Maxwell Farms employs many conservation practices including cover crops, strip till, grassed waterways, nutrient management and an innovative composting program.

The derecho that tore across Iowa four years ago caused millions of dollars in damage across much of central and eastern Iowa. The high winds toppled buildings, grain bins and trees across the rural landscape and in small-town communities.

Brothers Jason and John Maxwell, Story County Farm Bureau members who raise pigs and cattle and grow row crops northeast of Maxwell, were in the direct path of the storm but were fortunate when winds let up just enough to spare their farm properties. The same couldn’t be said for nearby farmsteads and towns.

While clean-up and rebuilding efforts took months and even years, Maxwell Farms dove in to assist its neighbors and in the process discovered a conservation practice not many may have considered. After all, conservation has become a staple at Maxwell Farms, from cover crops and no-till practices to nutrient management, filter strips and grassed waterways. 

“When the derecho happened, we had an abundance of tree branches from local municipalities and people contacted us to dump them out here,” Jason explained. “We took 2,000 cubic yards from various places. My thoughts turned to mixing the wood chips with manure…, making our manure go further.

“Now four years later…, we also mix in cereal rye…, compost and screen it and it basically comes out just like potting soil. It’s a great fertilizer and it’s ready to go back on the field.”

The results have been impressive, bringing to life sandier soil on the farm’s hillier areas that barely produced a crop, while managing nutrient applications wisely and sustainably. The biology the nutrients adds to the soil is the gain, added John.

Innovative solutions such as composting that preserve and enhance the soil, while utilizing a wide array of additional conservation practices to maintain the land and improve it for future generations, is a mission of Maxwell Farms. 

In recognition of their years of efforts, brothers John and Jason are being honored as the 2024 Iowa Conservation Farmers of the Year for their ongoing measures to protect soil and water quality.

The conservation award is sponsored by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

“Iowa continues to set records for conservation and water quality practice implementation and that’s because of local leaders like the Maxwells,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Not only are the Maxwells pursuing innovative ideas and working to enhance conservation research through partnerships, but they also serve as positive examples to many by sharing what they have learned.

“To keep Iowa’s water quality momentum going in the years ahead, we need more families like the Maxwells who are continually saying ‘yes’ to conservation.” 

Implementing conservation

Jason and John are the fifth generation of farmers to work their family’s farm, which has its roots dating back to the late 1800s. Jason returned to the farm after years in the construction industry while John served his country in the military and returned shortly thereafter.

Implementing conservation practices came naturally as the brothers and their families dedicated their farming practices to preserving the land for future generations.

“No-till probably became the first (practice), especially on the soybean side,” said John. “Strip-till has become a normal practice for our corn crop.”

They’ve also dabbled in vertical tillage methods as well as intercropping and planting a variety of cover crops such as cereal rye, wheat, triticale, buckwheat, radishes and turnips.

“The rye has been successful for us because of the cows. It’s nice to have the cover crop, and then we’ll graze pairs early spring, kill it off and put beans out there,” Jason said. “It’s been really advantageous for our whole operation.”

John added, “If we would have been farming 30 or 40 years ago like we are now, we wouldn’t need terraces. With the cover crops, the minimum till and waterways in the right spots, we don’t need terraces anymore.”

Conservation benefits

The benefits of conservation are clear to the Maxwells, who say the soil has improved moisture holding capacity and better water infiltration. The organic matter has come alive.

“Seems like the soil is a lot happier with us than just making it black (via tillage),” said John. “Every farmer, we don’t like watching our soil wash away…, with less tillage we’ve noticed the better water infiltration and less soil erosion.”

Added Jason, “You see silt at the bottom of a hill, it’s just saddening knowing that all came off that hill and you’re never getting back there. When you go to cover crops and tillage practices…, it has really helped with our soil erosion. Now we are seeing the benefits of everything staying put and not having washouts and gullies on the hills.”

“Aha” moment

Sharing conservation with neighbors has been rewarding, said John. “It’s been fun to occasionally help another person who is curious about it…, give them a little bit of insight on how it could work.”

And, he admits, driving around in the pickup and looking at the fields filled with different conservation practices they’ve implemented or fixed has been satisfying. “It’s pretty tough to beat that,” he said.

Jason’s “aha” moment came when they fixed a farm they hadn’t owned long. “It was in really bad shape when we got it,” he said. “It had gullies and washouts every year that needed to be fixed.

“We went in doing cover crops and minimal tillage. It was really rewarding to go out there the next year and see that there weren’t any washouts. It really made a difference.”

Jason and John suggest Iowa farmers who haven’t yet adopted a practice consider starting small with cover crops in one field, much like they did early on. Consider implementing a tillage practice and see how a field reacts. 

“The benefits are there,” said Jason.

Regional winners

As this year’s statewide winner, Maxwell Farms will receive free use of a John Deere 5M Series utility tractor for up to 12 months or 200 hours of use. The prize, valued at more than $12,000, is donated by Van Wall Equipment of Perry and John Deere.

In addition to the statewide award, regional winners in the 2024 Iowa Conservation Farmer of the Year program are Taylor Kats, region 1; Dennis and Tim Youngquist, region 2; Scott Wedemeier, region 4; Maurice Eickman, region 5; James O’Connell, region 7; Mark Bright, region 8; and Leon Schau, region 9.