Faces of Farming - Joe Zoellner

A lifetime of loving the outdoors led Joe Zoellner to a career in conservation. That path has now taken him to MFA Incorporated as the cooperative’s new natural resources conservation specialist.

Zoellner joined MFA in March, coming from the Missouri Department of Conservation where he spent eight years as a wildlife biologist, managing some 5,000 acres of Missouri public lands, providing a wide variety of wildlife habitat and working closely with local farmers who produce row crops in some of these areas.

“I enjoy being outside and grew up hunting and fishing. And though I don’t come from a farm background, I’ve always had an interest in agriculture,” Zoellner said. “This role with MFA allows me to put all those interests together and work with farmers on ways that conservation and agriculture can coexist.”

Raised in Jefferson City, Zoellner is a graduate of Lincoln University with a degree in agriculture and emphasis in natural resources. He and his wife, Danielle, now live in Centralia with their 7-year-old son, Sam, and 18-month-old daughter, Josie.

Today’s Farmer asked Zoellner to talk about his role and how conservation fits into MFA’s mission:

What does MFA’s conservation specialist do? 
My main responsibilities involve educating MFA staff and customers about the close relationship between agriculture and conservation. A key asset to remaining successful in agriculture conservation is keeping up with the times. We do this by conducting producer meetings and educational events, staying up to date with federal cost-share assistance programs and being aware of similar incentive programs offered by our many professional partners.

What are some of those opportunities?
The Precision Conservation Management (PCM) is a new incentive program for Missouri farmers in collaboration with the Illinois Corn Growers Association, Kentucky Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council. The program will target row-crop farmers in northern Missouri, specifically in the Lower Grand River and Salt River watersheds, focusing on adopting cover crops, no-till, strip-till and nitrogen management. A staff member should soon be on board to help administer the PCM in Missouri. As far as education, a couple of events in north-central Missouri this summer will address current topics in conservation agriculture. The first is a Pollinator Workshop put on by Missouri Soybean Association on June 20 from 4-7 p.m. at the Middletown Community Center. You can learn more at mosoy.org/events. We also have MFA’s 4R Soil Health Field Day planned for July 30 at the River Valley Agronomy Center in Higginsville. This event will feature MFA precision and conservation staff and many of our partners. (See details on page 16).

What excites you about this role? 
Previously, with MDC, I’d been looking at things from the conservation perspective, but with MFA, I’m looking at the farming side as well. I look forward to expanding my experience and expertise working with MFA staff and the many producers the company serves. I want to interact with the farmers and hear about their successes or concerns with conservation. There can be this feeling that agriculture and conservation are contradictory, and that perception can be a barrier to adoption. My goal is to help address any qualms and bridge that gap. 

Why is it important that MFA emphasizes conservation? 
MFA demonstrates its commitment to stewardship by employing my position as well as conservation grazing specialist Landry Jones. MFA also offers conservation-minded agronomy services such as our Nutri-Track program, variable-rate applications, and soil health analysis and consultation. All these efforts show that MFA cares about being good stewards of our land and resources, which is extremely important as the landscape shifts more toward conservation-friendly agricultural practices. 

How can farmers reach you?
For questions or assistance related to conservation agriculture programs and practices, feel free to contact me at jzoellner@mfa-inc.com or our conservation grazing specialist Landry Jones at ljones@mfa-inc.com. 

Image cutline: Joe Zoellner joined MFA Incorporated on March 18 as the natural resources conservation specialist. Prior to MFA, he served for eight years as a wildlife biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.