AgEmerge Podcast 183 with James Hepp

AgEmerge Podcast 183 with James Hepp

From Ag Emerge Podcast by Hosted by Monte Bottens

March 10, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

James Hepp shares his journey from aspiring farmer to managing thousands of acres and promoting conservation practices.

Rockwell City native James Hepp aspired to farm, but with no direct ties to land, that dream seemed out of reach. So how did he get to be farming thousands of acres and a Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner? About Our Guest: James Hepp aspired to farm, but with no direct ties to land, that dream seemed out of reach. Hepp attended Northwest Missouri State University, where he earned a degree in agricultural business and started his career as a crop insurance adjuster after graduation. In 2019, the opportunity to work with a high school friend’s father, who was nearing retirement, led to a crop-share arrangement and opened the door for Hepp to farm full time. At the same time, Hepp started up his own crop insurance agency. Hepp now manages about 1,400 acres of corn, soybeans, and small grains as a first-generation farmer. Hepp also runs an ag retail business selling lots of regenerative products he uses on his acres. With support from his landlord, Hepp incorporates a wide range of conservation and soil-health building practices on his acres, including cover crops, buffer strips, no-till, strip-till, split-applied nitrogen, variable rate seeding, and much more. Hepp…

People in this episode

Host: Monte Bottens

Guest: James Hepp

Topics covered

  • farming
  • agriculture
  • conservation practices
  • crop insurance
  • soil health
  • regenerative agriculture

Keywords

  • farming
  • crop insurance
  • soil conservation
  • regenerative products
  • ag retail
  • first-generation farmer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northwest Missouri State University, Calhoun County Farm Bureau

Places: Rockwell City, Iowa

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