The State of Membership ISA farmer

The State of Membership

Iowa Soybean Association farmer members share why involvement is impacting their farms in a positive way.

Kris Langgaard and his son enjoy doing livestock chores together on the farm.

DISTRICT 1 Noah and Anna Fedders

BY JOSEPH HOPPER

Noah and Anna Fedders raise soybeans and corn and custom farm near Ireton. For the family, farming has been a way of life stretching back generations.

Noah is the fifth generation on his family’s farm. He’s been farming there full time for eight years.

“My dad farmed corn and soybeans also and raised some pigs,” Anna says. “I remember while growing up, helping with little pigs. My grandpa farmed before him. It’s not new to us.”

In their sixth year as farmer members of the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), Noah credits the American Soybean Association (ASA) Young Leader program for jump-starting their involvement with the ASA. He encourages other young farmers to get involved, explaining it prepared the couple to be able to discuss farming with others.

“One of the things we appreciated the most was meeting other people with similar values who are all pretty young and getting into farming,” Noah says. “We share a lot of the same concerns and struggles.”

The couple says it’s important for farmers to not only support organizations like ISA who work for farmer, but to be involved, too.

Noah says he’s excited about the new uses being found for soybeans. What’s most thrilling about the future for the two, though, is experiencing life together as a family.

“We grew up on farms, and that’s what we know,” Anna says. “We want our kids to grow up on farms, too. It’s nice for our kids to experience what it’s like to get out there and be close to where Noah’s working, ride in the tractor, and ask questions about what’s going on. It’s a good opportunity to show what we do and see where they might be, if that’s something the kids would want to consider doing.”

Contact Joseph Hopper at jhopper@iasoybeans.com.

Neither one of us particularly likes being the center of attention. We appreciate that the soybean association can go to bat for us. They know what our values are and they can represent us.”

— Anna Fedders, ISA farmer member

Noah and Anna Fedders, farmers from Ireton.

Grant Woodley stands proudly in his driveway leading up to his rustic barn that is filled with horses, chickens, goats, sheep and dogs that bring joy to his family.

DISTRICT 2 Grant Woodley

BY KENNADY MOFFITT

Grant Woodley is a fourthgeneration farmer who lives southeast of Clarion and raises corn and soybeans and specializes in hog finishing facilities.

His wife Nicole and their five children (ages 10-14 years old) work together doing day-to-day chores, loading hogs and assisting with the crops.

“The kids help me with odds and ends around the farm, and we are very thankful for that,” Grant says.

The duo were pastors at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines before moving back to the family farm in 2015. They are now co-pastors at First Lutheran Church in Clarion.

The transition back to the farm was sudden, but Grant was able to put his boots in the soil and become reaccustomed to the farm life.

“Going from managing my piece of the 80-acre farm to taking over the entire operation was crazy,” he says.

With the transition came many changes, and he developed his own way of doing things. When his father was running the farm, he only specialized in crops. Grant realized the way to make it today is diversification within his operation. Adding livestock helps manage and eliminate some of the risks involved with crop production.

Grant is currently an active farmer member of the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), serving on the District Advisory Council and participating in several ISA research trials.

“Being active in ISA has been critical for me in taking over the farming operation,” Grant says. The Wright County farmer adds that ISA’s educational resources are expanding his knowledge.

“The science-driven, on-farm trials are very well done and helps producers make educated management decisions,” he says.

Investments in soybean checkoff dollars through field trials, education and promotional activities help further the work he does on his farm. This past year, he participated in an ISA field trial involving cover crops and manure. Grant values the opportunity to experience the processes involved in the trials and see results firsthand on his row crop operation. In the future, he plans to be more active in the association.

“I enjoy the research conferences as they are a great way to get a summary of the annual trials and network with other farmers.”

Contact Kennady Moffitt at kennady@iasoybeans.com.