Every Year I will get better at farming. I will keep what works. I will change what doesn’t work, gladly adopting new technologies or practices if they demonstrate a more efficient or successful path forward

That should be a simple concept, but I think some people stumble over their egos when it comes to change. They have the mindset that accepting change means admitting they’ve been farming the wrong way. My thought is, so what? There’s always a better way to do just about anything. Sometimes I find the better way, sometimes I learn about it from someone else. Either way, I’m happy to adopt and advance to keep the farm resilient.

I farm with my brother, Kevin, and son, Patrick, in Spencer, Iowa. They’re great to collaborate with on farm advancements. Patrick started irrigating some of his acres 3 years ago using a Kifco water reel. It was a relatively affordable way to get into irrigation, but it does require extra time. He’s willing to go out every 12 hours to reset it because the reward is great. He grew 60-bushel corn the first year he farmed those acres. With irrigation, he raised 160-bushel corn. Those results have me interested in irrigation for more of our acres.

We’re willing to learn from each other and from other farmers. After graduating from Iowa State University in 1986 with a master’s in agriculture economics, I worked with several banks and farm management companies. I spent over a decade studying, researching, working…