Brinkmeyer Family Ranch Beef

May 1. In recognition of Iowa’s Soil and Conservation Week, I tried to capture the growth of our cover crops that were drilled on October 30 after corn and soybeans were harvested, (See my post from October 30), but it’s hard to capture over 160 acres in one photo. However, this will provide support that our cover crop of winter wheat was very successful! I’ve never seen this part of the farm look so green! This crop will be terminated when we plant corn and soybeans this spring, but in the meantime, it is helping to prevent erosion of the soils, while at the same time keeping the nutrients out of the water and in place to support this year’s crops. They also improve soil health by adding additional organic matter to the soil. Please recognize Iowa farmer’s and rancher’s efforts that have grown cover crop usage - to protect Iowa’s water quality - from 200,000 acres 10 years ago to 3.5 million acres last year. That’s fantastic progress!

We lost our Dad 10 years ago today. He had a sincere love for people, in good times and bad, always wanting to make them laugh. He also had a kind and caring heart for any kind of farm animal and always cared for their well being. This photo was taken of Dad and I about 20 years ago on our southern Iowa ranch. He was so supportive of this ‘adventure’ of ours. I think of him often, especially when we are doing farm work and caring for our cattle. He is greatly missed.

Thanks to Travis, (left), for all his hard work and organizing, and his brother, Brandon, who helped gather cows and calves this week for processing. Things just always go so smooth when these cowboys work cows!