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Iowa farmer amazed by conservation advancements

A north Iowa corn and soybean grower says conservation practices have come a long way on his farm.

Stu Swanson of Galt tells Brownfield he’s harvesting his 29^th crop this year.

“It’s amazing to look at the advancements made in three generations. Just the number of reduced tillage trips that we make now, we’ve probably eliminated three tillage trips on soybean ground and three to four on corn ground.”

He says reducing tillage helps keep the soil in place.

“It isn’t blowing like it did (when) I was a kid with dirty ditches and snow and those kinds of things.”

Swanson also uses variable rates with his nutrients to try and get better placement and says they do grid samples on each acre every four years.

“So we know exactly the nutrients needed for the growing crop in the next couple of years, and we try to match the needs of that crop with the fertilizer it would take in that exact location.”

Swanson currently serves as the District 2 Director for the Iowa Corn Growers Association.