Giving back to the land

By Natalie Shelton

The four ponds on Dave and Jo Fulton’s sprawling farm in rural Kearney have a bigger purpose than just a home for bass, bluegill and channel catfish.

The couple built the bodies of water as just one of their ways of giving back to the land that has blessed them for 38 years.

“By building them, it stops erosion and keeps the soil where it is,” Dave Fulton said. “It keeps the soil from washing away into the Missouri River.”

In the world of soil and water conservation, a pond is also known as a “grade stabilization structure,” or a way to contain soil in a former gulley so the soil doesn’t wash away.

When the Fultons built their last two ponds as joint projects with the Liberty office of the Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District, it was determined building one pond would prevent 24 tons of soil loss in a three-year period, and building the other would prevent 25 tons of soil from eroding in that same time frame, said Robert Brejcha, district resource conservationist.

The two ponds are part of a bigger picture, one with a canvas that is the 180 lush green acres that comprise the Fultons’ farm. The entire farm is a testament to how man can leave land in a better condition for the next generation, Brejcha said, and it is why Dave Fulton has been named the Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Outstanding Conservationist of the Year. He was honored officially on Friday, May 2.

Dave Fulton has worked with the national Soil and Water Conservation District and the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service over the years on projects, including the ponds and grass waterways. About six waterways run across the property.

When the conservation district works with a landowner on a project, it is by way of a cost-share program that provides financial incentives to the landowners for up to 75 percent of the cost for installation of soil conservation practices that prevent or control excessive erosion.

The Fultons bought 80 acres back in 1970 and settled there with their two children. Together, the four cleared “the jungle” that covered the property, Dave Fulton said. In 1997, they bought an adjoining 100 acres.

“If you look at a 1970 aerial photograph of their property, it was devastated; it was eroded beyond belief,” Brejcha said. “There was severe gulley erosion. What fascinates me when you look at that aerial photo, there are countless white hues everywhere, which shows where topsoil has eroded. It wouldn’t look anything like that today.”

Dave and Jo Fulton produce and maintain the best quality hay Brejcha has seen in his 41 years in his field.

“His grass planter is the only one of its kind in several states around here,” Brejcha said. “It’s no-till planting. They never expose the topsoil.”

The two cleared the bluegrass and fescue on their land and converted it to alfalfa, broom grass and archer grass, which is palatable and nutritious for horses. They also introduced 15 acres of tall native prairie grasses.

The 100 acres the Fultons bought in 1997 also included a dilapidated 1890s farmhouse they’ve restored to its original glory. It’s now the Stonehaven Guest House, a bed and breakfast that sleeps up to eight people who can enjoy catch-and-release fishing, hayrides, cookouts and three miles of walking trails the Fultons built and maintain.

With the help of a carpenter friend, Dave Fulton re-built the farmhouse’s massive wooden doors and shutters with lumber from an old barn. They also repurposed the barn wood for the interior stairs, chair rails and ceiling beam.

“Our philosophy on the land and house is that God put us on this Earth,” Dave Fulton said, “and we want to leave it in a better shape than when we got it.”

The two met at Iowa State University, where Dave Fulton received master’s degrees in agricultural engineering and agricultural education. He was an instructor at the time and planned to become a professor. Instead, he worked for 34 years at Farmland Industries while the two managed their own farm.

“I wasn’t planning to marry a farmer,” Jo Fulton said. “I was planning on marrying a professor.”

Dave Fulton said he and Jo have been a team as they’ve shaped their land. Jo Fulton has always driven their tractor when they’re out working with their hay, though she’s slowly but surely turning that duty over to their eight grandchildren as they each reach an age old enough to master the machine.

“We’ve been in it together,” he said. “It’s been a real joy.”

Staff writer Natalie Shelton can be reached at 781-4941 or nshelton@npgco.com.