Now, the family has put in place a farm transition plan that is transferring management and operation of the beef and farming enterprises to their daughter and son-in-law. Over the past three years, Michelle (Euken) Myers and Steve Myers have purchased and improved their own farm and purchased half of the Eukens’ cow herd. They are retaining ownership of their calves in the family feedyard and are carrying on the legacy of environmental stewardship in their farming and cattle enterprises. Located in southwest Iowa, the farm has a long history of row-crop and cattle production. Jill’s great grandfather and his sons bought the home farm in 1912, and it has remained in the family ever since. Now, more than 100 years later, the Myerses are the 5th generation in the family to earn a living from the farm. Throughout that time, the farm has included both row-crops and cattle. The land is utilized with erosion and water quality in mind, with the highly erodible ground growing pasture or hay. The Eukens and Myerses currently have approximately 165 cows and 30 head of replacement heifers. They also feed out their own calves and others in a 400 head feedlot, and purchase feeder cattle that are custom fed elsewhere.  The family manages pasture and hay ground in addition to row-crops. The row-crop acres are farmed with an extended rotation including alfalfa hay.

In the past few years, there has been an increased focus on climate change by politicians, academicians, and activists. Many of the practices the Eukens and Myerses employ on their farm mitigate climate change in one of two ways: reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. Reducing emissions has become front and center for the agriculture industry today. Efficiencies in production and equipment have been the most visible change in emission reduction. Farmers and cattle producers have been tasked for years to be more efficient and produce more to feed the world. Livestock producers have become the most diverse of all farmers as they utilize their crops to feed their animals, manure to feed their crops, and cover crops to sequester carbon/nutrients and also feed their livestock. The Eukens and Myerses utilize many practices on their row-crop operation to reduce emissions, including improvements to their grain-drying systems and reduced tillage. Increased yields over the years have also reduced emissions on a per acre or per unit level.