John Scanlan of Canton, Mississippi is embarking on a journey not usual for most 71-year-olds. He’s returning to his rural Iowa roots to become a farmer. His goal is simply complex; to transform his family farm into an entirely organic operation by using practices similar to those used by his father.

This is not the first time the Clinton County farm called to Scanlan. In 1967 when he was a junior in high school, his plans almost entirely involved the farm.

John Raymond, Scanlan’s father, encouraged him to follow the path of his older sister, who was enrolled at Iowa State University.

“He told me it was time to get my application submitted,” Scanlan says. “I told him that I didn’t want to submit the application. I didn’t want to go to college, I wanted to farm.”

53 years later, Scanlan can repeat with precision the response his father had to his statement.

“You’re not farming,” Raymond said. “I don’t borrow money to plant a crop every year and I don’t buy new machinery every two years. The government, bankers, implement dealers, and chemical dealers don’t want me around because I’m not big enough anymore. To set you up right I would need to go to the bank and cosign a note for $100,000 and I’m not going to do that”

Even in 1967, Raymond could see that the 125-acre farm could not support the aspirations of his son in the looming face of an industry consumed by big agriculture. He quit farming in 1974, and since then the Scanlan family has cash rented the property to conventional farmers who grow corn and beans.

Unlike the cash renters, Scanlan’s father held tight to non- herbicide practices during his farming career.

“The neighbor told him that if he would just spray his crops I wouldn’t have to spend so much time out in the field cultivating,” Scanlan says. “ My dad responded and said that I had nothing better to do with my time. It was frustrating to me then, but I laugh now because I understand why.”

At a Practical Farmers of Iowa conference in the winter of 2010, Scanlan realized that his father’s refusal to spray herbicide had been far ahead of the curve.

“He wasn’t pure organic but a lot of his principles were,” Scanlan says. “Now we’d call that regenerative farming.”

The motivation behind Scanlan’s dive back into farming is the toll that 50 years of conventional rotations have taken on the farm's soil health.

“I remember going to dig earthworms to take my boys fishing and they just weren’t there anymore,” Scanlan says. “ I checked all of the same spots I would dig as a kid and there were so few worms. I knew this meant there was a bigger problem.”

Scanlan’s plan to transition to organic began to take form. He hoped to enlist the efforts of his long-time cash renters into the plan but they were not the least bit interested.

“I had a choice to make,” Scanlan says. “We could continue down the path we were on or I could make the changes I wanted to see myself.”

Scanlan chose the latter and will be traveling back to begin work on the farm in mid-April. Using his dad’s old machinery and drawing on the knowledge of his past he will cultivate corn and combine oats. Scanlan isn’t in it completely alone, he’s drawing on his relationships to make the process easier. He’s seeking advice from friends and even integrating the help of a beginning farmer into the operation.

“I knew I had to find someone who had an open mind and whose dad had an open mind,” Scanlan says. “ The farmer who will be helping me out is in the same situation I was, he has the desire to farm but his dad’s operation just isn’t big enough.”

He’s also drawing on the knowledge and resources available from Iowa farm organizations. Late last fall, he sought the help of Barbara Stewart, Coordinator for the Iowa Farmers Union Conservation Planning Initiative. Stewart completed soil tests across the farm, and together, they started the beginning steps of a conservation plan.

“Seeing the numbers backs up thoughts I already had,” says Scanlan. “It provided me with a great baseline and helped me identify where I need to start. I have plans to combat erosion and fertilize per recommendations of the soil tests.”

Upon working with the program further, he has developed a valuable relationship with his Technical Service Provider, an individual trained and certified by NRCS to provide conservation planning services.

"The relationship I built with my technical service provider has been a huge help," Scanlan says. "He's a farmer nearby and we've already had quite a few conversations about the work I'll be doing."

Stewart sees herself and the initiative as a way to help a landowner reach their goals while considering the best ways to protect and enhance their natural resources.

“ Conservation planning is a valuable tool to help producers like John meet their goals in conserving the natural resources on their farms,” Stewart says. “Like I would with any landowner, I worked with John by discussing his concerns and walking over the land to assess the resources. Then, we provided him recommendations to help address resource concerns while keeping in mind his goals for the farm.”

To learn more about Iowa Farmers Union’s Conservation Planning Initiative, visit www.iowafarmersunion.org.