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Rare production combination shows promise, sustainability
By Jeff Caldwell
What do pheasants, sweet corn and grapes all have in common?
Nothing much, besides the fact they're all consumable, in one form or another.
That is, except for one family farm in southeast Iowa. To brothers Jeff and Greg Kuntz and father, Bill, the three products comprise a completely unique production system that, thus far, has yielded promising results.
Owners and operators of the Oakwood Sporting Resort, near Sigourney, Iowa, the Kuntz family are transitioning from a conventional lease hunting operation to a new production system. Corn, grapes and pheasants coexist in a complementary, sustainable system. This shift, which started in 2000, is but one in a series of changes, according to Bill.
"This used to be a cattle farm, then we turned it into CRP. Then, after that, we started having pheasant hunters," he says. "The first year of business, 12 years ago, we had 250 pheasants taken. Today, we raise 10,000 and harvest approximately 8,000."
Corn + pheasants + grapes
In addition to the Kuntzes' pheasant hunting operation, sweet corn has, for a number of years, been a staple at the 800-acre Oakwood. The two existed separately until 2000, when Jeff expressed his family's lingering interest in raising grapes for wine production to Mike White, Iowa State University Cooperative Extension crops specialist and viticulturist. After working with White to put together a plan for construction and management, Jeff says they learned a great deal from day one.
"The first year, we found out this is possible, and we learned a few tricks along the way," he says. "Things aren't exactly perfect. We've designed it with a specific schedule. Everything flows. One system will end when another one starts.
Starting in May, pheasant chicks are brooded until six weeks of age, then released into the small, net-enclosed pens encompassing sweet corn that is between 18 and 36 inches tall. Delaying the pheasants' release into the corn fields exploits an inherent trait in the birds that aids the productivity and sustainability of the system.
"Basically, the growing point needs to be over their heads. So, then, they will just eat what's below, and the growing point stays ahead of them," Jeff says. "They just eat all the weeds underneath. If you keep it cultivated prior to letting out the birds, you don't have much of a weed problem."
After the pheasants have been introduced into the enclosed corn plots, grapevines are planted between the corn rows and the young plants are started in growing tubes to prevent the young pheasants from dining on the climbing vines like they do the weeds. Once the vines reach maturity and the height necessary to attach to horizontal growth lines, the tubes are removed. At this stage, the vines are thick enough to be essentially impermeable to the damage pheasants can cause through scavenging. Instead, lower leaves are pruned by the birds, leaving the upper, fruit-bearing portions untouched.
"You start them in the grow tubes, then the birds will naturally prune the leaves down below," Jeff says. "It's a labor-saving thing. The birds eat the bugs, insects and things like that, too."
One-of-a-kind natural pest control
The Kuntz family's pheasant/sweet corn/grape operation is the only one of its kind in the U.S. today. Despite the obscurity and rarity, Jeff says they quickly noticed one overwhelming benefit that has made the venture worthwhile thus far. In addition to being a sustainable system, it is naturally so, with no need for herbicides and pesticides. This was of utmost importance, according to Jeff, in making the shift.
"All the pest control is supplied by the integrated species," he says. "We wanted something that you wouldn't have to use insecticides, fertilizers or herbicides, and we don't. We haven't used any of those things for three years."
In addition to natural control of both insect and plant pests in the small plot where sweet corn, grapes and pheasants are produced together, soil quality and fertility have improved within the system as a result of good balance between the amount of corn rows, grapevines and young pheasants introduced into the system each year. Even today, Jeff doubts they have reached the point of balance where production efficiency is maximized.
"We're testing how much the birds will eat and when the best stage is to put them in with the corn. We're still perfecting a lot of things, and learning a few tricks along the way," he says. "We've done soil tests, and we've maintained our soil fertility."
While the Kuntzes have less than one total acre dedicated to the unique system, research indicates an income potential that could be huge. If adopted on a larger scale, it is estimated that income could exceed $10,000/acre each year, according to both White and the Kuntzes.
Becoming part of a burgeoning Iowa industry
By implementing grapes into their production system, the Kuntz family is joining hundreds of other Iowans in beginning a venture that shows tremendous promise for the state. Since 1999, when there were five wineries statewide, the number has exploded to more than 230. In addition to attracting more visitors and vacationers to Iowa, the Kuntzes are beginning wine production this year. They join others in boosting both their family's income and that of the state in general, according to White, a ISU Extension agronomist and viticulturist.
"Once I started seeing what the grape and wine industry was, and started seeing how much money can come into the state, I decided to jump into it," White says.
In addition to the income drawn from raising grapes for wine in itself, the industry primarily comprises agro-tourism, something that can have monumental effects on the income generated in specific geographic regions. Currently, the focal point of the state's wine industry is in southeast and east central Iowa. Yet, with more wineries on the drawing board in other parts of the state, rural Iowa could feel a boon in the next decade from this unconventional ag sector.
"When you talk about vineyards and wineries, you've got to talk about agro-tourism. Most of the economic studies in other states indicate that, for every dollar spent in a native winery for wine, another 75 cents to a dollar will be spent locally on lodging, food, gas or whatever," White says. "We're not just talking about grapes or consuming wine--We're talking about ag tourism.
"It's good for rural Iowa."
Jeff Caldwell can be reached by phone at 515-280-5405 or by e-mail at jcaldwell@mchsi.com.
Date: 8/25/04
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