DISTRICT 3
Mason Riehle BY JOSEPH HOPPER
F
arming is more than planting and harvesting — the farm itself changes, being refined and improved each season. Mason Riehle, a newcomer to the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), has developed his family farming operation from scratch starting in 2010.
The Simple Life Living what he calls “the simple life,” growing soybeans, corn, alfalfa and beef cattle, the farm is about 30 minutes from where he grew up. “I’ve been involved in farming my whole life,” Riehle says. “My family homesteaded in Iowa when it became a state. It’s definitely in the blood, that’s for sure. I married my wife Missy in 2009; we moved to Castalia and started farming on our own, building it to what it is today.” Riehle also started a fertilizer and
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agronomy service a few years ago, explaining once he found a product he was excited about, it was an easy fit to help others grow high-yielding corn and soybeans. It also led him on a crash course to ISA membership after receiving an ISA postcard. “I just replied to the number on the postcard, and when I got a response back it wasn’t just a number for corporate, it was a local person, (former ISA Producer Services Coordinator) Whitley Frieden,” Riehle says.
For the Farmers The northeast Iowa farmer also serves as an ISA District Advisory Council (DAC) member. Through DAC, he’s learned how ISA plays an important role for Iowa’s soybean farmers. “A lot of farmers are busy out in the fields growing the crop; we don’t have
time to do things like find new ways to use soybeans,” Riehle says. “That’s why I really believe in organizations like ISA to get the word out and do that for us while we’re out there growing.”
Next Big Thing Like many farmers, as Riehle looks to the future, he’s excited to get close to the next big, groundbreaking thing in agriculture. “Shooting for high yields is the most exciting thing for me,” Riehle says. “I think we’re on the cutting edge of new technologies and cropping systems that will increase yields and everyone’s going to make more money. Along with ISA, they’re going to find more uses and, in turn, help us be more profitable too.” Contact Joseph Hopper at jhopper@iasoybeans.com.
