Colby is a 5th-generation farmer on my dad's side and a 6th on my mom's. His wife and 3 sons farm with his parents. Their operation consists of roughly 4,000 dryland acres. The rotation consists of wheat and milo, as well as cover crops. The operation is just east of Dodge City, Kansas.   They have been no-till for 25 years, but figured out that alone is not enough. Over the past 10 years, they have used manure, ag lime, and compost. Going through the last drought, they decided there had to be a better way. This is the 4th year of almost fully eliminating synthetic fertilizer on all acres. They are focusing on using compost extracts, fulvic and humic acids, sugars, and other biological soil amendments while doing test plots to see if we are missing something. So far, by testing and visually, we haven't seen the need for nitrogen yet while maintaining yield and improving plant health and resilience, and proving to be more nutrient-dense grain.

Jared Stegman is currently an agronomy consultant for Teva Ag. He was previously an independent crop consultant at Crop Quest for almost 15 years, where he consulted on corn, soybean, wheat, milo, alfalfa, canola, and edible bean fields. While helping growers transition to regenerative practices, he is also helping Colby Stegman transition his farm. He currently resides in Clearwater, Kansas, with his wife and 2 sons.