One Farm Is Not Enough: Why Iowa’s 86,911 Farms Deserve Real Investment in Regenerative Agriculture

Cornfed Farms, a fourth-generation operation run by Alan and Sara Mohr, are the first Midwest farm selected for Bayer’s ForwardFarming initiative—a program designed to showcase regenerative agriculture practices at scale. on a crisp October morning in Ladora, Iowa, Brian Naber, Bayer’s head of crop science for North America, spoke about the company’s belief that farms don’t have to choose between productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

The Mohrs embody that principle. Since 1891, their Iowa County farm has evolved through four generations. Today they grow corn and soybeans, run a 1,000-head cattle feedlot, and have adopted no-till practices and cover crops. Through ForwardFarming, they’ll test intermediate crops like CoverCress and camelina, establish DeKalb corn hybrid trials, and demonstrate Bayer’s Preceon Smart Corn System.

“What I’m excited about with the Bayer partnership is making ourselves better, doing a better job and being firsthand at some of the innovation happening in agriculture,” Alan Mohr told reporters.

His enthusiasm is genuine and warranted. Being connected with cutting-edge research could accelerate learning curves that typically span decades.

And yet, beneath this celebration lies a stark reality: sixteen farms. That’s how many operations worldwide participate in Bayer’s ForwardFarming program. Sixteen farms across ten countries from a company that reported over $50 billion in revenue in 2023. One farm in Iowa—a state with 86,911 farms and 157,531 farmers working the land—until now.

A State Ready for Transformation

The Mohrs deserve recognition. They represent exactly the kind of transformation American agriculture needs. Their selection also reveals how tepid corporate investment in regenerative agriculture remains.

Iowa farmers aren’t waiting for corporate permission to change agriculture. Across the state’s 30 million acres of farmland, pioneering farmers are already taking risks to farm differently. Farmers like Wendy Johnson in Charles City, Mitch Pfab building regenerative systems, Mike Paustian farming 1,400 acres with 100% no-till and cover crops, Liz Garst honoring her family legacy with the White Rock Conservancy, Ron Rosmann running a 700-acre certified organic operation, Sharon Thompson who co-founded Practical Farmers of Iowa, and so many more—from 99 counties across Iowa who embody the transformation we need.

These farmers are the heroes we need. They risk livelihoods to prove another way is possible. They endure doubt from lenders and neighbors. They persist through the loneliness of being different. They’re paving the way for others to follow. The question isn’t whether Iowa has farmers ready to lead regenerative agriculture. The question is how we create the conditions that make this transition attainable, profitable, and sustainable for the thousands of farms still locked into conventional practices.

The Infrastructure That Already Exists

Iowa already has the foundations of the infrastructure ready to scale regenerative agriculture—if corporations would truly invest in it.

For example, Practical Farmers of Iowa, with over 9,000 members, has spent four decades building the farmer-to-farmer learning networks that Bayer’s Brian Naber rightly emphasized are “critical.” PFI facilitated 59 field days in 2024 where farmers shared knowledge about cover crops and diversification. Their cost-share program helped more than 2,300 farmers plant over 800,000 acres of cover crops in 2024. They’ve created a Sustainable Agriculture Business Incubator to build markets for diverse crops—exactly what farmers like the Mohrs need for their CoverCress and camelina.

Organizations like Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Learning Farms, The Nature Conservancy, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, Rodale Institute Midwest Organic Center, and Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance are already on the ground building the infrastructure for agricultural transformation—they need funding to expand their reach and support thousands more farmers through the transition.

What Real Investment Looks Like

Iowa’s 86,911 farms represent the stakes at play. These farms manage over 70% of the state’s land and generate over $43 billion in agricultural products annually. Most remain locked into conventional corn-soybean rotations—not because farmers lack interest in change, but because the system hasn’t made alternatives economically viable.

Sixteen ForwardFarms globally—one in Iowa—is not a program; it’s a pilot project. Cornfed Farms is replacing previous U.S. participants, suggesting rotation rather than expansion.

If Bayer and other agricultural corporations were serious about regenerative agriculture, they’d partner with organizations like Practical Farmers of Iowa to support hundreds of farms across every Iowa county. They’d establish transition funds to help farmers weather financial uncertainty. They’d invest in processing infrastructure and market development so Alan Mohr’s excitement about CoverCress translates into viable income, not just experimental plantings with “really no end use for it just yet.”

Real investment means creating the conditions that make regenerative practices attainable and profitable: regional networks of demonstration farms, compensation for ecosystem services, guaranteed markets for diverse crops, and funding for research and technical assistance. When these conditions exist, thousands more Iowa farmers can follow the path the pioneers have charted.

The Moment Iowa Deserves

Bayer cannot and should not do this alone. We need every segment of Iowa’s agriculture infrastructure to step up—from seed and input companies like Corteva, to equipment manufacturers like Kinze, farmer cooperatives like Landus and Heartland, and agricultural insurers—to invest in making regenerative practices accessible and profitable for Iowa’s farmers. We need financial institutions and policymakers to develop systems that support regenerative practices rather than penalizing them.

The Mohrs’ selection as a ForwardFarm is genuinely worth celebrating. They’ll serve as teachers and innovators, demonstrating what’s possible when commitment meets opportunity. Their work will inspire neighbors and advance regenerative practices across Iowa.

One farm, though—or sixteen—isn’t transformation. Iowa’s farmers have demonstrated the courage to change. Organizations like Practical Farmers of Iowa have built the networks to share knowledge. Farmers like Wendy Johnson and Mitch Pfab have proven regenerative practices work at commercial scale. They’ve done this despite the doubt, despite the financial pressure, despite being told to wait for someone else to lead.

They are ready. Are all of Iowa’s 86,911 farms ready? Maybe not, but many are. They are waiting for that spark to bolster their courage and a path to do so. And as Margaret Mead said, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

Now we need to invest like that readiness and desire matters—because it does, desperately, for all of us who eat. How can you help? Contact us today.