A 2021 study by Iowa State University scholars entitled “Developing farmer typologies to inform conservation outreach in agricultural landscapes” groups farmers into four typologies or personalities depending on their approach to conservation. Conservationists “are highly interested in innovative conservation approaches, and have strong noneconomic conservation motivations.” Productivists are “highly focused on yield and profit [and] most concerned about potential negative impacts of farm policy and the economics of commodity production.” Traditionalists tend to stick “to familial traditions passed down through the generations rather than trying new conservation ideas.” And lastly, Deliberative, as the name implies tend to “deliberate for some time before completely adopting a new idea,” and have “some uncertainty or ambivalence about conservation.”
Cover crops are a widely recognized conservation practice that protect soil, water, and economic resources on the farm. Cover crops like cereal rye or hairy vetch are planted in addition to a cash crop, like corn or soybeans, to provide living roots that absorb and protect soil nutrients.
If I were to have a conversation with each of these four types of farmers – Conservationist, Productivist, Traditionalist and Deliberative – about cover crops, here’s the approach I would take...
Catherine DeLong Water Quality Program Manager
Catherine DeLong is the Water Quality Program Manager for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. She works statewide to bring people together to share resources, ideas and perspectives about water quality, and to help Iowans understand the role they can play in the future of Iowa’s water...