Growing with a Purpose
Protecting a family farm’s future and the environment
For many farmers, growing crops and raising livestock is not just a job, but a legacy—often, a family legacy spanning generations. Chad Van Ess’s family farm legacy began decades ago in Holland, half the world away from where the operation lives today.
Chad’s grandparents, dairy farmers, emigrated from Holland to Monroe, Washington, where Chad’s father started his own dairy operation. In 1994, the family moved their operation to Idaho, where they expanded the herd from 300 cows to 2,000. By 2008, their continued growth led to another move, this time to Sanborn, Iowa, where Chad, his four brothers and parents run the operation today.
Since then, Van Ess Dairy has grown to more than 10,000 cows across two dairy sites, along with 3,700 acres of farmland to help produce feed for the livestock. Continued corn-on-corn production makes soil management and nutrient efficiency especially critical for the family farm.
A New Approach
Chad knew the importance of conservation programs to help with nutrient management on his farm, but he was frustrated with the complexity and constant change associated with most programs. When he first heard about the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund from a local equipment dealer, he was ready to start.
“There were no hesitations,” Chad says. “I was ready to jump in.”
At the time, he had been seeding a few hundred acres of cover crops each year. Through SWOF, that effort scaled quickly. In their first year, the Van Ess operation enrolled just over 1,000 acres. By the second year, they had expanded to nearly 3,000 acres.
Flexible Partnerships
Flexibility and accessibility are two of the most valuable aspects Chad has found in working with SWOF. He knows that SWOF understands the unpredictability of farming, and he appreciates how easy it is to make adjustments.
“It’s nice having multiple people here that understand the struggles we have in the fall,” Chad explains. “Is it going to rain? Is the cover crop going to grow well? It’s easy for me to just text them so they know what’s going on.”
That quick flexibility is essential in a farming operation where timing is tight and changes happen unexpectedly. Chad experienced a perfect example of this last fall when the farm picked up some additional ground late in the season that he wanted to enroll.
“It was just a text to say, ‘I got this extra farm, I know it’s late in the year, but can we get it signed up?’” Chad says. “It was no big deal. A couple days later, I had another contract, and it was done. Just that easy—from the tractor seat through text message.”
Preserving the Legacy
The Van Ess family has always prioritized conservation on their farm. Chad understands the value of preserving the land for future generations, because he was once that future generation himself.
“We’re going out of our way to protect the environment, to protect from wind erosion, water erosion,” Chad says. “We’re trying to control the things we can outside of Mother Nature.”
That focus on conservation also benefits the operation’s bottom line.
“We’re able to grow a fantastic corn crop and a good cover crop with almost no fertilizer bought in town,” Chad shares.
These efforts, executed together by Chad and his family, result in an operation to be proud of.
“A lot of people don’t know what it takes to be a farmer, especially a dairy farmer,” Chad says. “We take the utmost care of our animals. We want to take very good care of our farmland.”
From 150 cows to more than 10,000, and from one continent to another, the growth of Van Ess Dairy reflects decades of hard work and commitment to the operation.
“My dad started with essentially 150 cows, and to be at 10,000 today speaks volumes,” Chad says. “We’ve had to be good dairymen to get to where we are today.”
Through partnerships like the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, that commitment continues, pairing operational efficiency with environmental outcomes and ensuring the land remains productive for generations to come.
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