Dale Tuttle is honoring his passion for conservation while helping a young, beginning farmer near Winterset, Iowa.
As one of the first in his neighborhood to implement cover crops and no-till narrow-row soybeans, Dale has demonstrated to others that preventing soil erosion and caring for the land will leave it better for future generations.
Before his recent transition into retirement, Dale owned a custom farming operation, planting and harvesting crops for landowners in the area. He relied on local help to complete each season’s work. One young man ran equipment for Dale from time to time, and they established a rapport.
Their relationship sparked a unique opportunity for Dale to transition his land to that young farmer through the Conservation Reserve Program - Transition Incentives Program (CRP-TIP).
Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), CRP-TIP provides two years of additional CRP payments to a landowner who sells or long-term leases their expiring CRP acres to a beginning or underserved farmer or rancher. The program brings CRP land back into agricultural production under an approved conservation plan implemented by the new operator.
Under those terms, CRP-TIP was a perfect fit for Dale and his hired hand. Dale had hoped to rent the expiring CRP acres to him even before learning of the program. He also wanted to ensure conservation measures were a priority of the new tenant, especially for this piece of land coming back into crop production, which CRP-TIP maintains.
“I don’t have any family members coming back to take over the farm, so the program has been an ideal opportunity for me,” Dale said. “I’ve been able to rent the land to a local farmer that I’ve gotten to know and who takes care of the land the way I’d like him to.”
After being set aside for CRP for 10 years, Dale’s land needed some work. To ensure his renter was able to farm effectively and profitably, Dale used the additional payments to improve his acres coming out of CRP. They tiled the field to ensure proper drainage and have invested in other conservation practices such as terraces, no-till, and cover cropping.
“I would encourage landowners taking advantage of this program to use the extra payments to take care of the land,” Dale said. “It just makes sense to invest in the land and ensure the beginning farmer has a good experience. It makes a huge difference for their overall success.”
Under their conservation plan, Dale’s renter has no-tilled the land since bringing it back into production and is implementing cover crops for the first time this year. These practices are helping him prevent soil erosion and increase the soil’s organic matter.
Overall, the working partnership between landowner and renter has allowed Dale to transition into retirement. His renter has been purchasing equipment from Dale’s custom operation, allowing him to avoid the upfront costs of purchasing new equipment.
Dale and his renter agreed they would both like to continue the partnership into the future.
“The program was easy to use and is very straightforward," Dale’s renter said. "My only wish is that I had more opportunities to farm acres like this.”
To learn more about CRP-TIP, join one of our upcoming informational webinars on Jan. 10 and Jan. 14.
