On Your Farm

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On Your Farm: Wade Dooley Does Things Differently

Farming Iowa

Wade Dooley Does Things Differently

BBC Radio 4 - On Your Farm, Wade Dooley Does Things Differently

Iowa, USA, is a land of industrial-scale agriculture but Wade Dooley prefers the old ways.

Most farms in Iowa are dominated by corn and soybean. But that's not Wade Dooley's way - not anymore. Anna Jones meets a farmer trying to do things differently in the grain belt.

Iowa is a land where agriculture is done on an enormous scale. Vast prairies dominated by seemingly endless crops of corn and soybean. But that's not Wade Dooley's way - not anymore. Anna Jones meets a farmer trying to do things differently in America's grain belt.
Wade's family have farmed on the same spot in central Iowa since the 1860s, earning their family home the proud title of 'Century Farm'. But trapped in an unprofitable commodity cycle, with corn and soybean prices on the floor, Wade became increasingly depressed about the state of Iowan agriculture - and worried for the future of his own farm.
In a bold move that breaks with local tradition, Wade is turning his back on Iowa's 'king' crops and returning his land to a traditional, mixed farming system. He grows oats and rye grain to sell as cover crop seed to other farmers and is moving hundreds of acres into pasture for grazing cattle. Doffing his cap to Iowan culture, he's kept just 30 acres of corn and soybean; down from 900 acres in 2018 and 450 acres in 2019.
At the end of a long working day in the fields, Anna and Wade head to a local small-town bar where Wade opens up about being unmarried and child-free in the conservative Midwest, his battle with depression and his personal journey to 'reconstruct' his mental health. 
Produced and presented by Anna Jones.

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