Protecting the Land and Soil by Trying New Agronomic Practices, Equipment, Seed and Crops

Early adoption of new agronomic practices can happen in all aspects on a farming operation. Craig Klinge with Klinge Farms is a great example of just this. A curious person by nature, Craig looks at ways to not only diversify his farms with specialty crops like watermelon or black beans, but also searches for ways to gain insights on how implementing technologies like Climate Fieldview and Truterra™ Insights Engine truly play a part in understanding each acre on Klinge Farms. Working alongside his father Denver, son Chase, and business partner Jon Schroer, Klinge Farms stretches across 6,000 acres.

Their crops include corn, soybeans, wheat and they have recently added watermelons and assortment of beans. The family also runs a cattle and hog operation. The multigeneration farming operation continuously looks for new ways to get farming done in a more efficient matter, while working diligently to preserve the land that they work on.

With their operation spanning across multiple counties, Klinge Farms is mindful of the different types of soils in their fields. Ranging from clay ground to river bottoms, Craig relies on the soil sampling through Premier Ag and other local retailers to ensure their soils are healthy. With this, Craig, Chase and Denver also understand the importance of using cover crops in the effort to "give back" to the soils they farm. Furthermore, Klinge Farms protect their land and soil by trying new agronomic practices, equipment, seed and crops. In the spring of 2020, Craig worked with Premier Ag and Precision Planting on upgrading a planter which allowed him to produce three different placements of seed and fertilizer.

Ultimately, Klinge Farms aims to understand what they can do to make their operation more profitable, while simultaneously keeping the idea of "doing more with less" at the forefront of their minds.

Protecting the environment is equivalent to protecting the future of their operation.

Interested in learning more about how conservation agronomy could work for you? Contact Nila Johnson with Premier Ag at njohnson@premierag.com.