CCA of the Year

Recognizing the Work of Good People

The Iowa Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) announced the 2019 Iowa CCA of the Year earlier this month. Adam Kramer, a small business owner in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Waukon, Iowa farmer, has accepted this annual award during the Iowa CCA recognition luncheon at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference (ASC) on February 12, 2019.

About the Award

A certified crop adviser utilizes best management practices that protect the environment and lead growers to produce higher yields and increased profitability for their farms. Farmers and employers prefer to work with CCAs because they have demonstrated commitment, education, expertise, and experience to make a difference in a client’s business.

The Iowa Certified Crop Adviser of the Year Award is designed to recognize a CCA who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in their field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.

Who’s Been Talking About Him

Adam Kramer addresses CCA crowd at lunch on Feb 12. Kramer was recognized as the 2019 Iowa CCA of the Year.

Kramer has been featured by the Allamakee Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) as a person striving to improve soil health and fertility on cropland he farms, including a feature by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in their “profiles in soil health.” Certified as a crop adviser in 2006, Kramer decided to build an implement to ground apply seeds for his winter mixes and began his cover crop journey at the beginning of October 2017 following his soybean harvest. “[Kramer] continues to find ways to innovate in this area to help producers get seeding done on time and in a cost-effective way,” say his colleagues.

One of his current projects brings together government programs and private business. With this venture, Black Sand Granary, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, is committed to aerial application of cover crops, and continues to work with district conservationists to develop seeding recommendations that work for the producer. According to the Allamakee SWCD “adding a small grain to a rotation can help to break up pest cycles, improve soil health, spread out workload, and reduce input costs when compared to corn or soybeans,” and applaud Kramer’s efforts on cover crops.

This Allamakee county farmer, CCA, and small business owner is an example of how each producer can do their part in utilizing our natural resources in a sustainable and profitable way. “The community doesn’t exist to serve the business, our business exists to serve its community,” says Kramer.

The Iowa Certified Crop Adviser program is supported at the national level by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Certified Crop Adviser Program.  The CCA certification was established in 1992 to provide a benchmark for practicing agronomy professionals in the United States.  CCAs meet examination, education, experience, and ethical standards that assure their competency as a partner to the producer in achieving the most from their farm.