About Us
Healthy Land, Healthy Animals, Healthy Ecosystem
Like all good farmers do, we care about the land and our animals. For over 160 years, Amana has been farming for the future, carefully preserving the land using sustainable farming practices.
For us and our ecosystem, the soil is where it’s at! Through pasture and crop rotation practices, planting cover crops, and minimizing tillage, Amana Farms conserves soil moisture, reduces erosion, and builds a healthier soil structure.
While most Amana crops consist of non-GMO soybeans and various corns, including white, waxy, and traditional yellow, we keep the ecosystem on its toes, preventing monochromatic crops, producing small amounts of wheat, rye, alfalfa, and sorghum.
But wait, there’s more . . .
The best part about Amana Farms is the systematic relationship between our crop and beef production that extends out past the Amana Colonies – Let’s call it Amana’s Circle of Life.
We have completed the loop between our crop productions, cattle feeding, and manure remittance by adding an anaerobic digester. Waste has to go somewhere; why not do something good with it?
By combining our cattle manure and some organic waste streams from nearby industrial partners, we produce green energy and reduce inputs at local landfills. The digester produces enough green energy to power Amana Colonies’ homes and tourism businesses while reducing carbon emissions throughout Eastern Iowa.
What could be better than that?
After the methane is extracted and the green energy produced, the bi-product enhances the health of our soil providing our fields with environmentally friendly fertilizer, reducing synthetic inputs and limiting the use of traditional commercial fertilizers.
Circle complete! How Green is that?
