NW Iowa agronomist retires after career helping farmers

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Go to any farm on this nook of the state, and likelihood is the farmer dwelling there’s using some bit of data, some tip gleaned from Joel DeJong.

For many years, DeJong has been a go-to supply of data on discipline crops and associated matters for farmers, answering questions on unusual bugs, crop ailments or learn how to squeeze an additional bushel of corn or beans out of each acre.

“There are a couple of that drive you loopy, however for essentially the most half purchasers have been very form, appreciative. Individuals are grateful for what we provide, and we’re not promoting something,” mentioned DeJong, who retired final week after an almost 41-year profession with the Iowa State College Extension and Outreach, the final 30 of them as a discipline agronomist serving 9 Northwest Iowa counties. The Extension will host a thank-you occasion at 5 p.m. Wednesday on the Le Mars Conference Middle.

DeJong has answered numerous questions from producers searching for the most recent crop farming improvements and from media members who regularly search his perception for information tales. With entry to knowledge compiled by researchers in Iowa, in addition to different states and nations, and hours spent at check websites and analysis plots, he at all times has a solution and is glad to share it.

“For those who simply do analysis and don’t get the data out, what worth is it?” he instructed the Sioux Metropolis Journal. “That’s the good factor about this job is the educational is steady.”

Agriculture may be an unpredictable enterprise. Rising up on a household farm between Maurice and Orange Metropolis in Sioux County, DeJong discovered settling right into a profession in agriculture may be simply as unpredictable.

Attending Iowa State after graduating from Maurice-Orange Metropolis Excessive College, DeJong started as a pre-veterinary medication main, however says chemistry courses satisfied him his future was elsewhere in agriculture. He would earn an ag enterprise diploma with a finance main, however an internship with an ag lender wasn’t that thrilling. He took a job out of faculty promoting swine seed inventory, a flowery approach of claiming he bought boars. He didn’t actually like that both.

A good friend with the ISU Extension inspired DeJong to use for one of many service’s many openings, and he landed a job because the county Extension director in Greenfield, Iowa, in 1982. Three years later, he got here to the Woodbury County Extension workplace as an agriculturalist and lined horticulture, too, launching the county’s grasp gardener program in 1986 earlier than turning into the county’s Extension director.

After a reorganization in 1992, DeJong was named the agronomist for Northwest Iowa, working first in Sioux Metropolis earlier than shifting to the Extension’s Plymouth County workplace in Le Mars, the place he and spouse Lorraine, a retired center college trainer, nonetheless reside.

The Extension’s retooling helped DeJong discover his area of interest of passing the most recent research-based info on to farmers.

“Generally when change comes, persons are afraid what’s going to occur. But when I hadn’t modified roles, I don’t know if I’d have lasted with the Extension all these years,” he mentioned.

He’s helped quite a few farmers since then navigate the ever-changing agriculture trade, whether or not it’s informing them of more practical manure purposes or utilizing on-farm trials to seek out the perfect soybean plant density of their fields. Name him in the course of the rising season, and also you’re more likely to attain him in his pickup truck heading to test crop progress, examine storm harm or have a look at diseased crops.

Hectic at occasions, sure, however it’s higher than sitting within the workplace.

“I’d somewhat be out within the discipline,” he mentioned.

That probably received’t change in retirement. He’ll nonetheless fear if the realm is getting sufficient rain and marvel how the crops are faring.

“My spouse most likely thinks I’ll drive higher as a result of I received’t be taking a look at fields up and down the street,” he mentioned, laughing.

DeJong has no instant post-retirement plans, however is aware of he’ll stay concerned in agriculture in some way. It will be a disgrace to not cross on what he’s discovered to producers frequently looking for higher yields.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense for all I’ve discovered to die with me,” he mentioned. “There’s nonetheless possibilities to have my finger in it, and I simply haven’t figured it out but. My id has been a crop specialist for a very long time. The query is, what’s going to my id be after this?”

It’s one of many few ag-related inquiries to which he doesn’t instantly know the reply.

However simply because the corn and beans do each spring, he is aware of a brand new alternative will sprout up.

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