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Isleys improve, adapt farming practicesIsleys improve, adapt farming practices

Master Farmers: Jim and Laurie Isley advocate for agriculture and conservation.

Jennifer Kiel, Editor

January 29, 2025

13 Slides
Jim and Laurie Isley of Palmyra Michigan

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There are no farm secrets on Sunrise Farms. Just the opposite. Owners Jim and Laurie Isley not only farm with conservation at the forefront, but they are also more than happy to share their insights and experiences with what has worked and what hasn’t on their farm in Palmyra, Mich.

As with all farms, profitability is the goal of this 1,000-acre corn and soybean operation, but it’s not the only goal. The Isleys believe discussion, education and hands-on learning help to spark change in the farming community — something they recognize as difficult for some.

Both Jim and Laurie have dedicated an enormous amount of their nonfarm time to the industry and community, serving their township, church, county and several commodity organizations.

“I believe every individual has a responsibility to give back to the vocation in which they are involved,” Laurie says.

Getting started

Jim grew up on his parents’ farm, Foxy Acres, in Palmyra and was active in FFA. Laurie’s family farm, Broadview Farms, was in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she showed hogs, bailed hay and straw, and participated in 4-H.

A mutual friend brought them together while they were both attending Michigan State University. After graduation, they married in August 1979. Laurie went to work as an agriscience teacher in the community. “That was very helpful,” she says. “When we started farming, it provided insurance and a steady source of income, which allowed us to take a lot of what we had earned on the farm and reinvest it. We’re fortunate.”

They bought a piece of Jim’s great-great-grandfather’s farm and continued to buy land, and have built an operation within a couple of miles of the home base.

Like most industries, agriculture is not exempt from change, the Isleys point out. “It was a challenge coming back home and working with my dad, who had done things a long time the same way,” Jim says. “I wanted to try things, but at that point in his farming career, he didn’t want to make any changes.”

The Isleys chose not to partner with Jim’s parents. “But they helped us with equipment and other aspects on the farm,” Laurie says. “It gave us a lot more independence in making decisions. Progress was slow — it took a long time to buy that first tractor, but we slowly built it up.”

During the early 1980s, it was especially tough. “I remember buying a tractor and paying 18% interest while crop prices were low,” Jim adds.

Conservation focused

Over the past 45 years, Jim and Laurie have acquired additional land and incorporated many sustainability practices to increase productivity and efficiency. They also welcomed three children to their family: Alysa, Luke and Jake.

In a quest to improve their sandy soils, the Isleys sought the assistance of local conservationist Tom VanWagner from Lenawee County, as well as a farmer friend, Blaine Baker from Clayton.

“We did a lot of listening and looking around to see what people were doing,” Jim says. “We were open to trying new things.”

Jim uses yield data and regional research to select the best seed varieties, farming methods and products for their land. Laurie has been active in several organizations, including Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), the Michigan Soybean Committee and the United Soybean Board, allowing her to stay abreast and advocate for the industry.

“Our neighbors, the Eisenmann family, had good success with strip till,” Jim notes. “When our youngest son, Jake, returned from MSU and said, ‘Dad, let’s try something different,’ I listened.”

They started strip-tilling 15 years ago and have been since. “By strip-tilling in the fall, we have fewer passes in the spring,” Laurie explains. “Over time, we’ve adopted more and more conservation practices. Home from college, Jake said we needed to concentrate on soil health. And so we have made a pretty major investment of time, energy and money to do that.”

Annual ryegrass is used as a cover crop with a little bit of rapeseed in different areas. “Termination of the annual ryegrass can be a challenge, but so far, we’ve been able to make that work,” Jim says.

The Isleys see the difference in the soil’s ability to manage heavy water events. “The improved soil structure pulls water in, and the residue helps keep it in place,” Laurie says, while noting they have also implemented other water management practices.

With Jake, 35, as the lead, the farm has embraced technology and is collecting data to help make informed seed population decisions, as well as variable-rate and precision fertilizer applications — especially important being the farm is in the Western Lake Erie Basin.

Sometimes it’s difficult to put a value on the impact of one particular practice because it’s not just one practice, it’s a system, Jim says. “With our very porous soils, our system of strip till and no-till with cover crops has worked for us without many glitches, while conserving a lot of moisture in the ground,” he adds. “But it’s not always the case for farmers with different soils and conditions.”

Laurie adds, “But we got really excited when one of our neighbors bought a strip till and stepped over the line to try something different.”

The Isleys encourage change with calculated risk. Jim helps growers with information and has served on the River Raisin Watershed Council for 10 years, and as part of the Farmer-Led group, he has hosted a half-dozen meetings at the farm shop.

Jim has also served in township government for 24 years. “I think it’s important we have people who want to serve in those positions, otherwise somebody is going to make those decisions for us,” Laurie says. “We need people who are informed and connected to agriculture.”

Growing up on a 1,000-head hog farm just outside the city limits of Ann Arbor, she became aware that “most people didn’t have a clue what we did on the farm,” she explains. “If you could help them see what you do and why you do it, then it becomes a positive experience, rather than a negative one.”

As an agriscience teacher, Laurie’s work with the MFB Promotion and Education Committee was a good fit, connecting her FFA students with Farm Bureau. “It was one of the highlights of my career,” she says.

Balancing earnings with learning is one of Laurie’s mottos. “There is an opportunity to learn something from every person you meet,” she says. “There’s a wealth of knowledge out there, some which will apply to you, and some of it which is just really cool to know.”

Succession plan

With 950 owned acres, developing a succession plan has been difficult, but one the Isleys see as important. They ensured each child understood the plan and had a voice in it.

“Communication is such a critical component because we’ve all seen families that have been torn apart by what was left and how it was left,” Laurie says. “Probably one of the best things we ever heard is that what’s fair isn’t always equal, and what’s equal isn’t always fair.”

They will revisit their plan as time goes on, and as circumstances change. “It’s a process you have to go after thoughtfully,” Laurie adds.

Farming challenges

Nothing in farming is guaranteed, and often challenges create strength. Soon after the Isleys were married, they started growing tomatoes. It was a very lucrative crop, Jim attests. However, that revenue stream dried up when Campbell’s Soup Co. out of Napoleon, Ohio, stopped processing locally grown tomatoes. “We were out, and I thought the world was going to end,” Jim says. With some self-reflection, he adds, “I realized that what I grew and what I did wasn’t who I am. So, after examining my faith, looking at who I was in God’s eyes, it gave me a new perspective in not letting farming define my identity.”

The Isleys are proud of their 45-year union and family they’ve created. “We complement one another — I’m more often the talker, he’s more often the doer,” Laurie says.

In both marriage and business, Laurie says it’s important to look inward for personal growth and change, rather than focusing solely on external factors.

“Ask yourself, how do I need to learn and change and how will that help me be more successful?” she says. “With marriage, it’s nice finding the right person, but it’s just as important to be the right person.”

Jim says they are very blessed with their family, home and farm. “It isn’t just our doing,” he adds. “It stems from our parents, our grandparents, and in our case, the five generations that have worked this land since the 1800s.”

Jim and Laurie Isley at a glance

Farm: Sunrise Farms; 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans

Ag and community: Jim: township trustee for eight years, supervisor for 16 years; Lenawee County Farm Bureau board member, six years, and president, four years; State Farm Bureau Policy Development Committee; FSA Committee; River Raisin Watershed Farmer-led Committee, 10 years; led 14 church mission trips to Honduras, church leadership; Laurie: Agriscience teacher and FFA advisor for 32 years; Lenawee County Farm Bureau board member and president; Farm Bureau State Promotion and Education Committee, six years; mission trips to Honduras, India and Haiti; church leadership; Michigan Soybean Committee board member for nine years and president for six years; Soy Transportation Coalition, United Soybean Export Council and World Initiative for Soy in Human Health; ASA Conservation champions; United Soybean Board member, five years

Awards: American Soybean Association Conservation Legacy Award, 2020; Lenawee County Conservation Farmer Award; Honorary State FFA Degree. Laurie, Michigan Farm Bureau Agriscience Educator of the Year; MFB Young Farmer Leader Award; MFB Young Farmer Discussion Meet winner

Read more about:

Master Farmers

About the Author

Jennifer Kiel

Editor, Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer

Jennifer was hired as editor of Michigan Farmer in 2003, and in 2015, she began serving a dual role as editor of Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer. Both those publications are now online only, while the print version is American Agriculturist, which covers Michigan, Ohio, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic. She is the co-editor with Chris Torres.

Prior to joining Farm Progress, she served three years as the manager of communications and development for the American Farmland Trust Central Great Lakes Regional Office in Michigan, and as director of communications with the Michigan Agri-Business Association. Previously, she was the communications manager at Michigan Farm Bureau's state headquarters. She also lists 10 years of experience at six different daily and weekly Michigan newspapers on her resume.

She has been a member of American Agricultural Editors’ Association (now Agricultural Communicators Network) since 2003. She has won numerous writing and photography awards through that organization, which named her a Master Writer in 2006 and Writer of Merit in 2017.

She is a board member for the Michigan 4-H Foundation, Clinton County Conservation District and Barn Believers.

Jennifer and her husband, Chris, live in St. Johns, Mich., and collectively have five grown children and four grandchildren.

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