Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will present the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Tupper Family of Chickasaw County during a ceremony on Thursday, April 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their family farm located south of Ionia.
Larry and Joanne Tupper operate Poppe Farms alongside the next generation of family members, including their son Michael and daughter-in-law Amanda Tupper and their children Lucy and Clare; their daughter Jennifer Kuehn and her husband Cory and their children Weston, Charlie and Avery; and their nephew Griffin Poppe and his wife Ally and their children Harper, Hayden and Elle. Other family members include Stephanie and Blake Sorensen of St. Paul, Minn. and their children Ashton and Alma, as well as Katie Tupper and her fiancé Logan Schweinefus of Hudson.
The family raises wean to finish hogs and feeds cattle while also growing corn and soybeans. The farm continues a long family legacy in Chickasaw County. Joanne’s father grew up in Chickasaw County, and her parents, Edmund and Alma Poppe, purchased the home farm in 1952. Joanne’s brothers began farming with their father in the early 1970s. Larry and Joanne purchased her dad's portion of the farm enterprise in 1988 and farmed alongside Joanne’s brothers until they began retiring in 2015. Today, the Tupper family is actively working to transition the farm to the next generation.
“Being a good farm neighbor means taking pride in caring for your livestock, protecting the land, and staying involved in your community,” said Secretary Naig. “The Tupper family demonstrates that commitment every day through their conservation practices, their dedication to responsible livestock care, and their strong involvement in local organizations. Farm families like the Tuppers help strengthen rural communities, and I am pleased to recognize their efforts by presenting them with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award.”
Environmental stewardship is an important part of the Tupper family’s operation. They utilize conservation practices including grass waterways, minimum till, and no till to protect soil and water. They plant rye as a cover crop, a practice that supports soil health and water quality while also providing a source of feed for their cattle.
Source : iowaagriculture.gov