A generational commitment to land stewardship in Mahaska County

For Mike Jackson, a Mahaska County farmer and Farm Bureau member, farming, conservation and community aren’t exclusive—they are deeply intertwined.  

“Water is the number one thing, short of air, you need to live,” says Mike. “The value of our water and soil quality is very important to us because we are always caring about the person downstream from us.”

That responsibility has guided how the Jackson family farms for generations.

Mike’s grandfather started by planting waterways, wide strips of grass strategically placed in low spots in a field to slow water and prevent soil loss. His father, Mark, began constructing terraces, which are grass-covered bands used on hillsides to break up long slopes to reduce erosion. To date, the Jacksons have installed 40,000 feet of grassed waterways and 25,000 feet of terraces.

Mark was also an early adopter of no-till, a practice that leaves corn stalks or bean stubble untouched after harvest to anchor soil in place. In more recent years, between 2017 and 2024, no-till acres in Iowa increased by 22 percent as more farmers followed suit.

Additionally, Mark installed saturated buffers, a conservation practice that redirects water from underground tile lines into vegetated areas where it can be naturally filtered. On average, these buffers reduce nitrate levels by about 50 percent before the water ever reaches a stream.

Marks’s efforts would later land him the title of Iowa’s Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2020, an award sponsored by Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Watching his grandfather and dad lead by example pushed Mike to look for ways to take the next step in their conservation and soil health journey. Over a decade ago, he began planting cover crops on every acre.  

“A cover crop is planted to help keep that ecosystem under the soil growing year-round,” Mike explains. He noticed these crops, which grow after fall harvest, kept his soil in place during heavy rains while also increasing earthworm activity, a sign of healthy soils. Iowa farmers planted nearly 4 million acres of cover crops in 2024.

For Mike, conservation isn’t just about today’s crop or this year’s yield. It’s about passing down his family’s deeply rooted values of caring for the land and leaving it in better condition for the next generation.

“I hope that my children have the love and the passion for the soil like I do, like my father has passed down to me, and his father passed down to him,” he says. “Those are my dreams and aspirations for my children.”

Learn more about author Caitlyn Lamm here.