Devin Davis’s work on his family farms began at age 10. He eventually returned to work there after attending the University of Northern Iowa, Drake and the Culinary Institute of America. Helping operate 2,000 acres in Warren, Clarke and Madison counties, Davis hopes to boost soil health and reduce risk using no-till, cover crops and buffer strips. In addition, Davis has worked to expand his crop rotation by double-cropping winter wheat with soybeans. He receives help on the farms from his great-uncle Warren Davis.

It’s been pretty darn wet and unseasonably cold, as well. We did not get much done until yesterday with the sprayers out in the fields. We have not touched the planter yet. If the next two to three weeks can be drier and highs near 75 degrees, that’s getting close to when we want to hit dirt. We’ve had other flurries of activities, such as some anhydrous spraying, but you don’t want to plant in mud. We’ll wait and see how it goes for awhile.

This week was a busy one. Tractors finally started to get moving and a lot of people started planting or finishing up field work Monday through Wednesday. Another rainstorm came through Thursday and stopped most field work. Watching it rain yesterday (Sunday) and today (Monday). We are catching up on maintenance, and we will have the sprayer running where we can before it is dry enough to plant again. We are hoping to be back in the field planting on Wednesday.