Pat Swanson
County:
Wapello
Bio:
Pat Swanson farms near Ottumwa in southeast Iowa and serves as District 9 Director for the Iowa Soybean Association. She farms with her husband, Don and his brother's family. Pat serves as an officer for the Wapello County 4-H Foundation and is involved in CommonGround Iowa. She also serves as a member of the State Farm Service Agency Committee. Pat and her husband also own Son Risk Management, a crop insurance agency they started in Ottumwa in 2002. The 6th generation to farm their ground, the Swansons feel strongly in protecting it for the next six generations to come.
Q&A
What are you doing to practice and promote soil and water quality?
My husband and his brother are the sixth generations to farm our land in southeast Iowa. The generations before us knew the importance of taking care of the land so it would take care of us. We practice no-till and minimum-till conservation. We leave grass waterways and field borders to help keep our soil in the field and have constructed many terraces. We also plant cover crops.
What else is being done in your county to support soil and water quality?
We have a watershed project that is doing an excellent job promoting conservation.
What could be done with more public funding for soil and water quality?
We need to get more information to farmers to consider additional practices on their farms.
