David Jensen

David Jensen grew up on the family farm three miles east of his current farmstead. He farms with his father, Daryl, and brother Brian, managing 1800 acres. David also manages an 8400-head hog nursery.

He is dedicated to doing what he can to maintain the soil quality in the fields he farms. “If you lose the top part of the soil, you just can’t get it back – I do what I can to save it,” says David. His goal is to keep the land as productive as possible, which also means keeping it where it is. He also sees himself as part of a greater farming tradition. He has his name on the land for now, but someone else will own it later and they will need it to be productive, too. 

He plants both corn and soybeans into no-till. He likes to be able to see the layers of the older crop residue and the developing soil structure when he digs into his soil. Jensen feels that no-till has performed very well for him and that his yields have been very good. He began no-tilling in the late 1980’s, one field at a time.

Jensen uses many conservation practices on both the land he owns and the land he rents. On the steeper slopes, he uses tiled terrace and has installed several grassed waterways. He feels that conservation is more accepted and practiced in his area, compared to 10 years ago.

Contact Information:
David Jensen
Audubon County
2218 Highway 44
Hamlin, IA 50117
712-563-4394
Daj4@metc.net