Seth Watkins is a cow-calf livestock farmer from Clarinda, Iowa. He also farms 800 ac of corn, soybeans, oats, and alfalfa. He chatted with Lisa Schulte Moore from the STRIPS team on June 16, 2017 about why he sees prairie strips as a good option for his farm. He also shared some of his experiences as a farmer in establishing and farming around prairie strips.
Lisa: What were your goals in establishing prairie strips?
Lee Tesdell owns and manages Tesdell Century Farm located in Polk County, Iowa. His great grandfather bought the family farm in 1884 and it currently includes 80 acres of corn and soybeans, alfalfa hay, and streamside buffer strips. He employs a variety of conservation practices including no-till, cover crops, grass waterways, buffer and filter strips, a bioreactor, and a saturated buffer. He chatted with Farnaz Kordbacheh from the STRIPS team on March 9, 2018 about why he sees prairie strips as a good option for his farm.
Dan Stoffel grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa on Washington County’s rolling terrain in southeast Wisconsin. Prior to returning home to farm with his brothers Lee and Tim, he worked as a biochemist. Dan was interviewed by Casey Langan, Communications Director of the Sand County Foundation.
Darwin Pierce is the Farm Manager at Whiterock Conservancy, 5,500 acre non-profit land trust near Coon Rapids, Iowa. Whiterock's mission is to balance sustainable agriculture, natural resource protection, and public recreation. Mr. Pierce was interviewed by Rob Davis, Whiterock's Conservation Land Manager, in March, 2018 about why he pursued prairie strips as a practice for one of the row-crop fields at the Conservancy.
Rob: How were you first introduced to prairie strips?
Paul Mugge farms 300 acres of organic corn, soybeans, small grains, and alfalfa in O’Brien County, Iowa. He has been all farming since 1976 and all organic since 2002. He’s a prairie strips pioneer, having established his first prairie strip in 2002. He shared his story with J. Arbuckle from the STRIPS team on July 16, 2018.
J.: What were your goals in establishing prairie strips?
Shami Morse and her siblings own their family farm in Iowa County, Iowa. They established 16 acres of prairie strips on a 200 acre row crop field in the fall of 2014. She chatted with J. Arbuckle from the STRIPS team on July 16, 2018 about why she sees prairie strips as a good option for their cropland.
J.: How were you first introduced to the prairie strips?
Maggie McQuown and her husband Steve Turman live on the farm Maggie grew up on outside of Red Oak, Iowa. Her 170-acre “Resilient Farms” includes a market garden, 130 acres of corn and soybeans, and a variety of conservation features including a riparian buffer and prairie strips. She chatted with J. Arbuckle from the STRIPS team on July 16, 2018 about why she sees prairie strips as a good option for her cropland.
J.: How were you first introduced to prairie strips?
David Gossman owns 670 acres in Jackson County, Iowa, 220 of which he share crops with his farmer. They farm corn and soybeans using conventional methods. He is a prairie reconstruction pioneer, establishing many patches of prairie on his farm starting in 1996. He met with Tim Youngquist from the STRIPS team on September 29, 2018 to discuss his motivations and methods for establishing prairie strips.
Tim: How were you first introduced to prairie strips?
Eric Hoien is from Spirit Lake, Iowa and owns four farms in the region. He chatted with STRIPS team members in a phone conversation on November 6, 2017. The purpose of the interview was to better understand why he sees prairie strips as a good option for his farms and to gather some of his experiences as a landowner in establishing prairie strips.
STRIPS: How were you first introduced to prairie strips?
Tim Smith is from Eagle Grove, Iowa and farms 800 ac of corn and soybeans. He chatted with Lisa Schulte Moore from the STRIPS team on June 1, 2017 about why he sees prairie strips as a good option for his farm. He also shared some of his experiences as a farmer in establishing and farming around prairie strips.
