F2F: John Hogeland & Martha McFarland – 2021 Virtual Annual Conference

Martha McFarland, a bison and cattle farmer near Fredericksburg, Iowa, and John Hogeland a cattle farmer near Lovilia, Iowa, both left Iowa to follow careers in education and the culinary arts, respectively. After years away, Martha and John each returned to Iowa to take over their family farms. During this session, Martha and John share a candid conversation about coming home and navigating the challenges of taking over.

• Martha McFarland farms with her father Dan in Fredericksburg, Iowa. They operate Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch on 250 acres of pasture and timber where bison and cattle graze. Martha gives educational tours to provide historical information about bison, the prairie and the history of their homesteading family who settled in Iowa over 150 years ago.
• John Hogeland moved back to Lovilia, Iowa, from California with his wife, Beth Hoffman, to take over the family farm. John and Beth are transitioning the 540 acres to an organic, grass-fed cattle operation. They use rotational grazing practices and plan to add goats to their system soon.