Secretary Naig to Present the Albert Family with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

Mar 22, 2024

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will present the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Albert Family of Buchanan County on Friday, March 22 at 11:00 a.m. The presentation at the Albert’s family farm, located at 1633 330th St., Brandon, is part of the weeklong, statewide Iowa Ag Week celebration.

“Iowa agriculture is special because of multi-generational farm families like the Alberts who take great pride in serving their community while also being wonderful caretakers for their livestock, crops and natural resources,” said Secretary Naig. “As part of Iowa Ag Week, we are celebrating the many ways in which those involved in Iowa agriculture give back to the communities we all call home. It’s only fitting that we present the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Albert Family, given their long and admirable service to their neighbors and the Brandon community.”

Valley Green Farms is a multi-generational family farm located near Brandon in Northeast Iowa. Operated since 1972 by Craig and Judy Albert, the operation also includes their son Jordan Albert, as well as daughter Jackie Aberle, son-in-law Shawn Aberle, and their children Carson, Gretchen and Kaydence Aberle.

The family raises waxy corn, non-GMO soybeans and hay. Because conservation is important to them, they utilize strip till, grassed waterways and variable rate technology to ensure a high level of precision. Since 2015, they’ve planted cover crops on their acres, including rye and rye/clover mixes, to keep the soil in place and improve water quality. Craig was the recipient of the Iowa Soil Conservation Award in 2010. The Alberts are members of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and Buchanan County Farm Bureau.

The Alberts also feed cattle and own a cow-calf herd. The family is BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) certified and utilize total mixed rations for optimum performance. They maintain sophisticated records on all cows and feeder cattle. The Alberts are also actively involved in the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Jordan is on the board of the Buchanan County Cattlemen and Jackie serves as the county organization’s event planner. Craig received the Buchanan County Senior Cattlemen Award in 2015.

The Alberts exemplify what it means to be a “Good Farm Neighbor.” Judy has served on the Brandon Area Community Board for many years. The family helps with the Annual Cowboy Breakfast and was instrumental in the development of Brandon’s Largest Frying Pan site that brings many visitors to the small town. The family plants an annual sweet corn patch for the “neighborhood” to enjoy. Many years ago, they began an annual tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving meal for anyone in the community or those passing through that needed a hot meal. In 2021, the Iowa State Fair honored the family with the “Way We Live Award.”

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible through a partnership with the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF), The Big Show on WHO Radio and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Now in its 20th year, this award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment and their livestock while also being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.

Secretary Naig to Present the Albert Family with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

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