When Adam Sudmann of Treynor started farming right out of college in the early 2000s, his future in agriculture wasn’t so secure.

Corn prices hovered around $2, and pork producers were still recovering from the hog market crash of 1998. But Sudmann didn’t let these setbacks discourage him from coming back home to farm in western Iowa.

Over the years, Sudmann has successfully expanded his farming operation, adding more acres, updating his farm equipment, adopting new technology...