EARLHAM, Iowa — In March 2021, Local 5 interviewed Jordan and Whitney Clasen, two farmers who had just purchased land in Earlham.
"It's an incredible feeling to be able to say this is our ground," Whitney said as she stood on the land that would eventually become the couple's farm.
These days, that farm is taking shape.
"We've raised a lot of garlic so that's about an acre of garlic there," said Jordan as he gave Local 5 a tour of Grade A Gardens.
The new barn is all but complete, and the land is yielding produce that is going to market.
"We definitely feel like we won the lottery. I mean, it's a dream come true, for sure," said Jordan.
All of this was made possible, in part, by the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, a nonprofit that connects new farmers with affordable land made available through donations or voluntary easements.
"We've been doing a lot of outreach, trying to find more landowners," said Joseph Klingelhutz, farm specialist at SILT.
For a while, it was tough to find that. SILT leaders say the pandemic, the economic climate, and the growing value of Iowa farmland have caused landowners to be more cautious.
"Now that things are balancing out a little bit, I think people are more open to talk about it," said Klingelhutz.
According to SILT, ultimately, it relies on a bit of generosity.
"It has to come from the heart...of the landowner that believes that we're only stewards of this land," he said.
But the Clasens are hopeful opportunities for other farmers will come along.
"We're never pessimistic about it. Yeah, always optimistic," they said.
And optimistic their success will encourage young farmers and inspire landowners.
"A lot of guys don't want to see their farm turned into a development or continue to be corn after corn after corn. I think this is exciting for a lot of people, landowners and small farmers," Jordan said.