MEET THE FARMER: Rick Clark

An Article from our partners Farmers Footprint

Meet Rick Clark, a fifth generation farmer in Warren County, Indiana. His family has lived on the farm since the 1880s. He recently became a grandpa and is hopeful about what the next generation will bring to the farm which now stretches 7,000 acres. The story of Rick’s transition from chemical dependency to regenerative practices has propelled demand from other farmers to learn his strategies and garnered national attention.

In 2017, Clark was honored as Danone’s Sustainable Farmer of the Year. Additionally, Land O’ Lakes honored him with an Outstanding Sustainability Award, and he was also a regional winner of the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award. Currently, Rick is Field to Markets 2019 recipient of the Sustainable Farmer of the Year award.

His farm runs on a five crop system with corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and regen.

Rick attributes his success to his father who still helps on the farm, “He’s my mentor, he’s taught me how to think, he’s taught me how to take a risk and figure out what the ramifications are going to be if you try something new.”

At a time when farmers are struggling to make ends meet, burdened and tied to the demands of conventional farming, the skills his father taught him have been the driving force behind his vision and dedication to results.

Through experimentation, failure, learning, and resilience, Rick’s 10+ year journey transitioning his land has made it possible for hundreds of farmers to revitalize their land and livelihood using his methodology.