AG Mag Central Iowa
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Where the sun does shine: Iowa farmer harvests solar energy to power grain, livestock production.
EDUCATION: FFA students applies tenets learned at national conference to home efforts.
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PUBLICATION • FALL 2019
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Index
AG Mag Central Iowa
Publisher Rich Paulsen Advertising Director Kevin Brown Managing Editor Pam Pratt Magazine Editor & Page Design Pam Pratt Reporters & Photographers Christopher Braunschweig, Dustin Teays and Jamee A. Pierson
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L IOWA AG
SLOW SEASON
With the wet fall, farmers struggle to find time to harvest corn and soybeans.
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COVERSTORY
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Index
SERVICE FFA student puts tenets to work.
PAGE 11
SHINE ON Central Iowa farmer harvests solar energy to power crops, livestock operations.
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THE BUZZ Local beekeeper gets his start to help a family member.
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AG Mag
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Where the sun does shine
Christopher Braunschweig/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Joey Van Kooten, a farmer from Kellogg, stands near a collection of solar panels on his property, which power his agricultural operations every day. Van Kooten said the switch from electricity to solar energy has significantly reduced costs.
How a Kellogg farmer harvests solar energy to power crops, hogs operations BY CHRISTOPHER BRAUNSCHWEIG Central Iowa Ag Mag
KELLOGG — Past a series of rolling hills in the southeast corner of town is the Van Kooten family farm, split in half by a white gravel road and almost completely surrounded by lush green fields full of Iowa’s signature crops. At first glance, it looks like any other well-maintained farm in the area, aside from the breathtaking view of the countryside and the huge solar panels sequestered on the north and south sides of the property. Arranged in four rows to the south and one long row near the north end, the solar panels power Joey Van Kooten’s entire farm, including the grain bins and fans, a machine shed and shop area, two barn buildings containing roughly 2,400 hogs each and the house he resides in with his wife and daughter. The solar modules themselves can barely be seen from the road, hidden behind 4 Fall 2019
barns and far enough away from the dust trails of passersby. Solar panels were installed on the Van Kooten property in fall 2013. Acknowledging the family farm’s $1,500 to $1,600 electricity bills weren’t “going to get any cheaper,” the Van Kootens decided the solar modules might be a better fit for their farming business. Once the panels were affixed to both sides of their property, the family was told they would require very little maintenance. Van Kooten was sold on the benefits to costs of operations over time. “The way we looked at it on the return, in the long run, especially with solar panels having a 25-year warranty on them, it really sounded good,” he added. “Now, there is no bill. Right now, anything that’s running right now is coming off of the solar panels. It is tied to Alliant Energy’s line … It’s not cheap to set it up. But there’s great benefits to it.”
To offset the costs of installing a solar energy system on their property, the Van Kooten family received federal and state income tax credits, as well as rebates from Alliant Energy. Currently, Van Kooten said he is still making payments on the solar panels, but he has peace of mind knowing those payments will eventually end, just as his electric bills have. When Van Kooten and his parents, Dean and Betty, first placed the solar panels on the farm, he said there weren’t many other privately owned renewable energy systems around town. Admittedly, even he was a little skeptical at first. Since then, Van Kooten claimed a lot more folks have made the transition, noting the reductions in utility costs as a huge benefit. Farmers, by nature, have much higher utility bills. “Now, the more you drive down the roads, you’ll see them a lot,” Van Kooten said. “Quite a few hog buildings will have solar panels by them.” Neighboring farmer Bryce Engbers, of Grinnell, said electric costs to operate his farm are seven or eight times greater than the electric bills for a typical house. Engbers made the switch to solar at the same time Van Kooten opted into his system, albeit it was on a much smaller scale than the Kellogg farmer. Van Kooten said it was “comforting” to know someone else was persuaded to install solar. Engbers told Central Iowa Ag Mag he has one set of panels on two different hog building sites and has another set atop
his house. Unlike Van Kooten, who uses net metering, Engber’s system doesn’t cover all the costs of electricity used to power his home and farming operation. However, Engbers does see a noticeable reduction in costs. “I couldn’t size mine big enough to eliminate my bill completely, so I still get a fairly substantial bill every month, but we’re just cutting back on it,” Engbers said. “We just decided we wanted to try some green energy. There were a lot of incentives at the time — and still are — so it made it worthwhile to give it a try. Unlike some of the other technologies, it just sits out there, does its thing, really no upkeep and just keeps producing electricity.” According to Solar Energy Industries Association, a net metering billing system allows customers generating their own electricity to solar power “to sell the electricity they aren’t using back into the grid,” which is why Van Kooten doesn’t see those hefty electric bills come in the mail any longer. When customers produce more electricity than they consume during the day, “net metering allows them to export that power to the grid and reduce their future electric bills,” which is an attractive benefit for farmers. Adopting solar also enables farmers to better diversify their revenue streams, Charlie Gay, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), said. Some
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research, he added, suggests there may be agricultural benefits. “Solar panels create shade for farm animals; pollinator-friendly plants can be grown around panels to benefit nearby crops; and shade-tolerant plants can be grown at the base of the installation,” Gay said. “Many panels offer 25-plus-year warranties, so they’re proven to work over time, which helps provide long-term financial stability.” A diverse energy supply also allows grid operators “to choose the most efficient, lowest-cost option to provide reliable energy,” he continued. The main obstacle farmers face when transitioning to solar is “excessive red tape” and the soft costs of non-hardware related purchases in the solar system installation, which make up a bulk of the price tag. Gay said the EERE is trying to tackle some of those barriers to “enable greater savings for all Americans who go solar.” As a person who grew up on
a farm, Gay said the ability for farmers to generate their own power is appealing. “… So it made a lot of sense to me to go into an industry that allows people to ‘grow their own’ energy,” he said. “Self-sufficiency is something I think a lot of farmers pride themselves in and going solar lets them to take another step in that direction.” Like with most things in the farming industry, there’s a fair amount of risk changing energy means. A lot of people who are not involved in farming don’t know the risks farmers have and deal with every season, Van Kooten said. Solar energy is no different, but if it could prove to be beneficial for a farming operation. If they have the space to fit them, Van Kooten said he would encourage others to follow suit. “If it works good for their operation, then yes,” Van Kooten said, looking at the massive line of solar panels stretching as long the hog barn it powers. “But you’ll need the space to put ‘em in.”
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AG Mag
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Slow going season
Farmers struggle to find time for corn and soybean harvest N
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Richard Roorda knows he’s about two or three weeks behind this harvest season, but so is every other farmer in Jasper County. The culprit responsible for these delays was still hovering above the Prairie City farmer’s head late Wednesday morning: a looming mass of overcast skies, threatening to
douse the Iowa landscape Windy days? Sure, so long with another downas it’s not bending the pour. cornstalks to the L IOWA AG A Recent reports ground. If they’re TR from the United lucky, they might States Departget a day of dry ment of Agriculheat with low ture say “exceshumidity, howsive rainfall ever unlikely. But COVERSTORY throughout Iowa rain? No, thank limited farmers to you. Not when crop only 1.6 days suitprogress across the able for fieldwork” during state is especially low this the first week of October. By season. then, only three “You’d think we’d be compercent of corn bining like crazy. Normally, and five perwe would be. But, boy, not cent of soythis time,” Roorda said. “We beans had would have started at least been hartwo weeks ago. When you vested. think about it we’re not too Another far from the middle of Octobout of ber. To start in late Septemrainfall is ber is not out of the question. not what It just didn’t happen this year. farmers We, clearly, are delayed this n e e d year.” right As Roorda peered down at n ow. the rows of corns from inside the cab of his combine, carefully aligning the feeder between the half dozen or so stalks he was harvesting at one time, he was having difficulty even describing the state of the season so far. For the most part, he continued, farmers like himself are barely into the season, so it’s tough to gauge or compare. But it’s certainly late. No doubt about that. Plus, some CE
BY CHRISTOPHER BRAUNSCHWEIG Central Iowa Ag Mag
Charles Birkenholtz, a Monroe farme ber, farmers in Jasper County have s of his crop has yet to fully mature to his liking. Some of his soybeans still have leaves attached to their stems. Apart from harvesting a few plots of corn for cattle feed, Roorda said it was his first time out in the fields this season. Midway through harvesting the first row, he noticed he was picking up more cob than he wanted to. So he stopped the combine and took a moment to adjust his settings. Roorda couldn’t help but grin. The first of every season, whether he’s planting or harvesting, it’s a challenge to remember exactly what to do and what not to do. After a few button clicks, his muscle memory kicked in and he was back to threshing and reaping a portion of his roughly 750 acres of corn and soybeans. “It’s kind of exciting when you actually start in. It’s like, ‘Ah! We’re here!’ you know? We’ve been waiting for this for four-and-a-half months! We’re finally doing it,” Roorda said. “This is the spot you want to be this time of the year: right here behind the steering wheel. Once you get
Christopher Braunschweig/Central Iowa Ag Mag
oe farmer, unloads grain from his combine after harvesting test blocks of cornfields. Almost midway into October, farmers in Jasper nd time to harvest corn and soybeans. in here, it all comes back to you pretty fast.” And what an eventful fourand-a-half months it was. This past spring, heavy rainfall had flooded farmers’ fields across the state, affecting planting cycles, drowning existing crops and washing away fertilizer. Summer temperatures were rather cool, too. At this point, one of Roorda’s biggest fears is getting his combine stuck in the mud. “That’s a sure sign of a bad day,” he said. “We’re late enough getting started that trying to finish before the season gets too late, you start to run the risk of snow and cold and freezing. Things just aren’t as easy when they’re frozen and cold. Of course snow is real (tough to) bear.” An Oct. 21 crop report from the USDA said Iowa farmers had harvested about 15 percent of corn and more than 30 percent of soybeans in the state. According to the report, farmers are now four days ahead of last year — which was wrought with annoyingly wet conditions — but five days behind average.
Like Roorda, Monroe farmer Charles Birkenholtz also runs a largely one-person operation, although he does have some part-time help. Birkenholtz hasn’t harvested any soybeans yet, but the test blocks of corn were finally finished by early afternoon Wednesday. To him, this season just feels off balance. “Usually by the 15th of September I’m combining, but I didn’t start until, oh, last week — might’ve been the first of (October) last week,” Birkenholtz said. “The ground is so damp, so it’s feeding moisture (to the crops). It’s cloudy today so I was thinking maybe trying some beans this afternoon, but I ain’t going to try it because they’re talking about getting some sprinkles.” Indeed, by the afternoon the county began to see a bit of rain. Until clearer forecasts roll in, farmers will continue to be put farther and farther behind. “We’ve been kind of behind all year,” Birkenholtz said. “I’ve been doing this all my life and I’ve never really combined this late before — as
far as getting started. I’ve had times where you get started and combine so much and then you get a rainy spell, putting you a couple weeks behind. We’re just behind because the corn wasn’t maturing.” According to the USDA’s Oct. 7 crop progress report, about 52 percent of the corn crop has reached maturity while 68 percent of the soybean crop has begun dropping leaves, well below the five-year average during the first week of October. Brock Hansen, a Baxter farmer, said he has harvested about three percent of his crops so far. He believes the slow start can be contributed all the way back to the abundant spring showers. Cool growing conditions didn’t help, either. Hansen recalled last year’s difficult fall season leading to yet another wet harvest. “The cards have been stacked against us from the get-go this year,” Hansen said. “We didn’t have that State Fair heat to bring the crop along. It’s just kind of a combination of things from
Mother Nature this year.” She will continue to be farmers’ biggest challenge this season, as will the crops planted later into the season following the May rains. Hansen worries yields from those fields may be affected. Farmers’ priorities are to get the beans out as quick as possible, so long as they’re ready to be harvested. “Last year, we had all the heat and humidity and the thunderstorms in October that caused the beans to swell in the pod and we lost a lot of bean bushels,” Hansen said. “That’s fresh in everybody’s minds. Everybody’s trying to get the beans harvested unless something like that — off and on — happens again.” He added that 2019 has not been a great year for farmers, even those with livestock who struggled getting hay in because of — you guessed it — rain. “It’s been a weird, wacky, late, ‘when-are-we-goingto-get-this-accomplished’ year,” Hansen said. “It has not been a farmer friendly year. It’s been a challenging year. That’s for sure.” AG Mag
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The impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard BY DUSTIN TEAYS Central Iowa Ag Mag
With the recent news surrounding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) the economy of farming may seem up in the air as it pertains to the creation of bio fuels. The RFS, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website, was brought into effect in 2005 and expanded in 2007. The RFS outlines increasing amount of renewable fuel produced to replace or reduce the amount of non-renewable fuel sold in the United States. “It either helps or it hurts our corn demand,” grain marketing and origination specialist at Key Cooperative, Zack Gardner said. A reason Gardner said, the RFS can hurt the demand for corn is when waivers are being given to oil refineries reducing the
amount of corn that needs to be mixed in with the fuel in the United States. “That hurts our demand for corn from all our local end user ethanol plants,” Gardner said. The RFS can allow for more demand for corn as the rising amount of ethanol blend means better prices for farmers. It also does well for the environment as Gardner said ethanol-blended fuel is meant to have lower carbon emission. “Just the E15 that we use at the pumps cuts down carbon emissions by 43 percent,” Gardner said. The continued granting of waivers and the blend outlined by the RFS not being met can cause issues. Issues that range from the decreased price for corn to much worse. “We have actually seen a couple of ethanol plants shut down or go through a
slow down because they can’t afford to run without that blend demand,” Gardner said. According to Gardner, can lead to a sort of domino effect. When an ethanol plant slows down or shuts down completely it can affect how farmers go about selling their products. “When they shut down there is that much less demand locally for those farmers bushels or for their corn,” Gardner said. “It takes the destination of the market.” If the blend criteria for the RFS would continue to not be met, it could surely affect Iowa farmers. It could also have further reaching implications that could affect farmers all around the country and bio fuel producers. CONTINUED ON 94
Dustin Teays/Central Iowa Ag Mag
A farmer drives his tractor around the back at Key Cooperative in Newton to have his grain offloaded. The effect of the Renewable Fuel Standard can be felt at all levels of production as it can either help or hurt the demand for corn. 8 Fall 2019
4CONTINUED FROM 8 “If a couple of local ethanol plants shut down, what happens if that was a couple of plants in every state?” Gardner said. By Gardner’s estimation, if ethanol plants were to continue to shut down or even halt their production there would be a decrease in demand. This decrease could lead to the driving down of price due to a surplus of corn. “If we took away ethanol or if even a couple of plants in each state, 5.5 billion bushels of corn gets ground each year for ethanol in the U.S.,” Gardner said. With billions bushels of corn produced for ethanol each year, Gardner said it is roughly a third of the bushels being produced. With that much corn for ethanol the RFS becomes important to farmers. “When you produce about 14 billion (bushels) that ethanol makes a huge demand for your corn,” Gardner said. While the RFS seems like it is up in the air under the Trump Administration, as the AgPro website reported, the EPA announced 31 more waivers in August however local farmers aren’t really asking too many far reaching questions. “They are kind of just wondering if their local plant is going to shut
down,” Gardner said. “That is mostly where their corn goes to.” While a lot of corn in the U.S. does go to ethanol, there is still the corn that goes to the dinner table and to feed the cattle. Gardner spoke to what might happen if ethanol went away completely and the potential outcome. “We could make due without ethanol ... If we take that away from our producers that is a third of their demand. They aren’t going to be profitable,” Gardner said. “If the American farmer isn’t profitable there is our food production at risk.” People like Gardner who are in the agricultural industry are watching what is going on in Washington. Gardner summarized how the White House recently said they would meet the goals that should have been met last year. “The market as a whole just said ‘OK that doesn’t really fix anything or fix the grants to the oil industry that you just gave them,’” Gardner said. The RFS statement can affect the livelihood of those involved in the agriculture business ranging from farmers to bio fuel producers. The RFS will continue to be monitored by those around the country and those in Iowa. “It is the American farmers’ livelihood at risk and essentially our food supply,” Gardner said.
Dustin Teays/Central Iowa Ag Mag
A farmer prepares to offload his grain from his tractor at Key Cooperative in Newton. The Renewable Fuel Standard directly impacts the demand for corn around the United States.
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AG Mag
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Honey maker is the bees knees BY DUSTIN TEAYS Central Iowa Ag Mag
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Jasper County resident is bringing the sweet nectar from bees to the local farmers’ market in Newton, but to him it’s a hobby grounded in real-world application. Bob Peters has been taking care of bees and making honey for the past three years but the way he got started was a little different than what most people might expect. “My stepson has got bad allergies and local honey is really good for allergies. I thought well, this is gonna be a neat little hobby,” Peters said. Peters currently has 10 hives buzzing with bees who go to and fro making honey. But they aren’t just located on his property. Peters said he has six hives, apart from the four at his house, spread out between family and friend’s properties. Some hives he even built himself. “It’s about half the cost and they are unique. They are not your typical white bee hives you see,” Peters said. What began as a hobby has grown Peters said he has more than 200,000 bees at the hives just at his home. “It’s something that you are either gonna try it and say, ‘No I don’t like it,’ or ‘Yeah, I love it,’” Peters said. Going through the process of keeping bees and harvesting honey would take quite awhile to fully explain, but Peters seems to enjoy it even though he works a full-time job at the same time. He still finds the necessary hours to take care of the sweet treat makers.
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“It’s a labor of love,” Peters said. While bees do provide the world with honey, they perform a far more important job than just making a sweets for everyone to enjoy. Without bees, some things people take for granted might become more difficult. “Without bees pollination, your fruit trees and other stuff they will still pollinate but they won’t do as well,” Peters said. While most people know bee populations are struggling, Peters said the colony collapse disorder and varroa mites afflicting bees there are ways the common person can make life a little easier for bees. “A lot of people will do a little backyard bee hive in their flower gardens or near their vegetable gardens and they make a big difference ... They definitely help a lot,” Peters said. While Peters said in the beginning he was giving the honey to family and friends, he decided to start selling his honey which can be purchased at the farmers’ market or on his Facebook page. The sale has brought more benefits than just extra revenue like more business ventures. “(Bridgehouse Coffee) is going to be featuring our honey in some of their drinks,” Peters said Bees are more than just those buzzing critters in the summertime, and Peters said bees aren’t aggressive and scary like most people may have been led to believe. “When you see a swarm of bees, you know, don’t be scared. Don’t kill them,” Peters said.
Dustin Teays/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Jasper County beekeeper Bob Peters stands at his table at the Newton Farmers’ Market in the fall where he sells his homemade honey.
WORKING TO SERVE
PCM High School senior starts school supplies drive after attending the FFA Washington Leadership Conference
Jamee A. Pierson/Central Iowa Ag Mag
Blake Van Der Kamp, a senior at PCM High School, distributes school supplies he collected as a part of a community service project during Prairie Days in Prairie City. BY JAMEE A. PIERSON Central Iowa Ag Mag
The four tenets PCM senior Blake Van Der Kamp learned at the FFA Washington Leadership Conference became the driving force for his quest to make a difference. Me, We, Do, Serve rang true as Van Der Kamp set forth on his community service project to gather school supplies for those in need. Van Der Kamp was the first Diamond Trail FFA member
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of the conference which is becoming an engaged citizen who can make a measurable positive difference in their community.” It was at the conference he decided to dedicate his Living to Serve Plan, a required element of the conference, to providing school supplies to those in need. “I knew that my efforts weren’t going to change the entire world, but I did hope that my efforts here would spark others to change their communities,” Van Der Kamp said. “I also hoped that this might make the PCM community that much
happier and better for the people who live here.” Although he started out with little to no foundation on how to collect school supplies and “only a dream and some notes on paper,” Van Der Kamp soon found social media as the way to spread the word about his efforts. From there, it developed into a larger project that involved local businesses including Prairie Escape Wellness Center, setting up a booth at the Prairie City Farmers’ Market and collecting donations for the PCM Clothing Closet and PCM Food Pantry. CONTINUED ON 124
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AG Mag
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Analysis: Iowa continues to lead in agriculture IOWA FARM BUREAU
Iowa continues to remain a powerhouse in United States agriculture according to the 2019 Iowa Agricultural Statistics, a 112-page comprehensive analysis by the Iowa office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and released by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF). Last year, Iowa farmers averaged 196 bushels per acre of corn compared to the U.S. average of 176 and raised 57 bushels of soy-
4CONTINUED FROM 11 “I guess it began by me planning on just picking up supplies from people’s doorsteps, but it had evolved to me having collection boxes in a multitude of spots,” Van Der Kamp said. The donations came in all shapes and sizes, from new sets of pens and pencils to gently used supplies. “What I loved more than the brand new school supplies was the old and used ones.
beans, compared to the U.S. average of 51.6. Iowa’s farmers continue to be the leaders of pork production, raising 31 percent of the nation’s hogs, and is also ranked fourth in cattle on feed (cattle expected to become select, choice or prime beef ). Because of its strong livestock sector, Iowa continues to increase its processing of red meat products including beef, pork and mutton. Processing plants in Iowa pro-
While these are the nicest for those in need, they do have a great message nonetheless,” Van Der Kamp said. “It helps our community recycle the old supplies and give them a new life with another child. This ensures that the project can not only help those by providing supplies to those less fortunate so they may receive a quality education, but it also allows the community to engage in recycling and become an environmentally conscious community.”
duced 7.70 billion pounds of red meat in 2018, an increase of 471 million pounds from the previous year. “The 2019 Iowa Ag stats speak to how important agriculture is to the state,” says Director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Office Greg Thessen. “It’s one of our major industries, and it’s not just corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle. There are other niche farms and small farms that sell at farmers markets.”
He said the conference also taught him about his impact on the world and problems that currently exist within it. “One thing that stuck with me particularly was the fact that poverty was often linked to someone’s level of education,” Van Der Kamp said. “I was also appalled by the fact that us doing nothing is part of the problem because by doing nothing we are letting another child starve, another student drop out and another family become impoverished.”
Van Der Kamp gathered supplies to fill more than 34 backpacks, which were distributed at the PCM Food Pantry, PCM Clothing Closet and by Van Der Kamp himself. “Without a doubt, the response has been positive,” Van Der Kamp said. “To put it simply, I wanted to finally make a difference. We often complain about the world being a horrible and dark place, but we rarely take action to make it a brighter tomorrow.”
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