About the Thompson farm

 

  • 300-acre diverse crop and livestock operation in Boone County
     

  • ridge-till system and five-year rotation: corn, soybean, corn, oats and hay
     

  • fall rye cover crops to reduce erosion, manage weeds, reduce nitrogen losses
     

  • rotary hoe, cultivation for weed control; no broadcast herbicides
     

  • applied fertilizers: livestock manure and biosolids from city of Boone
     

  • “natural” beef from 75-animal herd using rotational grazing
     

  • “natural” pork raised for Niman Ranch

 

Read the Thompson’s annual report, Alternatives in Agriculture, on the Practical Farmers of Iowa web site at: http://www.pfi.iastate.edu/ofr/Thompson_OFR/TOC_Thompson.htm

Dick and Sharon beside display /Dick and Sharon looking at windbreak Dick and Sharon with beef cattle

Displays inside a metal building explain various aspects of farming to visitors. The shed has space for large groups who tour the farm.

 After seeing agricultural windbreaks while on a trip to China, they decided to plant fast-growing Austrees. They are examining leaves after treating the trees for pests. The Thompsons have a 75 cow-calf operation. The animals rotate among four legume-grass paddocks. Dick is convinced that animals are key to a successful, sustainable operation.
 

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Published by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-3711
URL: www.leopold.iastate.edu