. NextEra has said<br />
it would not do so for its proposed wind and<br />
solar installations. However, pipelines extend<br />
hundreds of miles across state lines, making<br />
land procurement more of a logistical challenge.<br />
Proponents point to the importance of such<br />
projects as essential to supporting carbon emission<br />
reduction by the ethanol industry, which is<br />
a huge consumer of Iowa’s number one crop,<br />
corn.<br />
And as that and other projects unfold, the<br />
residents and elected officials in Eastern Iowa<br />
will have a front row seat. n<br />
‘What we’re<br />
talking about here<br />
is value-added’<br />
Corn produced in Eastern Iowa and elsewhere<br />
in the state fuels the ethanol industry, which, in<br />
turn, produces jobs, money and a strong market.<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Bob Bowman has his<br />
“elevator speech” ready<br />
if anyone wants to talk<br />
about using corn to produce<br />
ethanol.<br />
The DeWitt farmer has represented<br />
Eastern Iowa counties on state and<br />
national corn grower associations,<br />
promotion boards and grain industry<br />
groups for years, and he’s had hundreds<br />
of conversations on the topic.<br />
“Whenever we travel on industry<br />
or personal business, a lot of us are<br />
promoting our sustainability and our<br />
products. We’ve faced the food versus<br />
fuel debate over the years,” said Bowman,<br />
regarding questions he fields<br />
The heart of home<br />
Home is a feeling—comfortable like a familiar<br />
beam of afternoon sunlight through the<br />
bay window. It’s laughing with friends while<br />
sharing a splendid meal. Home becomes<br />
real in the warmth of a hug and a smile from<br />
someone who truly cares. We provide seniors<br />
with the exceptional care they deserve in an<br />
extraordinary living environment.<br />
Where Beautiful Lives Blossom!<br />
www.CloverRidgePlace.net<br />
563-652-2125 • 205 Ehlers Lane, Maquoketa<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 53
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Bob<br />
Bowman<br />
Bob Bowman is a farmer<br />
who has been active in<br />
corn industry associations<br />
for decades. He is<br />
well-versed in sharing<br />
how he believes the<br />
ethanol industry helps<br />
Iowa producers.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
DeWitt<br />
about the best use for corn.<br />
His talking points on ethanol<br />
include the following:<br />
It’s homegrown<br />
It’s sustainable<br />
It’s a reliable source of energy.<br />
It displaces foreign oil in some<br />
cases, and it is generally cheaper<br />
than petroleum, which means consumers<br />
pay less at the pump for<br />
gasoline containing ethanol.<br />
“Then I say, ‘Do you understand<br />
that what we use for ethanol from<br />
the corn kernel is the starch? The<br />
fiber and other things – oils and<br />
minerals – are also valuable and<br />
can be used, with further refinement<br />
for animal diets,” he said,<br />
referring to DDGs, or dried distiller<br />
grains that are a co-product of<br />
ethanol production and are used as<br />
a high-protein animal feed.<br />
“As they’re getting off the<br />
Let’s build...<br />
together!<br />
You know your farm best.<br />
Tell us your needs, we’ll help<br />
you get it done.<br />
HONEST • PROFESSIONAL • RELIABLE<br />
OUR TALENTED TEAM CAN MAKE YOUR PROJECT A REALITY<br />
sheetsdesignbuild.com | 563.652.8399<br />
54 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
New Team. Same Faces.<br />
New Agent. Same Faces.<br />
Same Great Service.<br />
Same Great Service.<br />
Working with the #1 ag insurer has its rewards.<br />
Are you missing out on savings? Ask about the Ag Advantage and<br />
Ag+ Rewards discounts that can continue to grow over time.<br />
Megan Graves, Agent<br />
102 S. Olive, Maquoketa, IA<br />
Office | 563.652.2457<br />
Mobile | 563.219.0110<br />
No. 1 ag insurer across our 8-state territory; 2022 SNL P&C Group - Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Western Agricultural Insurance Company direct written premium. Securities & services offered<br />
through FBL Marketing Services, LLC, + 5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, IA 50266, 877/860-2904, Member SIPC. Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company, + * Western Agricultural Insurance<br />
Company, + * Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company + */West Des Moines, IA. Individual must be a registered representative of FBL Marketing Services, LLC to discuss securities products. Individual must be licensed with<br />
issuing company to offer insurance products. + Affiliates. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services. SR453 (8-23)
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION<br />
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
elevator, I say ‘Is your diet short of starch?’<br />
No one ever says yes,” he said.<br />
For Iowa, the top corn-producing state,<br />
ethanol production is key to fueling demand<br />
for the commodity, and, in turn, positively<br />
affecting the price per bushel. While<br />
there’s not an ethanol plant in Eastern Iowa<br />
(the region already has such ready-made<br />
markets as river terminals, ADM in Clinton,<br />
and Nestle Purina in Davenport) the<br />
renewable fuel’s economic impact on the<br />
local economy is significant, Bowman said.<br />
Iowa’s 42 ethanol plants used 1.83<br />
billion bushels of corn to produce a record<br />
4.5 billion gallons of ethanol in 2022, more<br />
than any other state. That, along with the<br />
349 million gallons of biodiesel produced,<br />
accounted for nearly $7.2 billion of Iowa’s<br />
GDP and some 57,000 jobs, according to<br />
the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association,<br />
an organization that represents the state’s<br />
liquid renewable energy industry.<br />
Ethanol as a transportation fuel was<br />
developed more than 40 years ago. It’s<br />
basically ethyl alcohol made from corn,<br />
the same kind of alcohol used in beverages<br />
you can pick up at the neighborhood liquor<br />
store. More U.S. corn goes to ethanol<br />
production than any other use, about 40%;<br />
36% is used for cattle feed and the rest for<br />
food.<br />
“What we’re talking about here is value<br />
added, and farmers understand that,” Bowman<br />
said. “For years, we took the corn.<br />
We fed it to livestock, and we made more<br />
money than we would have if we sold that<br />
grain. That’s value-added. Ethanol is the<br />
same way.”<br />
The political landscape continues to be a<br />
bit of a rollercoaster, Bowman said.<br />
“It’s been a pretty wild ride for several<br />
decades,” he noted.<br />
One of the continuing areas farmers<br />
are watching are what happens with RIN<br />
waivers. Those waivers allow oil refiners<br />
to violate ethanol blending requirements<br />
under Renewable Identification Numbers,<br />
which are used to monitor compliance with<br />
federal Renewable Fuel Standards.<br />
They’ll also be hoping to make inroads<br />
into the sale of E15 throughout the year,<br />
which is banned in some places with smog<br />
problems and available year round in<br />
others.<br />
They’ll also be monitoring what happens<br />
with proposed pipeline projects that would<br />
transport carbon dioxide from ethanol,<br />
fertilizer and other ag-related industries<br />
and sequester it underground. If those<br />
pipelines come to fruition, they could help<br />
lower carbon emitted from ethanol plants,<br />
but they are facing pushback on landowner<br />
rights and safety issues.<br />
Bowman talks with enthusiasm about<br />
some of the research and development<br />
going on in the corn and soybean industries,<br />
including burning 100% ethanol fuel<br />
in diesel motors, as well as using plants for<br />
safe, sustainable aviation fuel.<br />
One of the key things he likes to remind<br />
people of is the unlimited potential of<br />
renewable fuels.<br />
“This is really an infant industry.<br />
They are making huge improvements,” he<br />
said. n<br />
We’re just a phone call away.<br />
We have the experience, service and knowledge to be<br />
a great partner with you. Whether established or new,<br />
we’d love the opportunity to earn your business.<br />
Pictured:<br />
Jim Thines,<br />
Susanne<br />
Snead,<br />
Tony Portz,<br />
Jessica<br />
Nicely, Joel<br />
Ahrendsen<br />
114 W. Main St.<br />
Wyoming, IA<br />
(563) 488-2211<br />
Four convenient locations to serve you:<br />
321 Jackson St<br />
Olin, IA<br />
(319) 484-2247<br />
101 W. Broadway<br />
Oxford Junction, IA<br />
(563) 826-2231<br />
www.csbwyoming.com<br />
102 E. Carlisle,<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
(563) 652-2211<br />
56 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Harnessing the sun<br />
Rich & Joyce<br />
Noonan<br />
Otter Creek<br />
Rich and Joyce Noonan<br />
rely on solar power to fuel<br />
much of their house and<br />
farm operation. They are<br />
planning to add a battery<br />
to harness more energy<br />
from the sun.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Long-term benefits eclipse upfront<br />
costs for solar panels as rural<br />
residents look for energy alternatives.<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Rich and Joyce Noonan built<br />
the metal shed on their rural<br />
Zwingle farm 20 years<br />
ago, long before they had<br />
any thoughts about putting<br />
solar panels on the roof.<br />
But when they considered that possibility<br />
a few years later, it seemed fate<br />
was sending a signal.<br />
“We didn’t know the shed roof was<br />
going to be facing the perfect direction<br />
and that it would have the perfect pitch<br />
for solar panels. We were really fortunate,”<br />
Joyce said.<br />
Seventy panels are mounted on the<br />
south-facing expanse of their shed roof,<br />
providing the Noonan’s electricity for<br />
both their home and their grain and<br />
livestock operation. They are among<br />
farmers in Eastern Iowa who have<br />
installed ground- or roof-mounted solar<br />
panels with an eye toward harnessing a<br />
natural resource that provides reliable<br />
and efficient energy.<br />
“We do buy some electricity, but<br />
solar generates more than half of<br />
usage,” Joyce said. Their next project is<br />
to install a rechargeable battery to store<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 57
Left to right: Kale Petersen, Tim Swamberger, Brayden Frazier, Rick McCulloh, Taylor Bensenberg, Kirk Dosland, Aaron Trenkamp, Lucas Hughes, Dylan Meyer<br />
From one season to the next, River<br />
Valley Cooperative is there for our<br />
member-owners and the communities<br />
we call home. Like you, we combine<br />
the latest technologies and insights<br />
with roll-up-your-sleeves hard work.<br />
www.rivervalleycoop.com | 1-866-962-7820<br />
@RiverValleyCoop<br />
@RVCooperative<br />
@River_Valley_Cooperative
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
excess power for evenings or other times<br />
the sun isn’t shining as bright.<br />
When they installed the panels in 2016,<br />
the federal government gave a 30% tax<br />
credit and the state gave a 15% tax credit.<br />
“Now granted those are tax credits, and<br />
you have to have an income to use them.<br />
In farming sometimes you don’t,” Joyce<br />
said. “But, when you do the math longterm,<br />
it works.”<br />
After an initial usage study, accounting<br />
for depreciation, and forecasting using the<br />
tax credits right away, the Noonan’s were<br />
told to expect to break even around year<br />
five.<br />
“We thought that was very impressive,”<br />
Joyce said, and it’s turned out to be true.<br />
Others in their rural neighborhood<br />
agree. They list the names of six or seven<br />
neighbors within two miles of their home<br />
in any direction who have solar panels.<br />
The Noonans have two electric meters<br />
– one for their personal consumption,<br />
the house, and one for their commercial<br />
consumption, the shed.<br />
“The battery will help too,” Rich<br />
said. If for some reason they didn’t have<br />
enough solar power or the electricity was<br />
out, “at least we can run the pump for<br />
water for the cattle. It’s a good backup<br />
system for water and to reduce our electric<br />
bill down to very little.”<br />
Currently, the solar panels generate<br />
almost all of the electricity that the shed<br />
uses, Rich said.<br />
“Now, when we have the grain bins<br />
running, it can’t keep up with that, but it<br />
supplements it,” he said.<br />
“There’re very efficient because they<br />
don’t take any energy to run. They are<br />
guaranteed for 25 years and life of more<br />
than 40,” Rich said. He also likes that<br />
there are no moving parts, and they<br />
haven’t had to have much maintenance on<br />
them at all.<br />
The solar panels work year-round, Rich<br />
explained on a sunny July morning.<br />
“A day like today is perfect. At 7 in the<br />
morning, just when it’s getting light out,<br />
you’ll hear the meter start up,” he said.<br />
During the longer hours of daylight in<br />
the summer, they provide more energy,<br />
“The long-term benefits<br />
are convincing.”<br />
— JOYCE NOONAN<br />
Joyce noted.<br />
“In the winter, you still get energy, and<br />
you still get quite a bit. Snow will gather,<br />
but it doesn’t stay on the panels unless it’s<br />
a mega-snow. It melts off really fast.”<br />
While the panels are a considerable<br />
up-front investment, the Noonans said the<br />
they’d recommend them to other farmers.<br />
“It’s up front money but you have to<br />
think long-term. We made sacrifices to<br />
do it, but we are glad we did,” Joyce<br />
said. “The long-term benefits are convincing.”<br />
n<br />
Kent Hostetler / (815) 499-7014<br />
24340 150th St. Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
MAXIMIZE Your Profitability<br />
20 YEARS<br />
OF SERVICE<br />
• planter maintenance<br />
• plant nutrition<br />
• precision technology<br />
• soil sampling<br />
• fertility recommendations<br />
Specializing in planter wear parts that perform better and last longer.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 59
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Living by<br />
the Sun<br />
Kris Doll’s love for her family<br />
farm leads to her energy-efficient<br />
home and lifestyle.<br />
BY LAUREN DEMA<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Not being able to flush the toilet and run the air<br />
conditioner at the same time is just a small<br />
price that Kris Doll pays to live off the grid<br />
with solar panels.<br />
Her love for her family’s rural Onslow property,<br />
where she grew up swimming in the pond she can see<br />
Rather than running<br />
power lines to the<br />
site when she was<br />
building her house,<br />
Kris Doll decided to go<br />
off the grid and use a<br />
combination of wind<br />
and solar.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Kris<br />
Doll<br />
Onslow<br />
Another job<br />
complete<br />
LIBERTY AG & EXCAVATING<br />
PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:<br />
• Tiling<br />
• Precision Planting<br />
• Custom Farming<br />
• Anhydrous Application<br />
• Excavating<br />
• Site Prep<br />
• Dozing<br />
• Waterway<br />
• Pond building<br />
and repair<br />
• NRCS projects<br />
• Custom hauling<br />
• Much more<br />
CONTACT: Matt Kelting | 563-370-2158<br />
29159 10th Ave, New Liberty, Iowa 52765<br />
60 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Among the things Doll does to be efficient is hang clothes out to dry.<br />
from her deck, prompted her<br />
decision to build a home there<br />
17 years ago.<br />
When she found out it<br />
would cost $30,000 to run<br />
power lines to the building<br />
site, she chose to turn to solar<br />
panels for her energy needs.<br />
“That is the main reason<br />
why we went off grid,” said<br />
Doll, who is a librarian at<br />
Midland High School and<br />
teaches computer science.<br />
Her monthly household<br />
MAKE OUR FLEET YOUR FLEET<br />
Grain, Fertilizer, Aggregate...we haul it all!<br />
Preston 563-689-3622<br />
Maquoketa 563-652-5332<br />
Family owned for 38 years!<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 61
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
bills consist of one for internet service.<br />
As farmers in Eastern Iowa explore<br />
different energy sources for their farms<br />
and homes, Doll’s solar-powered homestead<br />
in Jones County – which sits among<br />
80 acres of ground where her brother and<br />
dad raise corn and soybeans – is an example<br />
of how to adapt.<br />
Doll’s energy efficient ways dictate<br />
how she lives her life by adjusting to the<br />
weather each season. For example, in the<br />
winter months with fewer sunlight hours<br />
and less energy production, she goes to<br />
bed a little earlier and bundles up.<br />
“I go to bed early and I only do laundry<br />
on sunny days,” Doll said.<br />
Doll uses two solar panels with one<br />
producing 1,000 watts and the other 4,000<br />
watts. Once sunlight is absorbed by PV<br />
cells through the panel, the electrical<br />
charges flow through her system set up in<br />
her garage.<br />
Hung on the wall is her inverter,<br />
which converts the electricity from the<br />
panel into an alternating current that the<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / BROOKE TILL<br />
Doll stores excess production in four forklift batteries kept in a large wooden box. She keeps<br />
track of how many amps are going in and out by penciling in notes on the drywall beside the<br />
charge controller to know when she needs to charge her batteries.<br />
electrical grid uses. Her charge controller<br />
regulates the voltage and current from the<br />
solar panel to keep from overcharging.<br />
She stores excess production in four<br />
forklift batteries kept in a large wooden<br />
box.<br />
Doll frequently keeps track of how<br />
many amps are going in and out by penciling<br />
in notes on the drywall beside the<br />
charge controller to know when she needs<br />
to charge her batteries.<br />
“It is good to keep your batteries above<br />
charge,” Doll said, since the status dictates<br />
her daily life.<br />
Doll’s house also is constructed for her<br />
energy saving ways. It is composed of<br />
stacked Styrofoam blocks with concrete<br />
in the center and is very energy efficient.<br />
The Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)<br />
CUSTOM CORN STALK AND HAY<br />
BALING & WRAPPING<br />
Contact: Duane Headings<br />
for pricing or<br />
more information<br />
563-227-7359<br />
62 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
GROW YOUR FARM!<br />
Explore financing options<br />
with our lending team.<br />
BANKING AS IT SHOULD BE!<br />
563.243.6000<br />
www.GoCFB.bank<br />
Pictured: Stephen Clements,<br />
Kara Durward, Kelly Goodsman-Smith,<br />
and Keith Hook
Trucking<br />
Rock Quarry<br />
& Ag Lime Application<br />
A Dan Arensdorf Construction, Inc. company<br />
AGRICULTURE LIME<br />
& ROCK QUARRY<br />
Whether you’re tending to your soil or building a roadway,<br />
driveway, setting a culvert, or anything in between, our<br />
family has been delivering to you for more than 65 years.<br />
CALL TODAY AND WE’LL DELIVER WHAT YOU NEED! 563-773-8999
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Martens Angus Farms<br />
Jody and Laurie Martens with children Mckenna and Mckayla<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
Doll plans to continue being environmentally friendly along side her<br />
dog, Lincoln.<br />
construction help conserve<br />
heating and cooling energy<br />
better than conventional walls.<br />
“I haven’t run my air conditioning<br />
all summer,” Doll said,<br />
despite a stretch of 90-degree<br />
days.<br />
In addition, Doll’s<br />
south-facing windows contribute<br />
by letting in a lot of<br />
sun in the winter but have an<br />
overhang to provide shade in<br />
the summer.<br />
Doll says that her energy-efficient<br />
living is the best<br />
for the summertime, and her<br />
off-grid location provides for<br />
the best views.<br />
Her deck is perched<br />
perfectly to overlook her<br />
childhood pond, 12 rows of<br />
grapes, and vegetable garden.<br />
Clean clothes hang on a<br />
clothesline stretched across<br />
one corner. Not only does she<br />
like the fresh scent of air-dried<br />
laundry, it also keeps her from<br />
Pictured: Owner Duane Stickley<br />
having to run her dyer indoors.<br />
Doll’s way of living allows<br />
her to still have power in a<br />
storm when everyone else may<br />
not with low effort.<br />
“The solar panels have been<br />
maintenance-free,” said Doll.<br />
Even on overcast days, Doll<br />
manages to get energy.<br />
“The solar by far is more<br />
efficient; even on a cloudy day<br />
you get something,” said Doll.<br />
The use of solar energy still<br />
has room to grow in Iowa,<br />
according to the Solar Energy<br />
Industries Association, a<br />
Washington D.C.-based trade<br />
association.<br />
Currently, solar panels provide<br />
just 1.06% of the state’s<br />
energy needs, or enough<br />
to power the equivalent of<br />
84,065 homes.<br />
Doll plans to continue being<br />
environmentally friendly<br />
alongside her dog, Lincoln. n<br />
THE<br />
RIGHT<br />
FIT<br />
FOR ALL YOUR<br />
ELECTRICAL<br />
FARM NEEDS<br />
JOIN US FOR OUR<br />
2nd Annual<br />
Bull & Heifer Sale<br />
— February 28, 2024 —<br />
1:00 p.m. at the farm<br />
Featuring calves out of some of the<br />
most proven bulls in the Angus breed:<br />
Carson, Man in Black, Tribute,<br />
Fair and Square, Legion and Odyssey.<br />
Light Birthweight - Fast Growth<br />
Carcass Quality - Quiet Disposition<br />
Martens Angus Farms<br />
37939 346 Avenue • Bellevue Iowa 52031<br />
martensangus@gmail.com<br />
(563) 552-8890<br />
563-652-2439<br />
stickley1948@stickleyelectric.com • 113 Western Ave., Maquoketa, IA<br />
www.martensangus.com | Find us on Facebook<br />
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough<br />
to make them all yourself.” - Eleanor Roosevelt<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 65
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Jackson County<br />
Energy District<br />
Maquoketa<br />
Jackson County Energy District members<br />
stand in front of a solar installation at<br />
the Hurstville Interpretive Center that<br />
was commissioned last fall. (From left)<br />
Bill Hainstock, Megan Andresen, Ben<br />
Davison, Daryl Parker, Mike Griffin,<br />
Stephanie Sagers and Bruce Fisher. The<br />
solar array was installed by Eagle Point<br />
Solar, based in Dubuque.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
WE ARE<br />
LOCAL!<br />
FARM-TO-TABLE<br />
MEAT, EGGS, BEER & WINE<br />
BUY NOW AT OUR<br />
MAQUOKETA LOCATION<br />
HOME RAISED BEEF • PORK<br />
CHICKEN • SEAFOOD • CHEESE<br />
BEER • IOWA GRAPE VINES WINES<br />
CALL AHEAD AND USE OUR<br />
DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW FEATURE!<br />
CALL: 563-249-6471<br />
18066 HWY 64, MAQUOKETA, IA 52060<br />
At our Elwood locker...<br />
NOW BOOKING APPOINTMENTS<br />
CALL: 563-678-2285<br />
You’ll always<br />
find something<br />
delicious at<br />
our butcher<br />
shop!<br />
66 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
A Solar<br />
Surge<br />
Jackson County group promotes energy<br />
stewardship and reaping economic value<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
During a presentation<br />
to local<br />
officials in June<br />
2020, Jackson<br />
County Energy<br />
District Chair Bruce Fisher cut<br />
to the chase.<br />
“Solar power is surging,<br />
and we want to be part of that<br />
wave,” Fisher told the county’s<br />
Board of Supervisors.<br />
At the time, Fisher was seeking<br />
the board’s endorsement to<br />
join the Midwest Renewable<br />
Energy Association (MREA),<br />
DON’T WASTE A GOOD THING<br />
Your farm’s manure is a great source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.<br />
Let us pump it out of your pit and inject it into your ground.<br />
It’s a great way<br />
to reduce your<br />
crop input costs!<br />
deepCREEK<br />
a p p l i c a t o r s<br />
Office: (563) 678-2837 | Rural Maquoketa | Cell: (515) 460-2553<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 67
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
ABOUT THE JACKSON COUNTY<br />
ENERGY DISTRICT<br />
The Jackson County Energy District formed in 2019 to promote energy<br />
stewardship and economic development. The district also promotes home<br />
energy efficiency audits, LED retrofits and home efficiency upgrades, an<br />
LED bulb exchange, legislator and local leader clean energy tours, school<br />
clean energy education lessons, and facilitating local government zoning<br />
reform to reduce barriers for locally owned solar. Its volunteer board of<br />
directors includes:<br />
Chairman Bruce Fisher of Monmouth,<br />
Vice Chairman Bill Hainstock of Delmar<br />
Secretary Ben Davison of Maquoketa<br />
Treasurer Megan Andresen of Maquoketa<br />
Board member Mike Griffin of Springbrook<br />
Board Member Vickie Putman of Bellevue<br />
Board Member Daryl Parker of Bellevue<br />
Board Member Stephanie Sagers of Maquoketa<br />
For more information, visit<br />
jacksoncounty.energydistrict.org.<br />
an affiliation that helps Jackson County residents<br />
obtain reduced rates on solar array installation and<br />
get them thinking about solar energy.<br />
“We want to support farmers and other residents<br />
in energy efficiency,” said Fisher more recently.<br />
The Jackson County native, who moved to his<br />
small farm in Monmouth after retiring from a career<br />
as an organizational psychologist, said solar power<br />
makes sense in many ways. It’s clean and it is also<br />
“an economic development engine.”<br />
Fisher and the eight other board members have<br />
been working since the energy district’s 2019 formation<br />
on their goal to transition Jackson County to<br />
100% local, renewable energy by 2050. And along<br />
the way, farmers in Eastern Iowa are among the<br />
people the district works to connect with the tools.<br />
“We have a two-fold purpose. First is to drive energy<br />
stewardship in the county,” Fisher said. Second<br />
is “to reap the tremendous economic value associated<br />
with the energy district model.”<br />
The goal, he said, is to reverse the millions of<br />
dollars leaving Jackson County every year to pay<br />
for energy costs.<br />
For farmers, taking advantage of the current federal<br />
incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act to<br />
Let’s get<br />
to work...<br />
together<br />
At Padgett, you’ll find more than a tax<br />
preparer or accountant - you’ll find a true<br />
partner and advisor. As business owners<br />
ourselves, we know the ins and outs of<br />
what it takes to succeed.<br />
We can help you with:<br />
Business & Individual Advisory •<br />
Business & Individual Tax •<br />
Preparation & Planning •<br />
Accounting •<br />
Payroll •<br />
DEWITT | CLINTON | MOLINE | DAVENPORT | ELDRIDGE<br />
STOP BY AND SEE US AT OUR NEW LOCATION: 107 E. QUARRY ST., MAQUOKETA<br />
Pictured left to right: Kelsey<br />
Dodds; Roxanna James; Micaela<br />
Kemp; Brandon Voss, MBA;<br />
John Franzen, EA;<br />
Brianna Boer, CPA;<br />
Michael Voss, EA; and<br />
Dennis Voss, CPA<br />
68 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
install solar is one enticement.<br />
As part of that act,<br />
Congress dedicated more<br />
than $2 billion for renewable<br />
energy systems and energy<br />
efficiency improvement<br />
grants for agricultural producers<br />
and rural small business<br />
owners though 2031.<br />
Those are administered<br />
through the USDA’s Rural<br />
Energy for America Program<br />
(REAP). In parts of Jackson<br />
County, the benefits include<br />
a 30% direct tax credit and<br />
an additional 10% credit<br />
spread out over five years.<br />
The energy district<br />
movement in Iowa started<br />
in Winneshiek County more<br />
than 13 years ago. Now<br />
12 counties comprise the<br />
Clean Energy Districts of<br />
Iowa, with Jackson and<br />
Dubuque counties participating<br />
locally. Work is under<br />
way to form a Jones County<br />
chapter.<br />
Iowa leads the country<br />
in using renewable energy,<br />
with 63.3% of its electricity<br />
generated from wind<br />
and solar, according to the<br />
2022 annual report from<br />
the American Clean Power<br />
Association, a Washington<br />
D.C.-based group that<br />
represents renewable energy<br />
companies.<br />
Iowa was in the lead the<br />
previous year as well, with<br />
55% of its electricity generated<br />
from utility-scale solar,<br />
small-scale solar and wind.<br />
In Jackson County, solar<br />
is slowly catching on, Fisher<br />
said.<br />
The energy district hit<br />
an important benchmark<br />
with its Grow Solar Jackson<br />
County project, which ended<br />
in the fall of 2021, when<br />
it surpassed a benchmark<br />
milestone of contracting 50<br />
kilowatts of solar energy.<br />
In fact, it contracted 102<br />
kilowatts of solar energy,<br />
representing $216,000 in<br />
local investments during the<br />
project, which emphasized<br />
solar education and volume<br />
purchasing to make solar<br />
more affordable for businesses<br />
and homeowners.<br />
“Farmers are among the<br />
largest energy users in the<br />
county and the potential<br />
to gain the most from the<br />
movement toward locally<br />
owned clean energy. Depending<br />
on the farmer’s<br />
local utility policies, they<br />
can eliminate anywhere<br />
from 50% to 100% of their<br />
energy bills,” Fisher said.<br />
“The ROI for such an investment<br />
varies broadly, again<br />
based on utility policy, but<br />
can be generally estimated<br />
at 8% to 20% annually when<br />
looked at across the 25-year<br />
warrantied service of a solar<br />
system.” n<br />
WHEN YOUR SUCCESS IS<br />
MEASURED IN BUSHELS –<br />
COUNT ON US<br />
TO HELP YOU<br />
MAXIMIZE THEM!<br />
400 East 11th Street, DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
Office: 563-659-5125 | Cell: 563-275-2433<br />
www.extension.iastate.edu/clinton<br />
JASON SPAIN: jason.spain@plantpioneer.com<br />
563.212.3345 | Welton, Iowa | www.spainag.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 69
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Charting a course<br />
Joe<br />
Heinrich<br />
Andrew<br />
Farmer Joe Heinrich recently<br />
took the helm of a Midwest<br />
organization committed to<br />
educating people about carbon<br />
capture and potential uses.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO /<br />
JACKIE MILLER<br />
Jackson County farmer<br />
heads up new not-for-profit<br />
to educate rural residents<br />
about benefits of carbon<br />
capture, future uses.<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
While Joe Heinrich was<br />
planting corn in Andrew<br />
last spring, he also was<br />
participating in a round of<br />
virtual meetings from his<br />
tractor cab.<br />
The Jackson County resident was part of<br />
Your Legacy<br />
Begins Now.<br />
You take care of your family. You take care of your farm.<br />
You can take care of your community, too.<br />
We can help. At the Community Foundation of Greater<br />
Dubuque, we provide top-tier financial and back office<br />
support for our eight local affiliate foundations, serving<br />
communities and families like yours in Allamakee,<br />
Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson and Jones<br />
Counties. Turn to pages 94 and 95 to learn more.<br />
Let’s Build Your Legacy. Together.<br />
Sheila Kramer Tjaden<br />
Director of Affiliate Foundations, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque<br />
563.588.2700 | sheila@dbqfoundation.org | dbqfoundation.org<br />
70 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Swanton Ag Service Goose Lake<br />
Don Swanton | 563-249-5645 | don.swanton@plantpioneer.com<br />
Infinity Ag Maquoketa<br />
Jeff Butler | 319-361-4733 | jeff.butler@plantpioneer.com<br />
Spain Ag Service Welton<br />
Jason Spain | 563-212-3345 | jason.spain@plantpioneer.com<br />
Delaney Ag Service LaMotte<br />
Michael Delaney | 563-543-1376 | michael.delaney@plantpioneer.com<br />
TM ® SM Trademarks and service marks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2020 Corteva. 20D-1495
FALL 2023 SALES DATES<br />
FOR...<br />
➢ Wed., Oct. 4..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Oct. 6.....................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Oct. 11................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Oct. 13...................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Oct. 18................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Oct. 20...................Hay sale<br />
➢ Wed., Oct. 25................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Oct. 27...................Hay Sale<br />
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:<br />
Maquoketa Livestock Exchange<br />
OCTOBER<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
➢ Wed., Nov. 1..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Nov. 3..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Nov. 8..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Nov. 10..................Hay sale<br />
➢ Wed., Nov. 15..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Nov. 17..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Nov. 29..................Cattle Sale<br />
DECEMBER<br />
➢ Fri., Dec. 1..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Sat., Dec. 2..................Cow Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Dec. 6..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Dec. 8..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Dec. 13..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Dec. 15..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Sat.,Dec. 16..................Special Feeder Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Dec. 20..................Cattle Sale<br />
➢ Fri., Dec. 22..................Hay Sale<br />
➢ Wed., Dec. 27..................NO SALE<br />
➢ Fri., Dec. 29..................NO SALE<br />
Kevin Kilburg - 563-543-4459<br />
Barn Phone- 563-652-5674<br />
Bill Kilburg 563-357-0605<br />
maquoketalivestockexchange.com<br />
maquoketalivestockexchange@gmail.com<br />
ALL SALES<br />
START AT 11:30<br />
18140 33rd Street, Maquoketa<br />
(Take Hwy. 64 West past Theisens, then E. on 33rd St.)<br />
a team planning the launch of<br />
the Smart Carbon Network, a<br />
Midwest-focused, not-for-profit<br />
that aims to educate farmers<br />
about the financial benefits of<br />
carbon capture and how carbon<br />
dioxide, or CO2, can be stored<br />
and, more importantly, used.<br />
As the new organization’s<br />
executive director, Heinrich<br />
draws on his farming background<br />
(his diversified family<br />
farm is 150 years old), his<br />
penchant for talking to folks<br />
on the front lines of agriculture<br />
(something he did during his 12<br />
years as the elected vice president<br />
of Iowa Farm Bureau),<br />
and his interest in sustaining<br />
the economic health of small<br />
towns where raising crops and<br />
livestock are the lifeblood.<br />
“I got involved with this<br />
group because I see today and<br />
into the future how this is going<br />
to affect rural communities,”<br />
he said.<br />
Three companies have<br />
proposals on the table to install<br />
CO2 pipelines that would span<br />
six states – including Iowa –<br />
and transport the liquified gas<br />
from ethanol, fertilizer and<br />
other ag-related industries to<br />
underground sequestration<br />
sites.<br />
Some 50% of the corn produced<br />
in Iowa goes into ethanol<br />
production. And while farmers,<br />
industry representatives, local<br />
public officials, environmental<br />
experts and community<br />
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
members may not always be<br />
on the same page about carbon<br />
capture pipelines, ethanol’s key<br />
role in the state isn’t disputed.<br />
“Today, we need the carbon<br />
capture because of the ethanol<br />
market,” Heinrich said.<br />
He cited a study from the<br />
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association<br />
released earlier this year.<br />
It found that if carbon capture<br />
projects were not adopted in<br />
Iowa but were in neighboring<br />
states, it could lead to significant<br />
economic losses here. For<br />
example, if ethanol production<br />
shrunk by 75% in the state by<br />
2030, Iowa farms could lose<br />
the market for 1.18 billion<br />
bushels of corn and see a drop<br />
in farm income by more than<br />
$10 billion annually, the study<br />
says.<br />
Among the concerns<br />
expressed by those who are opposed<br />
or undecided about CO2<br />
pipelines are safety issues and<br />
land ownership rights. Those<br />
are some of the topics that<br />
Heinrich addresses as he travels<br />
around the state to speak<br />
with farmers, property owners,<br />
local farm associations, elected<br />
officials and more on behalf of<br />
the organization, which he said<br />
includes representatives from<br />
academia, business, agriculture<br />
and other sectors.<br />
“I’ve spent my life trying to<br />
promote rural communities,<br />
and I have a passion for that<br />
because I live it,” he said. “This<br />
We’ll count your beans and<br />
help you grow more of them<br />
Jeff Jennings<br />
REISER, JENNINGS<br />
& CO., P.C.<br />
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS<br />
Services include:<br />
• Tax Preparation<br />
• Tax & Transition<br />
Planning<br />
• Financial<br />
Analysis<br />
1706 Brady Street<br />
Suite 306<br />
Davenport<br />
322-6271<br />
519 9th St.<br />
P.O. Box 404<br />
DeWitt<br />
659-1577<br />
154 S. 4th Ave.<br />
P.O. Box 197<br />
Eldridge<br />
285-4121<br />
72 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
is a story that really needs to be told. Over the<br />
last couple of years in particular, I saw that there<br />
is so much emotion around this issue, and there’s<br />
misinformation around it.”<br />
He believes Smart Carbon Solutions can help.<br />
“We want to be a respected, trusted source for<br />
information on carbon capture storage and use,”<br />
he said.<br />
Liquid propane and anhydrous ammonia have<br />
been transported via underground pipes for<br />
years. The United States has been transporting<br />
liquid CO2 since the 1970s, Heinrich said. About<br />
5,000 miles of carbon capture pipes run through<br />
the country, none currently in Iowa.<br />
“The second thing we want to talk about is the<br />
future,” he said. “The pipeline is only a part of<br />
this puzzle. The big picture is looking at not only<br />
carbon capture and storage but at use. And I put<br />
a capital “U” on use.”<br />
Companies are doing research and development<br />
on such things as adding carbon to concrete<br />
or insulation. California-based Infinium recently<br />
announced a project that would combine green<br />
hydrogen and CO2 to produce a low-carbon fuel<br />
that can be used in combustion engines.<br />
Such developments feed into the vision that<br />
Heinrich and others have that someday CO2<br />
won’t be a byproduct but a co-product of the<br />
ethanol process.<br />
Today, many farmers feed their livestock protein-rich<br />
DDG, or dried distillers grains, which<br />
come from ethanol production, noted Heinrich,<br />
whose family feeds it to the cows on their farm.<br />
“The industry really had a time getting DDG<br />
moved when it first started. Well, now we have<br />
trouble getting it. We pay pretty good money for<br />
it. They had to figure out a use, and now it’s hard<br />
to get. It’s a co-product, and they make money<br />
on it. I see that coming for the carbon market,”<br />
he said.<br />
“We’re in a society now, whether you agree<br />
with everything or not, that people want to see<br />
lower carbon and a lower carbon footprint.<br />
This is one way we can do it responsibly, do it<br />
effectively, and in the meantime help our rural<br />
economies,” he said.<br />
He’s excited to be in on the ground level with<br />
a group that is working toward that goal.<br />
“We’re at a crossroads in rural Iowa with this.<br />
The landscape is going to look different, one<br />
way or another,” he said. “This is the time to<br />
chart our direction and take control of it.” n<br />
“I’ve spent my life<br />
trying to promote<br />
rural communities,<br />
and I have a<br />
passion for that<br />
because I live it.”<br />
— JOE HEINRICH<br />
FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS<br />
➤ FARMS ➤ RESIDENTIAL ➤ ACREAGES ➤ COMMERCIAL<br />
Chuck<br />
Schwager,<br />
Broker<br />
Live and Online Auctions • Farmland Purchases and Sales • Estimates of Value<br />
Chuck: 563-599-4277<br />
125 S. 2ND ST., MAQUOKETA, IA | (563) 652-0000<br />
Linda<br />
Bailey<br />
Our experienced agents can guide you through the<br />
selling or buying process keeping it as stress free as possible.<br />
“We are people just like you!”<br />
eastiowaland.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 73
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
Solar + wind = GREATER<br />
ENERGY EFFICIENCY<br />
Mike<br />
Duhme<br />
Wind and solar<br />
contribute to<br />
a substantial<br />
decrease in<br />
Mike Duhme’s<br />
monthly electric<br />
bill at Otter<br />
Creek Meats.<br />
EASTERN IOWA<br />
FARMER PHOTO /<br />
BROOKE TILL<br />
Zwingle<br />
Rural business owner who<br />
takes advantage of funding<br />
projects that help lower his<br />
electricity bill says he isn’t<br />
looking at the up-front expense<br />
as much as the future gains.<br />
BY NANCY MAYFIELD<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
The freezers at Otter Creek Meats<br />
run 24/7, and owner Mike Duhme<br />
has the utility bills to show the massive<br />
amount of power it takes to run<br />
his wholesale meat operation.<br />
But since he installed solar panels last year<br />
to supplement the energy needs at the Zwingle<br />
business, he’s shaved his electric bill – which<br />
could run up to $3,000 a month – by more than<br />
half.<br />
In the spring, he added a wind turbine on<br />
the property that he expects will make an even<br />
bigger impact.<br />
“Right now I have six compressors running<br />
and two chest freezers. I’ve got a lot of energy<br />
I’m using. I use a lot of kilowatts. My solar<br />
can’t keep up,” he said.<br />
His goal is to get his electric bill under $300<br />
a month.<br />
“I’d probably do a dance in the street if that<br />
Cement Gravel Sand<br />
Bellevue Sand & Gravel<br />
Quarry Locations: Bellevue - LaMotte - St. Donatus - Springbrook - Otter Creek<br />
29427 Hwy. 52, Bellevue, IA • Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.<br />
563-872-3886 • Home: 563-542-1124<br />
For quality concrete prices & service, call us when building your next:<br />
Hog confinement, cattle shed, pole building, barn, new house and everything in between!<br />
FREE ESTIMATES / RAdIo dISpATchEd / quAlITy concRETE And lIMESTonE<br />
FYI – Iowa State University says<br />
fall is the best time for planting!<br />
• Plants are starting to go dormant<br />
• Temperatures are cooling<br />
• Less watering required<br />
Come see our large selection of trees & shrubs!<br />
SHADE TREES FRUIT TREES<br />
EVERGREENS SHRUBS<br />
1723 11th St. • DeWitt, IA | (563) 659-5321<br />
Pictured is owner Bill Andresen<br />
with a Jumbo Mum!<br />
74 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Duhme makes a variety of brats that he keeps cool in his retail operation,<br />
where a wall of freezers running 24/7 consume a great deal of energy.<br />
happened,” he said.<br />
He is among the rural small<br />
business owners and agricultural<br />
producers in Eastern Iowa<br />
who are using the Rural Energy<br />
for America Program (REAP).<br />
Administered by the USDA<br />
Rural Development Office,<br />
the program provides guaranteed<br />
loan financing and grant<br />
funding for renewable energy<br />
systems or to make energy efficiency<br />
improvements, including<br />
wind and solar generation<br />
at small and large scales.<br />
“It was a gut shot to finance.<br />
It’s a lot of money,” Duhme<br />
said of the renewable energy<br />
‘REAP’ing rewards from<br />
investment program<br />
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) helps increase<br />
American energy independence by increasing the private sector<br />
supply of renewable energy and decreasing the demand for<br />
energy through energy efficiency improvements. Over time,<br />
these investments can also help lower the cost of energy for<br />
small businesses and agricultural producers.<br />
The program, which is administered by USDA Rural<br />
Development, includes loan guarantees on loans up to 75<br />
percent of total eligible project costs; grants for up to 50 percent<br />
of total eligible project costs; and combined grant and loan<br />
guarantee funding up to 75% of total eligible project costs.<br />
The Rural Development office in Tipton serves Benton, Cedar,<br />
Clinton, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn and<br />
Scott counties.<br />
For more information, call (563) 886-6006 or visit rd.usda.<br />
gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-americaprogram-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiencyimprovement-guaranteed-loans/ia<br />
LET US<br />
HELP YOU!<br />
• FREE DELIVERY<br />
• Convenient Drive-Up<br />
• 24 Hour, 7 Days a<br />
Week Emergency<br />
Service<br />
918 W. Platt • Phone 652-5611<br />
• 1-800-224-5611 • Maquoketa<br />
Open Mon. - Fri. 8-6 • Sat. 8-1 • Sun. 9-1<br />
www.osterhausrx.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 75
THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Duhme has cut the electric bill for his<br />
store by more than half since installing<br />
solar and wind power.<br />
projects on his property. “But, you’ve got<br />
to look at it long-term. You’re not looking<br />
at how much money am I going to make<br />
right away. You ain’t gonna make no money.<br />
You’re going to save money in the long-run.<br />
You’ve got to look at it that way. Did I ever<br />
think I was going to have solar and wind?<br />
No.”<br />
But then, he adds, “I never thought my<br />
electric bill would be that big. There’s a lot<br />
of money running in there every day,” he<br />
said, gesturing toward the wall of freezer<br />
space at the business. “And energy ain’t<br />
going to get any cheaper.”<br />
Duhme said he will have wind power<br />
about nine months out the year.<br />
“In the dog days of summer, you’re not<br />
going to get wind, unless there’s a storm<br />
coming through. When there is a storm coming<br />
through, that old baby cooks,” he said<br />
of the windmill. “When the winter comes<br />
along, the wind blows all the time. You can<br />
bank some of those kilowatts at that point<br />
on your electric bill. When you need energy<br />
again, you’ve got those credits built up.”<br />
The windmill was installed in April, and<br />
he saw positive effects in three windy days at<br />
the end of the month. He monitors both his<br />
solar and wind energy production with touch<br />
screens in his building.<br />
The column for the windmill reaches<br />
about 100-feet into the air on a high spot<br />
on the property. It’s far enough away from<br />
anything that in the unlikely event it would<br />
fall, it wouldn’t hit any structures. To prepare<br />
for the turbine, five loads of cement – some<br />
290,000 pounds – were dumped to make a<br />
slab. On April 10, a crane lifted the huge<br />
structure into place just beyond the blue<br />
grain bins, remnants of when his parents<br />
farmed the property.<br />
In mid-July, he was super busy prepping<br />
tenderloins for several local county fairs,<br />
cutting them a certain size and running them<br />
through the tenderizer. By the time fair<br />
season was over, he processed thousands of<br />
them.<br />
And while he had a lot on his plate right<br />
in front of him, he said he’ll continue to<br />
explore ways to increase his efficiencies.<br />
“I’m always looking toward the future,” he<br />
said. n<br />
We have the<br />
RIGHT EQUIPMENT<br />
for yourJOBS!<br />
LOCAL SERVICES INCLUDE:<br />
Pond Maintenance and Dredging<br />
Grading and Erosion Control<br />
Demo / Building Site Prep<br />
Hydroseeding /Hydrovacing<br />
Land Clearing and Mowing<br />
Gravel Hauling<br />
We also offer<br />
great jobs!<br />
IF YOU HAVE A GOOD DRIVING<br />
RECORD AND ARE WILLING<br />
TO TRAVEL, WE OFFER A<br />
COMPENSATION PACKAGE<br />
THAT INCLUDES 90 PERCENT<br />
OF INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR<br />
HEALTH, DENTAL AND VISION.<br />
WE ALSO PROVIDE<br />
VEHICLES FOR TRAVEL<br />
AS WELL AS A<br />
TRAVEL BONUS!<br />
1524 Hwy 130, Tipton, Iowa 52772<br />
Mobile: 563.357.8238 | Office: 563.886.6556<br />
Fax: 563.886.3769<br />
Pictured: Ron Stutzel, Joe Schultz,<br />
Bob Miedl, Colton Miedl, Steven Wethington,<br />
Kiley Schultz, Chris Schultz, Linda Weaver<br />
76 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Does your Yield Pyramid<br />
have a solid foundation?<br />
WE OFFER<br />
FULL SERVICE ($8.00/acre) and<br />
DO IT YOURSELF ($4.50/acre)<br />
SOIL SAMPLING<br />
Stress<br />
Mitigators<br />
Biologicals<br />
Analysis Complete in 2 Days!<br />
You Own the Data and the Rx<br />
Online access to soil data<br />
and Rx Creation<br />
Foliar Feed / Micros<br />
Zinc / Boron<br />
Nitrogen / Sulfur / Fungicide<br />
Soil pH / Potash / Phosphorus<br />
Delaney<br />
Ag Service<br />
michael.delaney@plantpioneer.com<br />
Michael Delaney<br />
21931 Bellevue-Cascade Rd<br />
LaMotte, IA 52054<br />
Mobile:<br />
(563) 543-1376
Turning a lens<br />
on our<br />
farmer community<br />
Show featuring photographs<br />
from The Eastern Iowa Farmer<br />
on display at MAE; readers<br />
invited to opening reception.<br />
During the past eight years, Brooke<br />
Till and Trevis Mayfield have<br />
traversed the far reaches of the<br />
rural community taking pictures<br />
for The Eastern Iowa Farmer<br />
magazine.<br />
A collection of those photographs will be on<br />
display from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31 at the Maquoketa<br />
Art Experience, 124 S. Main St.<br />
Readers of the magazine and the members of<br />
community are invited to stop by an opening<br />
reception for the show between 4 p.m. and 7<br />
p.m., Sunday, Dec. 4, to meet the photographers<br />
and view the show. The event coincides<br />
with the MAE’s annual holiday open house,<br />
and food and entertainment will be provided.<br />
This is the 16th issue of The Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer, which launched in Spring 2016. It<br />
started with a belief by Mayfield, who owns<br />
Sycamore Media, which publishes the magazine.<br />
“That belief was that agriculture is the core<br />
driver of the Eastern Iowa economy and that<br />
those who make the wheels turn share common<br />
goals, common problems and a strong sense of<br />
community,” he said.<br />
Through their work for The Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer magazine, Till and Mayfield have captured<br />
hundreds of images featuring the people<br />
who animate the fields, barnyards, feedlots, and<br />
kitchens in this part of the world.<br />
They’ve befriended farm dogs, stomped<br />
78 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
through livestock yards, and trekked through acres<br />
of corn, soybeans, and other crops to capture the<br />
essence of the eastern Iowa farming experience.<br />
“Through this collection of photographs, you<br />
will see area farming through our lens,” said Till,<br />
who is Sycamore Media’s creative director. “Putting<br />
a familiar face on agriculture issues connects<br />
people in our community.”<br />
Over the years, the magazine has tackled a range<br />
of issues from legacy planning and soil health to<br />
how farmers settled Eastern Iowa and how to find<br />
resilience in the face of adversity.<br />
Mayfield grew up on what was then a 97-acre<br />
grain farm in west central Indiana and has many<br />
early memories of the farm where his parents still<br />
live. He pulled his first disc with an Oliver 1850<br />
when he was about 12. The magazine allows him<br />
to combine his love of the rural lifestyle with<br />
journalism.<br />
Till grew up on a farm in Nashville, Iowa, and<br />
she has fond memories of horseback riding and<br />
raising miniature horses and goats. She loves<br />
working in the area where she grew up and her<br />
family has strong ag roots.<br />
The MAE is a non-profit organization established<br />
in 2008 and located downtown. MAE is<br />
dedicated to arts education, fostering an appreciation<br />
of the arts and to building community by<br />
engaging the residents of Maquoketa and surrounding<br />
areas in diverse creative activities. n<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 79
We’re Farm Bureau..<br />
a a century strong and and growing!<br />
For a For century, a century, Farm Farm Bureau Bureau members members have have worked worked to to create create a vibrant a vibrant future future for for agriculture, farm<br />
families families and and the communities the communities we we call call home- home- benefiting Iowans Iowans from from all all walks of of life.<br />
While While agriculture agriculture has has evolved evolved a lot a lot over over the the last last 100 100 years, years, the the character of of our our members has not!<br />
As advocates As advocates for farmers for farmers and and rural rural Iowa, Iowa, what what matters to to you you - - matters to to us! us! On a a local level,<br />
Farm Farm Bureau Bureau is proud is proud to to support your your community through scholarships, Ag Ag in in the Classroom<br />
programming, county county fair fair activities, entrepreneurial development and and more.<br />
Clinton Clinton County County Farm Farm Bureau Bureau Dubuque Dubuque County County Farm Farm Bureau Bureau Jackson Jackson County County Farm Farm Bureau<br />
514 8th 514 St. 8th St.<br />
DeWitt, DeWitt, IA 52742 IA 52742<br />
563.659.5134 563.659.5134<br />
clinton.county@ifbf.org<br />
clinton.county@ifbf.org<br />
ClintonCountyIowaFarmBureau<br />
ClintonCountyIowaFarmBureau<br />
8479 8479 Peosta Peosta Commercial Commercial Ct. Ct.<br />
Peosta, Peosta, IA 52068 IA 52068<br />
563.556.5275 563.556.5275<br />
dubuque.county@ifbf.org<br />
dubuque.county@ifbf.org<br />
Dubuque.county<br />
Dubuque.county<br />
102 102 S. Olive S. Olive St. St.<br />
Maquoketa, Maquoketa, IA 52060 IA 52060<br />
563.652.2456 563.652.2456<br />
jackson.county@ifbf.org<br />
jackson.county@ifbf.org<br />
JacksonCountyIaFarmBureau<br />
JacksonCountyIaFarmBureau<br />
Jones County Farm Bureau<br />
605 605 E. E. Main St. St.<br />
Anamosa, IA IA 52205<br />
319.462.4805<br />
jones.county@ifbf.org<br />
jones.county@ifbf.org<br />
JonesCountyFarmBureau<br />
JonesCountyFarmBureau<br />
IOWAFARMBUREAU.COM<br />
IOWAFARMBUREAU.COM
By KRISTINE A. TIDGREN<br />
Director<br />
and JENNIFER HARRINGTON<br />
Staff Attorney<br />
Center for Agricultural Law & Taxation<br />
Iowa State University<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Hunting ground is a precious<br />
commodity in Iowa. Hunters<br />
often approach landowners<br />
looking for ground to<br />
hunt. Whether to grant such<br />
permission and to whom to grant that<br />
permission is a complex decision.<br />
While many hunters in Iowa are knowledgeable<br />
about gun safety and their sport,<br />
every year there are new and beginning<br />
hunters. Having a well-drafted hunting<br />
Landowners should<br />
consider general legal<br />
issues for hunting ‘leases’<br />
lease or liability waiver can help ensure<br />
that both hunter and landowner understand<br />
their rights and obligations. It can<br />
also help ward off future problems.<br />
This fact sheet is designed to highlight<br />
basic issues landowners should consider<br />
when deciding whether to let someone<br />
hunt their ground and how to structure<br />
that relationship. It also reviews generally<br />
suggested hunting lease provisions. It is<br />
not designed to be a substitute for legal<br />
counsel.<br />
Liability<br />
Perhaps the most important issue<br />
landowners should consider in responding<br />
to requests to hunt on their property is<br />
whether they will be subjecting themselves<br />
to new liability for any injuries<br />
incurred by the visitors or because of the<br />
visitors.<br />
In 2013, the Iowa legislature revised<br />
the Iowa Recreational Use Statute, which<br />
encourages landowners to open their<br />
property to others for recreational uses<br />
(including hunting) to ensure that landowners<br />
are immune from liability related<br />
to recreational entrants. The statute<br />
expressly states that the landowner does<br />
not “assume responsibility for or incur<br />
liability for any injury” caused by an act<br />
or omission.<br />
There are two big exceptions to this<br />
liability protection. First, this protection<br />
only applies where the landowner directly<br />
or indirectly invites others to use the<br />
We take<br />
care of the<br />
DIRTY WORK<br />
SERVICES WE OFFER:<br />
• Septic pumping<br />
• Unplug inlet & outlet lines<br />
• Sewer line jetting<br />
• Dye test inspection<br />
• Sewer line cleaning & repair<br />
82 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
HUNTING LEASES<br />
land for recreational purposes without<br />
charge. If the landowner charges a fee<br />
(through a hunting lease, for example),<br />
the landowner will then owe a higher<br />
degree of care to ensure the property is<br />
safe for use.<br />
This duty includes ensuring the premises<br />
are safe and there are warnings about<br />
dangerous conditions. For example, a<br />
landowner may be liable for resulting<br />
injuries if a hunter steps in a large hole<br />
on the property and breaks his leg or<br />
accidentally discharges his gun if the<br />
landowner did not adequately warn the<br />
hunter about the risks. Although a waiver<br />
of liability may serve to offset this risk<br />
for adult hunters, it is important for landowners<br />
to discuss potential hunting leases<br />
with both their insurer and legal counsel<br />
to protect against unwanted lawsuits.<br />
The second exception from liability<br />
protection is when the landowner<br />
willfully or maliciously fails “to guard<br />
or warn against a dangerous condition,<br />
use, structure, or activity.” Iowa Courts<br />
have not created a legal test for what<br />
constitutes willful or malicious action<br />
under this statute, but they have provided<br />
some guidance. A person acts willfully<br />
or maliciously when it is proven they had<br />
an intent to harm or acted indifferently to<br />
a very obvious harm. This is why it may<br />
be a good idea to have a potential hunter<br />
sign a specific liability waiver acknowledging<br />
the unavoidable risks of hunting<br />
and uneven terrain, even if they are not<br />
being charged to hunt. If an accident or<br />
event occurs, this waiver would be used<br />
to show that the landowner attempted to<br />
inform the hunter of potential harms.<br />
Hunting Lease Provisions<br />
Most hunting leases are not actually<br />
leases at all, but licenses. A license, as<br />
opposed to a lease, is a private grant of<br />
right to use real property for a particular<br />
purpose. As such, a hunting lease<br />
offers contractual rights, not an estate in<br />
real property. In other words, the parties<br />
do not take on an actual landlord-tenant<br />
relationship, and the landowner is not<br />
subject to burdensome landlord-tenant<br />
statutory provisions. The parties’ relationships<br />
to each other are defined and bound<br />
by the terms of their contract.<br />
Although an oral agreement for a term<br />
of one year or less would be legally enforceable,<br />
it is advisable to have a written<br />
hunting lease. It is also important to seek<br />
legal counsel to draft such a lease to ensure<br />
that the specific needs of the parties<br />
are met.<br />
In general, however, a hunting lease<br />
should include the following provisions:<br />
Clear Identity of the Parties<br />
A hunting lease should clearly identify<br />
by name the persons entitled to hunt under<br />
the agreement. It should state whether<br />
the party to the lease can bring guests<br />
onto the property, if and how they can<br />
transfer the lease to another, and whether<br />
children under the age of 18 are allowed<br />
to hunt or accompany adult hunters on<br />
the land. Consider requiring a hunter to<br />
FEEDING<br />
THE FUTURE!<br />
Innovative Technologies<br />
Local Expertise<br />
For your farm appraisal needs,<br />
CALL KEN KRUGER!<br />
Independent<br />
Certified<br />
General Appraiser<br />
MEMBER OF<br />
Trust Nutrien<br />
Ag Solutions for<br />
knowledge and<br />
service to help<br />
you lead<br />
in the field!<br />
1571 Main Avenue, Clinton, Iowa • (563) 242-3350<br />
2590 380th Ave., Low Moor, Iowa • (563) 522-2063<br />
406 E White St, Preston, Iowa (563) 689-5482<br />
Appraising<br />
farms in<br />
Eastern Iowa<br />
since 2004<br />
563-349-3150 • DeWitt, Iowa<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 83
HUNTING LEASES<br />
provide proof they have taken and passed<br />
a hunter’s safety course (even if not<br />
required by state law).<br />
Description of the Property<br />
Any hunting lease should specify the<br />
exact property upon which the party to<br />
the contract can hunt. It is advisable to include<br />
legal property descriptions, as well<br />
a map. The map should clearly identify<br />
nearby inhabited areas that will inform<br />
the hunter what shot directions should<br />
be avoided. The map should also mark<br />
known hazards, fences and/or ATV paths.<br />
Terms of Use<br />
The hunting lease should clearly set<br />
forth the specific terms under which<br />
the party to the contract can hunt. Is the<br />
permission for a particular animal season<br />
only? Is it for rifle or bow hunting only?<br />
Are there particular firearms that are not<br />
allowed? Does it allow any legal hunting<br />
for a term of one year? Is it is multi-year<br />
contract? Perhaps a landowner will want<br />
to offer a multi-day hunting lease to a<br />
party or group. These are all possibilities,<br />
but the document should specify the exact<br />
terms of the permission granted.<br />
The lease should also specify if the<br />
hunting party is also allowed to spend<br />
the night on the property or if they must<br />
leave by nightfall. Could the hunters<br />
bring an RV or 5th wheel on the property<br />
to park? If so, can the party have a bonfire<br />
outside? What is the maximum number of<br />
people who can sleep there? Can people<br />
who are not part of the hunting party<br />
spend the night? If there is a small cabin<br />
or residence, the same questions should<br />
be asked, and the lease should specify<br />
what behavior and use is allowed and not<br />
allowed.<br />
Termination and Options to<br />
Renew Provisions<br />
The contract should specify the particular<br />
grounds and the manner under which<br />
the landowner can terminate the contract,<br />
including for misuse or dangerous use of<br />
the property. The clause should state how<br />
the termination notice will be communicated.<br />
The contract should also specify<br />
whether the contract will automatically<br />
renew or terminate on a particular date.<br />
Waiver of Liability<br />
As discussed above, liability should be<br />
a prime concern for landowners contemplating<br />
a hunting lease. Landowners<br />
should acquire a waiver of liability from<br />
the hunters as part of the lease. Through<br />
a properly drafted waiver, the landowner<br />
should be able to obtain the same level<br />
of liability protection offered by the Iowa<br />
Recreational Use Statute as to all adult<br />
hunters. Such a waiver would not provide<br />
protection, however, for children under<br />
18. Landowners are advised to seek legal<br />
counsel to draft a legally enforceable<br />
waiver. They are also advised to discuss<br />
any hunting lease in advance with their<br />
insurer to understand what damages<br />
insurance may cover if an event were to<br />
occur.<br />
Indemnification Clause<br />
Landowners also may want to include<br />
SALES<br />
PARTS<br />
Pictured from left to right: Jeff Blunt, Gene<br />
Hosch, Tony Scherbring, Tim Gott, Vic Kray,<br />
Quinton Fellinger, Kate Gravel, John F Vacek,<br />
John M Vacek, Trevor Schwendinger, Bryan<br />
Dunne, & Travis Cullen. Missing is Parker Kray.<br />
SERVICE<br />
YOUR FUTURE IN FARMING STARTS HERE!<br />
A vital part of your Scherrman’s Implement experience is our personalized and professional service.<br />
We deliver outstanding service with superior tools, training, and commitment.<br />
13951 RTE 52 • Dyersville, Iowa 52040 • 563-875-2426 | 711 South Main Street • Monticello, Iowa 52310 • 319-465-3519<br />
84 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
HUNTING LEASES<br />
an indemnification clause. This is<br />
when the hunters agree to assume the<br />
risk and pay any damages caused to<br />
others by the hunter or the hunter’s activity<br />
on the property. This is important<br />
if the landowner becomes involved<br />
in a lawsuit where a third party was<br />
injured or harmed. It also can help<br />
reinforce the hunters’ responsibilities<br />
and encourage safe hunting practices.<br />
Tree Stands<br />
Studies have found that tree stands<br />
lead to more injuries than firearms in<br />
a hunting context. Providing a tree<br />
stand or elevated hunting platform is<br />
increasing the risk that the hunter or<br />
guest will become injured from a fall<br />
or improperly maintained stand. If<br />
there is a tree stand, it needs to meet<br />
the Treestand Manufacturer’s Association’s<br />
safety standards, and the hunter<br />
should be required to wear a safety<br />
harness at all times. If the hunter is<br />
providing the stand, the stand should<br />
be installed in summer when it is<br />
easier to identify a dead tree. A dead<br />
tree should never be used to support<br />
an elevated hunting platform.<br />
Payment Terms<br />
A hunting lease should include the<br />
terms of payment required under the<br />
lease, including the amount, the due<br />
date, the manner in which payment<br />
is to be made, and the remedy in<br />
the event of nonpayment. It is best<br />
practice to require payment prior to<br />
the hunting period, usually well in advance<br />
so that an alternative party can<br />
be found if payment is not made.<br />
As noted above, Iowa hunting land<br />
is a precious commodity. Through<br />
a well-drafted hunting lease, landowners<br />
can share their resource with<br />
others and, in exchange, receive<br />
a monetary benefit. They should<br />
remember, however, that any such<br />
agreement should be carefully drafted<br />
and cleared with their insurers. Failing<br />
to take such measures could place<br />
them in a liability landmine. n<br />
About CALT:<br />
n The Center for Agricultural Law<br />
and Taxation (CALT) at Iowa State<br />
University was created in 2006. It<br />
provides timely, critically objective<br />
information to producers, professionals<br />
and agribusinesses concerning the<br />
application of important developments<br />
in agricultural law and taxation<br />
(federal and state legal opinions of<br />
relevance, as well as critical legislative<br />
developments) and is a primary source<br />
of professional educational training<br />
in agricultural law and taxation.<br />
Contact CALT:<br />
Iowa State University<br />
2321 N. Loop, Suite 200<br />
Ames, IA 50010<br />
Phone: (515) 294-5217<br />
Fax: (515) 294-0700<br />
www.calt.iastate.edu<br />
CASCADE LUMBER<br />
is more than a lumber yard!<br />
No matter how different of an operation you run, we have your back!<br />
For 70 years we’ve provided the right building for whatever type of farm<br />
operation you run and we will continue to do so for the modern-day farmer.<br />
Build your future with us!<br />
Cascade<br />
Lumber Co.<br />
BUILDING WITH YOU SINCE 1953<br />
• Dairy/Cattle Feeding • Machine Shed • Shops • Shouse<br />
Here for you since 1953!<br />
1000 1ST AVE E CASCADE, IA 52033<br />
563-852-3232<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 85
Trouble out in the field?<br />
WE’RE JUST<br />
ONE PHONE<br />
CALL AWAY!<br />
Time is money on the farm.<br />
From lawn mowers to combines, your yard,<br />
or your field, our award-winning<br />
service department is dedicated to keeping you<br />
up and running this harvest season.<br />
We’re committed to your success.<br />
PRESTON 563.689.3311 | DEWITT 563.659.2866<br />
kunauimplement.com
WATERSHED<br />
A ‘watershed’ moment<br />
Two small creeks in Eastern Iowa taken off impaired list thanks<br />
to private/public partnerships between landowners and government<br />
BY SARA MILLHOUSE<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
It takes a lot to clean up a stream.<br />
And the success of two watershed<br />
projects in Eastern Iowa shows what<br />
it really takes to improve conservation<br />
practices and water quality:<br />
a quick turnaround, a personal touch, a<br />
stewardship ethic and a lot of money.<br />
The Tete des Morts Creek and Farmers<br />
Creek watershed projects were two intensive,<br />
local and highly effective programs<br />
that focused resources on a single, small<br />
watershed in order to see measurable<br />
improvements in water quality.<br />
These two, small Jackson County<br />
creeks are some of the best examples of<br />
success for the watershed model of conservation<br />
funding.<br />
Tete des Morts Creek<br />
In March, the U.S. Environmental<br />
Protection Agency recognized the Tete des<br />
Morts Creek project for its success in cutting<br />
sediment by more than half, following<br />
intensive efforts from 2008 through 2017.<br />
Landowners are continuing and expanding<br />
conservation measures today.<br />
For those unfamiliar with Tete des<br />
Morts (that’s “tay-duh-more”) Creek,<br />
it runs through southern Dubuque and<br />
northern Jackson counties, draining about<br />
30,000 acres and running through St. Donatus<br />
on its way to the Mississippi.<br />
Landowner John Arenz has known this<br />
country for more than 60 years.<br />
“The land we live on is very hilly,” he<br />
said. “The farmers around here can farm<br />
the cleared ground on the tops of the hills<br />
and the bottoms of the hills, but basically,<br />
we live in hill country.”<br />
The hillsides are covered with hardwood<br />
A loving tribute to your loved ones<br />
Using our custom software, we can<br />
help you design a cherished memorial<br />
set in stone — in one visit.<br />
Stop by to see our indoor show room.<br />
If you can’t make it,<br />
we’ll come to you!<br />
We offer in-home deSign by appointment<br />
We offer a computer generated drawing with every<br />
order and we can do this while you wait!<br />
and monumentS<br />
17672 IA-64, Maquoketa, IA 563-652-2557<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 87
WATERSHED<br />
timber, and the property boasts clear, cold<br />
springs.<br />
“We’re just blessed to have the opportunity<br />
to live here,” Arenz said. “It’s gorgeous.”<br />
The Arenzs’ home property is along<br />
the northern border of Jackson County,<br />
along 239th Avenue (Mitchell Mill Road<br />
in Dubuque County). Much of the land is<br />
in timber and pasture, with hayfields, crops<br />
on the tops of the hills and buffer zones by<br />
the creek.<br />
Tete des Morts Creek has cut deep<br />
valleys into the limestone bluffs over<br />
thousands of years. This highly erodible<br />
land is prone to sediment runoff. Before<br />
the watershed project, poor water quality<br />
affected fish, crayfish and other aquatic<br />
life. More than 18,000 tons of sediment<br />
went down the tiny stream each year.<br />
After the development of grassed<br />
waterways, streambank protections, grade<br />
stabilization structures, water and sediment<br />
control structures, terraces, animal waste<br />
systems, cattle crossings and fencing,<br />
brown trout and smallmouth bass are successfully<br />
reproducing in the stream, which<br />
Cynthia and John Arenz stand<br />
along a stretch of Tete des Morts<br />
Creek on their St. Donatus farm.<br />
They implemented conservation<br />
efforts, along with other farmers<br />
in the area, that helped cut<br />
sediment by more than half.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO /<br />
TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
was taken off the state’s list of impaired<br />
waterways last year.<br />
“It sure has come a long, long way in the<br />
last 20-30 years,” Arenz said. “I remember<br />
this ground as a kid, and it’s like two<br />
different creeks from what it was 60 years<br />
ago. It’s stark.”<br />
YOU WORK HARD<br />
& YOUR TIME IS LIMITED.<br />
That’s Why We’re Here For All Your<br />
Grain & Livestock Marketing Needs<br />
Here at AgWest, we understand that you<br />
may be great at growing a crop or raising livestock,<br />
but still struggle with selling it.<br />
We work as Your Marketing Partner to help you create<br />
a marketing plan, execute sales, and navigate the many<br />
cash & brokerage tools available to manage risk.<br />
Serving Eastern Iowa<br />
& Western Illinois<br />
Dustin Matthiesen 563-210-9870<br />
Tabbatha Cornelius 563-320-1068<br />
www.goagwest.com<br />
88 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
WATERSHED<br />
Farmers Creek<br />
Farmers Creek also has been removed<br />
from the state’s list of impaired waterways,<br />
thanks to similarly intensive efforts. This<br />
tributary of the Maquoketa, which drains a<br />
watershed of similar size to Tete des Morts,<br />
winds through northwestern Jackson County,<br />
including the town of La Motte.<br />
In the late 1990s, two fish kills in the<br />
stream resulted in the loss of more than<br />
137,000 fish.<br />
From 2005 to 2010, landowners and<br />
funders put in place 83 acres of grassed<br />
waterways, 700 feet of streambank protection,<br />
13 grade stabilization structures, 12<br />
water and sediment control structures, three<br />
animal waste systems, five cattle crossings<br />
and 700 feet of fencing to keep cattle out of<br />
the stream.<br />
All these practices are expensive: landowners<br />
along Farmers Creek invested about<br />
$270,000 into water quality improvement<br />
efforts. About a quarter of a million dollars<br />
of funding came from the Iowa Department<br />
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Today trout and other fish thrive in Tete des<br />
Morts Creek thanks to efforts by landowners<br />
and support from the Jackson County Soil and<br />
Water Conservation District.<br />
Watershed Protection Fund, with almost as<br />
much from E.P.A. Clean Water Act Section<br />
319 grants. About $150,000 in funding<br />
came to Farmers Creek from the federal<br />
Environmental Quality Incentive Program.<br />
Money spent in Farmers Creek to improve<br />
water quality during those five years<br />
totaled more than $925,000. The Tete des<br />
Morts project cost almost $2.3 million.<br />
What it takes<br />
These two watershed success stories are<br />
rare in a state with hundreds of impaired<br />
waterways and relatively few improvements.<br />
The two watersheds have one thing in<br />
common: the tireless work and personal<br />
touch of coordinator Michelle Turner of the<br />
Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation<br />
District. Landowners credit Turner as<br />
the secret weapon behind the extraordinary<br />
improvements in Tete des Morts and Farmers<br />
creeks.<br />
Turner sees how a watershed project can<br />
be structured to encourage participation<br />
through personal connection. In a small<br />
watershed, a coordinator gets to know<br />
individual landowners. A coordinator can<br />
explain baffling government acronyms and<br />
ADD VALUE TO YOUR NEXT CALF CROP!<br />
Our Seedstock Cattle are designed specifically for the<br />
commercial cattleman, whether you sell your calves at<br />
weaning or finished on the rail, J.J. Scheckel bulls will<br />
add value to your calf crop, through added pounds and<br />
carcass quality.<br />
Raising cows like this<br />
SAV Emblynette 3005<br />
Raising bulls like this<br />
SAV Resource 1441<br />
2023Production<br />
BULL AND<br />
FEMALE SALE<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
24<br />
POWERin<br />
theBLOOD!<br />
Watch November’s mail<br />
for bull sale catalog or<br />
call/email to request one.<br />
World’s largest bull test, held in Colombus, Montana<br />
1 ST PLACE Weight Per Day of Age, Sire Group of 3<br />
1 ST PLACE 2021 Champion Efficiency Bull<br />
2 ND PLACE Average Daily Gain on Test, Sire Group of 3<br />
3 RD PLACE Midland Bull Test Index, Sire Group of 3<br />
21582 Hwy 62, Bellevue, Iowa | call: 563-872-4112 | email: josh@jjscheckel.com | www. AngusCattleGenetics.com | follow us: JJScheckelAngus<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 89
WATERSHED<br />
simplify byzantine processes.<br />
“If you have a name and a<br />
face, instead of just calling the<br />
office to talk to whoever, it’s<br />
more personal,” Turner said.<br />
“Also, money for outreach<br />
is super important,” she said.<br />
“When I had money for a<br />
monthly newsletter, everybody<br />
knew what other guys were<br />
doing.”<br />
Turner said that a number of<br />
landowners joined the project in<br />
its last year, after they “saw that<br />
everybody else was doing it.”<br />
The positive experience of<br />
neighbors helped win over<br />
those who had been reluctant to<br />
take on a conservation project<br />
with government involvement<br />
and funding.<br />
“There’s not a lot of trust in<br />
the government,” she said.<br />
Intensive conservation management<br />
wasn’t a hard sell for<br />
This photo shows Michelle<br />
Turner taking a sample at<br />
Tete des Morts Creek in the<br />
fall of 2016. Turner, who<br />
is a coordinator with the<br />
Jackson County Soil and<br />
Water Conservation District,<br />
has been working on two<br />
watershed projects for years,<br />
both of which have seen great<br />
water quality improvements.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO /<br />
BROOKE TILL<br />
DISCOVER THE<br />
BENEFITS OF<br />
A LENDER THAT<br />
WORKS<br />
FOR YOU.<br />
We deliver the financial<br />
strength to help you grow,<br />
the competitive rates to<br />
give you an edge, and cashback<br />
dividends that deliver<br />
something more. Discover<br />
a lender with the expertise,<br />
products, and services you’ll<br />
find nowhere else.<br />
Learn more by calling the<br />
DeWitt office at 563.659.5141.<br />
1621 11th Street<br />
DeWitt, Iowa<br />
Agriculture Works Here.®<br />
FCSAmerica.com<br />
Kelli T. / customer since 2001 <br />
Terms apply. See website for details.<br />
25081<br />
90 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
WATERSHED<br />
Arenz and his wife Cynthia, however.<br />
“These are things I wanted to do anyway,”<br />
Arenz said. “It just made it possible for us.”<br />
John and Cynthia put in riparian buffer zones<br />
and water control devices that limit flow during<br />
heavy rains.<br />
They’ve worked hard to stop and reverse<br />
ditching that can cut back into cropland. Some<br />
of this work has been eligible for a cost share –<br />
often half –through government programs.<br />
Turner also credited technician Mark Schmidt,<br />
who did almost all the design work on the projects.<br />
“He was very good at saying, ‘This won’t<br />
work. This will work. This is how you modify so<br />
that it will work,’” she said.<br />
That expertise was appreciated, Arenz said.<br />
They “did a very good job of making the projects<br />
workable to the farmer, and then it does have<br />
a snowball effect,” he added.<br />
Turner says the single most important component<br />
in success in Farmers and Tete des Morts<br />
creeks, however, wasn’t the people involved. It<br />
was the ability for landowners to do something in<br />
a timeframe of weeks rather than a year.<br />
“I have said multiple times, but the most<br />
important thing is having a quick turnaround, so<br />
that they don’t have to stand around waiting for<br />
funding,” Turner said.<br />
With the local Soil and Water Conservation<br />
District handling funding, she estimated turnaround<br />
time at about a month, versus a year or<br />
more for a program such as the federal Environmental<br />
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).<br />
The challenge of the watershed model is the<br />
overwhelming amount of resources it would take<br />
to scale the model. It takes an enormous amount<br />
of time, energy and money to clean up one small<br />
stream, and there are thousands of streams,<br />
creeks, cricks and rivers in Iowa.<br />
Federal funding and resources are no longer<br />
being funneled into specific watersheds, though<br />
many of the programs that provided costshares<br />
for conservation practices are still available.<br />
Continuing conservation<br />
Farmers like Arenz are continuing intensive<br />
conservation practices. After buying the adjacent<br />
farm just across the county line in Dubuque County,<br />
he has devoted endless hours and significant<br />
“It sure has come<br />
a long, long way in<br />
the last 20-30 years.<br />
I remember this<br />
ground as a kid, and<br />
it’s like two different<br />
creeks from what it<br />
was 60 years ago.<br />
It’s stark.”<br />
— JOHN ARENZ<br />
Your Legacy<br />
Begins Now.<br />
Emergencies can happen anytime.<br />
When you find yourself in need of help, you make a call to<br />
your local fire department. And when the fire department<br />
needs help, they turn to the LincolnWay Community<br />
Foundation for grants that support updated equipment<br />
and lifesaving tools. Gifts to the Community Foundation<br />
make these grants available to the most critical services in<br />
our county. Turn to pages 94 and 95 to learn more.<br />
An affiliate of the Community Foundation<br />
of Greater Dubuque<br />
Let’s Build Your Legacy. Together.<br />
Amanda Willimack<br />
Executive Director, LincolnWay Community Foundation<br />
563.212.2812 | lwcf@dbqfoundation.org | dbqfoundation.org/lwcf<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 91
WATERSHED<br />
resources to restoring deep<br />
ditches on their new property.<br />
He’s working to eliminate a<br />
“gnarly, 15-foot ditch,” infested<br />
with black locust trees.<br />
Arenz is putting in water<br />
breaks: building multiple sideways<br />
spans of clean rock across<br />
the ditch to disperse the water<br />
and stop the ditching.<br />
Since January, he’s worked<br />
nearly daily on this and other<br />
conservation projects on the<br />
new farm. Though not an angler<br />
himself, Arenz enjoys meeting<br />
people who come to fish the<br />
trout in Tete des Morts Creek.<br />
“It’s been a good experience<br />
for me, seeing other people<br />
enjoy the stream, and I don’t<br />
feel like it takes anything from<br />
our farm,” he said.<br />
Trout were introduced<br />
decades ago, and today, fish are<br />
thriving.<br />
“It makes the ground<br />
more valuable, more<br />
cropable, and it’s not<br />
subject to erosion.”<br />
— JOHN ARENZ<br />
“I like Tete des Morts today<br />
much better than it was 60 years<br />
ago,” Arenz said. “It’s prettier,<br />
and there are great game fish.”<br />
Conservation work also<br />
brings downstream benefits.<br />
Every summer, thousands of<br />
square miles in the Gulf of<br />
Mexico are unsuitable for life,<br />
due to the tons of excess nutrients<br />
that wash off farm fields<br />
and down the Mississippi River.<br />
Gulf fishermen and women find<br />
their harvests and livelihoods<br />
jeopardized by this pollution.<br />
Upstream and locally,<br />
farmers pay dearly for excess<br />
inputs that get washed downstream<br />
without being taken up<br />
by crops. Increasingly heavy<br />
rains wash away more precious<br />
topsoil when conservation practices<br />
are lax or nonexistent.<br />
Arenz sees practical, financial<br />
benefits as well.<br />
“It has definitely been a benefit<br />
to the ground,” he said. “It’s<br />
made our ground more farmable,<br />
whether certain fields stay<br />
in CRP (Conservation Reserve<br />
Program) or crops, there’s more<br />
ground that is cropable, and<br />
the last thing is, from a selfish<br />
standpoint, it makes it a more<br />
valuable farm.”<br />
There are fewer ditches on<br />
the farm, and structures that<br />
control water flow increase its<br />
future value as farmland.<br />
“There’s a lot of work<br />
already done,” he continued. “It<br />
makes the ground more valuable,<br />
more cropable, and it’s not<br />
subject to erosion.”<br />
Arenz sees an inherent value<br />
in stewardship, and he knows<br />
that every landowner has to<br />
consider the situation on the<br />
ground when implementing<br />
conservation measures.<br />
“Every farmer will have to<br />
decide for him- or herself, what<br />
reaches the benefit level that<br />
tips to scale to cause them to<br />
participate,” he said. “I just find<br />
it very rewarding, as the individual<br />
who will be the steward<br />
of the land for the next 10 or 20<br />
years… For people who bond<br />
with their land, it gives you a<br />
warm, fuzzy feeling.” n<br />
YOUR COMPLETE HEAVY DUTY REPAIR SHOP<br />
Complete<br />
diagnostic<br />
service of all<br />
makes and<br />
models!<br />
and<br />
Pictured left to right:<br />
Ashley Hopper – ASE Certified Technician, Cale Brown,<br />
Blaine Long, Matt Beuthien – ASE Certified Technician,<br />
and Sarah Beuthien.<br />
563.374.3500<br />
1129 Hwy. 30,<br />
Wheatland, Iowa<br />
rpj@fbcom.net<br />
92 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Kyle, Rex,<br />
Brandi, and<br />
James<br />
WE SERVICE ALL<br />
MAKES AND MODELS!<br />
Our advisors and Technicians have over 200 YEARS of<br />
dedicated experience with working on your vehicles<br />
WE PROVIDE FOR FREE:<br />
★ Car Wash ★ Local Shuttle<br />
★ Alignment Checks<br />
★ Battery Test ★ Car Delivery<br />
We’ve got big trucks for your big jobs!<br />
Backed By<br />
Morse<br />
We have your back<br />
during AND after the sale!<br />
STOP BY AND VIEW<br />
OUR INVENTORY!<br />
2113 11th Street,<br />
Dewitt, Iowa 52742<br />
563-277-7207<br />
EdMorseChevroletBuickGMCDewitt.com
By SHEILA KRAMER TJADEN<br />
Director of Affiliate Foundations<br />
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
When his barn caught fire<br />
more than 20 years ago,<br />
a Garnavillo hog farmer<br />
counted on the local fire<br />
department to put out the flames. Two<br />
decades later, when the department was<br />
fundraising for a new building, he wanted<br />
to show his gratitude for their actions. The<br />
years had been good to him and he found<br />
Foundation helps build<br />
community with gifts<br />
of grain, livestock, land<br />
a unique way to turn his available asset —<br />
a truckload of hogs — into the capital the<br />
fire department needed.<br />
This is just one of the ways farmers<br />
across Eastern Iowa are using the same<br />
resources they’ve cultivated to support<br />
their families to give back to their communities.<br />
With many options for giving,<br />
the Community Foundation of Greater<br />
Dubuque and its affiliates make it easy.<br />
Whether you’re passionate about giving<br />
to your church, your local fire department,<br />
or a favorite nonprofit, the Community<br />
Foundation can help you turn your bountiful<br />
harvest or marketable livestock into<br />
charitable gifts with tax benefits that save<br />
you money.<br />
With hundreds of charitable funds at<br />
staffed affiliate foundations working locally<br />
across Eastern Iowa — in Allamakee,<br />
Clayton, Delaware, Dyersville, Jackson,<br />
Jones and Clinton — you can be sure that<br />
your giving stays close to home and benefits<br />
a community or cause of your choice.<br />
Read about a few of the ways we work<br />
with farmers to support rural Northeast<br />
Iowa communities today, tomorrow and<br />
forever.<br />
Partnering<br />
in your<br />
progress<br />
for over<br />
90 years<br />
The firm’s experienced attorneys<br />
have a strong reputation<br />
for quality, integrity and service.<br />
SCHOENTHALER,<br />
KAHLER, REICKS<br />
& PETERSEN<br />
ATTORNEYS AT LAW<br />
Caleb A. Petersen, Sara D. Davenport, Joshua J. Reicks<br />
123 N. Main, Maquoketa<br />
srbk.com<br />
563.652.4963<br />
94 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
GIFTS OF GRAIN<br />
Gifts of grain or livestock<br />
Donating grain or livestock — like the<br />
Garnavillo hog farmer — is a simple yet<br />
unique way of giving back that many<br />
don’t consider. The value of the asset<br />
can be donated to hundreds of funds<br />
hosted by the Foundation and its affiliates,<br />
or used to start a new endowment.<br />
The Foundation will steward and grow<br />
the gift, and the interest earned can be<br />
granted out to improve quality of life in<br />
the community, forever.<br />
By giving grain or livestock to the<br />
Foundation, farmers can avoid including<br />
the sale of the asset in their farm income.<br />
Input costs are deducted, which typically<br />
results in tax savings that work for you.<br />
The simplest way to give a gift of<br />
grain is to let the Foundation know of<br />
your intended gift, and tell us what fund<br />
you would like it directed to. The asset<br />
is then taken to a grain buyer, and the<br />
farmer tells the buyer how much to put<br />
into an account set up by the Foundation.<br />
The buyer then notifies the Foundation,<br />
which sells the asset and receives the<br />
proceeds.<br />
Gifts of grain or livestock to endowments<br />
at the Foundation may be eligible<br />
for Endow Iowa, a 25% state tax<br />
credit on the total value of the gift. Visit<br />
dbqfoundation.org/endowiowa to learn<br />
more.<br />
Gifts of farmland<br />
When two brothers inherited their<br />
Northeast Iowa family farm, they<br />
wanted to honor their grandparents and<br />
the lessons they’d passed on about the<br />
importance of giving back. They decided<br />
to sell the farm and start a fund with the<br />
Community Foundation that supports<br />
vision screenings and glasses for youth<br />
across the region.<br />
The Foundation worked with these<br />
brothers to turn their property gains into<br />
community good and will do the same for<br />
you, helping you use your land to fulfill<br />
your charitable interests and receive<br />
financial and tax benefits, such as avoiding<br />
or reducing capital gains, receiving<br />
deductions on the fair market value of the<br />
land, and eligibility for the 25% Endow<br />
Iowa State Tax Credit, and more. The<br />
Foundation can also steward the farm as a<br />
rental property or turn the sale of the land<br />
into a charitable gift.<br />
Here for you<br />
We have the ability to process many<br />
types of gifts, no matter how simple or<br />
complex. With our deep understanding of<br />
community needs, knowledge of charitable<br />
giving, and prudent fiscal policies, we<br />
give people the peace of mind that their<br />
generosity is doing the most good for the<br />
community. However you choose to give<br />
back, we’re here to support you along the<br />
way and make it easy for you.<br />
Your farm is your livelihood. You prepare,<br />
plant, nurture and support growth.<br />
That’s what we do with the charitable<br />
gifts entrusted to the Foundation – and we<br />
invite you to join us.<br />
Contact Sheila Kramer Tjaden at<br />
sheila@dbqfoundation.org or 563-588-<br />
2700 to learn more. n<br />
AUTO | HOME | FARM | CROP | BUSINESS | LIFE | HEALTH<br />
Our team has<br />
you covered!<br />
At Ohnward Insurance Group,<br />
we understand the long<br />
hours our farmers put in, the<br />
increase in costs you face and<br />
even weather challenges.<br />
To meet your needs and help<br />
you succeed, we offer a wide<br />
range of insurance options.<br />
107 E. Quarry St.<br />
Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
563-652-6937<br />
1017 6th Ave.<br />
DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
563-659-2699<br />
www.ohnwardinsurancegroup.com<br />
Pictured left to right: Brian Franzen, Kate Schaver, Trae Johnson, Cathy Ryder,<br />
Matt Franzen, Leora Claeys, Jody Andresen, Susanne Owen, and Landon Goettsch.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 95
Build Your Wealth<br />
Across Generations<br />
Our Promise<br />
To provide the highest level of service, advice, communication<br />
and commitment we can deliver with integrity and care.<br />
Hertz Farm Management has been partnering with farmland owners for over 75 years.<br />
Combining local, personal attention with proven farm management, real estate, and<br />
appraisal services, our Farmland Professionals help you preserve your legacy.<br />
96 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com<br />
Mt. Vernon, IA • 319.895.8858 • www.Hertz.ag
Visits to state fair<br />
offers experiences<br />
beyond the show<br />
BY DELANEY BARBER<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
There is definitely something<br />
special about pulling into<br />
the Iowa State Fairgrounds<br />
with a fully loaded truck<br />
and trailer in the middle of<br />
an August afternoon a couple of days<br />
before the fair starts and seeing so<br />
many familiar faces from years before.<br />
I joined the family tradition of showing<br />
dairy cattle at the age of five and<br />
continue to look forward to it as a high<br />
school student. My family and I raise<br />
and exhibit a mix of Ayrshire, Jersey,<br />
and Holstein dairy cattle that we work<br />
with for many months prior to the fair<br />
to get them show-ready. All this work<br />
creates much anticipation and hopes<br />
that you’ve done enough to be competitive<br />
in the show ring.<br />
This year, pulling in through the fairground<br />
gates past the youth inn and to<br />
the dairy barn, was no different. I was<br />
both nervous and excited about what<br />
the rest of the week would bring.<br />
One of the unique experiences my<br />
siblings and I have had at the Iowa<br />
State Fair comes from arriving a few<br />
days prior to its opening to the public.<br />
Even with having to help set up our<br />
area and clip off all the cattle, we are<br />
still able to experience the fair before it<br />
becomes crowded on opening day.<br />
After chores are done in the morning,<br />
CUSTOM DOZING AND CRANE SERVICE, INC.<br />
When it comes to getting the job done quickly, efficiently and safely — you can count on us!<br />
Not only do we provide bulldozing and excavating services, we have a 30-ton crane for all of your lifting needs.<br />
Call us to see how we can help with your next project on the farm.<br />
Bulldozing,<br />
Excavating<br />
and Crane<br />
Services<br />
Specializing in all types of ag construction including:<br />
• Waterways<br />
• Terraces<br />
• Ponds<br />
• Tree Removal<br />
• Building Demolition<br />
• Stream Bank Stabilization<br />
• Site Prep for Livestock<br />
Facilities<br />
• Rock and Material<br />
Hauling<br />
• Site Prep for<br />
Residential and<br />
Commercial,<br />
New Construction<br />
or Renovation<br />
Family<br />
owned and<br />
operated for<br />
over 25 years<br />
563-488-3323 / 319-721-5183<br />
customdozingandcrane.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 97
BEYOND THE SHOW<br />
we get to walk around the fairgrounds<br />
and see a lot of the behind-the-scenes<br />
activities going on as everyone prepares<br />
for fairgoers to arrive. A couple<br />
of my favorites include slipping into<br />
the Agricultural Building to watch<br />
the finishing touches get added to the<br />
famous sculpted butter cow, watching<br />
the pumpkins weighing hundreds of<br />
pounds be delivered, and observing<br />
other livestock roll in and set up.<br />
These days are when my siblings and<br />
I plan when would be the best time to<br />
sneak away and get ourselves a cold<br />
and creamy cup of cookie-dough ice<br />
cream, which is the best after a long hot<br />
week in the barn and show ring.<br />
The days leading up to show day fly<br />
by with the early mornings on the wash<br />
rack and being attentive to the show<br />
string’s needs around the clock; but the<br />
minute the first call to the show barn<br />
is announced, I’m flushed with excitement<br />
and ready for the trip around the<br />
ring.<br />
Showing at the Iowa State Fair<br />
has allowed me to see firsthand what<br />
hard-working people of all generations<br />
who are passionate about what they do<br />
look like. It has also helped me build<br />
my confidence in and outside of the<br />
show ring.<br />
From a young age, I have enjoyed<br />
being in the stands watching how people<br />
show, observing their style, and the<br />
strategies they use. I’ve taken mental<br />
notes on everything from how the<br />
lead men walk, whether it is walking<br />
forwards or backward, to how often<br />
they look back and forth between their<br />
animal and the judge while in the ring.<br />
Even back in the barn, I’ve learned how<br />
to clip dairy cattle, set top lines, and the<br />
techniques that many competitive show<br />
strings use to take care of their animals<br />
and set them apart.<br />
Most importantly, everyone is<br />
willing to take the time to explain<br />
what they’re doing and share tips and<br />
tricks with the younger generation of<br />
showmen. This grows our skill set and<br />
has helped me build connections that I<br />
can carry with me throughout my life<br />
with people who care about what they<br />
do and about their animals. The show<br />
stock industry as a whole has taught<br />
me about sportsmanship and how to<br />
celebrate the success of others even if it<br />
did not personally go your way.<br />
Show day is always a great way to<br />
see the work we’ve put into the cattle<br />
come together to help us place where<br />
we want to be in class. I love being<br />
able to walk into the show ring proud<br />
of what my heifer looks like and the<br />
work that it took to bring her up to this<br />
level of competition. I am grateful for<br />
the lessons I have learned from showing<br />
at the Iowa State Fair, and I know<br />
I will use those lessons long after we<br />
load up the trailer and head east toward<br />
home. n<br />
Protecting Your Tomorrow<br />
by putting people first and<br />
building better relationships<br />
CALL US FOR A QUOTE TODAY: 563-847-2000<br />
AUTO HOME BUSINESS FARM CROP RENTERS BOAT MOTORCYCLE RV’S<br />
903 DeWitt St.,Grand Mound<br />
www.legacyinsuranceinc.com<br />
98 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Your Source<br />
for Ag Equipment<br />
At Altorfer Ag Products, we’re proud to provide our customers in Illinois and Iowa with a full range<br />
of agriculture equipment designed for maximum productivity. Choose from popular brands like<br />
Challenger® and CLAAS LEXION, and we’ll back you up with all the product support and accessories<br />
you need for a successful season.<br />
www.altorferag.com<br />
West Branch, IA<br />
319-643-6300<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 99
AG DAY<br />
A GREAT DAY<br />
at Great Jones Ag Day<br />
Annual ag breakfast spotlights local<br />
commodities for some family fun<br />
The smell of meat frying on outdoor grills wafted through the<br />
air at the Jones County 2nd Annual Ag breakfast in early June.<br />
The line of people patiently waiting for their chance to feast on<br />
eggs, pancakes, sausage, steak, yogurt, milk and coffee extended<br />
well into the parking lot of the Great Jones County Fair Equestrian<br />
Center on the mild, sunny Sunday morning.<br />
The event was sponsored by the Jones County Pork Producers,<br />
Jones County Cattlemen, Jones County Dairy Promoters and<br />
Jones County 4-H. Organizers said the goal of the event is to<br />
bridge the gap between consumers and producers in agriculture<br />
about what goes on at farms around the region.<br />
Family members of all ages enjoyed holding baby pigs, seeing<br />
cows and goats, participating in various ag education booths<br />
and hands-on displays, as well as visiting with friends, family<br />
and neighbors.<br />
Nissen-Caven<br />
Agency<br />
563.652.5171 • nissencaven.com • Call Judie or Chris for more information<br />
WE’VE BEEN ON YOUR TEAM FOR GENERATIONS<br />
John L. Jones,<br />
Catherine<br />
Nissen Jones,<br />
Founder, 1925<br />
Donald<br />
Nissen<br />
Owner,<br />
1948<br />
When it comes to protecting<br />
what’s important to your<br />
livelihood, trust the agency<br />
that’s been serving their clients<br />
for over 98 years.<br />
The right insurance<br />
with the right service.<br />
Bob<br />
Caven<br />
Partner,<br />
1966<br />
Chris Nissen<br />
Owner, 1990<br />
1925 2023<br />
100 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
AG DAY<br />
Volunteers get the pancakes<br />
done just right to feed hungry<br />
visitors at the 2nd annual event.<br />
Justin Reiter, Josh Smith and Trenton Smith were among those<br />
who volunteered for the event, which was sponsored by the<br />
Jones County Pork Producers, Jones County Cattlemen, Jones<br />
County Dairy Promoters and Jones County 4H.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / BROOKE TILL<br />
(Above) Goats, chickens, piglets, calves<br />
and more were among the displays<br />
to teach people about agriculture and<br />
farms around the region. (Right) Bob<br />
and Madonna Lemmer are joined by<br />
Archer Jensen and Rose Lemmer<br />
for a breakfast of eggs, pancakes,<br />
sausage, steak, yogurt, milk and coffee.<br />
(Far right) Coloring books containing<br />
educational material about agriculture<br />
where among the goodies handed out<br />
at the event.<br />
UNITED COUNTRY REAL ESTATE<br />
BARNER REALTY & AUCTION<br />
Broker: Bret Barner<br />
• Phone: 319-462-4100<br />
• 211 W. Main St. Anamosa, Iowa, 52205<br />
• Email: barnerrealty_auction@outlook.com<br />
AGENTS: RYAN BARNER<br />
• BART BARNER • DUKE DUSHECK<br />
Find Your<br />
Freedom<br />
United Country is<br />
America’s largest<br />
integrated real estate<br />
and auction company<br />
and has been uniquely<br />
specializing in lifestyle<br />
(non-urban) real estate<br />
since 1925. Our team<br />
in Anamosa, Iowa is<br />
strategically positioned<br />
to work with you to<br />
accomplish your real<br />
estate goals.<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 101
Ag Bytes<br />
Local FFA students advancing<br />
to national proficiency award<br />
competition for SAEs<br />
Several Eastern Iowa FFA students won<br />
state-level proficiency awards in areas<br />
ranging from agricultural communications<br />
to service learning and from diversified<br />
agricultural production to swine production.<br />
Proficiency Award winners have<br />
excelled in their Supervised Agricultural<br />
Experience (SAE) programs. The students<br />
advanced to national competition after<br />
winning in Iowa.<br />
These awards encourage members to<br />
develop specialized skills that will apply<br />
toward a future career.<br />
Local winners at the state level include:<br />
Hannah Fishwild, Midland FFA<br />
Chapter, placed first in Beef Production<br />
Entrepreneurship, sponsored by the Iowa<br />
Cattlemen’s Foundation. Her beef production<br />
herd consists of continuously growing<br />
breeding and<br />
market stock, along<br />
with purchasing her<br />
own equipment.<br />
Her knowledge is<br />
shown through her<br />
SAE with herdsmanship<br />
and business<br />
management<br />
qualities.<br />
Fayeth Henningsen,<br />
Central DeWitt FFA Chapter,<br />
won in the area of Agricultural Education,<br />
endowed by the Jim Hamilton Memorial.<br />
Henningsen works as an Ag in the Classroom<br />
intern to implement ways to educate<br />
the public about various topics within agriculture.<br />
She has done this for three years<br />
and plans to pursue a career in elementary<br />
education in the near future.<br />
Hayden Holdgrafer, Easton Valley FFA<br />
Chapter, placed first in Diversified Crop<br />
Production Entrepreneurship, sponsored<br />
by Pivot Bio. Holdgrafer has increased his<br />
forage profitability from $75/ acres to $361<br />
per acre. He made management changes<br />
to raise soybean yields by 17 bushels per<br />
acre and corn yield by 27 bushels per acre.<br />
Holdgrafer reinvests in both his and his<br />
family’s operation and plans to return to<br />
the farm after graduating from Iowa State<br />
University with a degree in Ag Studies.<br />
Luke Holdgrafer, Northeast FFA<br />
Chapter, is the first-place winner in Diversified<br />
Agricultural Production, sponsored<br />
by Hertz Farm Management. Luke has<br />
invested over 6,000 hours managing his<br />
beef, grain, hay, and forages operation.<br />
He invested additional hay ground to<br />
provide more forage for his cattle. Upon<br />
graduation, Holdgrafer plans to return to<br />
the family farm.<br />
Jacob Nabb, Maquoketa FFA Chapter,<br />
is the state winner in Ag Mechanics<br />
and Repair Entrepreneurship, sponsored<br />
by U.S. Army ROTC. His SAE involves<br />
selling outboard motor parts on eBay. He<br />
has learned how to disassemble outboard<br />
Feeding fields for over<br />
45 YEARS!<br />
Chemicals • Seed<br />
Dry & Liquid Fertilizer<br />
Custom Dry<br />
Fertilizer Application<br />
Dry Fertilizer Spreader Rental<br />
Baling Materials<br />
Pictured from left to right: Jake Lammers, Matt Link, Amber Engesser,<br />
Bret Funke, Teresa Coons, Bruce Lammers, Josh Smith, and Jason Kurt.<br />
901 Johnson St. SW<br />
Cascade, IA<br />
(563) 852-7559<br />
info@whitefrontfeed.com<br />
whitefrontfeed.com<br />
102 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Ag Bytes<br />
engines, research part numbers and then<br />
sell them on eBay. This past year he sold<br />
over $6,000 worth of used parts off of<br />
used engines. He has been able to keep<br />
accurate records, identify engine parts,<br />
develop skills using Ebay, and develop<br />
customer service relationships. He plans<br />
to continue this SAE program in the near<br />
future.<br />
Shealin Wiemann, Maquoketa FFA<br />
Chapter, is the winner in Beef Production<br />
Placement, which is sponsored by Iowa<br />
Cattlemen’s Foundation. She has worked<br />
close to 3,000 hours with her grandpa on<br />
his Cow-Calf operation. Wiemann helps<br />
with feeding, genetic selection, overall<br />
health, and maintenance on the farm.<br />
Each year she adds experience responsibilities.<br />
In the future, Weimann hopes<br />
to apply the skills she has learned to her<br />
own cattle herd.<br />
Allyson Coates of the Maquoketa FFA<br />
Chapter was runner-up in the Agricultural<br />
Services category, while Megan Forret of<br />
the Calamus-Wheatland FFA Chapter was<br />
the runner-up in the Turfgrass Management<br />
category.<br />
Local farms earn Century,<br />
Heritage recognition<br />
Several Eastern Iowa farm families<br />
were honored with the Century or Heritage<br />
Farm designations at the Iowa State<br />
Fair last summer. The program celebrates<br />
farms that have been owned by the same<br />
families for 100 and 150 years, respectively.<br />
The Century Farm Program began in<br />
1976 as part of the nation’s Bicentennial<br />
Celebration. To date, more than 21,000<br />
Century Farms and 1,800 Heritage Farms<br />
have been recognized across the state of<br />
Iowa.<br />
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions in<br />
Clinton County were Gerald and Barbara<br />
Nelson, Delmar, 1870; and Robert Wagemester,<br />
Clinton, 1864.<br />
Receiving Century Farm distinctions in<br />
Clinton County were Loren and Karen Petersen,<br />
DeWitt, 1919; Robert Wagemester,<br />
Clinton, 1864; and Larry and Kathleen<br />
Weber, Sabula, 1875.<br />
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions<br />
in Jackson County were Robert Breeden,<br />
Maquoketa, 1865; Mark Bruns, Baldwin,<br />
1873; Bertrand J. “Butch” Coakley, Jr., La-<br />
Motte, 1854; Loras Felts, Bellevue, 1871;<br />
and John and Marilyn Lawler, Zwingle,<br />
1850.<br />
Receiving Century Farm distinctions in<br />
Jackson County were Vincent J. Hoffman,<br />
CHICKENS | DUCKS | EGGS | TURKEYS | GEESE<br />
We raise our own flocks of birds to make<br />
sure that you get the best of all birds.<br />
Stop by to see our new addition!<br />
Pictured: Owner Etta Culver<br />
and Marie Forret in the<br />
new customer entryway<br />
at Schlecht Hatchery.<br />
STRUTTING<br />
OUR STUFF<br />
FOR 55 YEARS!<br />
Schlecht Farm & Hatchery<br />
schlechthatchery.com<br />
Hatchery Hours: Monday - Friday 7:30-4:30<br />
Saturday by appointment only, Closed Sundays<br />
PH. 563-682-7865<br />
9749 500TH AVENUE, MILES, IOWA 52064<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 103
Transport with us.<br />
We’ll get your load to the next<br />
destination — no problem!<br />
We Care.<br />
Established in 1975 Amhof Trucking is<br />
a family owned and operated carrier<br />
hauling agricultural, machinery,<br />
construction, aluminum, steel and<br />
general dry goods commodities for<br />
some of the most successful shippers<br />
in the world. Located just north of the<br />
Quad Cities, we would like to take this<br />
opportunity to say THANK YOU to our<br />
hardworking drivers, diesel technicians<br />
and office professionals that have<br />
made us successful the last 48 years<br />
and look forward to the next 48 years!<br />
Join our team!<br />
• • PROUD RECIPIENT OF THE • •<br />
TMHA Fleet<br />
Safety Award<br />
Now hiring Company<br />
drivers, Owner-Operators,<br />
office professionals,<br />
diesel technicians<br />
and warehouse staff.<br />
For outstanding achievements in<br />
highway safety performance in 2022<br />
1st Place<br />
Small Carrier Division<br />
Check us out at<br />
www.amhof.com<br />
– select apply now<br />
for more details or call<br />
us at 563.285.9887 ext 112<br />
Trucking, Inc.<br />
800.362.3137 ext. 4<br />
104 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Ag Bytes<br />
Bellevue, 1883; and Douglas and Linda<br />
Veach, Zwingle, 1910.<br />
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions<br />
in Jones County were Ed Hosch & Sons<br />
Inc., Cascade, 1873; Dean M. and Lynda<br />
M. Martin, Cascade, 1872; and Clifton and<br />
Judy Soper Family Farm, Monticell, 1873.<br />
Receiving Century Farm distinctions<br />
in Jones County were Stuart Jansen,<br />
Anamosa, 1888; Dean M. and Lynda M.<br />
Martin, Cascade, 1872; and Don and<br />
Susan Von Behren, Anamosa, 1916.<br />
Local griller wins in<br />
Farm Bureau cookout<br />
Mitch Schmitz of Lost Nation won first<br />
place in the pork category of the 59th annual<br />
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF)<br />
Cookout Contest during the Iowa State<br />
Fair. Schmitz was presented with a $400<br />
prize. His victory at the Clinton County<br />
Farm Bureau cookout contest allowed him<br />
to enter the state competition.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
IFBF President Brent Johnson (left) presented<br />
Mike Schmitz (center) with his prize. Also<br />
pictured is Brandon Adkins.<br />
Six students receive Jackson<br />
County ag scholarships<br />
Jackson County Agricultural Scholarships<br />
in the amount of $1,000 have been<br />
awarded to six area students pursuing Ag<br />
degrees after high school graduation last<br />
spring.<br />
Taylor Deppe, daughter of Brian and<br />
Tammy Deppe of Bellevue, graduated<br />
from Bellevue High School and attends<br />
Iowa State University majoring in Agricultural<br />
Communications.<br />
Elaina Hafner, daughter of Heather Hafner<br />
of Maquoketa, graduate from Maquoketa<br />
High School and attends Kirkwood<br />
Community College in Cedar Rapids as<br />
part of their Veterinary Technician and Pet<br />
Grooming programs.<br />
Hayden Holdgrafer, son of Brian and<br />
Keri Holdgrafer of Bryant, graduated from<br />
Easton Valley High School in Preston and<br />
attends Iowa State majoring in Agricultural<br />
Studies.<br />
Meghan Klemme, daughter of Matt and<br />
Erin Klemme of Preston, graduated from<br />
Easton Valley High School and attend<br />
Iowa State to study Agricultural Education.<br />
Molly Matthiesen, daughter of Dustin<br />
WE DO IT ALL!<br />
Let us show you how to maximize the dollars on the equipment you have to sell.<br />
One item or many, big or small, as well as complete retirement/estate sales.<br />
RUSSELL RADLOFF<br />
Your Local Sales Rep<br />
563-590-1439<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 105
Ag Bytes<br />
Taylor Deppe<br />
Elaina Hafner<br />
Hayden Holdgrafer<br />
Meghan Klemme<br />
Molly Matthiesen<br />
Briley Miller<br />
and Amber Matthiesen of Bryant, graduate<br />
from Easton Valley and attends Kirkwood<br />
for Agricultural Studies.<br />
Briley Miller, daughter of Nikki Thomsen<br />
of Maquoketa, graduated from Maquoketa<br />
High School and attend Iowa State majoring<br />
in Animal Science and Ag Business.<br />
The Jackson County Agricultural<br />
Scholarship program is funded by generous<br />
donations from the following local<br />
businesses and individuals: AgMax Crop<br />
Insurance – Lyle Knutsen and Todd Simmons,<br />
Associated Insurance Counselors,<br />
B & G Feed Service, Brad Deery Motors,<br />
Bullock’s Inc – Maquoketa, Citizen’s State<br />
Bank, Clinton National Bank, Cornelius<br />
Seed, Delaney Ag Service, Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer Magazine, and Eberhart Farm<br />
Center.<br />
Also Farm Bureau Financial Services<br />
– Barb Collins, Doug Collins, and Brad<br />
Knutsen, Farrell’s Inc, Franzen Family<br />
Tractors and Parts, Heritage Mutual<br />
Insurance, Highway 64 Auctions, Jackson-Clinton<br />
County Dairy Assoc., Jackson<br />
Co Cattlemen, Jackson Co Farm Bureau,<br />
Jackson Co Pork Producers, and Jackson<br />
Co Vet Med Assoc.<br />
Also Keeney Welding, Kunau Implement,<br />
Leland Lane, Maquoketa Feeds, Maquoketa<br />
Livestock Exchange, Maquoketa<br />
Sentinel-Press, Maquoketa State Bank,<br />
Matthiesen Seed Service, NFO, Dr. Dave<br />
Pence Memorial, P & K Midwest, Preston<br />
Times, Roeder Bros, Swanton Ag Service,<br />
Kind, Compassionate Care<br />
It’s who we are. It’s what we do.<br />
Rehabilitation | Assisted Living | Skilled Nursing<br />
Wheatland Manor Skilled Nursing Facility<br />
is continuing its tradition of top-quality<br />
nursing care in its state-of-the-art facility<br />
with an unforgettable rural Iowa view.<br />
2015<br />
BRONZE<br />
NEW PRIVATE SUITES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!<br />
Call today for a tour 563-374-1295 | wheatmanor.com<br />
106 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Pictured: Steve<br />
Brandenburg<br />
(left) and Joe<br />
Brandenburg.<br />
COUNT ON US<br />
FOR ALL YOUR DRAIN TILE<br />
INSTALLATION & REPAIR!<br />
We do everything from pattern tiling to tile repair and so much more!<br />
AGRICULTURE DRAIN TILE REPAIR AND INSTALLATION<br />
Trenching with GPS Mapping & RTK Control<br />
Installed over 9 million feet of agriculture drain tile for rural farmers throughout the<br />
great state of Iowa<br />
TREE CLEARING<br />
AND VEGETATION<br />
MAINTENANCE<br />
Clearing and Maintenance<br />
experience of over<br />
6,500 MILES<br />
BULLDOZING &<br />
EXCAVATION<br />
Land Improvement:<br />
Waterways, Terracing,<br />
Land Clearing<br />
563.689.5334 | 2236 312th Ave. Maquoketa, IA<br />
www.brandenburgdrainage.com
Ag Bytes<br />
and Till’s Garage.<br />
If you or your business would like to join<br />
this great list of sponsors, please reach out<br />
to committee members Ron Regenwether,<br />
Charlie or Jenni Peters, or Skott or Chris<br />
Gent.<br />
Local match will help<br />
Together We Build raise<br />
final $600,000<br />
After more than a decade of planning,<br />
fundraising, and setbacks, the Together<br />
We Build ag facility on the Jackson County<br />
Fairgrounds is about to become a reality.<br />
Donors to the Together We Build project<br />
got their first sneak peek of the building in<br />
late July at a special donor open house at<br />
the site. Committee members representing<br />
the Jackson County Extension Office,<br />
Jackson County Fair, the county, and<br />
other project volunteers led tours through<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / KELLY GERLACH<br />
Alan Wood, left, leans on the sill of a newly<br />
framed opening in the Together We Build ag<br />
center now under construction on the Jackson<br />
County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa. He talks<br />
with Skott Gent, a co-chair of the project. In<br />
late July, donors to the project received a<br />
sneak peek of the building, which committee<br />
members said should be completed by the<br />
end of the year.<br />
Dennis Wilcox sips a glass of water while<br />
sitting near what will become the Jackson<br />
County Fair Board office in the new ag hub<br />
on the fairgrounds. Dennis and wife Connie<br />
received naming rights to the office for their<br />
contribution to the project.<br />
Let us take thechore out of your tax planning!<br />
Left to right: Cathy<br />
Meinsma, CPA and<br />
President; Ashleigh<br />
Determann; Carol<br />
Schuster, CPA;<br />
Susan Hunter,<br />
CPA; Connie Beer;<br />
and Sue Gravert.<br />
1015 6th Ave. • DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
➤ Individuals, Farm, Business Consulting<br />
➤ Tax Planning and Return Preparation<br />
➤ Accounting and Payroll Services<br />
➤ New Business Start-Up Services<br />
➤ QuickBooks Consulting<br />
563.659.9127 schustercpas.com<br />
SERVING<br />
THE<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
SINCE 1976<br />
108 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
WE WORK THE<br />
DIRT!<br />
• Agriculture Tiling<br />
• Pond Dredging<br />
• Bunker Pits for Silage<br />
• Demolition<br />
• Property Cleanup<br />
• Tree Clearing<br />
• Septic Fields<br />
• Foundation & Building Pads<br />
Ed & Larry Kleinschmidt • 3360 190th St., Goose Lake<br />
Ed’s Cell 563-212-1298 Larry’s Cell 563-212-3452
Ag Bytes<br />
the pre-cast- and metal-framed walls.<br />
The commons area, offices, dividable<br />
meeting space, and commercial kitchen<br />
areas all were marked with signs noting<br />
naming rights — some of which are still<br />
available — and the space’s intended use.<br />
The building, particularly the kitchen<br />
and meeting space, have the potential<br />
to bring numerous workshops, ag skills<br />
sessions, and other events to Jackson<br />
County, according to committee member<br />
and Extension director Amber Matthiesen.<br />
Project co-chairman Dean Engel said<br />
construction should be completed by the<br />
end of the year.<br />
And with the end in sight, organizers<br />
said they need to raise a bit more money.<br />
The Together We Build Committee<br />
already raised more than $2.5 million<br />
in grants, donations, and creative fundraisers,<br />
co-chair Skott Gent said. That<br />
would have been more than enough for<br />
construction when planning started about<br />
a decade ago. However, high bids, the<br />
Sara Wyant,<br />
Capitol Hill journalist<br />
COVID pandemic,<br />
and supply<br />
shortages delayed<br />
the project and<br />
increased costs,<br />
he and Engel<br />
explained.<br />
Organizers<br />
said they need<br />
another $600,000<br />
for construction<br />
and furnishings to<br />
avoid borrowing<br />
money and paying<br />
interest. Multiple<br />
fundraisers are<br />
planned to meet that goal.<br />
Businesses, groups, and individuals<br />
also can buy engraved tiles to be located<br />
and displayed inside the Together We<br />
Build facility. Multiple sizes are available.<br />
The public also can double donations<br />
now through the end of October. Fundraising<br />
head Will Cornelius explained<br />
that a few donors offered to match up to<br />
$250,000 of donations given by the end of<br />
October.<br />
So for all those waiting to donate until<br />
the building took physical shape, “well, it’s<br />
happening. It’s here,” Cornelius said.<br />
Conference to focus<br />
on women leaders in ag<br />
Women are invited to an opportunity to<br />
network and learn at the 7th annual ISU<br />
Extension and Outreach Women in Ag<br />
Leadership Conference Nov. 29-30 at the<br />
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in<br />
Ames.<br />
Sara Wyant, a Capitol Hill journalist, is<br />
the keynote speaker for the event.<br />
Wyant is the founder of Agri-Pulse<br />
Communications Inc., a digital media firm<br />
she launched in 2004 to focus on farm,<br />
food and rural policy issues.<br />
Your Legacy<br />
Begins Now.<br />
Working with the River Bluff Community Foundation<br />
simplifies charitable giving. When it comes to<br />
processing complex gifts like stock, land, livestock or<br />
grain, the Foundation makes it easy and the tax benefits<br />
make it smart.<br />
Turn to pages 94 and 95 to learn more.<br />
Let’s Build Your Legacy. Together.<br />
Alethea Cahoy<br />
Executive Director, River Bluff Community Foundation<br />
563.321.0317 | rbcf@dbqfoundation.org | dbqfoundation.org/rbcf<br />
110 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
WORK WONDERS ON YOUR HARVEST<br />
WITH THE FENDT IDEAL COMBINE.<br />
It’s like waving a magic wand over the fields putting a powerful Fendt ® IDEAL combine into action.<br />
With their signature attention to detail and innovation, Fendt has improved upon traditional combine design<br />
with reliable headers, increased fuel efficiency, exceptional capacity, a comfortable cab, advanced technology<br />
and a single helix processor. Here’s where the magic happens. Your harvest comes in faster and in better shape<br />
than ever before. So do you. And with less waste thanks to the IDEAL’s increased precision, it’s like someone<br />
cast a spell over your profit margins.<br />
Transform your harvest and your bottom line with a quote on a Fendt<br />
IDEAL combine today.<br />
Bellevue, IA<br />
1-800-270-5527<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
1-844-543-1100<br />
roederbros.com<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 111<br />
©2023 AGCO Corporation. Fendt is a worldwide brand of AGCO Corporation. AGCO and Fendt are trademarks of AGCO. All rights reserved.
Ag Bytes<br />
During her career, Wyant also has<br />
been a trailblazer through several glass<br />
ceilings. In 1995, she was the first female<br />
to be named to the senior management<br />
team in agricultural publishing as vice<br />
president for editorial at Farm Progress.<br />
She served as the first female chairwoman<br />
on the Farm Foundation’s board of<br />
trustees and as president of the American<br />
Agricultural Editors Association, where<br />
she earned an award for excellence in<br />
agricultural reporting.<br />
A graduate of Iowa State University, she<br />
recently bought her family’s farm in Iowa<br />
County.<br />
Other speakers slated for the conference<br />
include Laura Blomme, an executive<br />
recruiter with Hedlin Ag Enterprises,<br />
where she specializes in executive-level<br />
searches for the agribusiness industry.<br />
Also speaking is Kiley Fleming, the executive<br />
director of Iowa Mediation Services,<br />
who released her book “Conflict Imagery”<br />
earlier this year.<br />
Other topics to be addressed include<br />
farmland management, making the most<br />
of your leadership style, entrepreneurship,<br />
personal finance and lifestyle balance. A<br />
panel of current Iowa agricultural board<br />
leaders will share insights on leading and<br />
being influences in agriculture. Some of<br />
the tour highlights include the new Veterinary<br />
Medicine Diagnostics Laboratory and<br />
campus greenhouses.<br />
Also on tap is the celebration of the<br />
20th anniversary of Annie’s Project, from<br />
which the conference developed.<br />
More land leased; less than<br />
half of farmland owners farm<br />
As the average age of Iowa’s farmland<br />
owners continues to rise, other trends in<br />
landownership have begun to emerge.<br />
According to an Iowa State University<br />
study, 58% of Iowa’s farmland is now<br />
leased out, a significant increase from the<br />
last time the same study was conducted in<br />
2017.<br />
“There is a long-term trend toward farmland<br />
leasing since 1982,” said Wendong<br />
Zhang. Zhang is an assistant professor of<br />
economics at Cornell University and conducted<br />
the Iowa Farmland Ownership and<br />
Tenure Survey with Jingyi Tong, a PhD<br />
student in economics at Iowa State.<br />
“The percentage of farmland being<br />
leased in Iowa increased from 53% in<br />
2017 to 58% in 2022. This represents a<br />
relative increase of roughly one million<br />
acres over five years, which is quite significant,”<br />
Zhang said.<br />
Conducted by Iowa State since the<br />
1940s, the Iowa Farmland Ownership and<br />
Tenure Survey – completed every five<br />
years – focuses on forms of ownership,<br />
tenancy and transfer of farmland in Iowa,<br />
and characteristics of landowners.<br />
The latest survey was conducted in July<br />
2022, and was funded by Iowa State’s<br />
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,<br />
Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Leopold<br />
Todd 563-543-5800 | Bergfeldcla@gmail.com<br />
Cascade Livestock Auction offers Fed Cattle, Bulls<br />
and Market Cow sales every Monday starting at 9am.<br />
We also provide a Special Bred Cow and Feeder Cattle sale<br />
the first Saturday of every month with exception to July.<br />
739 Highway 136 North Cascade, Iowa 52033<br />
cascadelivestock.com<br />
112 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Ag Bytes<br />
Wendong Zhang,<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
of economics,<br />
Cornell University<br />
Center for Sustainable<br />
Agriculture,<br />
Department of<br />
Economics, Center<br />
for Agricultural<br />
and Rural Development<br />
and Iowa<br />
State University<br />
Extension and<br />
Outreach.<br />
Farmland leases<br />
also increasingly<br />
favor cash rent<br />
over crop sharing<br />
and owner-operating<br />
arrangements.<br />
In 2017, 82% of<br />
leased farmland<br />
was cash rented, but cash rent, predominantly<br />
fixed-cash rental contracts, now<br />
account for 87% of leased land.<br />
“The rise of cash rent, especially fixed<br />
cash rent, correlates with the growing percentage<br />
of landowners who are part-time<br />
Jingyi Tong,<br />
PhD economic student<br />
at Iowa State University<br />
and non-residents<br />
of Iowa,” Zhang<br />
said. “Fifty-five<br />
percent of land<br />
is owned by an<br />
owner who did<br />
not farm in 2022,<br />
and, of them, over<br />
half do not have<br />
farming experience.<br />
Especially<br />
for those landowners,<br />
a fixed cash<br />
rental contract is a<br />
natural choice.”<br />
According to<br />
the study, 47%<br />
of farmland was directly operated by the<br />
landowner in 2017, but that number has<br />
now fallen to just 42%.<br />
The survey found that the average age<br />
of Iowa’s farmland owners is still increasing.<br />
In 1982, only 29% of Iowa farmland<br />
was owned by those over the age of 65.<br />
That percentage has steadily increased<br />
over the years, totaling 60% in 2017 and<br />
66% today. Tong noted that women own<br />
46% of Iowa’s farmland, and they hold a<br />
larger share among senior owners.<br />
Tong said several factors are contributing<br />
to the increasing age of Iowa’s<br />
farmland owners, including the increase<br />
in using farmland as an inheritance or<br />
long-term investment, fewer young people<br />
going into farming, and those young farmers<br />
facing large start-up costs.<br />
“Also, some senior farmers may retain<br />
ownership of their land due to a lack of<br />
succession planning, thus keeping the<br />
farm even if they aren’t actively farming.<br />
The survey shows 17% of landowners<br />
neither have a successor for ownership or<br />
management,” Tong said.<br />
However, Tong noted that survey results<br />
show three of every four landowners<br />
in Iowa are interested in selling land to<br />
Protection for your farm’s future.<br />
Sandy Kloos, Agent<br />
Bus: (563) 652-4554<br />
teamkloos@amfam.com<br />
OFFICE HOURS<br />
Mon-Thurs 8:30-5; Friday 8:30-4:30<br />
Come see us at our new location!<br />
18003 HIGHWAY 64, Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
You’ve got big plans for the future<br />
and at American Family Insurance,<br />
we understand what it takes to<br />
make your dream a reality.<br />
Let’s talk about the protection<br />
your dream deserves.<br />
American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & its Operating Companies, 6000 American Parkway, Madison WI 53783 CA-006441 11/21 | Pictured: Stacie Steffen and Ann Fultner, Customer Service Representatives with Sandy Kloos, Agent<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 113
Ag Bytes<br />
beginning farmers when incentivized with<br />
federal and state tax credits.<br />
“At the same time, over half of Iowa<br />
landowners expressed concerns about<br />
difficulty finding quality beginning farmers<br />
as well as beginning farmers’ ability to pay<br />
the best prices for land,” Tong said.<br />
The recent survey also reveals changing<br />
trends in how ownership of Iowa’s farmland<br />
is held. In 1982, 80% of Iowa’s farmland<br />
was owned through a combination of sole<br />
ownership and joint tenancy; however,<br />
those now only account for 52% of Iowa<br />
farmland ownership. Meanwhile, the<br />
amount of farmland held in trusts has skyrocketed<br />
from 1% in 1982 to 23% today.<br />
“Trusts have grown in popularity due to<br />
their numerous benefits. Particularly for<br />
farmland owners, trusts can ensure the<br />
preservation of the farm within the family,<br />
manage land transitions, and potentially<br />
provide tax benefits, making them a valuable<br />
tool in succession planning,” Zhang<br />
said.<br />
The percentage of farmland owned<br />
debt-free has also continued to increase –<br />
84% of Iowa farmland is held without any<br />
debt, the highest level observed. This represents<br />
a steady and significant increase<br />
from 1982, a year that marked the onset<br />
of the farm debt crisis, when only 62% of<br />
the land was held without debt. Tong said<br />
that some of that recent increase is due<br />
to the hike in commodity profits, aging<br />
landowners coupled with longer lengths<br />
of ownership, and government payments<br />
during the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />
Zhang said that the survey also found<br />
interesting trends in the use of conservation<br />
techniques on Iowa farmland. He<br />
noted that no-till farming saw a significant<br />
increase from 21% of owners and 27% of<br />
acres in 2017 to 29% and 30%, respectively,<br />
in 2022.<br />
“The use of cover crops also saw a<br />
slight increase over this period, from 5%<br />
of owners and 4% of acres in 2017 to 7%<br />
for both owners and acres in 2022,” he<br />
said.<br />
However, only 2% of Iowa landowners<br />
have already participated in a carbon<br />
credit program and another 3% are considering<br />
doing so, but, Zhang said, “most<br />
landowners are either not interested or<br />
have never heard of them.”<br />
More information about the 2022 Iowa<br />
Farmland Ownership and Tenure Survey<br />
results can be found on the CARD website<br />
at card.iastate.edu/.<br />
What makes a quality<br />
carbon credit?<br />
Alejandro Plastina, ISU extension<br />
economist and associate professor,<br />
answers four questions that are key for<br />
buyers when determining the quality<br />
(and the price they are willing to pay)<br />
for carbon credits. Additional practices,<br />
permanence, verified protocols, and<br />
Fall & Winter Hours:<br />
Fri: 11 am - 2 pm; 4 pm-7pm<br />
Sat: 11 am - 7 pm<br />
Sun: 11 am - 7 pm<br />
*Open extended hours during events<br />
726 Green Road, Tipton, IA | (563) 357-9916<br />
events@buchananhousewinery.com<br />
www.buchananhousewinery.com<br />
Getting married?<br />
Our grounds are the<br />
perfect setting for<br />
your special day.<br />
Schedule your tour!<br />
114 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
Meat<br />
Bundles<br />
*Steaks amount based on 3/4” thickness. The more steaks/roasts<br />
you request, the less ground beef you will receive.<br />
Quarter of Beef<br />
Half a hog<br />
now taking<br />
locker<br />
appointments<br />
6-10 T-Bones/Porterhouse<br />
6-8 Ribeyes<br />
4-8 Sirloin<br />
2-3 Sirloin Tip<br />
8-12 Round Steaks<br />
1-2 Arm Roast<br />
1-2 Rump Roast<br />
4-6 Chuck Roast<br />
3 Pkgs Short Ribs<br />
30-60 lbs of Ground Beef<br />
4.5<br />
Cu ft.<br />
upright<br />
Boneless Chops or Bone-in Chops - 20 ±<br />
3-4 Shoulder Roasts or Whole Boston Butt<br />
4 Smoked or Fresh Hocks<br />
5-15 lbs of Bacon (depending on size of animal)<br />
Ribs<br />
1 - Ham — fresh or smoked — cut variety of ways<br />
Ground Pork — can be processed into:<br />
• Brats • Sausage, etc.<br />
FREEZER SPACE<br />
5.5<br />
Cu ft. Chest<br />
The more steaks/roasts you request, the less ground pork you will receive.<br />
Find us on facebook<br />
for more detials or to<br />
start your oder, visit our website<br />
shopmoorelocal.com/rockdale-locker<br />
605 Birch Street<br />
MAQUOKETA<br />
(563) 659-7675
HAPPILY SERVIING<br />
EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS FOR<br />
77<br />
77 Years<br />
Pictured: Richard Streat; Jeremy Lutton, Installation and Delivery; Dean Clementz, Service Technician;<br />
Brandon Hicks, Service Department Manager; Brandon Tegtmeier, Service Technician;<br />
Andy Schumacher, Delivery and Installation; Tim Clark Store Owner; Courtney Anderson, Sales;<br />
Kim Soll, Service Department, and Sales; Karen Tack, Sales; Lee Lutton, Delivery and Service.<br />
(563) 242-6121 | www.zirkelbachs.com | 225 5th Ave S, Clinton<br />
On April 1, 1946, John & Betty Zirkelbach started a<br />
small business specializing in refrigeration repair.<br />
That business quickly evolved into sales and service<br />
of all home appliances. As times change, we continue<br />
to evolve with the latest in high-end appliances<br />
and home entertainment options, including professional<br />
setup & installation.<br />
We would like to thank the<br />
community for their support<br />
and loyalty throughout the years.<br />
Whether it’s service or a new<br />
purchase, we always strive<br />
to go above and beyond with<br />
your appliance needs.<br />
Stop in to Zirkelbach and experience the personal touch<br />
of a hometown business.<br />
We Do Our Best To Make Your Life EaZier!
Ag Bytes<br />
registered credits are all factors that play<br />
into the perceived quality of a carbon<br />
credit.<br />
Buyers often look for high-quality<br />
credits that are based on additional<br />
practices, ensure some amount of permanence,<br />
are verified, and registered,<br />
Plastina said.<br />
A carbon credit is a term for the<br />
certificate or token showing that one<br />
metric ton of carbon dioxide (or the<br />
equivalent amount of other greenhouse<br />
gases) have been reduced or sequestered,<br />
he said. But not all carbon credits<br />
are the same, nor do they hold the same<br />
value for buyers.<br />
There are a few key terms that speak<br />
to what buyers of carbon credits are<br />
looking for:<br />
Are the credits from additional<br />
practices? Buyers are seeking<br />
credits created because a producer<br />
is participating in a carbon program.<br />
The carbon sequestered should<br />
be additional when compared to the<br />
carbon sequestered during “business as<br />
usual” on the same land – the practice<br />
changes would not have happened without<br />
the carbon credit incentive.<br />
Are the credits permanent? For<br />
agricultural carbon credits, there’s<br />
always concern that the practices that<br />
sequestered soil carbon in the first place<br />
can be quickly overturned. Carbon could<br />
be released back into the atmosphere<br />
from plowing soil that was in no-till<br />
production or cutting down stands of<br />
trees. Most carbon programs will specify<br />
in their contracts how long producers or<br />
land managers are obligated to maintain<br />
specific conservation practices to prevent<br />
carbon from being released back<br />
into the atmosphere.<br />
Does the carbon program use<br />
verified protocols? Verification is the<br />
process through which the reported<br />
measurements from a carbon program<br />
are evaluated to make sure they are<br />
accurate and<br />
use the specified<br />
protocols. Some<br />
carbon programs<br />
conduct their own<br />
verification, which<br />
is often viewed as<br />
less rigorous compared<br />
to working<br />
with a third-party<br />
verifier. Buyers<br />
often perceive<br />
carbon credits to<br />
Alejandro Plastina, be of higher quality<br />
when issued<br />
ISU Extension<br />
economist and by a program that<br />
associate professor uses third-party<br />
verification.<br />
Are the credits registered? Carbon<br />
registries serve as the record-keepers<br />
for carbon markets. A registry issues a<br />
specific serial number for a specific car-<br />
WE’RE CLOSING UP SHOP<br />
AT J&S AUTO!<br />
Thank<br />
you!<br />
IT IS TIME<br />
We have had the<br />
honor of serving<br />
our community for<br />
22 great years!<br />
From trusting<br />
us with all your<br />
automotive<br />
needs to all the<br />
friendships and<br />
memories we have<br />
made, these will<br />
not be forgotten<br />
and will hold a<br />
special place in our<br />
hearts. It is time<br />
that we move on to<br />
the next chapter.<br />
Thank you for<br />
your business.<br />
Jeff & Sherry<br />
Baker<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 117
Ag Bytes<br />
bon credit, and retires that serial number<br />
when the credit is sold to a buyer. A<br />
few of the primary registries worldwide<br />
include Gold Standard, Verra, American<br />
Carbon Registry, and Climate Action<br />
Reserve.<br />
For more information about the<br />
structure of carbon programs, view<br />
Plastina’s resources from Ag Decision<br />
Maker, “How Do Data and Payments<br />
Flow Through Ag Carbon Programs?”<br />
and “How to Grow and Sell Carbon in<br />
US Agriculture.”<br />
Share your agriculture news<br />
with the Eastern Iowa Farmer<br />
The Eastern Iowa Farmer welcomes<br />
news of ag achievements, industry news,<br />
upcoming seminars or trainings, helpful<br />
farm-related websites and other information<br />
for the Ag Bytes column.<br />
Please submit items – including who,<br />
what, why, where, when, etc., along with a<br />
The Eastern Iowa<br />
Farmer<br />
A Publication of Sycamore Media<br />
contact name, number and email (in case<br />
we need more information) to eifarmer@<br />
sycamoremedia.net. Please include “Ag<br />
Byte submission” in the subject line.<br />
Hotline offers help for stress,<br />
legal questions and more<br />
The Iowa Concern Hotline number is<br />
800-447-1985. Iowa Concern is a program<br />
of the Iowa State University Extension<br />
service. The program began in 1985<br />
as a toll-free number serving the agriculture<br />
community.<br />
Today, the toll-free number serves urban<br />
as well as rural Iowa. By calling Iowa<br />
Concern one has access to an attorney<br />
for legal education, stress counselors,<br />
and information and referral services for<br />
a wide variety of topics.<br />
In addition, Iowa Concern maintains a<br />
website, extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern,<br />
featuring an extensive frequently<br />
asked questions database for legal, finance,<br />
crisis and disaster, and personal<br />
health issue.<br />
The website is also the link to Iowa<br />
Concern’s “Click here to chat with an<br />
Agent” service.<br />
Live chat immediately connects you<br />
with a stress counselor where you can<br />
“talk” (type) one-on-one in a secure environment.<br />
All Iowa Concern services are available<br />
24 hours a day, seven days a week<br />
at no charge. n<br />
Home<br />
THE PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG<br />
ABBY<br />
SCHUELLER<br />
563.599.3688<br />
abby.schueller@hotmail.com<br />
Licensed Realtor,<br />
ReMax/Advantage Realty<br />
123 McKinsey Drive<br />
Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
Whether you are looking for a place to call home or planning<br />
to sell a farm, estate, or acreage,<br />
Abby Schueller will use her expertise to guide<br />
you through the process.<br />
118 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
VISIT ANY OF OUR<br />
7 LOCATIONS!<br />
• WHEATLAND 563-374-1247<br />
• DIXON 563-843-2000<br />
• LOST NATION 563-678-2660<br />
• CALAMUS 563-246-2636<br />
• GRAND MOUND 563-847-2500<br />
• DONAHUE 563-282-9800<br />
• ELDRIDGE 563-285-2265<br />
LOCALLY OWNED, LOCALLY OPERATED<br />
AND CUSTOMER FOCUSED<br />
Serving our local economy since 1886<br />
with 174 years of lending experience<br />
STEVE VONMUENSTER Wheatland MEGHAN BONEFAS Wheatland<br />
MICAH KLAHN Wheatland DAN BURKE Grand Mound RYAN BURKE Grand Mound<br />
EVAN TRENKAMP Grand Mound JULIE OLSON Grand Mound JUSTIN SPARKS Lost Nation<br />
DAVE MANGAN Donahue DARON OBERBROECKLING Eldridge
2<br />
1<br />
5<br />
4<br />
7<br />
120 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
3<br />
1. Teamwork makes the<br />
dream work! Kyler Kilburg,2,<br />
assisting his Dad, Brad<br />
Kilburg and grandpa Dan<br />
Kilburg.<br />
Submitted by Ali Kilburg<br />
2. Finnegan and Hudson<br />
Yarolim of Zwingle checking<br />
out one of Grandpa Richard<br />
Hayward’s tractors.<br />
Submitted by Mary Hayward<br />
6<br />
3. Tara and Erik Notz take<br />
pride as a family in their large<br />
fruit orchard at their home in<br />
rural Maquoketa. The orchard<br />
has a variety of fruit trees and<br />
berry bushes planted by them.<br />
Tara, Erik and the boys, Max,<br />
Kye and Fin, all take a part<br />
in taking care of the orchard,<br />
along with enjoying the fruit.<br />
Submitted by Joyce Ostert<br />
4. Cassidy Moore relaxes with<br />
his Fair calf Luna and a Great<br />
Pyrenees puppy at his farm in<br />
Maquoketa.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
8<br />
5. Bob Johnson and Dolly go<br />
for a tootle around the farm.<br />
Photo by Brooke Till<br />
6. Palmer Moore and her<br />
faithful guardian Thor enjoy<br />
a summer evening.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
7. Logan Cornelius is<br />
interviewed by Jackson<br />
County Fair Queen Megan<br />
Klemme at the Bucket Bottle<br />
Calf show.<br />
Submitted by Chris Cornelius<br />
8. The sun rises behind a<br />
Clinton County farm near<br />
Lake Malone.<br />
Submitted by Carl Small<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 121
1 2<br />
5<br />
4<br />
122 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
3<br />
1. Luka Till gears up for a<br />
big day of cutting fallen tree<br />
branches. He’s equipped with<br />
his first saw from his uncle,<br />
Mick Clark.<br />
Submitted by Karin Till<br />
2. Will and Calahan Cornelius<br />
at the Bucket Bottle Calf<br />
Show.<br />
Submitted by Chris Cornelius<br />
7<br />
3. Cooper Moore and his<br />
puppy Siri make their show<br />
debut at the Jackson County<br />
Fair.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
4. Jackson Foust holds his<br />
bird at the Jackson County<br />
Fair.<br />
Submitted by Erin Foust<br />
5. Eddie Reiter, 5, was on<br />
hand at the Jones County Ag<br />
breakfast to help man a pen<br />
with a couple of calves.<br />
Photo by Brooke Till<br />
6<br />
6. Grant Flenker’s cows are<br />
pictured just after sunrise near<br />
a farm southeast of DeWitt.<br />
Submitted by Grace Marlowe<br />
7. Lincoln Johnson and his<br />
buddy “Banana” hang out.<br />
Submitted by Allison Kilburg<br />
8<br />
8. Hayden Cordero, 10, enjoys<br />
getting dirty on the farm.<br />
Submitted by Carmen Gerlach<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 123
1<br />
1. Caroline Johnson helps sort<br />
some Berkshire pigs on her<br />
parents’ farm.<br />
Submitted by Allison Kilburg<br />
2. Kearn Hogan of Monticello<br />
gets an up close look at some<br />
of the farm animals at the<br />
Jones County Ag breakfast.<br />
Photo by Brooke Till<br />
3. Garrett Donovan, 2, proudly<br />
showing off his farmer bibs.<br />
Submitted by Laurie Donovan<br />
4. Tucker Moore busily preps<br />
his cow Reebok for the fair<br />
with a bath on the farm.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
4<br />
5. Hendrix Wilson, son of<br />
Deven and Charlie Wilson,<br />
holds the Grand Champion<br />
ribbon at the Jackson County<br />
Fair to assist with preparing<br />
for the backdrop picture.<br />
Submitted by Jackie Miller<br />
6. Kade Foust is ready<br />
to show his birds at the<br />
county fair.<br />
Submitted by Erin Foust<br />
7. Sutton Moore shows off her<br />
blue ribbon and her calf Luna<br />
at the Wyoming Fair.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
8. Three 4H friends,<br />
Emrie Petersen, Cooper<br />
Patterson, and Wylie Miller<br />
chat together as they watch<br />
the beef show on Saturday at<br />
the Jackson County Fair.<br />
Submitted by Jackie Miller<br />
5<br />
6<br />
124 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2023 eifarmer.com
3<br />
2<br />
7<br />
8<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 125
“I’ve been working with Doug, Alan and the rest of the team<br />
at People’s Company for more than a decade. What started out<br />
as just a business relationship has turned into a friendship as well.<br />
They’re experienced, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and the only<br />
group I use for buying or selling farmland.”<br />
— Chris Tarver<br />
One of the nation’s fastest growing land<br />
services organizations offering land<br />
brokerage, land management, land<br />
investing, and appraisal services.<br />
ALAN MCNEIL<br />
563.321.1125<br />
alan@peoplescompany.com<br />
WE WORK WITH<br />
INVESTMENT-GRADE LAND<br />
ALL OVER THE CORN BELT!<br />
DOUG YEGGE<br />
563.320.9900<br />
doug@peoplescompany.com
TARVER<br />
FAMILY<br />
2011-2023<br />
peoplescompany.com<br />
563.659.8185<br />
700 6th Avenue | DeWitt, Iowa 52742
DeWitt Bank & Trust Co. can help with your big ideas.<br />
BANKING | LENDING | TRUST | TAX & ACCOUNTING<br />
Pictured: Greg Gannon,<br />
Marty Murrell*, Sarah Jurgens,<br />
Jeff Peters, Kathy Rollings,<br />
Francesca Schwartz,<br />
Rachel Neilson, and<br />
Derek Sawvell<br />
Member<br />
FDIC<br />
www.dewittbank.com<br />
815 6th Ave, DeWitt<br />
563.659.3211<br />
Investments<br />
*Marty Murrell is a Financial Advisor offering Securities and Investment Advisory Services through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, a Broker/<br />
Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser. Member SIPC and FINRA. Located at DeWitt Bank & Trust Co., 815 6th Ave., DeWitt, IA 52742.<br />
Phone: 563-659-3211. DeWitt Bank & Trust Co. and Cetera Advisor Networks LLC. are not affiliated companies. Investments are not FDIC<br />
Insured – May lose value – Not a deposit – Not financial institution guaranteed. Not insured by any federal government agency.
Change language