Iowa family that once hosted Khrushchev will sell 2,000 acres, but only to buyers who agree to care for it like they have
Donnelle Eller
A family that famously hosted late Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev on their Iowa farm is auctioning off nearly 2,000 acres in west-central Iowa, a sale that will include a unique requirement that the buyers continue the owners' soil-health practices.
A conservation easement on the eight parcels the Garst family is selling near Coon Rapids will stipulate that the buyers must carry on the efforts to build soil health and prevent erosion.
Liz Garst, the family business manager, said Wednesday that the family over three generations has adopted land-management practices that include no-till farming, planting annual cover crops and maintaining existing terraces and waterways.
"We get to know that our hard work to improve the soil will persevere, that the soil will remain well-cared for," said Garst, adding that the permanent easement provides "psychic comfort for us in the family."
Garst's grandfather, Roswell Garst, who hosted Khrushchev as he toured the U.S. in a 1959 visit, said at the time he believed that "hungry people are dangerous people" and that the answer to the Cold War would be boosting Soviet agriculture.
The Garst family has a history steeped in agriculture. Roswell Garst introduced Pioneer hybrid corn seed in the western U.S. through the Garst & Thomas Hybrid Seed Co. He later split off Garst Seed Co., which would become part of the global agribusiness Syngenta through a series of mergers. The Garst brand was retired in 2013.
Liz Garst said the family decided to sell the land because it had no one in line to continue the farming operation. The 70-year-old said the family will retain its community banking operations, which she also leads.
Whiterock Conservancy, a Coon Rapids nonprofit that the Garst family created in 2003, will enforce the permanent easements. Liz Garst said the conservancy is experienced in farming and can help whoever buys the land continue the conservation practices.
Established on about 5,000 acres donated by the Garsts, Whiterock Conservancy is focused on sustainable agriculture, rebuilding native oak savanna, prairie and other natural habitat, and supporting public recreation. Its holdings include the Garst farmhouse where Kruschev stayed during his visit.
Liz Garst acknowledged that the easement could lower the sales price of the land to be auctioned. "Because there's reporting and monitoring requirements, because Whiterock will be involved, there is no doubt a hassle factor that may result in a discount," she said.
"But I joke that people should pay us more, because we're making them do something that's good for them, that they'll benefit from," she said. "So I don't know how severe our discount will be because this hasn't been done before."
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Peoples Co., a Clive-based agricultural land brokerage, is handling the sale along with Community Insurance Agency in Coon Rapids. Peoples President Steve Bruere said he believes the easement requirements are unlikely to deter prospective buyers because more and more farmers are adopting conservation practices.
Bruere said the Garsts' conservation practices have pushed the farmland's yields higher than county averages. The land sits in Carroll, Greene, Audubon and Guthrie counties.
Liz Garst said her grandfather loved buying and rebuilding farms with degraded soil, constructing terraces, grass waterways and pastures on land that was highly erodible. Her father, Stephen Garst, adopted no-till farming, deciding against spring and fall tillage to prevent erosion and build organic matter in the soil.
Liz Garst said she and her five siblings have added cover crops, keeping roots in the soil even when plants aren't growing. They hold nutrients in the soil so they don't wash away and pollute streams and rivers, among other benefits.
She said soil erosion is a tremendous threat to Iowa farming that climate change is accelerating. "Our farms will not run out of soil because we've sharply curtailed erosion with these practices that we're mandating," said Liz Garst, noting that some scientists expect parts of Iowa will have lost all their topsoil within 40 years.
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Buyers interested in the land must submit sealed bids by Aug. 6. The top seven bidders on each parcel will be invited to a live auction on Aug. 17.
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457.