Groen Family Manages Risk with Conservation
Rob and Wendi Groen of Maurice, Iowa, have been actively farming for nearly a quarter century. The family farm where they reside became a Century Farm in 1999, 100 years after Rob’s great grandfather Albertus Van Roekel homesteaded the farm in 1899. Management of the farm has evolved over the years, from plowing all the way to no-till, and Rob has been the catalyst for those improvements.
Rob’s father, Donald, went to strip cropping in the early 80’s. Planting corn, alfalfa, and oats alongside each other in five-acre strips helped to reduce water and wind erosion by trapping sediment, preventing it from being transported into surface waters. Later in his career, he also made the switch to conventional tillage. But it wasn’t until Rob took over farming in the late 90’s that no-till was practiced. Rob has no-till planted soybeans and corn when conditions are suitable. He likes the time, labor, and input costs he saves by no-tilling, not to mention the erosion and soil health benefits he sees. According to Iowa State research, no-till compared to chisel plowing reduces phosphorus losses by up to 90%.
In 2000, Rob thought the creek that ran through his farm in Sherman township had inadequate filter strips around it, so he turned to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to protect those vulnerable acres. Those 50’ wide grassed filter strips are still there today, slowing surface runoff and phosphorus losses by up to 58%, protecting the creek. Rob and Wendi also used CRP to install a windbreak composed of black hills spruce trees and arrowwood shrubs north of their hog barn. Rob keeps in regular contact with the local NRCS office in Orange City because he likes to stay up to speed on the variety of cost-share programs available to assist farmers in implementing conservation. That’s how Rob learned about the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP).
Rob’s home farm and the neighboring farm to the east have some steep slopes in certain areas, and during a heavy rain event in which those farms received 4 inches within an hour, he saw a lot of topsoil run off those farms into the ditch. He came into the NRCS office in Orange City where he learned he could receive about 75% cost-share for narrow-base and broad-base terraces through the EQIP program. Rob and his neighbor ended up terracing those steep slopes and it has significantly reduced sheet and rill erosion. Tons of topsoil have been saved, and phosphorus loss was potentially reduced by 77%.
Another method of reducing erosion that Rob implements is applying his hog manure with a low-disturbance toolbar. Applying manure in this manner reduces the risk of runoff and water contamination and leaves about 70% of the soil and crop residue undisturbed. This allows the A-Horizon to maintain its micro and macropore structure, improving water infiltration and nutrient cycling. The remaining crop residue also acts as a shield to protect valuable topsoil from formidable winter winds and pounding spring rains. Rob takes advantage of Water Quality Initiative (WQI) cost-share for low disturbance manure application, which pays $10/acre up to 200 acres.
The Groen’s have done a great job sustaining and improving their farms over the years. This year, they received the Outstanding Conservation Farmer award from the Sioux County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). Working together, the Groen’s, NRCS, and the SWCD were able to flesh out ideas and turn them into practices on the ground. Everyone knows that farming is risky, and conservation, at its heart, is all about risk management. In the future, Rob and Wendi look to give cover crops a try, and we will be happy to assist them when they do.
