AG Mag Central Iowa
Challenges of harvest
Farmers face drought, derecho, disruptions in 2020
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PUBLICATION • FALL 2020
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AG Mag Central Iowa
Publisher Rich Paulsen Advertising Director Carrie Vander Weerdt
Index HARVEST 2020 Farmers deal with multiple challenges this year.
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Managing Editor Pam Pratt
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Magazine Editor & Page Design Pam Pratt Reporters & Photographers Christopher Braunschweig, Pam Pratt and Jamee A. Pierson
COVERSTORY
Cover Illustration Pam Pratt Published by News Publishing Co. 200 First Ave. East Newton, IA 50208 641-792-3121
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GREENS Newton woman adds microgreens to her repertoire.
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CHOP, CHOP Meat lockers get business surge.
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‘Unprecedented’ harvest
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armers planted their seeds for success earlier this year but were met with a rough dry spell and a devastating storm that destroyed swaths of cornfields months before harvest began. These serious drawbacks hurt even more after farmers experienced a robust and speedy planting season. It’s downright cruel. By the time planting had wrapped up, farmers were surprised by how quickly they were able to get the row crop in fields. Soil conditions were good. Really good, in fact. Some even described it as a “night-and-day difference” to past years, which were spoiled by long bouts of rain that either delayed planting or flooded fields. Even though the pandemic didn’t entirely affect day-to-day operations on farms in Jasper County, Brock Hansen told Newton News in May that the economy and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions were not looking good for farmers at that time. There was “a lot of uncertainty” ahead for Iowans harvesting grain. That uncertainty began to take shape in the summer. In August, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s grain quality expert Charles Hurburgh discussed how the drought and derecho — a “double whammy” — would affect grain quality and storage this fall. “We’re dealing with an unprecedent-
ed situation on top of another unprecedented situation,” Naig said, referring to the supply chain disruption and the derecho. “As you look at the intense damage path — from a crop standpoint — we’re talking about 3.5 to 4 million acres of corn, 2.5 million acres of soy beans.” According to a report by Des Moines Register’s Donnelle Eller in October,
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Supply chain disruptions, drought and derecho make this year’s harvest challenging for farmers
the number of crop acres Iowa IOWA A farmers were AL G TR unable to harvest after the derecho had grown to 850,000 COVERSTORY — which is a 50 percent i n c re a s e f ro m September when the estimated loss was at 550,000 acres. Naig expects those lost acres numbers to grow as harvest continues on. Hurburgh, who is a professor of agricultural and bio systems engineering and the professor in charge of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, said in August he derecho laid crop on the ground, which stopped its natural development. Complications arise when there is a “large grain quality issue,” Hurburgh said. CONTINUED ON 44
Christopher Braunschweig/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Troy Wesselink clears trapped dirt and corn kernels from his combine.
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“This is probably the largest one I’ve seen. It’s the largest area of coverage of multiple problems that I’ve seen, and that’s what makes it more of a challenge. Small, isolated areas tend to be handled more easily and on a more individualized basis,” Hurburgh said. “This year will be a challenge.” When those 100-140 mph wind gusts tore through farmers’ fields, the corn was “still soft” and had a lot of sugar left in the kernels, Hurburgh said. As a result, he predicted there would be low test weights, and the grain knocked to the ground would be hard to store and might start to produce toxins in wetter conditions. The drought, too, Hurburgh said, will likely reduce the grain yields and raise the potential for field issues, such as the development of mold or other toxins. Of course this, in turn, can affect the quality of crops and “creates challenges for use and marketing down the road.” But evaluating quality is already difficult enough. Hurburgh added, “Another problem with grain quality is it’s not static. It doesn’t
Keeping a positive outlook Christopher Braunschweig/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Randy Schmidt drives a tractor through a partially harvested cornfield in Baxter. stay still. What you saw today and what you would see next Friday may be two different things and may have two different implications for where the best use might be.” Progress and condition reports from the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship during the week of Oct. 19-25 said more than three-quarters of Iowa’s corn grain had been harvested; about 6 percent of Iowa’s soybean crop had yet to be harvested. Farmers are also three weeks ahead from last year’s schedule. Across the state, the moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain
remained at 16 percent, IDALS’ condition report said. Farmers in northwest Iowa have only about 8 percent of their corn grain remaining, while farmers in south central Iowa had more than 50 percent that still needed to be harvested. Soybeans, on the other hand, are being harvested quickly. Farmers in northwest, north central, west central and central areas of the state have 3 percent or less remaining. However, farmers in the southern one-third of the state have at least 14 percent of their soybeans unharvested, the IDALS condition report said.
Although he recognizes this year’s hardships, Baxter farmer Troy Wesselink maintains his glass-halffull attitude Behind the wheel of his combine, Wesselink is well into his harvest. Despite everything that’s been thrown at him and his fellow farmers, he maintains an unwaveringly positive outlook on the season. Yeah, it’s been hard. He won’t disagree on that. But what year doesn’t have its challenges? As the saying goes: It could be worse. That’s how he sees it at least. Wesselink has been farming for about 20 years, and he can’t remember if he had a horrible situation similar to the one farmers are facing in 2020. CONTINUED ON 104
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Mingo Locker sees business spike during pandemic the helm for more than 20 years, refining his skills in the unique job. he COVID-19 panLike a lot of businesses, demic has brought 2020 has brought new chalchange to just lenges to the locker, most about everything, by way of an increase in some good, some bad. For demand. Frangopol said he the Mingo Locker, the disstarted to see effects in the ruption in the status quo has spring as larger factory meat meant not only an increase processors had to shut down in business but longer hours or slow production due to and additional work days. COVID-19 outbreaks. “We’ve had a lot more “We have had quite a few demand than before,” head customers that we have butcher Alex Frangopol said. never heard of or seen “It kind of depended on if before. Even from places that there as anything in the news we haven’t seen or heard of that week on bigger factories before, including out of state. and meat processing places, We have had that before that made a lot of difference.” but not as many,” FrangoLocated in downtown pol said. “We had more to Mingo at the corner of West do this spring than usual. In Main and Station Streets, the fall, we are typically busy the locker has been a staand stay that way until next ple for almost four decades spring, after the deer season in the small Jasper County ends.” town. Frangopol has been at Finding help to keep up BY JAMEE A. PIERSON Central Iowa Ag Mag
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Photos by Jamee A. Pierson/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Mingo Locker head butcher Alex Frangopol said business has picked up since the pandemic hit, keeping his group of four busy, even on the weekends. with the demand has also been an challenge for the locker. Currently, a crew of about four processes the 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of meat on an extended schedule dipping into weekend hours. “Usually we aren’t in on Saturdays but now we kind of have to because of the extra demand,” Frangopol said. “We would (hire) if we could find someone. We have tried but haven’t been very successful so far, but we’ll keep trying. It is an acquired skill, the only way you can master it is to practice and keep practicing. And you have to have the stomach for it. There have been people in the past that couldn’t stand the smell, others couldn’t see blood.” The locker processes “just
about everything that doesn’t have feathers.” Frangopol said the animals are brought in live, except for deer and they “take it from there.” “Beef, lambs, goats, pigs, elk, deer. There aren’t very many buffalo around here so we don’t get to do those very often but we have done them in the past,” Frangopol said. Looking to the future, Frangopol said he doesn’t see the locker slowing down any. Getting ready to hit its busiest season, they will continue to work as much as they can with the increased demand. “According to our schedule and calender, yes, we look to stay busy,” Frangopol said. “However, we can’t guarantee that someone who made an appointment two years from now won’t cancel it between now and then.” AG Mag 5
FAMILY FARMING
Raising kids, cattle and more on the family farm Submitted Photos
6 Summer 2020
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Keep it green Newton woman introduces microgreens at farmers markets BY PAM PRATT Central Iowa Ag Mag
While microgreens were introduced in the 1980s in Southern California, the idea of using these baby plants in recipes have steadily spread eastward and now can be found in all areas of the United States. One Newton woman started her adventure into growing microgreens this year and sold them at multiple farmers’ markets throughout Central Iowa. When Lois Steinberger of
Steinberger Garden Oasis set out to add microgreens to her farm just north of Newton, she was also gearing up to educate others on what the tiny plants are and how they can be used. While microgreens have been gaining mainstream popularity in bigger cities, they have yet to become the norm in some of the small town farmers’ markets. So as Steinberger added the microgreens to her table this year, she saw a lot of interest in the “pretty plants” but some uncertainty of what they are for.
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“That’s basically what I’ve been doing is educating people. You find a lot of different areas where you do more education than others,” she said. As more people asked questions about the different microgreens, Steinberger found herself explaining about the growing process, how to harvest them and how to use the plants. Microgreens are something restaurants buy and use in recipes. While Steinberger would love to have a partnership with a restaurant for a more steady income, her main goal has become to bring the microgreens direct to customers so they understand the nutritional benefits. “I wanted to introduce it to people in the city in that way,” she said. Microgreens can add more nutrients than a full-grown plant, which is why they are appealing for people to use. It also adds color and flavor to any recipe. The best way Steinberger has learned to use the microgreens is to cook with it. “I chop it up and put it in omelets. I put it in whatever I’m making like a spaghetti sauce or if I’m doing a stir fry, I add it in on top and let it cook down just a bit. So you can use it in just about anything you want. If you want it just raw, you throw it in with your salad, or you can put it on top of your hamburgers or some kind of hoagie or sub sandwich,” she said. For Steinberger, part of the fun of growing the microgreens is discovering different ways to use it in the kitchen. She has found ways to add it into something like an egg salad sandwich that brings a little extra flavor and nutrition without really even noticing it’s in there. She also uses it to season guacamole and is even considering adding it to a batch of homemade biscuits. “Half the time most people don’t even realize it’s in there,” Steinberger said. “You chop it up fine enough, it’s just like you got little flecks of stuff.” The idea to grow these delicate edible plants came unexpectedly. It was only after Steinberger’s sister, LuAnn Geddes, sent her a video of someone growing microgreens in Boston that she even considered adding it to her repertoire. “Just by watching that video, I pretty much picked up on how they were doing it,” Steinberger said. “I decided that would be something unique to grow and healthy.”
Wondering how to use microgreens? Steinberger shares one of her favorite recipes to try
Spring Micro Green & Sweet Pea Salad Ingredients:
Directions:
2 cups micro greens, any variety 1 small purple onion, chopped
1. Add the micro greens to a large salad bowl.
1 cup green peas, boiled for 2 minutes and 2. Sprinkle the peas, purple onions, orange cooled quickly in ice water wedges, peanuts, and edible flowers across the top of the micro greens. 1 handful edible flowers 3 eggs, soft boiled, cut into wedges
3. Gently lay the soft boiled eggs on top.
Orange slices, wedged with peeling removed 1/4 cup salty peanuts
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper.
Virgin olive oil
Serve!
Salt and pepper
— Source Sparkling Charm
The timing wasn’t right for her to attend any formal training, but she did some experimentation on the best ways for her to grow the plants in her own home. Her son, Andrew, has worked with hydroponics in the past and helped Steinberger in the early stages. “I just started doing it on my own and figuring things out,” Steinberger said. “We tried different mediums between coco mats, a coco fiber and a rock mat. We also tried dirt.” She settled on growing most of her microgreens on a rock mat, liking her results with that medium. She liked the coco mats as well, but they were harder to come by. The other forms she went away from because she didn’t like having any dirt in her food. “If the seed pushes the dirt up into the plant then you’ve kinda got dirt on it and I didn’t like that. That’s another reason I didn’t use the cocoa fiber because it did the same thing,” she said. She plants only non-GMO seeds and they are grown on the rock mat with water underneath and grow light. Steinberger said there was a little learning curve figuring out just how much water to use. She compared it to any house plant, if it starts to droop, it needs more water but if it has been over-watered,
then you start to get mold and no one wants that. The plants she currently grows are arugula, basil, purple sage radish, red cabbage, pea shoots and sunflowers. She also grows a spicy and mild salad mix to pack in extra color and flavor. “They’re all microgreens. They’re all small. And you just eat the plants. You don’t let them grow any bigger than 4 inches,” Steinberger said. Once they get to harvest height, you clip off what you need and add it to your food. Steinberger sells the microgreens as living plants. She feels this helps the customer get the most out of the plants. Some sell them after they have already clipped the plant but Steinberger feels the lifespan for the product isn’t as good. Once it’s cut, it’s no longer living and it can wilt faster. “That’s why I sell them as living plants. They can sit on your counter. You can water them just a little bit, you clip off what you want and put it in your food and you keep growing the rest. They last from five to seven days on your countertop,” Steinberger said. With the exception of a few varieties, microgreens do not grow back after they have been harvested, so the growing process has to start all over again. Steinberger’s goal is to see her microgreens expand at the farmers’ market and build regular customers who would order from me. Right now, she grows the microgreens that she prefers but is open to growing different plants for those who request them. “I would have it set up like an order system, so that people could order them and then I would grow them for them and we would deliver them to them or they could pick them up,” she said. AG Mag 9
4CONTINUED FROM 4 20 years, Wesselink said, “You gotta go with it.” Admittedly, the yields he’s seen could be half as good as they were last year or the years past. But at this point, farmers can’t change what’s already happened. “You gotta worry about what you can change,” Wesselink said. By late October, the Baxter farmer had already harvested about 900 acres of corn. The way Wesselink was working the combine this season is different than last year, and that’s partly thanks to the derecho. Since the wind bent the stalks at awkward angles, he set the cutter bar at more of a downward angle. This was to help get underneath those bent stalks. Normally, Wesselink doesn’t want to do this. Why? Well, what kind of farmer wants to harvest dirt? Those golden kernels are the real prize. But those heavy wind gusts from August sure did a number on those fields. Wesselink was not around when the storm hit. In fact, he was in Ferguson getting his semi-truck loaded with rock. He remembered laying on the floor of his semi and put a T-shirt over his eyes. The wind shifted his semi a bit, but Wesselink was unharmed. Back on his farm, a grain bin was flying through the air and put a hold in a nearby barn. Eventually, the bin landed in his cattle lot. Luckily, 280head of cattle Wesselink manages did not get loose. Wesselink said he had never seen anything like the derecho before. He’s reminded of it in almost every field he harvested this year. If it wasn’t the bent stalks, it was finding the scattered remnants of debris. “The biggest challenge is just watching for stuff in the field,” Wesselink said. “We found a piece of tin the other day. There wasn’t a house within a mile. But the biggest problem is just wondering what you’re going to run through the machine next.” Again, even the dirt poses a problem. Wesselink said it “wears and tears” a combine harvester and can wear things out “five times faster than they should.” One positive thing this year compared to last year, he noted, is the corn is a lot dryer. And a big lifesaver this fall is the dry ground conditions, he added. “If it’s wet, you’ll pull the whole root all out,” he said. “And, again, you’re bringing in more dirt. A dry fall has been a good thing.” Which is an odd thing to say considering there had been snow on the ground for a few scattered days in October. But compared to the year before, Wesselink is pleased the fields aren’t soaked with rain. Plus, farmers are actually able to get in the fields more than one day a week.
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Still, farmers — and likely everyone affected — could have done without the derecho. Every year, Wesselink said a farmer’s goal is to try to grow the best crop they can. To have something like the derecho happen after putting in all that hard work and effort is discouraging to say the least. “That’s a living,” Wesselink said. “It’s the chance you take. You wake up every day and you never know what’s going to happen.” The storm may have bent his crops, but it didn’t dent his spirit. “You can’t let that kind of stuff bother you,” Wesselink said. “It’s no fun but you gotta go with it. You gotta move forward.” — By Christopher Braunschweig
Christopher Braunschweig/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Troy Wesselink gets ready to inspect his combine parked on his property.
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The show must go on Newton teen raises $9K for Ronald McDonald House through Governor’s Charity Steer Show BY PAM PRATT Central Iowa Ag Mag
For the past 38 years, the Governor’s Charity Steer Show has helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa. The show is usually one of the main events at the Iowa State Fair. With the fair canceled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was questionable whether the tradition of the steer show would be put on hold as well. Despite the uncertainty, the pieces came together to still hold the annual event but in a different location, the Hansen Ag Learning Center on the Iowa State University campus. Of the 25 steers selected from across Iowa for this year’s show, Jenna Smith’s steer Hyde was included. The Newton native was sponsored by the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association and was selected after completing the application process. “It was definitely an honor just to be selected and to be in the steer show in the first place, it’s a pretty big deal,” Smith said. Each steer in the show is also assigned a celebrity to help in the show ring, and Smith was paired with Venmo legend Carson King. King gained notoriety last fall when a sign he made asking people to send him beer money was seen on ESPN College Gameday during an Iowa State Football game. The sign took him to unexpected places when he ended up raising nearly $3 million for The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. While he initially intended to make the donation and go back to living a relatively normal life, he decided to use the connections he had made to try to help raise money for other causes in Iowa. He launched the Carson King Foundation in February but had to get creative with his plans as the COVID-19 pandemic changed his original plans. Because of the recognition he gained in the fall of 2019, King was invited to be involved in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show as a celebrity show participant. He thought being paired with Smith made a nice connection as they are both Jasper County natives. While the show helps to promote the hereford breed, Smith was also very focused on the show’s charity aspect. Smith has had family friends who had to use the Ronald McDonald House when their kids were born. “It felt good that I was going to be able to give
Submitted Photo
Venmo Legend Carson King, left, was the celebrity shower for Jenna Smith, right, and Hereford steer Hyde during the 2020 Governor’s Charity Steer Show in August. back because I know the Ronald McDonald House has done so much for the people in Iowa and all over,” she said. In total, the Governor’s Charity Steer Show raised $250,000. Smith raised a little more than $9,000 for that total. With the pandemic, she had to get a little creative when it came to raising money for the charity show. “It was kind of difficult raising some funds. There were quite a few businesses that said sorry during this pandemic we don’t really have the money to donate right now which I totally understood,” she said. Smith took the fundraising into her own hands and found ways to get the money for the cause. She did a fan raffle, selling tickets at different Hereford shows around the area. She sold T-shirts and held a pop can drive. The pop can drive yielded nearly $2,000 alone. “That was a lot of work going to the redemption center,” Smith said. Smith’s celebrity got in on the fundraising efforts. King raised
$615 through Venmo but he gives all the credit to Smith for her fundraising efforts and collection donations. “She was super, super dedicated to the fundraising side of the steer classic whether it’s getting the pop tabs or getting donations, she wanted to make sure that even when her parents said they could help her out, Jenna said, ‘No I want to do it. I want to go to the coops and the businesses. I want to be the one to talk about it.’ That was really sweet. She put in work,” King said. Smith enjoyed getting to know King throughout the process of the show. King had never shown livestock before but he had friends growing up in Jasper County who did, so he was somewhat familiar with the process. Before the show, he worked with a friend’s cattle to get the feel for what it was like showing them in the ring. He then went out to Smith’s family farm to work with her steer, Hyde, for the show. CONTINUED ON 124 AG Mag
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4CONTINUED FROM 11 Smith said it was really fun working with King, and it was highlight for her to get to know someone who is from the same area she grew up and has become a legend through his good works. “It was really fun getting to know him and just so cool because he’s kind of from my area and he became his own legend in his own way. So just getting to know him and learning how he raises so much money for charities,” Smith said. The charity show was certainly different this year with no state fair happening around it. There were also fewer people in attendance with each exhibitor receiving a certain amount of wristbands to give to family and friends. On top of that, Governor Kim Reynolds was unable to attend the show because it happened the Saturday after the derecho caused so much damage to multiple areas in Central Iowa. But the event continued on with Iowa’s First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds showing in her place. While the show didn’t have the thousands of attendees it usually does, the atmosphere was still a memorable experience. King said they spent an extended time in the show ring as the judges spoke to each participant. Even though things were different this year, Smith was still grateful to be able to participate. It was a memorable experience and one that happened when nor-
mal events weren’t happening. “It was pretty cool. There wasn’t a lot going on this spring and summer so I feel like having the steer and governor’s steer show kept me busy. It gave me something to do during the whole pandemic when we were all locked down in our own house,” Smith said. Smith has been showing livestock since she was 9 years old through her involvement with 4-H and FFA. As she closed her high school career in Newton, she is continuing her involvement in agriculture by continuing her studies at Iowa State University. The Governor’s Charity Steer Show allowed her the opportunity to network and get to know others in the field. “There’s a lot of great people in the public and the governor’s steer show has a lot of publicity for the ag field. I feel by being in it, kinda gave me a head start going into college with some great networking that I made during the show,” Smith said. Smith is studying ag communications at ISU with the goal of bridging the gap between the public and farmers. She hopes to one day work for an association or business that will allow her to advocate for agriculture. “I know in today’s world that’s a pretty big deal
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because a lot of people don’t really understand where their food comes from. I think we just need to close the gap and I think the ag communications would allow me to pursue that goal,” Smith said. She is also minoring in animal science because of her background showing livestock and it is an area she remains passionate about. The charity show will be a memory both Smith and King will cherish from 2020. Both enjoyed getting to know the other and King especially sees the experience as gaining more friends in Smith and her family. “They’re great folks. They are very passionate about the cattle and especially about the Ronald McDonald House. It was really cool to just talk with them and make some new friends,” King said.
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