What does a beginning farmer need to do to get started with a small farm acreage? If you ask James Frantzen, of rural NE Iowa, near Elma, he may respond, “Plenty,” with a straight face and a serious gaze for a moment. Until a smile quickly breaks across his face vibrating from a hearty laugh from deep inside. “Enough to keep you out of trouble, anyways.”
James looked for years for a home nearby where his folks farm. In 2009, he purchased a property three miles up the road.”When I bought this place, it was a mess,” remembers James. “the previous owners kept nearly every kind of livestock except maybe a black bear.”











