Dave Ruden

Dave Ruden has farmed his entire life and most recently, he has been farming for a higher purpose. Ruden is the farm manager for the New Melleray Abbey located south of Dubuque. The New Melleray Abbey has approximately 3,400 acres including 1,400 acres of wooded land. The farm has been the property of the Abbey since 1849 when it was founded. The farm was run by the monks at the abbey in the past, but Ruden now oversees the work of tenants to whom they rent the row crop acres.

Ruden was hired because of his reputation as a Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner. He says his ideas fit with the monks at the Abbey. Dave says that the Abbey is always ecologically-minded. They are aware of the gift that they have in the farm. “For the monks, 50 years is short-term,” said Ruden. “Planting a tree that they will never see grow does not bother them.”

As the farm manager Ruden, makes sure the tenants use the practices approved by the monks, using sustainable practices including conservation structures such as grassed waterways, farming on the contour, and buffers. The tenants don't use anhydrous ammonia nor do they use GMO seeds. Most recently they have added cereal rye and wheat cover crops to 150 acres of their corn, soybean and alfalfa rotation.

When asked to be involved with the Iowa Learning Farms, Dave responded, “The ILF project can reach so many people. For me conservation is second nature; it’s what I’ve been doing all my life.”

Dave and his wife, Rita, have raised four children. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Loras College in Dubuque, and an MBA from the University of Iowa. He serves as a Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, on the board of directors for Limestone Bluffs RC&D, and the Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project.

Contact Information

Dave Ruden
3526 Keystone Drive
Dubuque, IA 52002
563/543-3475
drruden5@msn.com