Neely-Kinyon Research Farm celebrates 30 years

Known for happening in the past in sweltering heat or on wet, dreary days, the 2024 Neely-Kinyon Research Farm Field Day, held last Tuesday, Aug. 20, was met with cool, comfortable conditions for a change. It was a welcome setting for organizers of the annual day and its 40 participants.

This is a year of milestones for the farm. It’s not only the 30th anniversary of when Wayne and Margaret Neely handed over their 160-acre century farm — which had been managed for years by Keith and Myrtle Kinyon, to the Wallace Foundation and Iowa State University as a satellite research farm for southwest Iowa — it is also the 25th year for one its key experiments.

The farm’s topography and soil conditions, which are different from other research farms, and its proximity to Iowa State’s main campus in Ames, make it a valued player in the research the university does.

The Long-term Agroecological Research (LTAR) experiment, led by Dr. Kathleen Delate, a professor in agronomy and horticulture, is in its 25th year.

During the field day, attendees learned about comparisons between organic and conventional soybeans, soil health and forage production.

Delate compared yields between organic and conventional:

“To date, the organic corn and soybean crops have yielded equally to the conventional crops, and in some years organic corn, in the 4-year rotation with hybrid rye and red clover, out-yielded its conventional counterpart, at 187 bushels per acre,” Delate said. “Economic returns have been greater with the organic crops due to reduced inputs and premium organic prices.”

Weather has been challenging for farmers the last four years. In 2023, precipitation was well below normal and the farm experienced a nasty hailstorm that July. This has all led to challenging weed management conditions, with a higher weed population in the organic corn and soybeans. Precipitation has since picked back up to within a somewhat normal range for the region.

“The Neely-Kinyon Farm continues to support relevant research conducted by ISU agronomy and Extension faculty, providing a realistic setting that western Iowa farmers face, including the extreme weather challenges of 2024,” Delate said. “The support and interactions of the Adair County Extension and Outreach office and local farmers is what drives the innovation and success of the farm.”

Wayne Neely was born and raised in Greenfield, graduating from Greenfield High School and earning his doctorate in 1933, during the Great Depression.

Not knowing what else might come up later, Neely took a job offer in front of him and taught, alongside his wife, at Hood College in Maryland. He would later become the Chairman of the Department of Economics and Sociology at the school.

Neely didn’t want to see the farm fade into the sunset, so handing it over to an organization that could utilize it as a research farm accomplished that for him.