HAVERHILL — A crowd of at least 60 interested individuals gathered at a farm between Marshalltown and Haverhill on Thursday morning to learn more about the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and how landowners Tony and Roberta Brink have transformed the vast majority of their 180 acres back to prairie, wetlands and timber during an Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) field day.

The Brinks first bought their property in 1990, and fittingly, the area where the event was held was situated between two picturesque wetland areas just off of Marsh Avenue. The presenters included Iowa Nutrient Research Center Assistant Director Kay Stefanik, Marshall County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist Doug Ruopp, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State Private Lands Biologist Kevin Andersen and Cynthia Farmer from the Center for Rural Affairs. Marshall County Conservation staff were also on hand to help with prairie plant identification during a lunch catered by Katie J’s of Marshalltown, and attendees were encouraged to walk the ground themselves and take in all of the natural splendor.

Each speaker focused on different issues related to the CRP program such as how long a native seeding takes to develop, mowing recommendations, cost share options and invasive plants and species. During his remarks, Andersen noted that about 90 percent of Iowa’s 35 million acres of native prairies were wiped out between 1825 and 1900 as row crop farming proliferated, and efforts are finally underway, albeit slowly, to increase those numbers in the 21st century. During a subsequent interview, Brink said his decision to move in that direction on his own farm was a matter of “doing the right thing,” and today, only about 20 acres are still considered tillable. He added, however, that it’s not simply a “set and forget” project, echoing a comment Andersen had made earlier — treat it like a crop, because you’re ultimately growing wildlife and native plants just like corn and soybeans.

“There was so much water coming through here, and I’m a water guy. I wanted to do everything I could to filter, stage, hold as much good quality water on my farm (as possible) for whatever reason,” he said. “You can do so many things here. It’s a great place for a kid, so I enjoy it.”

He was especially grateful for the conservation professionals who came out to host the field day, and Ruopp, who hails from Marshall County himself, described Brink’s farm as “the biggest gem of private land” locally.

“It’s so wonderful to see a landowner who’s dedicated to not just putting these different practices like wetlands (and) prairies (in), but taking the time to learn about them, know the ins and outs of them and take care of them in a way that they are going to be good for the nutrient reduction for wildlife, for the different plant species that we find in Iowa,” Stefanik said.

Andersen marveled at the uniqueness of each farm he visits and invoked the oft-repeated phrase from “Field of Dreams” — in his eyes, it is indeed heaven. He’s also encouraged that more farmers are considering and utilizing CRP, especially on lands that may not be especially productive.

“Do we have what we had before? No. Will we ever have it again? No. That’s not being negative. That’s just being realistic,” he said. “We’re basically the number one ag producing state in the nation, so it’s beautiful that we are able to do that. But I echo what Doug said (about) this being a gem, and I’m so lucky to get to go out every day and look at gems.”

And if one more person in the audience decides to put land in the CRP after hearing a presentation like theirs, Andersen, Ruopp and Stefanik all agree that their educational efforts were well worth the time they spent on them.

“Will it mean more prairie in Iowa, more wetlands? Maybe, and that’s what we do every day,” Andersen said. “I think it’s really important to have these.”