The non-profit River Action is continuing its 2025 Quad City Environmental Film Series with a screening of "Farming While Black," a 2023 documentary.
Todd Western III is a sixth-generation farmer in Iowa. Although he is not involved in the documentary, he will discuss his family's 161-year experience cultivating the land with audience members.
"[I]t's just a testament to the will of number one the Western family and number two farmers in general. To be a farmer, you have to have a strong will, strong back, strong mind," Western III said in a phone interview with WVIK. "And with our farm, in particular, us being, you know, the one of probably the only Black farmers in the state of Iowa at that time, you have to remember we were sandwiched between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War and so you can imagine the nerves that probably were on high during those times."

Western III expands on the last fifty years of farming operations, saying his dad was drafted into the army during the Vietnam War. After returning home, he started working as a supervisor at John Deere, the first Black person to hold that role within the company in 1968. The increase in funds allowed his father to buy a farm in Waterloo.
In 1974, Western III's grandfather passed away, and his father bought the New Sharon farm, which was 110 years in operation at that time. He would plant and harvest both farms while maintaining his John Deere position.
"[W]e would load up the semi, and we would go down to New Sharon, which is like two hours away from Waterloo," Western III said. "We'd farm that farm come back [to] farm the farm in Waterloo...again the perseverance of my mother and father...that lasted about six-eight years before that got a little tiring and a little expensive."
Western III's father then rented out the land on the New Sharon farm to focus on his farm in Waterloo. Western III lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and would visit to help his father with the farm. In 2008, during a bike ride to practice for another marathon, Western III's father passed away.
"[T]hat put a big hole in the family and all of a sudden now me being the eldest, you know, I got to step up and so we pretty much did everything dad did from 2008 to 2015, which meant no regenerative farm practices, he did it the way his dad did and we were doing it the way he did."
During this time, his mother, a retired school teacher and opera singer, came out of her retirement to learn more about the industry and assist with the farm.
"[Y]ou know she's a Black woman from Chicago who knows nothing about farming, but because obviously of her perseverance and intelligence, she really dives into understanding the business of farming," Western III said. She worked with the Iowa State Extension Office to understand regenerative agriculture and cost-share programs. According to Western III, she would share these ideas with him and his brothers, and they would help implement them. The same information is shared with their friend who rents and farms the New Sharon land.
"So today, we do a lot of regenerative farm practices. We do cover crops. We do no-till. We do reduced fertilizer management. We plant prairie grass where appropriate," Western III said.
Western III and his son travel from Minnesota multiple times a year, about three and a half hours, to Waterloo. They buy seed and fertilizer, fix equipment, and plant.
"[C]ome back June-July to check the crop and then harvest in the fall, and my brother Christopher Western lives in Waterloo, so he can kind of keep a day-to-day eye out on the farm," Western III said.
Western III believes his family is the only Black family in the state that operates a Heritage Farm, which is a farm that has been in operation for over 150 years. He explains being an outlier is not a coincidence.
"[I]n 1944, approximately 14% of the farmers were Black. Today, there's less than 2%. And that drop, in addition to natural attrition, a lot of that was due to predatory lending and bad business practices from state agencies in the history, in the past," Western III said. "And so, we're just trying to elevate that 1.4%. of Black farmers to say, we're here, we hear you, we've noticed you, and here's how we can all grow together."
Western III is talking about an organization he helped create in 2021 called Iowa Farmers of Color. He says around ten farmers initiated the then-unnamed group, seeking to share ideas and network. The group has grown, with its latest conference in November attracting over 150 attendees, including representatives from national organizations like Cargill and Syngenta and federal departments like the USDA.
"This last census that came out, so there's 86,000 farmers in total in the state of Iowa. Of that 86,000, there's 59 Black farmers in Iowa," Western III said. "[T]here's mutual gain that we can get from each other by working with each other. Because these programs and information doesn't always trickle down to the farmers of color for various reasons."
Western III says the group is open to all farmers and has quarterly meetings. The next one is scheduled for March. Those interested can contact Todd by visiting the group's website.
"Farming While Black" will be shown at the Figge at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26th. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on River Action's website.
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