People who don't know Marvin Shirley well might describe him as quiet, maybe even hesitant to get involved. But it doesn't take long to discover a treasure of ideas, energy and attention to detail that gets things done for this Minburn farmer.
Shirley has been a member of the Leopold Center Advisory Board since 1994, when three producers and one agribusiness representative were added to the board as ex officio members. Shirley's affiliation is with the Iowa Farmers Union, but his commitment to conservation reaches far beyond the fence posts that surround his family farm in central Iowa's picturesque Raccoon River Valley.
Conservationist in many areas
He's supervisor in the fastest growing county in Iowa-Dallas County-a position he was elected to in 1995. At his urging, the county commission initiated a year-long study of land-use policy. Now he's working to set up a program for Des Moines Area Community College students to learn about organic farming, horticultural crops, and livestock at the county's 520-acre farm near Adel.
He helps manage a 1,000-acre farming operation with his son-in-law. They raise corn, soybeans, hay and cattle, and are working toward a system of intensive rotational grazing in small paddocks. He also found time last spring to meet with all five candidates for Leopold Center director.
"I learned something from every candidate," he said. "I especially liked the idea from one candidate who said that all researchers should have to declare who would benefit from their work."
Shirley said he made time for the interviews because he wanted a director who could relate to Iowa's rural areas, especially in the southwest part of the state. He also was concerned about a new director's need to seek funds from outside sources, a move that Shirley thinks could compromise the integrity of the Center's work. He said he sees his role on the board as one who "asks lots of questions, keeps things moving, and is practical."
Shirley also attended the July 21 visioning session convened by the Leopold Center, which followed two advisory board meetings highlighted by considerable discussion about the future of sustainable agriculture.
"I would like to see the Leopold Center involved in policy," Shirley said. "We need to level the playing field for family farms. Leopold Center research shows that we can compete if everything is equal, but Freedom to Farm benefits only large hog lots and feedlots, and that doesn't make sense."
Primary mover for restored prairie
He joined the Leopold Center just as the 260-acre Dallas County Conservation Board's Voas Nature Area was nearing completion. Shirley had farmed the land, owned by a neighbor, for more than 20 years when he, as executor of the state, decided to enroll the property in a federal wetlands program. The restoration process took several years, but tiles have been removed and the prairie is growing again. The new nature area has attracted "an explosion of wildlife" and regular visits by local schoolchildren.
"It's turned out to be a good project," he added. "I know that's what they would have wanted."