Tom Gronstal, Andrea Benton, and Ingrid Gronstal

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Ingrid Gronstal (L) and Andrea Benton (R), pictured with their father Tom Gronstal

With deep ties to Iowa agriculture, Andrea Benton (R) and Ingrid Gronstal (L) are new landowners excited to learn more about farming. From their great grandparents who farmed during the Great Depression to growing up in Carroll and playing with friends on farms, the sisters have an appreciation for Iowa’s agricultural landscape and a strong desire to protect soil and water.

The Gronstal family has served as agricultural lenders for over 70 years in western Iowa, supporting farmers and conservation adoption in their communities. When the opportunity to purchase land with conservation easements for no-till and cover crops, the family was eager to demonstrate their commitment to conservation farming first hand on 80 acres in Greene County. Now in their second year of cover crops, Andrea and Ingrid have learned from early challenges and are excited to be a part of Iowa Learning Farms to help identify the best management practices and options for the land and communicate those with the farm manager and tenants.

Building a Culture of Conservation: 

“We both like the idea, especially now that I don’t live in Iowa anymore, of owning a piece of land in Iowa and having an impact on that land. We also like that this is providing an opportunity for the farmers to learn new conservation techniques.” - Andrea Benton