NAM-02-28-2023

Life on the family farm PAGE 8

Corn, soybean production

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Potassium: More than just a crop nutrient — PAGE 13

Balancing nutrient costs, yields

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SUSTAINABILITY IS HARD WORK FOR SMALL FARMS

Frahm Farms is paving the way for community farmers to make a difference with local consumers

Two farms no more than a mile away from each other are hidden away in the vast rolling hillsides north of Newton, raising cattle and sheep and selling their high- quality meat to customers at prices that are oftentimes cheaper than nearby grocery stores. Regardless of the difference in price and the advantages of purchasing a locally sourced good, the meat isn’t flying off the shelves.

Customers are still buying meat from Frahm Farms — which is found at the retail shop and modern day mercantile Esther & Co., 122 N. Second Ave. W., in Newton — but not at the rate Regina Frahm and daughter-in-law Tessa Frahm would hope. But they are not discour-

aged. This is what the industry and market look like, Regina says, and it is up to them to overcome the hurdles.

Frahm Farms is the foundation for Esther Purl Fibers and Esther & Co., which is owned Regina. The mother-anddaughter-in-law duo are joined by their husbands in the farming venture, but the two women are making the push to make Frahm Farms a sustainable source of not only meat but wool as well. The family is also preserving the farmland for its original purpose.

Both farms have been in the Frahm families since the 1800s, Regina says. Her farm in particular was owned by her husband’s great-grandfather, who immigrat-

ed from Germany and promptly began raising sheep. The two farms have always had cows and sheep grazing the land. Compared to most “normal” farms, the 400-acre Frahm Farms is a smaller operation.

With 24 head of cattle and 94 head of sheep scattered around that land, Regina and Tessa are trying to make sure Frahm Farms is financially productive and is successful in the large markets controlled by factory farms. In their area, most farms who own the ground farm the ground. That is not the case for some other areas in Jasper County, Regina says.

“You have these huge farmers that have thousands of acres scattered all over

the place, and a lot of times it is investors that never even see the property,” Regina says. “Our goal is to figure out how to make this sustainable … How do we sustain what’s always been here and what’s always been in the family to keep it going for our grandchildren to hopefully someday be able to have the ground.”

Traditional farming has changed, and more women like Regina and Tessa are getting into the family business. Long ago, a farm wife had her “egg money” or “butter money,” but Regina says that is not the case anymore. To find a family that 100 percent supports their family through the farm alone and with no outside sources would be impossible these days, she added. It’s extinct.

“So that’s what we’re trying to come up with,” Regina says. “We want to be involved because our husbands work off the farm. We work off the farm … How do we generate income? We don’t want to be the generation to lose the farm. My in-laws work their tails off. They kind of brought this farm back from some financial hardships from back in the ’60s and ’70s to make it productive.”

How do Regina and Tessa survive in the 2020s? It requires some risk and a bit of creativity. And hard work. Frahm Farms may add more cattle in the coming years and find aways to make the sheep more profitable. At some point Tessa may even farm full-time to maintain the products Frahm Farms produces: beef, lamb and wool products.

“Who knows what else it will be down the road?” Regina says. “…We need to be able to support ourselves off of what we do here.”

Educating the general public about local farmers may be the key to that sustainability. Regina says when Jasper County citizens spend money in their community it stays in their community and goes back to the consumer faster. It’s a cycle, she says, and it is one Frahm Farms needs to be a part of. So far, its big aspirations are proving successful with meat sales.

“It’s going well!” Regina says. “Again, it’s about educating peo-

ple and getting people to know our products are out there. It’s getting people to follow through when they ask for things … Anytime we have to do something different than what we normally do or if it’s not instantly at our fingertips, you don’t pursue it. We have to continue pursue things and figure out how to do it.”

Farming has taken on more corporate-like, industrial qualities in the past few decades. Surviving in this landscape of new agriculture is difficult, and neither Regina nor Tessa know the answers on how to get past it or to overcome that seemingly untouchable force. But Regina and Tessa have seen how much their families have worked to keep their farms going. They’ve those stories.

“We’re not afraid of hard work,” Regina says. “I guess the lofty part of this is how do you build something like this? I think someday all of those big corporate entities that buy up ground simply because they need a deduction, they’re the ones that are changing the landscape of farming the most. But they’re also the ones that are going to cause its demise.

“If we stay small and we stay creative, we can offer a quality product down the road because we haven’t jumped off and put it into somebody else’s hands.”

There was a time when farming was small and provided directly to its communities. Frahm Farms lives by that lost art.

Maintaining the old way of farm life while still carrying on with other duties like raising a family or working a full-time job outside the cattle yard isn’t always easy, but it is the life Tessa always pictured for herself. She grew up with her dad helping his dad farm and raise horses in the Le Grand area. It is a great way to raise a family, she says.

“Farm kids learn great values,” Tessa says. “My husband has always wanted to farm since the day he was born. He was born to farm. It’s just that pride, that Iowa farm pride of passing it down from family to family. You want your children to do the same thing you did and keep it going. It’s also a joyful life. It’s a hard life. But it’s a joyful life.”

— Christopher Braunschweig

RAISING CHICKENS HAS ITS CHALLENGES

Before settling on raising a fl ock for the fi rst time, read what someone with fi rst-hand experience has to say

For as long as Bev Clark Floss can remember, there has always been a “chicken person” in her family, a title which has passed on for generations. In years past, it was Aunt Sarah and Aunt Betty who watched over the feathered ock and harvested way too few or way too many eggs. When you own chickens, Clark Floss says, it’s feast or famine when it comes to nding eggs.

With a ock of 70-plus poultry roaming around her Baxter farm, Clark Floss has now happily claimed the familial title. Varieties of all kinds wander the grounds, and the longtime Jasper County farmer can identify them all by breed with ease. Several of them have names, too, and she remembers them all. ey live in coops all around the property, and many are free to graze where they please.

Farm cats pay no mind to the clucking hens and crowing roosters as they strut through the yard, duck under trees and spin around in the so dusty dirt on the edges of Clark Floss’s home. Of course, she spoils her chickens like any other animal on her property. ey are never too far from her when she starts tossing pieces of bread or dried corn onto the ground.

Treats also serve as a great distraction while Clark Floss rummages around for eggs. In the middle of February, she is nding close to a dozen and a half eggs every day. Most are found in the coops, but every so o en the chickens get an inkling to hide their treasures, much to the chagrin of Clark

Floss. ey’ll stash their eggs any place they nd room, she says; like squirrels burying their walnuts.

For an Iowan like Clark Floss who has grown up around the typical livestock of cows, horses and hogs, she says it is — funnily enough — the darn chickens that make a farm a farm. Whether they are Ameraucana hens or Calico hens or any common variety in the state, the feathered friends clucking around the barn or the edge of the dirt road is what makes that idealized Iowa farm.

“It makes a farm,” she says. “We’ve had cattle here and horses here. And we always had chickens. People like seeing the chickens out on the yard. In our family we had a long history of someone being the chicken person, and I’m this generation’s chicken person. My kids took their chickens to the fair. My daughter walked in the parade with her rooster tied to her arm!”

Of course, owning and caring for chickens is not entirely exclusive to country dwellers. Some cities allow domestic livestock to reside within city limits, provided the property is big enough and there are other assurances. It is unlikely, for instance, that crowing roosters would be allowed. However, egg-laying hens could probably abide by local noise ordinances.

Plus, there are bene ts to owning a ock of chickens. Chances are you will never have to shop for eggs again. Grocery store bills have risen substantially, and the price of a

dozen eggs is making some people consider buying and maintaining a small ock. Clark Floss has seen the growing interest on social media pages, and some are taking the consideration seriously.

Some folks are even humorously comparing the high demand for chickens or eggs to when toilet paper was hard to come by. (“Are chickens the new toilet paper?” Clark Floss asks in jest.) While she understands why some people may want to start raising a ock chickens — sometimes called a “peep” or a “brood” — they come with their own sets of challenges.

In addition to constructing a coop and buying food for the chickens, Clark Floss said the most challenging thing people will encounter when raising their chickens is keeping them alive. Or, rather, keeping them safe from predators. Raccoons, possums, foxes, coyotes, minks, hawks, owls, bobcats and even house cats can pose a threat to chickens at various stages of their lives.

Clark Floss has some kind words — none of which can be published — for all those predators who torment her ock. Keeping chickens’ living structures safe and secure is a top priority, which means constantly looking for de ciencies in the buildings they are kept in and perhaps even laying traps for returning predators. Sometimes a handy rearm at the right moment is enough to do the trick.

Working on the

A family farm is just that, moms and dads, grandparents and grandkids, coming together to raise livestock to show and sell. Nolin Red Angus out of Monroe has been in the cattle business for more than 30 years, specializing in James Red Angus cattle along with teaching the future generations all about the family farm.

“Cattle, as well as a variety of livestock, have been raised on the Nolin Family Century Farm since 1884,” Mike Nolin said. “The farm dynamics have greatly changed over the years, but the one common thread is cattle.”

Growing up, Nolin raised primarily Hereford cattle. When his family moved from Des Moines to the family farm in Monroe, they also had sheep, goats, chickens and a variety of cattle including crossbreeds and Salers.

“I spent many years researching and watching cattle sales determining what breed of cattle I wanted to invest in,” Nolin said. “In 1989, I began raising Red Angus cattle with my parents Gene and Marjorie Nolin.”

In the early years, Nolin’s kids, James and Jessica, would hand-pick their show heifers from the herd. They have shown cattle across the United States including at the National Western Stock Show, Tulsa State Fair, Iowa State Fair, Minnesota State Fair and the Jasper County Fair.”

“Our greatest accomplishments have been Grand Champion Bull at the Iowa State Fair and having the No. 1 semen sales in North America with our bull Mission Nexus,” Nolin said.

family farm

Nolin Red Angus isn’t just Mike and his wife Dianna holding down the farm. Both of their children along with their families do their part to keep the herd thriving.

“It takes the entire family to keep the farm going,” Nolin said. “My wife Dianna and I live on the farmstead. The cattle are primarily cared for by our daughter Jessica Barnett and her family, her husband Wyatt, son Brock and daughter Sasha; as well as our son James Nolin and his wife Cassia, son Allias and daughters Seriah and Asaiya.”

Working with family can have its pros and cons, with many differing opinions and ideas. But Nolin said in the end everyone comes together with a final goal in mind to keep the farm going.

“I understand that the farm must progress to the next generation if we plan to keep the operation going,” Nolin said. “My family is what keeps it going and I am hopeful that will continue down the line with my grandchildren. I am planning for the future and the legacy of my ancestors.”

On the farm there is typically about 35 cattle in the purebred Red Angus operation. Each calving season they evaluate the cattle and determine which would be quality calves to keep back with the herd and which they want to take to the sales.

“Once the sale cattle are determined, the

Nolin Red Angus cattle business spans generations

fun part begins,” Nolin said. “We start by breaking the cattle to lead which includes training them for several weeks. Once they will lead back and forth to water and feed, we begin tying them up in the barn for extended periods. After the cattle are comfortable with this process we begin combing and brushing their hair and giving them an occasional bath to keep them clean.”

Closer to the shows or sales they intensify the process and start to rinse, walk, train and condition the hair daily. In the warmer months, the cattle are rinsed daily and get to hang out under fans to keep them cool, which also promotes hair growth.

“Several weeks before a show or sale the animals are clipped which basically means we give them a haircut to enhance their features, and they’re walked around the yard to train them for the show ring,” Nolin said. “Our top sales for the year include the Iowa Beef Expo and annual Pladsen sale in Waukon as well as selling cattle off the farm.”

Farming and raising cattle is a 24/7 job, often involving a lot of physical labor, early mornings and late nights. Iowa winters and summers don’t always make for the best assistant, either.

“Raising cattle and farming is not glamorous or easy. Work begins early in the morning with chores and doesn’t quit ‘til the sun goes down. We hit the repeat button

the next day and do it all over again,” Nolin said. “We work in all weather conditions: rain or shine, hot or cold. The two toughest jobs I would pick would be calving in the winter and building fence. Both typically take place in the extreme temperature fluctuations of winter and summer.

“Farming isn’t glorious, but it’s a way of life and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

As time has marched on, changes to the farm have been made to keep it modern and to account for Mike and Dianna nearing retirement age.

“We have significantly modified our cattle herd over the last 20 years. We have also contracted out the planting and harvest of our row crop operation and downsized our cattle herd,” Mike said. “My wife and I are getting older and our kids work full time off the farm. We have modified the farm to fit our needs.”

Even with all of the relentless hard work, there are many achievements on the farm that help push the operation to keep going each season.

“My favorite part of the business is raising a high percentage calf crop successfully,” Nolin said. “The work is hard but the feeling of effectively selling and presenting top quality cattle to my customers makes it worth the work.”

— Jamee A. Pierson

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual crop production summary reported the nation’s corn and soybean production were down 9 percent and 4 percent, respectively, in 2022 from the previous year, but there were new records.

ILLINOIS

Illinois set a statewide record average corn yield of 214 bushels per acre, 4 above the previous high set in 2018, 12 higher than 2021 and 23 above 2020.

The state produced over 2.268 billion bushels compared to nearly 2.192 billion in 2021. Corn harvested for all purposes tallied 10.6 million acres in 2022 and 10.85 million in 2021.

The Prairie State had a record 10.75 million harvested soybean acres, 240,000 above 2021. Illinois’ soybeans

2022 summary: USDA finds lower corn, soybean production

averaged 63 bushels per acre, 2 below last year’s record and 3 above 2020, and produced 677.25 million bushels. Illinois farmers grew 683.15 million bushels in 2021.

INDIANA

Indiana’s corn averaged 190 bushels per acre in 2022, 5 below the previous year’s average and 3 better than 2020.

Total production was 974.7 million bushels from 5.13 million harvested acres for all purposes in 2022 after reaching nearly 1.028 billion bushels in 2021 from 5.27 million harvested acres.

Indiana soybeans averaged 57.5 bushels per acre in 2022 compared to the previous year’s record 60 bushels per acre. The state averaged 59 bushels per acre in 2020.

Production for 2022 is estimated

at 335.225 million bushels after producing 338.4 million the previous year. Harvested area was 5.83 million in 2022, compared to 5.64 million in 2021.

IOWA

The Iowa statewide corn yield average was 200 bushels per acre in 2022, 4 below 2021 and 13 above 2020. The state produced 2.48 billion bushels in 2022 and nearly 2.54 billion in 2021.

Iowa harvested 12.4 million corn acres in 2022 for all purposes compared to 12.45 million a year earlier.

Iowa soybeans averaged 58.5 bushels per acre in 2022, 4.5 below 2021, and averaged 54 in 2020.

Production totaled 586.755 million bushels in 2022 from 10.03 million

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Potassium: More than just a crop nutrient

Potassium has been referred to as the mother of all nutrients for the numerous benefits it provides plants.

“Potassium can influence the efficiency of many other nutrients in our crop production system such as water use efficiency, drought tolerance, stalk quality, standability and disease tolerance,” Pioneer field agronomist Troy Deutmeyer said.

Deutmeyer noted several field trials across the Corn Belt that show the impacts of both potassium and phosphorous on crops and optimum soil test range recommendations from those trials.

Iowa State University trials found year-to-year yield variability can be reduced by building up soil test potassium levels.

“Pioneer recommends for your soil test for potassium to generally be in that 200 to 250-plus parts per million range, that way we eliminate a lot of yield variability,” Deutmeyer said. “In the soil test initiative conducted by Pioneer, we took thousands of soil tests in our customers’ fields and found 60 percent of those fields had potassium

levels below 160 ppm. That’s a long way from the 200 to 250 that we recommend to try to maintain the yields stability from year-to-year.”

Nitrogen Efficiency

Customers often ask Deutmeyer what they can do to improve their nitrogen use efficiency and better manage their nitrogen.

“A lot of times their questions refer to the form of nitrogen they’re using or the rate or timing or application method. One of the first things that I ask them is what their soil test potassium levels are,” Deutmeyer said.

He referred to a study conducted at Ohio State University comparing nitrogen rates, soil test potassium levels and corn yields.

Plots with low potassium levels at 80 ppm and 280 pounds per acre of nitrogen yielded 167 bushels per acre. Plots with potassium levels of 139 ppm and 180 pounds per acre of nitrogen applied yielded 211 bushels per acre.

“That 44-bushel advantage tells us they had a nitrogen use efficiency of 0.85 which is a very high level of ni-

trogen use efficiency. That tells us that we can become very efficient with our nitrogen if we have adequate soil test levels,” Deutmeyer noted.

Like nitrogen, potassium levels have a similar maximum return on investment.

Pioneer conducted trials in 20 eastern Iowa fields and found the yield curve flattens out at potassium soil test levels of 300 ppm.

“We really don’t see a need to be above this. At about 250 ppm the curve in the trials really starts to flatten out. That’s why we are recommending around that 200 to 250 ppm range,” Deutmeyer said.

YIELD TRENDS

Data from five years of Pioneer’s Intensively Managed Product Advancement Characterization and Training testing of corn across 133 locations found a 47-bushel difference between the low-yielding and high-yielding plots.

“There was a distinct trend as we move from high test to low soil

Balancing

Making fertilizer decisions is even more challenging in this high-cost environment.

Maximizing a return on investment in fertility expenses begins with a good soil test, according to Matt Essick, Pioneer agronomy manager.

“A soil test for phosphorous and potassium that shows we’re in the high or very high category for a field can indicate that we can possibly skip a year of fertilizer application in those fields,” Essick said. “However, if we skip a year of fertilizer application, we do need to keep in mind that the next crop is going to remove some of that fertility from the field and will eventually need to be replaced.”

Essick added that applications of P and K at higher than economically optimal rates in a particular year can offset fertilizer requirements in future years. Both P and K are relatively stable in soils and can be “banked” for later use if economically advantageous.

Growers may also adopt a nutrient sufficiency management plan. This philosophy focuses on applying the minimum amount of inputs needed to maximize profitability in the year of application, with little concern for future soil test values or requirements.

Build-and-maintain fertility programs contrast with the nutrient-sufficiency approach in that they are not intended to

maximize economic returns in any given year.

Rather, they are designed to provide flexibility and consistent economic returns over the long-term by removing P and K as yield-limiting factors.

“Regardless of which method growers go with, a few general rules of thumb apply: Always fertilize when soil test levels fall below the optimal range, avoid applications on high-testing soils and, when in doubt, fertilize based on expected rates of crop removal,” Essick said.

Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815410-2256 or tdoran@shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_Doran.

harvested acres, a drop from 631.89 million bushels in 2021. Harvested acres were unchanged from 2021.

NATIONWIDE

Corn for grain production in the United States was estimated at 13.7 billion bushels, down 9 percent from the 2021 estimate.

The average U.S. corn yield was es -

testing in both phosphorous and potassium in our corn plots,” Deutmeyer said. “It also replicated in soybean plots where we had a 20-bushel difference between our low-yielding soybeans plots and our high-yielding soybean plots. There’s a very strong correlation in both phosphorous and soil test potassium levels as we move between those different yield levels.”

OPTIMUM PHOSPHOROUS

For phosphorous, trials found optimum yields were achieved when soil test levels ranged from 30 to 50 ppm.

“In our soil sample initiative, we found that 51 percent of the fields that our customers had that we were doing research in tested very low to low phosphorous levels,” Deutmeyer said. “Phosphorous is important for a whole bunch of different plant processes as well — photosynthesis, cell division, respiration, energy transport, storage and many other items.”

LIVESTOCK

For livestock producers utilizing manure as a fertilizer, Deut-

timated at 173.3 bushels per acre, 3.4 bushels below the 2021 record high yield of 176.7 bushels per acre.

Record high yields were also estimated in Idaho, 216 bushels per acre; Minnesota, 195; Virginia, 167; West Virginia, 168; and Wisconsin, 180.

U.S. soybean production in 2022 totaled 4.28 billion bushels, down 4 percent from 2021. The average yield was estimated at 49.5 bushels per acre, 2.2 bushels below 2021.

meyer referred to data that found when phosphorous soil test level reached 100 ppm or higher, yields decreased.

“There may be too much of a good thing. Take a look at your soil test. If you have fields approaching 100 ppm or above of phosphorous, it would probably be a really good idea to move those manure applications to another field,” he said. “Not only can high phosphorous levels start to potentially limit and decrease yield, phosphorous is also a water quality concern, as well. The algae blooms that we see in our lakes, rivers and ponds are primarily due to excessive phosphorous.

“In summary, shoot for soil test potassium levels of 200 ppm to 250 ppm range. On phosphorous soil test let’s shoot for 30 to 50 parts per million range. That way we’ll be able to maintain those yields near 100 percent potential and that really almost weather proofs us a little bit in regards to protecting us from Mother Nature.”

Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815-410-2256 or tdoran@shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_Doran.

For folks living in the country, that type of retaliation is no problem most of the time. City dwellers may end up with a hefty fine if they decide to shoot a pest in the middle of the night while their neighbors are sleeping less than 100 feet away. Other than that, Clark Floss recommends to spoil your chickens. Give ‘em a sun room in the chicken house. (No, seriously!)

Iowa families know how excited their

kids get when they’re around chickens, too. Clark Floss says the little ones love looking around for the eggs in the coop and in the hiding spots all around the yard. Chickens can also be an excellent educational tool into the world agriculture, a child-friendly introductory lesson into Iowa farm life.

Sometimes chickens can be stubborn. Sometimes they lay more eggs than people know what to do with. Sometimes they just stop laying eggs. Sometimes they get into trouble, or trouble finds them. Some-

Soybean planted area for the nation, at 87.5 million acres, was up less than 1 percent from the 2021 planted acreage. Soybean growers harvested 86.3 million acres, up slightly from 2021.

Record high soybean yields were reported in Arkansas, 52 bushels per acre, and Mississippi, 54.

Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815410-2256 or tdoran@shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_ Doran.

times it seems like you are putting too much time and effort into keeping predators away. But a farm is not complete without them, Clark Floss says, and they create great memories.

“My dad was getting eggs in a five-gallon bucket one day,” she recalls. “He was out in the cattle yard and he tripped coming over the fence. I saw it, of course, and all those eggs went flying. We still talk about Dad and those eggs and laugh about it.”

— Christopher Braunshweig

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