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Attitudes Change 

with Healthy Soil

When asked what the most satisfying result of working 

towards healthy soil is, the Anson family isn’t quick to 

respond about lower operating costs and increasing 

their bottom line. Instead, they talk about how excited 

they are to see clearer water coming off their land. 

As a fourth generation farm with 20,000 acres of land, 

the Anson brothers, Mike, Mark, Doug and Dan and 

their two sons have seen a lot of change in the farming 

community. From granddad’s ditch erosion problems 

in the 1930’s to watching their father build terraces 

on their rolling hills in the 70’s, the brothers came into 

the operation with vast knowledge and a passion for 

farming. Over time, that passion turned into too much 

stress, too much money being spent, and not enough 

hours in the day.

soil health

PROFILES IN

Anson Family Farms

Monroe City, Indiana

20,000 acres

Crops: Corn and Soybean Rotation

Planting: 100% No Till

Covers: Spring Oats, Crimson Clover, Austrian Winter 

Peas, Tillage Radish, Cereal Rye, Annual Rye Grass

“I was starting to feel down and out because our 

soils had gotten to the point where we could raise 

130 bushel of corn on dirt because of genetics 

and technology, but when we were done 

planting I got this inner feeling that is wasn’t 

worth it.” recalls Mark, “It was too much stress and 

you could tell the soil just wasn’t healthy. It was 

like we were farming on a gravel road.” 

Mark was on the verge of calling it quits until he 

attended a Soil Health Conference in southwest 

Indiana. After listening to USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soil 

health experts Ray Archuleta and Barry Fisher and 

witnessing the effects of compaction through 

the slake test, he knew it was time for another 

change.

“I was a little nervous at first about asking my 

brothers but I knew it was something we had to 

try,” said Mark. 

INDIANA
 Natural Resources Conservation Service 

profiles in soil health Anson Family Farms, Indiana

And try they did. In the fall of 2010, with the 

assistance of a NRCS Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program contract, the brothers planted 

a few acres of cover crops on areas with the most 

stress. Three years later, over sixty percent of their 

farm is planted in cover crops – nearly 12,000 acres.

“We’ve never really been scared to try new things. 

We figured we’d try it out for at least a year and see 

how it went,” said Mike. “I went out during a rain 

storm and looked at the water flowing off our cover 

crops and it was clear. I was amazed we could see 

the impact so quickly.” 

“The attitude around the farm started to change,” 

said Mark. “Our employees are proud of the work 

they are doing and are excited when they talk about 

cover crops and no-till and how much it’s working.” 

In addition to the environmental impacts they are 

seeing, the Ansons are also seeing a significant 

economic impact. Demonstration plots are showing 

a thirty bushel increase on cover cropped areas. 

They were also able to decrease fuel consumption, 

fertilizer, and fungicides.

“It’s definitely a learning experience for us,” said 

Doug. “We found out quickly that knowing the 

source of your cover crop seed is a crucial step in 

getting a good stand and not introducing invasive 

species to your fields.” 

The Ansons hope to plant an additional 3,000 acres 

in cover crops next year. Furthermore, the Ansons 

adopted a 100 percent no-till operation in 2012 and 

switched from spring applied anhydrous ammonia 

to liquid nitrogen and application of turkey manure 

on below average soils.

“We are blessed in southwest Indiana with great 

soil. We’re also blessed with huge technological 

advancements in equipment, management systems, 

seeds, chemical and much more. It’s a choice that 

every farmer is faced with – do I farm the way my 

grandfathers farmed or do I use the God given 

abilities to change to be in harmony with Mother 

Nature. We’re choosing to leave our soil in a healthier 

state than we received from our forefathers.”

To learn more about using cover crops on your 

operation or improving the health of your soil, visit 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/

in/home/?cid=nrcs144p2_031079 or stop by your 

local USDA Service Center.

Crimson Clover is recommended by the Ansons as a good starter 

cover crop for small acres. 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Want to unlock the secrets in YOUR soil? 

Go to: www.nrcs.usda.gov

It was like we were farming 

a gravel road.

- Mark Anson, landowner