Collaborating for better land management
October 3, 2024 | Kriss Nelson
The objective of landowners and land operators is the same: to optimize farmland productivity, profitability and sustainability.
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) sponsored an event at the recent Clay County Fair to share farmer experiences, opportunities and land management practices that work to achieve these goals.
Patrick White, ISA farmer member and owner of AA Commodities & Investments, says effective communication can improve farming operations and business relationships. He says conversing with other farmers at the event demonstrated the eagerness of farmers and landowners working together.
“People seemed more encouraged to want to start the conversation with their tenant or landowner and try a new conservation practice on their farm,” he says.
Attendees were interested in learning more about various practices and how they can work together to move forward.
“Our conversation centered around the obstacles farmers encounter when trying to implement conservation practices and the issues landowners face in implementing these practices on their farms,” says White.
James Hepp, an ISA farmer member from Rockwell City in Calhoun County, shared his experience using conservation with a focus on profitability.
“As part of the panel, we discussed cover crops and some of the other regenerative agriculture practices and how I am making them work with an ROI and not pushing my farm for high yields,” he says. “Often ROI and high yield are not always the same.”
Recorded programming includes:
- Timestamp: 00:04:30 - Beyond the Handshake: Improve Land Management by Strengthening Your Roles through Communication
- Timestamp: 00:44:40 - Reaching Your ROI by Embracing Your WHY – Together!
- Timestamp: 01:18:52 - Cost and Time to Implement Conservation Practices: Introducing Conservation Agronomists
- Timestamp: 01:39:01 - Farm Policy Updates: Initiatives for 2025
White says having the information available to farmers and land owners helps them decide, together, the best avenue for the farm.
“There are more conservation practices now than there were just a few years ago, and landowners can use them to help improve the quality of their existing land,” says White. “Land operators can use conservation to their advantage to lease more land or to improve the quality of their existing leased land.”
Communication is key, Hepp says.
“If you want to expand, you not only need to have your own brand and do things right, but you have to have an open dialogue
with the landowner and set goals with them,” he says.
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