Spotlight Series
Lifelong Lessons in Cover Crops and Conservation on an Indiana Farm
When Carrie Vollmer-Sanders was growing up on a farm in Northwest Ohio, she and her sisters would play outside in the summer like any kids their age—and they began to notice something strange in a ditch at the edge of their parents’ farm. “We saw this tile that come out to the ditch and there was a bunch of stuff—we called it seaweed, or green jelly—and we thought it was our job to get the seaweed out of the creek for the fish,” recalls Carrie. “One day we mentioned it to our dad and he told us not everybody takes care of their fields the way we do. From an early age, I understood that we needed to take care of the land to keep our water healthy.”
What started as a simple childhood lesson has turned into a lifelong dedication to conversation for Carrie, a sixth-generation farmer based in Angola, Indiana, where she and her husband Ryan grow corn and soy across several farms. In addition to her work on the farm, Carrie serves as the Agriculture Engagement Strategy Director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in North America, working closely with TNC state programs to grow partnerships and engage the industry in promoting conservation practices for farmers.
In both of her careers, Carrie meticulously applies her passion for conservation. Whether she’s pursuing innovative cover crop trials on her farm, or serving as a key collaborator for TNC with Field to Market, Carrie is helping to advance conservation practices and grow partnerships that enables farmers across the country to make a lasting impact in the sustainability of their farms.
On her farm, Carrie and her husband Ryan apply a number of different conservation practices, from planting cover crops to installing grass buffers, and participating in field trials for NCGA’s Soil Health Partnership. “Ryan is a CCA, and one of the first things we did when we began farming was hire an outside crop consultant to help us with zone soil sampling so we could get our nutrients variable rate applied,” explains Carrie, highlighting how trusted advisers can serve as key resources for farmers looking to take up conservation practices. “We also started testing all sorts of cover crops—and it’s hard to get started. We weren’t sure how to do it or what mix to use, so we always had trials going on and now we continue that through the Soil Health Partnership.”
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders
6th Generation Farmer
Angola, Indiana
"Farming is not like a basketball game—there’s not a winner at the end of the season. Farming is a game that never ends and you’re always trying to figure out if you’re making the right decisions and shrinking your footprint while being profitable. Having the kind of feedback you get from the Fieldprint® Platform is really valuable.”
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders
6th Generation Farmer
Angola, Indiana
This analysis Carrie and Ryan have also utilized Field to Market’s Fieldprint® Platform on their farm for two years, analyzing how their management decisions impact eight key sustainability outcomes. “When we initially tried the Fieldprint Platform, it was really because we were curious—and we were surprised by how small a Fieldprint we had,” says Carrie. “In some ways, it was really a chance to celebrate that our footprint was so small in energy use and other areas we’ve been working. But there were a number of things that it got us to stop and think about that we don’t normally. For example, how does our farm impact habitat?”
For Carrie, the exercise was a great way to spark conversation and begin to better understand where her farm is excelling and where continuous improvement might be possible. “When you learn something, you think differently the next time the decision comes up,” Carrie reflects. “You have to keep learning because it keeps us more nimble for the next technology or crop, you never know when that learning will be useful. Just having conversations about energy use, habitat, water quality, soil health is so valuable.”
She credits the tool for providing the feedback and learning opportunities which aren’t always available to farmers when it comes to sustainability. “Farmers don’t always get feedback outside of their yields and their profit, and it can be hard to say that you’re making progress,” Carrie says. “Farming is not like a basketball game—there’s not a winner at the end of the season. Farming is a game that never ends and you’re always trying to figure out if you’re making the right decisions and shrinking your footprint while being profitable. Having this kind of feedback is really valuable.”
With two small boys, Carrie is always thinking about how these lessons and exercises can guide the next generation and lead to lasting impact. “Someone asked our kids—what do you grow on the farm?” Carrie recalls. “Their answer was: corn, soybeans, wheat and cover crops. And I said, ‘Yes! They’re really getting it!’”
Carrie doesn’t know if her young boys will come back to the farm, but she does know that the future awaiting them if they do might look very different. “Probably they won’t be doing things the way we’re doing things. But I’d hope the basic principles we are trying to teach them never go away,” says Carrie. “To be trustworthy, honest, community involved young men that care about the footprint of the farm, the legacy that we’ve left them, and to understand they’ve been entrusted with a lot. They have to take it seriously and have to work hard to make it better.”
"You have to keep learning because it keeps us more nimble for the next technology or crop, you never know when that learning will be useful. Just having conversations about energy use, habitat, water quality, soil health is so valuable."
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders
6th Generation Farmer
Angola, Indiana
