Dwight Dial Recognized with Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

Dwight Dial recognized with Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

By Brock Johnston bjohnston@iasoybeans.com

Modern agriculture continues to evolve to meet the needs of a growing population in a sustainable and profitable way. One Iowa soybean farmer is being recognized for his lifelong commitment to ensuring this future for generations to come.

Dwight Dial of Lake City was recognized with the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award recently for his lifelong commitment to agriculture and environmental stewardship. Dial grows soybeans and corn and raises pigs and sheep on his Calhoun County farm.

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, an organization supported by the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and other state farm and commodity groups.

“Over the past 18 years, we have recognized 160 farm families with this prestigious award that all had one thing in common – the passion to improve animal care, protect the environment and serve their community,” says Brian Waddingham, executive director of the Coalition. “Dwight is another great example of a livestock farmer who has gone above and beyond in each of these areas.”

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented Dial with the award in front of friends, family and industry leaders from across the state.

“Since Dwight started farming in 1978, he has worked to make his operation more sustainable for future generations through the implementation of conservation practices,” Naig says. “Dwight is a great example of someone who takes pride in caring for his pigs and sheep, while recognizing the importance of caring for his land and being involved in his local community, making him a deserving recipient of the award.”

As a conservation advocate, Dwight is committed to leaving the land better than he found it, Naig notes. Implementing practices like cover crops, grassed waterways and terraces, and no-till on his soybean and corn fields all demonstrate his passion for protecting and enhancing his soil and water. Hog manure application has also allowed Dial to increase organic matter and sequester carbon.

In 2021, he was recognized for his efforts by Iowa’s Front 40, an initiative celebrating the state’s future-thinking conservation leaders at the forefront of sustainable soil and water practices.

Land enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program, Farm to River Partnership, Soil Health Partnership, Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program has allowed Dwight to better manage the natural resources of his operation.

“To say I am honored to be recognized in this way is indescribable,” Dial says. “I’m proud to see the amazing things Iowa farmers continue to do every day and look forward to seeing what’s to come.”