Year in Review 2024
December
January Year in Review 2024
1 FREE TO ROAM
Bison at Heritage Ranch fed all-natural diet
By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER Farm News writer
HINTON — Just a stone’s throw from the South Dakota border sits Heritage Bison Ranch, a family farming operation outside Hinton that finishes bison born and raised on 2,000 acres of native prairie grasses.
Rocking P Ranch in Sisseton, owned by Bruce and Corrine Prins, is where the bison get their start.
Bruce Prins has been raising bison at his northeast South Dakota ranch since 1989. He started with seven head of bison and now has more than 400 head. Prins raised the bison alongside his cattle herd, gradually selling off the cattle until he focused solely on the bison herd.
Every year he sells his calf crop after their annual roundup. Buyers from across the country show up to bid in person from the herd brimming with high quality genetics.
Once the bison are ready, they make the 250-mile trek to Lance and Rachel Bollmeyer’s farm where the family raises corn and soybeans on Lance’s family ground.
Rachel Bollmeyer, daughter of Bruce and Corrine Prins, grew up raising bison and knew that moving to online sales of the bison meat would be a boon for the family business. So Bollmeyer Farms and Rocking P Ranch combined efforts to become Heritage Bison
Ranch.
“They’re here in a smaller pasture — no barns, no special treatment. They don’t mind the cold and will even face it head on. They’re so hearty. In fact, if they’re calving, you don’t help them.
Their calving rates are excellent and they’re handsoff animals,” Bollmeyer said. “All their fencing in South Dakota is traditional barbed wire, but the trick is they have to have enough room to feel like they’re roaming. Here, they’re in smaller pastures so we use stand-alone, eight-feet-tall panels made out of steel. They are handled just once a year for their brucellosis vaccine.
“We use what’s called cake. It’s like candy to these animals; that draws them into a smaller pasture by my dad,” Bollmeyer said. “It took us 30 years to figure out to use cake to draw them in and not chase them.”
A group of 25 or so bison usually land at the Bollmeyer farm together a couple of times a year.
They’re all heifers as the meat is more tender than bull meat. They are butchered at around 2 years of age.
“Dad hand-selects the bison that are raised on his 2,000 acres of native prairie in South Dakota that are ready to be harvested and brings them to us here at Bollmeyer Farms. Here, we put 90 days of corn and alfalfa in them that we raise ourselves, before they are harvested at small local, state and USDA-certified lockers we know and trust. It comes from the locker to us frozen,” Rachel Bollmeyer said.
BISON AT HERITAGE BISON RANCH get their start near Sisseton, South Dakota, where they are raised on native prairie grasses. Once the bison are ready, they make the 250-mile trek to Lance and Rachel Bollmeyer’s Iowa farm where they are fed corn and alfalfa. Eventually, the bison are harvested and processed, and the meat packaged and shipped around the country.
-Submitted photo
January Year in Review 2024 2 ETHANOL'S FUTURE MAY BE IN AVIATION
DSauer: Business could go to Brazil if U.S. carbon index numbers don’t subside
By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer
ES MOINES — A Boeing 747 has four main fuel tanks in the wings, a tail plane tank, a center wing tank, and reserve fuel tanks in the outer wing section. When all the tanks are filled, the maximum fuel capacity of that 747 is 57,284 gallons.
Ryan Sauer, vice president of market development for the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), would like to see Iowa’s corn producers profit from the ever-
growing world demand for travel by air.
“The United States government issued what they call a ‘Grand Challenge’ to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by the year 2030,” said Sauer, who grew up on a grain and livestock farm in eastern Iowa. “By the year 2050, they want 35 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. To make a gallon of SAF, it takes 1.6 gallons of ethanol; so if all SAF came from corn ethanol, it could represent as much as 20 billion bushels of new corn demand.
“Last year, the U.S. produced 15 million gallons, meaning we must go from 15 million to 3 billion, so
there are a lot of conversations on how ethanol can play a key role in closing that gap. It is the most available feedstock out there today that can make SAF.”
After his time in the Army, Sauer attended Iowa State University for his undergraduate work and then earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. He has five years of experience on the Cargill Soy Crush team, 13 years in the ethanol industry, and three years with Casey’s on their fuel procurement team. At ICGA, his role is market development, working to expand uses for corn, both in the U.S. and internationally.
February Year in Review 2024
3 PEDAL TO THE METAL
Webster County entrepreneurs design Deere decelerator units
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY
Farm News writer
When Duane Olson got a John Deere 9430T tractor about a year ago, it was a switch from the CAT Challenger tractors he was used to driving. There was one component that he just couldn’t get used to — the deceleration switch.
“After the first night of ripping with the new-tous 9430T, we discovered how much we disliked the deceleration switch on the floor,” said Olson, a thirdgeneration farmer who farms in Webster County and Wright County. “It was such an abrupt change in engine RPM. If your foot slipped off the button in the middle of a turn, off you went in whatever direction you were pointed. It was a somewhat minor inconvenience, but we could do better.”
Ever since that night, the idea of a proportional electronic deceleration system for John Deere tractors was born. It’s now a reality, thanks to the teamwork, vision, technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of Olson, his son, Dan, 41, and their friend Curt Messerly of Fort Dodge, who helps them farm. “Combined, we have more than 80 years of farming and mechanical experience,” Olson said.
The trio formed MODDCO Dynamics (which takes its name from the three men’s initials) to create a user-
friendly, proportional electronic deceleration system for John Deere tractors. “We wanted to see if we could create a pedal on the floor to replace the deceleration button,” Duane Olson said.
It helped that Dan Olson had the ability to reverseengineer the system, thanks in part to his college degree in mechanical engineering. He also wrote a computer program to create a practical, easy-to-use electronic deceleration system operated by a foot pedal.
MODDCO Dynamics invested in a couple 3-D printers to create some of the components, plus they draw heavily on Messerly’s experience, since he’s a certified electronic technician.
The trio tested the add-on pedal with their own farm equipment. They had some of their farmer friends give the unit a try, too. “We made a few tweaks, based on their feedback,” said Duane Olson, whose son, Kyle, an owner/broker of EXIT Realty Frontier and EXIT Country Realty, also helps his family farm.
MODDCO Dynamics currently offers decelerator systems for John Deere tractors ranging from the 9000 series all the way to current tractors, but are willing to look into other makes and models. Theoretically, the deceleration module should be able to be added to any electronically controlled diesel engine, Dan Olson said. Each unit features plug-and-play installation, with no wires to cut or tap into. The entire installation takes less than an hour, and the pedal looks like a factory unit once it’s installed.
CURT MESSERLY of Fort Dodge helps the Olson family farm in Webster and Wright counties, plus he's a certified electronic technician who helps build the electronic deceleration systems from MODDCO Dynamics.
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
March
4
By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer
Year in Review 2024
IOWA AG OUTLOOK
Healthy environments lead to healthy food
SPENCER — Healthier environments for food production produce healthier foods for consumers.
This was the word from Nikki Putnam Badding, registered dietician and director of human nutrition initiatives at Alltech, an agri-food multinational. Putnam Badding is also the managing director of Acutia, a human health and wellness subsidiary of Alltech.
Putnam Badding said the World Health Organization has pinpointed poor nutrition as the single greatest threat to world health, including in the U.S.
She said the world population is
projected to reach 10 billion by 2060, which she said would require an increase in food production of 70 percent. She said only one-third of the world’s land is being used for agriculture, with “not much more” being able to be used for that purpose. She said less than one-third of that land is useable for food production, so farmers need to figure out how to produce more nutrition with available land.
“Can you produce 70 percent more food with what you’re doing?” she asked. “Providing enough food for everyone isn’t enough … if we can provide more nutrition in every food product, we might be able to do this.”
NIKKI PUTNAM BADDING was a featured speaker at the 2024 Northwest Iowa Ag Outlook in Spencer. She educated producers about consumer trends and behaviors, and how they apply to agricultural practices.
THE BARN OWLS
People from all walks of life enjoy barn dances
By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer
AMES — In 1992, Jon Duvick had little idea, having just started a job with Pioneer Seed, that he’d be performing in The Barn Owl Band for over three decades.
“I was part of the initial meeting that formed the band,” said Duvick. “We were going to do dances once a month and were expected to come up with music for barn dancers that would last about two hours. We didn’t have a name at the time; we were just ‘the band.’”
Duvick played the bass from an early age and didn’t find it particularly hard to back up dance music with the bass. “I was a young professional at Pioneer Seed at the time,” said Duvick. “The other players were out of school and professionals as well. All of us were
from hither and yon in the central Iowa area.”
Duvick was with Pioneer Seed for most of his career before leaving for Iowa State University as an adjunct professor. His father worked for Pioneer Seeds as well and grew up on a farm in central Illinois.
“He wanted to be a dairy farmer, but World War II interrupted those ambitions,” said Duvick. “He gained an interest in crop rotation research from a few educational opportunities he took after Europe was liberated. When he came back home, he launched a career in the seed industry, so that’s what I grew up around. Three of his brothers farmed, and I spent a couple weeks each summer at my grandparents’ farm in Illinois.”
On March 3, The Barn Owls performed at the King Theatre in Ida Grove where the seven members played — among other tunes — “The Field Behind the Plow” by Stan Rogers.
-Farm News file photo by Karen Schwaller
-Farm News file photo by Doug Clough
THE BARN OWL BAND played at the King Theatre in Ida Grove on March 3. Their high-energy music draws from traditional American Old Time, Irish, and Australian dance music. From left to right is Barry MacDonald, mandola; Marty Miller, upright bass; Steve Hurst, guitar and vocals; Joanne Olson, mandolin; Paul Perkins, 5-string banjo; Billy Kearney, fiddle and vocals; and Jon Duvick, bouzouki, guitar, and, vocals.
By DARCY DOUGHERTY
Farm News writer
DOW CITY — In early December 2020, news started spreading about Crawford County farmer Kelly Garrett, who found a $341,000 treasure hidden in his soil.
More specifically, that fortune was worth $341,175 — in terms of carbon.
This generated a feature story on Christmas Eve 2020 in the Wall Street Journal, when Garrett became the first farmer in America to sell carbon credits to a corporate buyer.
“Carbon credits aren’t a shell game,” said Garrett, 49, a sixth-generation farmer who runs a 7,000-acre, no-till corn and soybean farm near the Arion/Dow City area. “They’re an incentive to farm in a more regenerative way to effect positive
change, plus they can offer another revenue stream for farmers.”
Since 2012, Garrett Land & Cattle has been 100% no-till and has implemented additional eco-friendly practices. These practices and those of his trucking company attracted the attention of Locus Agricultural Solutions, whose team approached Garrett in 2020 about participating in CarbonNOW, a carbon credit program. Garrett worked with the CarbonNOW team to sell the carbon credits at $15/ credit in a carbon marketplace called Nori. E-commerce giant Shopify became the first customer when the company purchased 5,000 tons of carbon credits for $75,000 on Dec. 1, 2020.
Within nine months, all of Garrett’s carbon credits were sold.
April Year in Review 2024 6 7 THE QUEST For 400-plus bushel corn
IN 2020, Crawford County farmer Kelly Garrett became the first farmer in America to sell carbon credits to a corporate buyer. After going through the documentation and verification process, it was determined that Garrett had removed 22,745 tons of carbon from the atmosphere during that five-year time period — equivalent to offsetting the average annual emissions of almost 5,000 passenger vehicles.
IS A COMPLETE SHIFT to renewable energy feasible? For the first time, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has cited energy policy as a reliability risk factor, stating that “policy decisions can significantly affect the reliability and resilience of the bulk power system.”
POWER HUNGRY
Are soaring energy bills coming soon?
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
WEST DES MOINES — There’s a lot of talk today about the “energy transition” to renewable energy, including wind and solar power. But there’s a lot more to the story when it comes to supplying the reliable, affordable electricity people need to power their homes, farms and businesses — all which are at risk, according to Robert Bryce, an author, journalist and host of the “Power Hungry” podcast. In May 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a greenhouse gas (GHG) rule that aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions roughly 90% from the electric sector.
“Where will we get the juice?” asked Bryce, who spoke at the December 2023 annual meeting of the
Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives in West Des Moines. “This will directly impact you and your electric co-op members.”
There’s a coordinated effort of federal government agencies, climate activist groups, big business, big academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to push the “energy transition.” They’re promoting the heck out of it,” said Bryce during his presentation “Renewables, Hydrocarbons and the Future of Our Electric Grid.” “What we’re seeing is a widespread propaganda effort.”
Is a complete shift to renewable energy feasible? For the first time, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation has cited energy policy as a reliability risk factor, stating that “policy decisions can significantly affect the reliability and resilience of the bulk power system.”
-Submitted photo
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
•
FARMERS CO-OP
Audubon’s Albert the Bull turns 60
May Year in Review 2024 8
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
AUDUBON — What started decades ago as a small idea to honor the beef industry in Audubon County and create a tourist attraction thrives as the largerthan-life Albert the Bull statue, which is celebrating its 60th birthday this year.
“Albert’s in really great shape for his age,” said Sara Slater, director of Audubon County Development and Tourism. “He continues to be a tourism draw for Audubon and the local area, attracting about 20,000 people a year.”
When local leaders first hatched the idea for Albert, long-time Audubon residents
9 THAT'S A LOT OF BULL
recalled a fair amount of skepticism at first.
But as more people caught the vision of what Albert could become, however, excitement grew. Throughout the spring and summer of 1964, local volunteers gathered several nights a week to construct Albert. The locals repurposed other common items, including old metal windmills, to construct the 45-ton concrete statue, which is authentic from top to bottom. Local artist Cam Ross (1921-1998) used 65 gallons of paint to cover Albert with the distinctive red and white colors of the Hereford breed.
When the statue was complete, Iowa Gov. Harold Hughes spoke at the dedication ceremony in the early fall of 1964. “The people who created Albert were not professional statue builders, but Albert has stood the test of time,” Slater said.
THE ICONIC ALBERT
in
turns 60 this year. He towers 30 feet above the landscape, making him visible day and night from U.S. Highway 71 at the south edge of Audubon.
IOWA NEEDS ITS TREES
Master Woodland Stewards learn forestry management skills
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
Iowa may be known for its fields of corn and soybeans, but this fertile landscape also supports a surprising number of trees.
Iowa has approximately 2.85 million acres of forest land that cover 8 percent of the state’s land base.
“Since Iowa’s population is about 3 million, and we have nearly 3 million acres of woodlands in this state, that means there’s about 1 acre of woodland for every Iowan,” said Jeff Goerndt, state forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Most (85 percent) of these woodland acres are privately owned by farmers and other landowners, added Joe Herring, a DNR district forester based in Iowa Falls. To help more Iowans learn how to manage this natural
resource effectively, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the DNR offer the Iowa Master Woodland Steward Program (MWSP), which completed a seven-week course in north-central Iowa this spring. “The goal of the MWSP is to develop a community of highly-motivated, knowledgeable woodland stewards who are champions of forests and forestry in Iowa,” said William “Billy” Beck, an Iowa State University Extension forestry specialist and assistant professor. This is important, since trees provide a wide variety of benefits, from windbreaks and wildlife habitat to erosion control. From early April to mid-May, approximately 30 MWSP participants from Madison County to Marshall County to the Des Moines metro completed 30 hours of in-person, intensive forestry training at a variety of parks and other sites around northern and central Iowa, from Dolliver Memorial State Park south of Fort Dodge to Dayton Oaks near Dayton.
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
THE BULL STATUE
Audubon
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
MOST (85 PERCENT) OF IOWA’S WOODLAND ACRES are privately owned by farmers and other landowners, according to Joe Herring, a DNR district forester based in Iowa Falls.
May Year in Review 2024
10 MILKING LIKE CLOCKWORK
By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer
WALL LAKE — Chad
Fertig, 35, of Sac County, was awarded one of twenty 2024 Iowa Dairy Innovation Grants in April. “We have a double-eight parlor right now, so we can milk 16 cows at a time,” said Fertig, who has been farming full time since 2011. “Once we complete our expansion, we’ll have a double 12 and be able to milk 24 cows at a time. It’s a big
deal to double our operation and gain some labor savings.”
Fertig runs Fertig Farms dairy operation with his wife and his parents.
Fertig, along with his parents and wife Kayla, operate the dairy, milking their cows every 12 hours. “My dad and I take every other day off from milking, so we can work on other things — like planting,” said Fertig. “We start at 4 a.m., so it’s an early day. We still manually catch the cows and bring them in from the pen at the back of the parlor. ... It’s a labor-intensive line of work.”
-Submitted photo
CHAD FERTIG is shown here in his current dairy parlor. Fertig was awarded one of twenty 2024 Iowa Dairy Innovation Grants in April. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity to milk cows and grow a good quality product,” said Fertig.
Hydraulic 3rd Link
Implement, Inc
Rear mounting gives maximum traction
June Year in Review 2024
11
Lake City farmer explains why he favors no-till
LAKE CITY — When gusty winds blew across Iowa on June 6, the weather made headlines — but not in a good way, especially when it came to soil. On its Facebook page, the Calhoun County Soil and Water Conservation District Iowa posted a picture of dust blowing up from a field. “There is some serious wind erosion going on out there right now,” stated the post.
Ken Ferrie, who owns Crop-Tech Consulting in Illinois, said 2024 will go down as one of the toughest years he has seen when it comes to erosion from water and wind.
Lake City-area farmer Dwight Dial has been following all this news and appreciates Ferrie’s insights, especially since he has practiced no-till farming for more than 40 years in southwestern Calhoun County.
The benefits of no-till, combined with cover crops, have been especially noticeable this spring, Dial said. “As the cover crop dies down, it leaves pathways for moisture to enter the soil profile. Having organic matter in excess of 5% to 6% increases water holding capacity where the rain falls. ... If you see a no-till field, you will notice very few ponded acres.”
12 SAVE THE SOIL
NO FENCE? NO SWEAT.
Virtual fencing saves time, labor
By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER Farm News writer
TOLEDO — Farmers looking to save time, energy and labor are more often turning to virtual fencing.
Adam Ledvina, who owns Blue Collar Goatscaping and Iowa Kiko Goats, said the brush management business relies heavily on virtual fencing, as does his international breeding stock business. He has used No Fence, which is based in Norway, for the past two years for his operation in Toledo.
Virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars and other wireless technology that are linked to an invisible boundary. When livestock approach the boundary, the collars emit a warning sound, and if they don’t back away from the boundary, some collars can deliver a
small electric shock.
“I’ll put the collars on the does, but if they’re kidding, then I take them off. I’d hate for a goat to swing her head around and knock a kid in the head with one of the collars,” Ledvina said. “I also take them off for breeding season since there’s a lot of pushing. But I am slowly easing into running a full season with the collars.”
Ledvina spends a week or so training his goats to understand how the virtual fence concept works. He’s learned that the battery life on the GPS collars can wear down faster if the goats are in the trees a lot, since they’re solar charged. “When the goats are in the paddocks, I make sure they always have access to the sun,” Ledvina said.
Another perk to using virtual fencing is that a farmer can track his animals with the GPS-enabled collars.
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
LAKE CITY-AREA FARMER DWIGHT DIAL has been no-tilling since the 1980s. He has seen tremendous benefits in soil health, savings in diesel fuel and other benefits.
-Submitted photo
ADAM LEDVINA, owner of Blue Collar Goatscaping and Iowa Kiko Goats, relies heavily on virtual fencing for both of his businesses.
By DARCY DOUGHERTY
Farm News writer
By LORI BERGLUND Farm News writer
EBSTER CITY — The inaugural Murray Fest Midwest had folks who don’t mind getting their hands dirty flocking to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds from near and far the last weekend in June.
Sponsored by Murray McMurray
FLOCK TO
Hatchery, the fest offered the means to learn about homesteading, gardening — and all things poultry.
There were kids showing chickens and learning from a kindly poultry judge.
There were “coffee ladies” under a tent, chatting it up about raising chickens and homesteading.
And there were standing-room only presentations from gardening experts from across the nation — and even across the world. The three-day event wrapped up with a chick sale at the hatchery.
-Farm News file photo by Lori Berglund
IOWA 4-H’ER EMMA LIHS, right, gently holds her chicken so that 2-year-old Chandler Bertrand, center, can pet the soft feathers. Mom Kira Bertrand, left, helps out. The Bertrands are from Virgnia.
14 FIELDS AFLOOD
Historic flooding devastates northwest Iowa
By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer
SPENCER — Flood waters of historic proportion ravaged homes, businesses and crop land in many areas of northwest Iowa over the weekend of June 22 and 23, and prompted emergency evacuations (some by boat), displacing hundreds of people.
At least two deaths were reported as a result of the flooding.
As of July 5, Gov. Kim Reynolds had issued disaster proclamations for 27 of Iowa’s 99 counties so far affected by widespread flooding, including Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Fremont, Harrison, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, Mills, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright counties.
Nearly a year’s worth of rain has fallen in much of northwest Iowa since April. Areas received 26 to 30 inches of rain from April through June, with more than 11 inches of rain falling in June alone in and around areas from Spirit Lake to Estherville
to Spencer and west of there, according to Dennis Todey, director of the Midwest Climate Hub in Ames.
“That would be two to three times the average rainfall for that period,” he said.
Northwest Iowa rivers and lakes swelled to historic levels, flooding a broad area and either compromising or destroying home foundations and filling basements from floor to ceiling with sewage-laden flood water. City infrastructures were damaged and young crops decimated.
Flooding filled ditches with gravel washed off of roadways, and portions of road beds in some locations eroded away. Bridges were damaged and made travel — including for moving livestock or feed rations — a challenge.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in touring northwest Iowa he saw significant erosion and the damage it caused in farm fields inundated with water, which came on the heels of a very wet spring.
He said recovery efforts began immediately in all affected areas, with people taking care of their most immediate needs first — their home, personal property and livestock. But he said recovery efforts on the farm begin with insurance providers.
MUCH OF NORTHWEST IOWA received nearly a year's worth of rainfall from April through June, with approximately 11 inches falling in a short period of time in the month of June. This resulted in historic flooding, which devastated hard-hit Iowa communities like Rock Valley, Spencer, Sioux Rapids, Cherokee, Correctionville, Hawarden, and points further south.
If your cattle or bison are bothered by flies, lice, ticks or other parasites, you need one of our parasite treating stations. They work in pasture or lot on cows, calves, and bison. They are all automatic and require very little maintenance. Your cattle will do better if they are free of parasites.
-Farm News file photos by Karen Schwaller
August
Year in Review 2024
15 D FOR DEPENDABLE
Happy 100th birthday to this 1924 John Deere D
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
OTTUMWA — While there were plenty of vintage John Deere tractors on display at the 2024 Albert City Threshermen and Collectors Show Aug. 9-11, one tractor had celebrated its 100th birthday just weeks before the big event — and it attracted plenty of attention.
“This is a 1924 John Deere D with a 26-inch flywheel,” said Chris Cobler of Ottumwa, who owns this remarkable tractor.
Nicknamed the Spoker D for its spoked flywheel, the John Deere Model D offered power, sturdiness and reliability for farmers in the early 20th century. Introduced in 1923, the John Deere Model D became the first tractor built, marketed and named John Deere. It replaced the Waterloo Boy in the company’s product line.
“Deere made about 50 Model D’s in 1923 and 750 in 1924,” said Cobler, whose tractor was manufactured in Waterloo.
His tractor’s two-cylinder engine produces 15 horsepower at the drawbar and 27 on the pulley. In the mid-1920s, a farmer could
obtain a Model D for about $1,000. [That’s roughly the equivalent of $18,500 in 2024 dollars.]
The Model D was part of a whole new era of horsepower on the farm. Since the 1903 appearance of the Hart-Parr line of tractors, farmers had turned from steamtraction engines to lighter, more practical internal-combustion engine tractors. Most farmers did not need a large tractor, just one that was versatile and could do both field and belt work.
The Model D competed with McCormickDeering, Hart-Parr, Rumely and other major tractor brands of the era, noted the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which has a John Deere Model D tractor in its collection.
The John Deere Model D offered power, sturdiness, reliability and simplicity — all contained in the smaller size tractor that farmers wanted. It remained in production for 30 years.
From 1923 to 1953, roughly 160,000 Model D’s were built, according to Farm Collector.
This year was the first time that Cobler’s John Deere Model D made an appearance at the Albert City Threshermen and Collectors Show.
CHRIS COBLER, OF OTTUMWA, did some plowing near Albert City on Aug. 8 with his 1924 John Deere Model D. The tractor celebrated its 100th birthday this summer. “Deere made about 50 Model D’s in 1923 and 750 in 1924,” said Cobler, whose tractor was manufactured in Waterloo.
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Iowa’s #1 Ag Bank
Year in Review 2024
16
Vilsack, lawmakers share views on 2024 legislation
By LORI BERGLUND Farm News writer
BOONE — It’s been a long time since elected representatives have passed a Farm Bill. And it just might be longer.
Several members of Congress and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, speaking separately at the Farm Progress Show in Boone in August, offered quite different outlooks on the likelihood of getting a new Farm Bill passed this year.
The current, five-year Farm Bill was passed in 2018 and given a one-year extension last year. Without further action, it expired at the end of September. The U.S. House has approved its version, but far less action has been seen on the Senate side, according to House members taking part in a
congressional round table at the show, which draws an estimated 160,000 farmers and ag business people during its three-day run at the Central Iowa Expo grounds.
“I share G.T.’s optimism, but yet we need to be realistic,” Vilsack said of G.T. Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Ag Committee. Thompson spoke earlier in the day with a group of fellow Republican representatives.
Vilsack voiced his concern over geographic disparities in regard to support for different commodities. A rice farmer in the southern part of the nation, he noted, might fare far better than an Iowa soybean farmer with current proposals. “We need to be practical and address those concerns,” Vilsack said.
SOLD !
17 FARM BILL'S FUTURE
By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer
SJones has overseen the show ring for 64 years
including baby beef, swine, sheep, poultry, goats and more. He said he has seen the sheep, goat and poultry shows (especially) expand over the years.
PENCER — Clint Jones considers himself a lucky man. Jones, 84, of Spencer, has helped preside over the 4-H and FFA livestock sales at the Clay County Fair (CCF) for the past 64 years. He was 20 years old when he first volunteered his time there, and has kept that post through 13 U.S. presidents and six CCF managers.
“I don’t know anymore how I got started at the fair, but I always enjoy seeing the kids and their projects,” said Jones. “I always hope we can get them a better price than normal and keep them into farming. We’re losing young kids, and if you can help entice them (through these projects and sales) to stay here or come back here from college — it’s a good lifestyle.”
Jones calls many 4-H and FFA sales at the fair,
He said livestock genetics have also changed in his time there.
“The quality of hogs and cattle has improved,” he said. “Animals don’t have as much fat, but have more muscle today — maybe due to consumer desire. Hogs are longer and meatier than they used to be.”
He said while he sees tears in the show ring on sale day sometimes, the show still goes on since that’s part of being a livestock exhibitor. Jones said the livestock sales process has also changed.
“The kids don’t come into the show ring with their sheep or goats or hogs anymore,” he said, adding that exhibitors still come in with their calves. “(With the other species) they might come in with the grand champion or something like that, but then (the showing of the animals) is over.”
-Farm News file photo by Lori Berglund
U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TOM VILSACK spoke to a packed house in the hospitality tent Aug. 28 at the Farm Progress Show in Boone.
-Farm News file photo by Karen Schwaller
CLINT JONES has been one of the voices behind livestock sales at the Clay County Fair since 1960. Livestock — and even the fair — has changed since he started out.
October
18
Year in Review 2024
Browns incorporate farm's past into farmhouse
By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
CHURDAN — From the outside, Paul and Sally Brown’s farmhouse between Churdan and Lanesboro looks like a modern, ranch-style home — and it is. Built in 1997, the spacious home also includes many unique features that honor the previous house that used to stand on this farm. “The door to our bedroom used to be the front door on the old house,” said Paul Brown.
When Paul Brown’s parents, Allan and Della Brown, purchased this Cedar Township
19 BLEND OF OLD, NEW
farm in 1942, the Greene County property offered room for their growing family, which eventually included 12 children. The farmhouse they moved into was built by Thomas Gaffney. It included many state-ofthe-art features when it was built in the early 1900s. “The Gaffneys had a battery system in the front room of the basement in that house to provide electricity,” Paul Brown said. In addition, that house included closets in the bedrooms (an unusual feature for the time), various porches and elegant wooden doors with beveled glass. It also featured beautiful woodwork and fancy pillars. The Browns were able to salvage and repurpose some of this when they built their new home in the 1990s.
SALLY AND PAUL BROWN enjoy welcoming family and friends to their spacious farmhouse, which offers plenty of room to display many of the quilts Sally has created.
WILD HOGS
COULDN'T KEEP HAUPTS AWAY
By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer
SPENCER — He might wander from home, but never far from his pigs.
Don Haupts, 97, of Manson, has been exhibiting pigs at the Clay County Fair for the last 52 years. That means he first stepped foot into the CCF show ring with his pigs in 1972, when he was 45 years old.
“We’ve shown in other states, too — (in Des Moines), at Illinois and Nebraska, but then we got to showing here, and we’ve been here ever since,” said Haupts. “It’s the best barn we’ve ever shown in. There’s no comparison. It’s so open, and you can get in and out easily.”
Haupts grew up around pigs on a farm near Manson, and when his children got old enough to be in 4-H, the Haupts family got started in the purebred business with Spots and Durocs.
He said years ago they used to sell a lot of pigs at the Clay County Fair — people would purchase their pigs right out of the pens, while others would ask what they had at home, and order some on the spot. He said they sold as many as 25 pigs at one fair. “Then about 1990 the hog industry started to change, so we brought less and less pigs to the fair because we couldn’t sell them,” he said. “That changed the whole course.”
Haupts said they have shown Hampshires, Yorkshires and Berkshires over the years and had good luck with them. “We’ve kept with (Spots and Durocs). Every breed’s got its purpose — they’re all good, but we’ve stuck with those two breeds after the industry changed.”
Today, Haupts lives in town but works with a young partner (Andy Hock) to raise pigs together on his farm. Between the two, he said they try to hold the herd to around 20 sows. Their pigs are raised in an open area consisting of long concrete runs, so he said they get plenty of exercise.
-Farm News file photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
-Farm News file photo by Karen Schwaller
DON HAUPTS, just short of being a centenarian, has been making the drive from Manson to Spencer each year for 52 years to show pigs at the Clay County Fair.
20 SIMPLIFYING SILKING
By KAREN SCHWALLER Farm News writer
ESTHERVILLE — Farm families have, for generations, had a love affair with sweet corn. But the job of shucking and silking it is the first arduous part of getting sweet corn on the table or in the freezer.
Gary Myers found a way to make the silking part of the process simpler, and the patent he earned on his new “corn silker” proves it. “The job of removing the silks is so tedious,” said Myers with a laugh. “There’s a silk for every kernel on the cob.”
The patent also shows his name, along with the name of his grandson, Reid Hendrikson of Ventura, now 14, who also worked on the project.
Myers, of Estherville, said the corn silker was born around 2018 as he was thinking about how to create something that would simplify the time-consuming corn silking process. He ended up using a 28-inch length of four-inch PVC pipe and inserting a threeinch nylon brush into the bottom of it, and attaching a half-inch drill to power the silker’s brush. A piece of rebar attached to the drill lets the user hold the drill while using the silker. The ear of corn is dropped
into the tube, spins with the nylon brush to get the silks off, and falls into a pail below.
Myers said a person can silk 10 dozen ears of corn in 15 minutes.
“I’ve found that if you get the husks off and put the ears into a cooler of water, the water acts as a lubricant of sorts, and the silker does a better job,” he said.
Myers tried various brushes to test out their textures, as he wanted to maintain the integrity of the kernels on the cob. The nylon brush seemed to get the silks off without harming the corn kernels.
“It’s really safe to use — you can stick your finger in there while it’s running,” he said.
Myers said he decided to use a drill as a power source as opposed to an electric motor, because with the motor, he would have to have it “UL” rated, which he said was very expensive.
“Everybody’s got a drill, and it works especially well with an older drill that goes slower,” said Myers. “If someone would happen to be horsing around and get hurt, it’s their own drill powering it.”
Myers took the corn silker to the 2019 Clay County Fair’s “Town and Country Innovation Show” and entered it in the adult small exhibit category, winning first place with it.
“It was fun to watch the judges’ reactions
GARY MYERS' CORN SILKER is demonstrated: The ear of corn is dropped into the tube, spins with the nylon brush to get the silks off, then falls into a pail below. Myers, of Estherville, said a person can silk 10 dozen ears of corn in 15 minutes using his invention.
-Submitted photo
December
21
Year in Review 2024
22nd annual Farm News Ag Show held
By LORI BERGLUND Farm News writer
Men and women who make agriculture their business flocked to the Webster County Fairgrounds from near and far Dec. 6-7 as the CJ Bio America Farm News Ag Show returned for its 22nd annual two-day run.
There were farmers from as near as Webster City, Gowrie, and small towns throughout north central Iowa, as well as agribusiness people from as far as the Czech Republic, demonstrating the true global scope of agriculture, even in the heart of Iowa.
“We’re very pleased to see everyone turn out,” said Dana Lantz, advertising manager for Farm News. “We have a great time putting this show together and giving exhibitors the opportunity to reach out to a broader customer base.”
Martin Konopac, sales manager for AgroEcoPower, was the visitor who no doubt traveled the farthest to take part in this year’s show. Konopac arrived in the United States just four months ago from his home in the Czech Republic, a central European country bordered by Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria.
Konopac has a five-year assignment here in the United States, but said he would love to make this country his home for life.
22 IMMERSED IN AG
TURKEYS
By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER Farm News writer
OKOBOJI — Nestled in northwestern Iowa sits an organic farm that raises holiday turkeys perfect not just for Thanksgiving but also for a Christmas meal. Kate Mendenhall of Okoboji has always wanted to be a farmer like some of her extended family members. It was a dream of hers to move back to her hometown and start a small livestock farm.
RUSS AND KATHY GOEBEL, Fort Dodge, far right, learn about AgroEco Power from Justin Hellickson, far left, and Martin Konopac, center left. Konopac arrived from the Czech Republic earlier this year to represent the company that has had a growing footprint across the United States for the last 10 years.
They're not just for Thanksgiving
greenhouse. At their farm, Okoboji Organics, they raise pasture pigs, broiler chickens, turkeys and laying hens.
“We worked with the NRCS (Natural Resourcees Conservation Service) to find a mix that worked really well with livestock rotating and native grasses. Every animal but the laying hens are organic. They are fed organically but aren’t organic themselves,” Mendenhall explained.
-Submitted photo
“We are fortunate to do that now. My husband and I own the land, but I own the business and run it myself with help from my retired father, Walter, but my hubby and kids help out on the farm, too,” Mendenhall said. Husband, Zach; 12-year-old son, Elias MendenhallBorris; and 9-year-old daughter, Hattie MendenhallBorris, love working alongside their wife and mom. Altogether, they own 18.5 acres and have 17.5 acres of diversely mixed perennial pasture ground fenced in. The one acre not fenced in is where they built their
Okoboji Organics sits on land that used to be a sod farm, then became conventionally farmed ground for corn and soybeans. When they bought it in 2016, Mendenhall put it into a diverse cover crop mix to start the organic transition. Then the next year, they planted most of the farm into a perennial pasture mix.
“I left maybe four acres for annual pasture crops until the perennial pasture was established, then we added meat birds in 2017. We’ve had them every year,” Mendenhall said. “We added chickens and pigs in 2018 and experimented with three turkeys in 2017. We liked raising them, so we have added a few more turkeys every year since then. We currently have around 30 turkeys.”
-Farm News photo by Lori Berglund
KATE MENDENHALL, of Okoboji, owns Okoboji Organics, where she raises pasture pigs, broiler chickens, turkeys and laying hens with help from her husband, Zach, and their two children. Currently, the farm has about 30 turkeys.
WHEEL LOADERS / BACKHOES / SKID-LOADERS / COMPACT LOADERS / TRACTOR / TELEHANDLERS
