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Adding crop diversity helps Wisconsin farmer succeed

A western Wisconsin farmer says growing a wider variety of crops is helping his soil and his bottom line.  Kevin Hoyer and his family farm about 700 acres of crop and forest land near West Salem. “Just recently, we’ve expanded our crops into more small grains to add more diversity and help with weed resistance and to help strengthen the economy just on our little part of the world we have on our farm.”

And, Hoyer says the additional crops in the rotation are helping control problem weeds in a way that opens the door to new markets. “It has been a positive to our farm, where now I can handle some of these resistant weeds a little better with less chemicals, a little more cultural practices that have also opened the market for other opportunities down the road.

Hoyer and his family grow corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, and oats, along with some pasture and woodlands.