Noelck Family Receives Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

The Noelck family became the first family in Franklin County to receive the statewide Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award on Friday, Aug. 23. 

The award was presented to them by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig at the Hampton Country Club that day. 

Noelck Farms was established in the 1960s by Ivan and Karen Noelck. Their son, Is, joined the farming operation in 1992. Now, more than three decades later, the multi-generational family farm includes Is and his wife, Kristin, and their three children: sons Isaiah and his wife Reann and their daughter Halston; Noah and his fiancé Maci; and daughter Isabella. An additional farming partnership includes Is’ brother Issac and his family. Though Ivan and Karen have since retired, at one point, three generations of the family were farming the land together.

The family grows corn, soybeans and hay, and they have livestock — a cow-calf herd, as well as finish cattle and finish hogs. They incorporate conservation on their fields to protect the soil and improve water quality. They also utilize no-till and strip tillage to minimize disruption to the soil. For the past eight years, they have planted cover crops, including rye and various brassicas depending on the crop rotation. 

When asked about the importance of being a good neighbor in farming communities, Naig said “People who live in farm communities know that that’s a part of it, and many times, the family who gets the award will say things like ‘we don’t think we’re doing anything different than anybody else. This is just how our community works.’”

Naig said that award recipients will often say “this is how mom and dad did it” or “this is how our grandparents did it.” 

According to Naig, there are three requirements for the award: you have to be a livestock producer, you have to be following conservation practices when taking care of your land and you have to be a good neighbor. 

“This is a family that has done all of these things and is worthy of recognition,” Naig said. 

Outside of farming, the Noelck family is big on helping others in their community. Is has served on the Franklin County Cattlemen’s board for many years and was a youth baseball and football coach. He also has served in a leadership capacity with Pheasants Forever. Kristin was on the school’s Quarterback Club to raise funds for the football program. Family members are also members of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association, American Angus Association, American Hereford Association, and American Maine-Anjou Association.

 Is Noelck said he and his family are honored to have received the award.

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible through a partnership with the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF), The Big Show on WHO Radio and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Now in its 20th year, this award was named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

The Coalition has a nomination committee that reviews the applications. The award is given once a month. To nominate a neighbor or someone in your community for this website, visit supportfarmers.com/goodfarmneighbor/.

The Franklin County Cattlemen grilled up 80 ribeyes for the big event.