A recent trip to Germany to study the country’s soil and nutrient management practices brought more than just discussion of the country’s cropping systems.

Though more than 4,000 miles separate farmers in Germany and farmers in Iowa, farmers found they had a lot in common. They talked about nutrient use, regulation, animal care and what the perception of agriculture is like in their communities and in their country.

Like the farmers I’ve met in my travels in Iowa, these farmers opened up their farms (and their hearts) to show the group just how important their farm is to...