Jackson County farmer Brian Noonan, assisted by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is transforming an open-grazed pasture that he says “needed a lot of work” into a more diverse and sustainable one focused on organic grassland restoration.
About 10 years ago, Noonan left his job with the city of Dubuque to manage his family’s 480-acre farm near Bernard in eastern Iowa that’s owned by a family partnership including five families and their lineal descendants. Noonan says the farm dates back five generations to the 1830s, when his family’s Irish descendants purchased 180 acres there.
“We’ve had the farm in the family for so long,” he says. “I want to retain it and do it in a way to preserve it.”
Today, the farm is much more diverse than even a decade ago, with 117 cropland acres, two pastures that cover about 200 acres and hay ground. The cropland is rented out to a neighboring farmer.
Noonan said he didn’t grow up on the farm, but he was raised in nearby Cascade with an interest in music. He even attended the University of Northern Iowa for art and later enrolled at Iowa State University for environmental science.
“I didn’t grow up as a hands-on farmer, so there has been a learning curve,” he says.
NRCS assistance
It was Noonan’s father, Ray Jr., who started the process of improving pasture grazing conditions. In 2008, Ray contacted the local NRCS office and, in partnership with Iowa Department of Natural Resources forestry specialists, developed a forestry management plan. The Noonans installed permanent fencing to keep cattle out of a creek and a degraded pond. They also implemented a timber stand improvement plan and renovated a well to add livestock watering areas.
“Having NRCS start working with my dad to help us install some of the fencing was really helpful,” Noonan says. “It’s allowed me to go in and do some more intensive grazing management with electric fence to further subdivide pastures.”
Today, he runs 60 cow-calf pairs that rotate about every three days through about a dozen paddocks. Noonan says his Red Devon cattle are excellent grass-finishers.
“It’s really good beef,” he says. “I enjoy raising grass-fed beef, and I felt it was a good way to go for our farm.”
Farm bill programs aid implementation
Over the last five years, Noonan became more assertive about implementing conservation practices on his farm. He collaborated with Lori Schnoor, an NRCS district conservationist who also farms in the area.
She and Noonan have continued and added to the conservation plan that started with his father almost 20 years ago. “Brian’s been open to new ideas,” Schnoor says. “His inexperience is almost an advantage because he doesn’t have any preconceived notions that dictate how he operates.”
With a focus on grazing management and improving wildlife habitat and an eye on boosting the ecosystem, Noonan applied for conservation funding assistance through both the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help achieve his goals.
Through CSP, producers receive a five-year contract to develop a plan to expand on existing conservation efforts. Contract holders implement new conservation practices or activities that treat natural resource concerns, such as cleaner water or better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operation.
Noonan implemented a grazing bundle through CSP that includes practices like rotational grazing, weed treatment and wildlife habitat management. The CSP grazing bundle is helping Noonan reduce input costs and support his operation.
“The pest management part fit well with his organic goals,” Schnoor says.
Through EQIP, producers receive planning and financial assistance to maintain or improve production while conserving natural resources on working landscapes.
Beginning in 2019, Noonan began using EQIP to cover a portion of the cover crop costs on his cropland, which has helped reduce soil erosion and improve overall soil health. Since then, he has worked with NRCS to implement practices like fence, pasture and hay planting, livestock pipeline, a pumping plant, and watering facilities to support his grazing system.
Jeff Matthias, Iowa NRCS state grazing specialist, says Noonan’s grazing operation improvements are helping the resource base of soil, water and plants on the land he manages.
“Grazing management allows desirable forages to properly recover, which helps control weeds and minimize soil compaction,” he says. “More water is now able to infiltrate, and desired forages are growing to feed the cattle. Fencing and limiting livestock access to streams and ponds helps protect water quality, stream banks from erosion, and allows wildlife to have more cover and shelter on his land.”
Another major project Noonan started in 2020 was planting a natural windbreak between the cropland and home acreage. The windbreak includes shrubs and trees such as oaks, spruces and pines that, in time, will decrease home energy usage, provide wildlife habitat and even reduce snow drift.
“I like the idea of the windbreak increasing biodiversity,” he says. “It’s also easier to plow the lane because it’s catching some of the snow.”
Ecological benefits
Noonan says that although his operation is not certified organic, he uses no chemicals on the pasture and hay ground.
“A lot of my passion comes from the environmental aspect of the farm,” he says. “I am using cattle as an ecosystem management tool for grassland restoration.”
For example, Noonan sees swarms of swallows de-flying his livestock. “We get that naturally here because we have forests intact and savanna remnants,” he says.
“What’s nice about this farm is it shows a good balance between farming and ecological benefits,” Schnoor says. “There is so much more that farmers can do to benefit the environment. Brian is doing that here.”
For more information about practices and programs to help you achieve your conservation goals, visit your local NRCS office or go to nrcs.usda.gov/ia.